Rise of far-left now 'an issue of national security': GB News documentary explores extremist threat to Britain

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Britain’s Far-Left Exposed tracks recent activism conducted by far-left protestors, including Palestine Action and new group Youth Demand, an environmentalist group campaigning against Israel’s war with Hamas.

Yesterday seven were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary at the Instro Precision factory in Sandwich, Kent.

Palestine Action said they had targeted the location because they claimed the company is owned by Israel’s largest weapons company Elbit Systems.

The protestors were filmed throwing products to the ground, smashing computers with a crowbar, and smashing windows to enter the site.

Instro Precision said it would work with the authorities to "prosecute any person or group threatening the safety of our staff or their important work".

Adding that the factory supports the UK armed forces.

“It is highly irresponsible to sabotage this work, particularly during a period of global instability,” a company spokesperson added.

The vandalism incident comes as a number of Barclays bank branches across England and Scotland were covered in red paint and had windows smashed as part of the pro-Palestine group's protests. Up to 20 buildings have been targeted, according to the group.

It said the protests were carried out to "demand the bank divests from Israel's weapons trade and fossil fuels".

In a separate instance, 10 separate Palestine Action members were arrested after blocking the entrances to Scotiabank’s office in the City of London.

The protesters locked themselves together and prevented people from entering the building.

In a statement, Palestine Action said it had locked down all entrances into the bank.

It added: “Despite slashing their stake in half, the bank still invest over $230million in Israel’s biggest weapons firm, making them the largest foreign shareholder in Elbit Systems.”

Lord Walney, who authored an independent review of political violence and disruption, condemned the actions as a 'threat to national security'.

He said: “The criminal sabotage by part of the extreme pro-Palestine movement show exactly why the next government should have new powers to restrict the activities of groups who systematically break the law and threaten national security to coerce governments and the public.

“Currently, activists are not being deterred by the threat of arrest and some groups brazenly advertise their criminal campaigns and encourage and train activists to get involved.”

Former British Army officer Andrew Fox said: "This is the logical next step in the subversion campaign we have seen in our society since October last year.

"These groups have progressed from stoking antisemitic hatred on our capital’s streets, to threatening politicians, to outright attacks on infrastructure - all of it openly supporting the strategic aims of Hamas.

"After threatening our democracy, progressing to planned and coordinated attacks on financial and industrial institutions show a clear intent to harm us as a country and as a society. These groups must be proscribed and prosecuted."

Speaking in the documentary, University of Kent professor and British academic Matthew Goodwin said: "I think more generally, there is a nervousness and a hesitation within the institutions to take on forms of extremism that don't fit the prevailing narrative.

"There's now a toxic combination that's taking root in Britain between far left groups, which are often focused on identity politics or anti-Western. A revolutionary want to tear down the system and radical Islamists."

Author and podcaster Louise Perry added: "There's a fundamental issue here in terms of how you think that how you think the policy decisions should be made, how do you think politics should be done?

"Do you think it should be done through vandalism and violence and intimidation? Or do you think it should be done through democratic means?"

A spokesman for Palestine Action said: "Instro Precision is wholly owned by Israel's largest weapons firm, Elbit Systems. The factory frequently exports weaponry to Israel who are committing genocide in Gaza.

"As a party to the Genocide Convention, Britain has a responsibility to prevent the occurrence of genocide. When our government fails to abide by their legal and moral obligations, it's the responsibility of ordinary people to take direct action."

The group added that Lord Walney is "serving the security interests of a foreign genocidal entity, not Britain's".