PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH HUNGER STRIKING PALESTINE ACTIONISTS ~ Scott Harris ~ Sheffield group Stop Arming Israel says its activists today blockaded the Ametek-Land factory in Dronfield, protesting the company’s supply of infrared temperature measurement components to Israeli arms company Elbit. Protestors closed off the entrances for about an hour, chanting and giving speeches in support of the hunger strikers currently on remand in British prisons for taking action against companies involved in Gaza genocide. The prisoners demand a a shut-down of Elbit’s operations in Britain as well as immediate bail, an end to the censorship of their communications, the right to a fair trial, and the de-proscription of Palestine Action. All the hunger strikers have currently been hospitalised, with two of them—Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib—having passed 50 days without food. Several of their families have received little or no updates on their situations, according to the Prisoners for Palestine collective. “The hunger strikers are on death’s door”, said the Sheffield group, “Keir Starmer and David Lammy have Palestinian blood on their hands—and they will have the hunger strikers’ blood on their hands too if they do not act now”. Ametek, whose annual sales top $7 billion, increased its share price by nearly 30% during the first 14 months of the Gaza war. The company supplies Elbit with components for fighter jets and tanks used by the Israeli military. The post Sheffield Elbit supplier blockaded appeared first on Freedom News.

HUNDREDS ARRESTED IN A MASS KETTLE OF MARCH CLOSING ACTION CAMP AGAINST THE ARMS INDUSTRY ~ Gabriel Fonten ~ Police in Cologne, Germany used heavy handed tactics on Saturday (30 August) against a peaceful mass march concluding an anti-militarist camp in the city. The 3,000-strong parade had set out from the “Rheinmetall Entwaffen” antimilitarist camp to meet the yearly rally of the Cologne Peace Forum. One participant described the event as “a historic moment when the few hundred, mostly older participants of this rally watched hundreds, mostly younger people from the camp, who had travelled from both near and far”. Yet the march was not allowed to continue uninterrupted, as marchers were set upon by around 1,600 police in full riot gear, backed by water cannons and armed with pepper spray. The demonstrators quickly reconfigured into a protective block formation (using banners to separate and protect participants from police) taking “3 hours to move one kilometre” under consistent harassment by the police. After dividing and kettling the parade, around 600 participants were arrested over the next five hours. Medical non-profit “Demosanitäter” reported treating 147 injured participants and at least 216 were treated at the “Rheinmetall Entwaffen” camp. Justifications for this brutal crackdown were manufactured by both the police and the establishment media, with the Tageschau news program running headlines including “Riots at anti-war demonstration in Cologne”—presenting protesters, rather than the police, as the instigators of violence. In fact, of the 600 people arrested only one was charged with “resisting arrest”. Cologne police had previously prohibited both the camp and parade citing risks of “radicalisation”, but this was overturned in court. While it stood, the ban seems to have only increased participation with organisers reporting growing mobilisation as well as the creation of an “anarchist neighbourhood” at the camp. The post Germany: Heavy repression at Rhinemetall anti-militarist demonstration appeared first on Freedom News.

DESPITE POLICE BAN, PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR RHEINMETALL PROTEST CAMP IN COLOGNE AT THE END OF AUGUST ~ Cristina Sykes ~ The camp, running between 26-31 August, combines workshops, discussions and cultural events with protests targeting arms companies across the Rhein-Ruhr region. The Rheinmetall Entwaffnen (“Disarm Rheinmetall”) alliance, formed in 2018, is organising the week-long gathering to oppose Germany’s leading arms manufacturer and the wider militarisation drive. Cologne police prohibited both the camp and a planned “parade” to the nearby Konrad-Adenauer barracks, citing risks of “radicalisation”. A court upheld the ban on 15 August, even pointing to the century-old anti-war slogan Krieg dem Krieg (“war on war”) as supposed evidence of violent intent. Organisers reject the reasoning as political repression. “The camp will take place – we are very optimistic,” said Mila, a spokesperson for the alliance. “We will resist the ban legally and politically. The authorities may want to silence the anti-militarist movement, but we will go ahead”. The camp is expected to draw hundreds of participants from Germany and abroad, including anarchist collectives, feminist groups, anti-fascists and internationalist networks. A dedicated anarchist barrio has been announced, with organisers reporting growing mobilisation since the ban was declared. Workshops will cover topics such as the reintroduction of conscription, weapons exports, the impact of militarisation on women, and new technologies like AI in warfare. International guests are also invited to share their struggles. “We want to build a global network against war and militarisation”, said Mila. “People come to share experiences so we can act together”. The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to Rheinmetall’s Düsseldorf headquarters, has become a focal point for opposition to the arms industry. Facilities in Cologne-Mülheim, Neuss and Weeze are all linked to the production of tanks, artillery and fighter jets. In recent days, activists marked a Siemens site in Munich with graffiti and banners denouncing its role in Bundeswehr automation. Another alliance, Rheinmetall Enteignen, has called for a demonstration outside Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger’s villa near Düsseldorf. The Clown Army is also mobilising While police and media point to clashes at past camps, organisers maintain that repression itself fuels confrontation. Die Linke MP Lea Reisner also criticised the Cologne ban as “a massive and unacceptable encroachment on the constitutional right of assembly”. For the organisers, the outcome is clear. “We will make the camp happen, with or without permission”, Mila said. “The repression only shows why our struggle against militarisation is necessary”. The post Germany: Anti-militarist camp to go ahead “with or without permission” appeared first on Freedom News.