FIVE arrests have been made after pro-Palestine protesters blockaded the Leonardo Edinburgh site on Crewe Road North.
The protesters arrived at the site at 7am yesterday morning and blocked entrances to the factory.
Leonardo, an Italian-owned company, is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world, and supplies weapons to the Israeli state.
Four women and a man were arrested at the scene, after climbing on top of flag-bearing vans, and spraying paint at the factory building.
The protest was organised by Palestine Action, a campaign group dedicated to “dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid”.
This is not the first time the group have targeted the Leonardo plant, as the building was broken into and shut down in November last year, and their internet cables were cut in May this year.
Palestine Action yesterday shared pictures of activists waving Palestine flags smeared with red blood, and holding signs saying “Leonardo helps kill kids for cash”.
The post was shared with the caption: “BREAKING: Palestine Action block all entrances to Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory.
“Actionists secured to vehicles have halted the site’s production of laser targeting systems for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets.”
Pictures were later shared of the site as it was cordoned off by police, with protestors being led into police cars in handcuffs, raising their fists in solidarity with those in the conflict overseas.
The caption stated: “All activists arrested after they shut down Leonardo Edinburgh’s production of laser targeting systems for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson today said: “Officers were called to a protest ongoing at Crewe Road North in Edinburgh on the morning of Tuesday, 10 December, 2024.
“Four women – aged 37, 51, 56 and 66 – and a 33-year-old man were arrested and charged in connection with the incident. They are expected to appear at court at a later date.”
Palestine Action has since said that “All five actionists were released overnight, after they shut down Leonardo Edinburgh throughout yesterday”, alongside pictures of those released smiling and holding up the Palestine flag.
October marked one year since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with over 44,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, and almost 2,000 people killed in Israel (as of 3 December).
