Pro-Palestine activists took direct action against British bank Barclays by vandalizing 20 branches in protest of the bank’s ties to arms firms supplying Israel. The protesters, part of the group Palestine Action, aimed to disrupt the flow of weapons to the Israeli military, calling it a means to halt the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Barclays reportedly has investments totaling £2bn in companies involved in supplying arms to Israel, including Elbit Systems and General Dynamics. The bank defended its services as necessary for NATO and its allies, denying direct investment in these arms suppliers.
The activists used radical tactics, including damaging infrastructure, to physically prevent support for the arms trade. While Barclays acknowledged the right to protest, it urged demonstrators to respect their property and staff.
With ongoing scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza, including at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, the attack on Barclays branches across the UK highlighted the global outrage over the conflict.