A newly formed Palestine direct action group has broken into a weapons factory in Wolverhampton, targeting what it described as Britain’s role in the war in Gaza.
The group, calling itself Palestine Martyrs for Justice, said four of its members forced entry into the Moog Aircraft Group site on Valiant Way at around 04:00 BST on Tuesday.
The activists reportedly crashed a vehicle through two security gates before climbing onto the roof of the facility, where they remain. Photographs show members wearing T-shirts depicting Palestinian civilians killed in Israeli air strikes.
One activist said from the rooftop: “We are Palestinian Martyrs for Justice and each of us here today is wearing a T-shirt of one of the martyrs murdered by Israel. Raghd Al-Jabri was 17 when she was killed by an Israeli air strike. Moog supplies the F-35 chain that has been killing Palestinians in airstrikes.”
The group claims Moog Aircraft Group supplies parts for F-16 and F-35 fighter jets through Israel’s defence company Elbit Systems. In a statement, it said: “Britain has failed to prevent the Gaza genocide. Instead, our government and companies on our doorstep continue to benefit from the destruction of Palestine. Today we are dismantling a key player in the genocidal supply chain.”
It added that activists had “begun to dismantle the site and halt production”.
Moog Aircraft Group, which manufactures flight control systems for military and civilian aircraft, has not yet issued a public statement. Police have not confirmed whether any arrests have been made.
The action is the first claimed by Palestine Martyrs for Justice, which said it was formed to “challenge British participation in genocide.”