Dramatic footage has emerged of police "shoving" pro-Palestine protesters at a demonstration outside the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) this morning.
Hundreds of demonstrators descended on the department in protest against UK weapons provision to Israel, alongside other protests at arms factories across the country as part of "coordinated May Day action".
Activists were seen holding banners decrying British arms sales to the country and linking arms to form blockades around entrances to the department at the Old Admiralty Office by Horse Guards Parade in the centre of London.
Reports suggest that over 600 protesters massed outside the building, preventing civil servants from entering.
A union protester claimed there was "not a single person" in the department thanks to the protests
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Videos have been circulating online of a police response to the protests outside the Old Admiralty Office, in which multiple police vans can be seen entering the square as police officers push protesters aside.
A member of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (Acorn) union described the police response as "unnecessary" and "heavy-handed", and claimed there was "not a single person" in the DBT.
In Glasgow, demonstrators and trade unionists have been pictured holding placards and banners outside a BAE Systems facility on Govan Road, while protests have also hit the firm's facilities in Usk, in Wales, and at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Balderstone, Lancashire.
The organisers, Workers for a Free Palestine, have said coordinated action across the country marks an escalation of its tactics and shows "solidarity with Palestinian workers".
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Demonstrators held placards calling for a ceasefire and to "end the occupation"
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Protesters in Glasgow were heard chanting "Free, free Palestine" and "up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation", while banners were seen calling on the aerospace and defence company to "stop arming genocide".
Demonstrators reported that no vehicles were entering or leaving the BAE facilities while protests were underway.
Police have made three arrests so far; a Metropolitan Police statement said: "We are policing a protest in Admiralty Place and Horse Guards Parade. Officers have made three arrests after protesters blocked access to a building. Protesters must stay within the law."
A BAE Systems spokesperson told GB News: "The ongoing violence in the Middle East is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope the parties involved find a way to end the violence as soon as possible.
Protesters demonstrated outside the department this morningX/Workers for a Free Palestine"We respect everyone’s right to protest peacefully. We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment."
BAE Systems also clarified it had neither operations nor employees in Israel or Gaza, and stated it does not sell military equipment directly to Israel.
While allies including Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium have suspended arms sales to Israel, the UK Government has so far refused to halt weapons supplies.
This is the second time the DBT has seen action from pro-Palestine protests over the sales - in March, demonstrators said the department and the government had been "breach of international law and its own weapons export licensing criteria" through arms provisions.
