Palestine activists allege police "aggression" and "brutality" in Newcastle protest at Israeli arms factory!
(2024-12-18 at 23:25:38 )

Palestine activists allege police "aggression" and "brutality" in Newcastle protest at Israeli arms factory!

Pro-Palestine activists in Newcastle upon Tyne allege that Northumbria Police officers used "aggressive tactics" and "brutalised" demonstrators at a protest outside an Israeli-owned weapons factory, Rafael Advance Defence Systems Ltd., also known as Pearson Engineering, last Saturday. The factory specialises in producing armoured military vehicles and is now under the significant control of the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

The purchase of Pearson Engineering by the Israeli state-owned firm is described as a vital part of the occupations states "strategic expansion" of its weapons manufacturing capabilities in the United Kingdom. Rafael manufactures a wide range of weaponry, including the spiked missiles linked to Israels attack on 1 April this year which killed three British aid workers from the World Central Food Kitchen convoy.

Israel faces a charge of committing "plausible genocide" at the International Court of Justice, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant face arrest under warrants issued by the International Criminal Court alleging their role in war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Despite such serious charges, Rafael describes its missiles as "extensively battle proven by the Israeli Air Force" confirming that Israel uses Gaza and the other occupied Palestinian territories as the "Palestine laboratory" for its new weapons.

"We have been protesting for over a year at the Newcastle Rafael Factory site," said the activists from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the city. "This is the only Israeli state-owned factory in Britain. The factorys production of military weaponry for use in foreign states not only undermines British sovereignty and security, but its location in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne is also an affront to the designation of Newcastle as a City of Sanctuary."

The protest on Saturday was pre-arranged with police. Newcastle PSC Police Liaison Officers Jason Hussein and Shiraz Khan worked closely with Northumbria Police in the weeks leading up to the planned event. Northumbria Police were fully aware that the rally would take place having issued a Section 14 notice determining where activists could gather. On the day, around 150 people turned up to call for the factory to be closed.

Northumbria Police arrested four of those taking part in the protest, one of whom was a Palestinian from Gaza, who was arrested while walking away from the other protesters. A friend of his, who identifies as "white", was not arrested, even though she was actually heading towards the protest. No apparent attempt was made by police to liaise with Jason Hussein or Shiraz Khan before making the arrest in an effort to de-escalate the situation. According to the Newcastle PSC, police officers acted "recklessly and dangerously".

Police officers rushed in, "entirely unprovoked" and ordered people to move. "Individuals were brutalised and removed forcibly," said the PSC. "Activists were dragged along the ground, pushed to the tarmac and grabbed around the throat by police officers."

When activists gathered outside Forth Banks Police Station to show solidarity with those who had been arrested, said the PSC, the controversial "kettling" tactic was used against them, which apparently resulted in a member of the public suffering from a seizure.

Two of the activists arrested were given a caution, and the other two were released on Bail on condition that they do not enter the immediate vicinity of Rafael arms factory or its surrounding areas.

"It is clear that freedom of speech ends when protesting against the genocidal actions of Israel and its daily massacres of Palestinian people," said Chandni Chopra, the Chair Newcastle Palestine Solidarity Campaign. "It is also clear that democracy stops when calling out the United Kingdom governments complicity in the Israeli arms trade, with weapons manufactured in Britain being used to carry out a livestreamed genocide."

Chopra accused the government of exploiting anti-terrorism legislation to silence pro-Palestine, anti-genocide activists. "The United Kingdom Government, including Labour MPs in Newcastle, care more about their diplomatic ties with Israel and their economic interests vested in arms factories, than the interests of their own citizens and complying with its obligations under international law." The people who should be arrested, she added, are those who are complicit in Israels war crimes.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson told MEMO that the force was indeed made aware of a planned protest on Scotswood Road in Newcastle last Saturday. "A proportionate policing presence was in place and the vast majority of those protesting did so peacefully," said the spokesperson.

The arrests were made "on suspicion of public order offences" but all five people arrested - a fifth person was arrested outside Forth Banks Police Station after hurling racist abuse at the pro-Palestine activists - have since been released on police bail.

"Ensuring the safety of everyone, including those participating in protests, other members of the public and our officers is always our utmost priority," said the police spokesperson. "The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which the police uphold. However, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime. As ever, we would urge all participants to be respectful of others and their surroundings."

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