Demonstrators gathered outside Southampton Civic Centre yesterday, waving Palestinian flags and holding protest boards calling for urgent action over the war in Gaza. The group’s demands were clear, with placards reading “Satvir Kaur do something,” “Press and TV reporting are banned in Gaza – why?” and “Ceasefire now.”
The protest, organised by local campaigners, centred on calls to shut down the Southampton site of Leonardo UK, a branch of the Italian multinational Leonardo S.p.A. Protesters argued that Leonardo is among the world’s major suppliers of weapons to Israel. According to organisers, the Southampton facility manufactures thermal imaging technology used in missile guidance systems, and works closely with Leonardo’s Edinburgh site, which produces the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) for F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Activists claim these jets are being deployed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, making the Southampton site “deeply complicit in the ongoing genocide.”
“Ceasefire Now” chanted demonstrators as passing motorists sounded their horns in support.
The protest comes in the same week Keir Starmer announced the UK would recognise the state of Palestine. Many attendees voiced concern about the lack of independent media access in Gaza.
A regular “Vigil for Palestine” is being held outside the Leonardo facility on First Avenue, Millbrook, Southampton, every other Wednesday from 4:30pm to 6pm. Organisers are encouraging supporters to bring signs and flags and to follow their social media channels for updates.
