Activists have been arrested after scaling the side of a building in central Manchester and holding it in protest of an insurance company’s ties to the Israeli weapons industry.
Palestine Action activists occupied the canopy above the door to Aviva’s insurance offices at 7am this morning, dressed in red boiler suits and sporting black and white Keffiyehs, holding a red smoke flare.
Police blocked off parts of Chapel Walks and Cheapside, the roads below the action, and made arrests at about noon.
The activists held a banner that says Aviva Palestina, with a red cross through the “A” in Aviva – reading “Viva Palestina” a popular chant at pro-Palestine protests – and strung up a Palestine flag.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action claimed that Aviva provides the mandatory employer liability insurance for UAV Engines in Staffordshire, a drone engine factory owned by Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems.
They said: “Without insurance, the Israeli arms maker would not be able to operate in Britain.”
Elbit provides 85% of Israel’s drone fleet, and the activists claim that these drones are deliberately made louder than they need to be to “terrorise innocent civilians”.
This is the third action targeting Aviva by Palestine Action this year. On 22 January they occupied the Aviva Centre in Bristol, and on 28th February their offices in Perth and Motherwell, Scotland were targeted.
Today Aviva said: “Our first priority is to ensure the safety of our people. We will not tolerate any criminal behaviour towards our people or property and will take appropriate legal action. This has not impacted our service to customers.”
This is the forth day in a row of Palestine Action protests across a variety of sites, from painting the words “Gaza is not for sale” on the lawn at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland on Saturday, flying the Palestinian flag above the Allianz Twickenham stadium on Sunday, and yesterday occupying the entrance roof of the Allianz commerical offices in central London.
Feature image by Jack Haworth
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