A man pictured on a fence at defence contractor BAE Systems today says he was ‘not trying to scale it’.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine protestors gathered at the BAE in Samlesbury to call upon BAE to stop supplying components of the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program to Israel.
BAE Systems said the protest 'passed off peacefully and there was no impact on operations'.
The protest was organised by the Lancashire Peace Forum (LPF) and attracted demonstrators from across the North West. The event was attended by a number of Blackburn with Darwen councillors and activists who also spoke to the crowd.
The Blackburn man pictured on the fence said: “I had no intention of scaling the fence. I just wanted to make a point to the crowd.
“The police and security people over there were really helpful and understood our right to protest. It was a peaceful event.”
A statement from the protestors sent out ahed of the protest: “We also call upon BAE to stop supplying components of the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.
“The UK industry produces 15% of the components of every F-35, which was used in the assault against Gaza a few days ago, indiscriminately killing over 200 civilians, including 63 children. BAE Systems must stop supporting the continued oppression and occupation of the Palestinian people and display its corporate ethics.”
A spokesperson for BAE Systems said: "A group of protesters were present at one of our sites in Lancashire today and have now left the site. The protests passed peacefully and there was no impact on our operations. We fully respect people’s right to protest peacefully."
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