Four arrested after pro-Palestine activists 'cause criminal damage to air parts factory'
Four people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after footage appeared to show pro-Palestinian activists smashing a car through the gates of a defence manufacturer.
Listen to this article
The group, named online as Palestinian Martyrs for Justice, appeared to have broken in and got on to the roof of the Moog Aircraft Group factory in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, at 3.50am on Tuesday.
Significant damage was caused to a number of sky lights and solar panels, Staffordshire Police said.
A video released on social media showed a four-wheel drive vehicle ramming through gates before a red flare was let off.
One of the activists said: “We are Palestinian Martyrs for Justice and each of us here today on the roof of Moog are wearing a T-shirt of one of the martyrs that have been murdered by Israel in the genocide.”
The manufacturer was targeted because it supplies equipment used on F-35 fighter jets used by the Israeli government to bomb Palestinians in Gaza, the group claimed.
Read more: Pro-Palestine protesters chanted “RAF shame on you” during air base demonstration
Read more: Home Office makes special arrangements to bring Gaza students to UK - subject to Israeli approval
“A number of individuals had entered a manufacturing building and gained access to the roof,” police said in a statement.
“Officers, along with colleagues from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, were deployed to the scene and four individuals were arrested.
“This is an ongoing investigation and we would ask members of the public to avoid the site at this time.”
A separate group, Palestine Action, was banned by the government after it claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to allegations of a serious assault on staff and police officers at a business premises in South Gloucestershire.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has defended her decision to ban the group - which has led to hundreds of arrests.
Describing it as more than "a regular protest group", she argued Palestine Action has carried out "an escalating campaign".
The ban meant the direct action group was added to a list of terror groups including the likes of al Qaeda, Islamic State and Hezbollah. Membership of, or support for, the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.