Hundreds protest outside defence factories against arms being sent to Israel
Hundreds of campaigners across the UK have gathered outside several defence factories to protest against arms being sent to Israel.
Workers for a Free Palestine, a campaign group, said it had blockaded sites in Bournemouth, Glasgow, Brighton and Lancashire, some of which are operated by defence giant BAE Systems.
Demonstrators want BAE systems and other companies to cut ties with Israel and stop supplying it with any weapons.
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They also want the UK Government to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and are calling for Israel to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
People stand outside BAE Systems in Govan near Glasgow
Many of the BAE factories targeted on Thursday are said to be involved in the supply of parts for F-35 fighter aircraft, which the group says is being used in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Jenny, a spokeswoman for the Workers for a Free Palestine group, who did not give her surname, said: “The fighter jets these factories help to produce are being used to imprison the people of Gaza in a death trap.
“They are ordered to evacuate when they have nowhere safe to go, while our government still refuses to back a ceasefire.
In Brighton protesters form a blockade outside L3Harris factory
“Workers all over Britain are rising up for Palestine, saying we will not allow arms used in a genocide to be supplied in our name and funded by our taxes.”
She added campaigners will not stop until factories stop supporting “Israel’s murderous war machine”.
They claim that BAE systems produces components for weapons sold to Israel, such as the F-35 and the Mk 38 Mod 2 machine gun system.
A spokesperson for BAE Systems said it was “horrified” by the situation in Israel and Gaza and it’s “devastating impact” on civilians in the region.
A sign held by demonstrators reads “Stop Arming Israel” in Govan
“We operate under the tightest regulations and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment”, the spokesperson added.
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Activists holding a banner saying “Stop Arming Israel” could be seen at one of the entrances to the Govan factory, in Glasgow, while others held Palestinian flags.
Police Scotland said it was aware of a protest outside premises in Govan Road and that officers were in attendance.
Outside Eaton mission systems in Wimborne
Scott, 26, a youth worker who did not wish to give his surname said that demonstrators were holding the company’s management responsible for their decisions on what to produce and who to sell to and not workers at BAE.
“It is them we hold accountable for being part of the chain of killing,” said Scott, who declined to give his full name.
Similar protests took place in France and Denmark on Thursday.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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