Early on Thursday morning, Palestine Action scaled the Leonardo UK weapons factory in Southampton and occupied the rooftop, shutting down production at the site. Activists then begun dismantling the building. The activists intend to sustain their occupation of the arms factory at First Avenue, Millbrook Industrial Estate, Southampton, Hants, SO15 0LG, for as long as possible to maximise disruption to the deadly arms industry which supplies Israel.

The Italian company Leonardo is one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers, and it has extensive ties to the Israeli colonial regime, supplying the apartheid statewith Aermacchi M-346 aircraft and components for its Apache attack helicopters.