Protesters gathered outside a Southampton defence firm today to stand against the killing of children in Gaza.
Around 15 members of pro-Palestine group, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, stood outside the front gates of Leonardo's factory in Millbrook holding placards and chanting "stop killing children".
They called for the UK government to take responsibility for its role in the ongoing conflict and criticised Leonardo for its alleged ties to Israel.
Parveen Ishfaq, 55, from Shirley said: “We are holding this protest so that people know we feel making weapons and sending them to Israel makes us just as guilty as the gunmen.
“I’m disappointed with our government and local council for allowing these weapons to be used to kill innocents in Gaza.”
Ian Hogg, 72, from St Denys also joined the rally.
He said: "The situation is just so appalling, we have had more than 30,000 deaths. People are being killed on an industrial scale."
Wednesday's rally comes after protesters climbed on the roof of the factory in November prompting a large emergency services response.
Three people have since been charged with criminal damage and are due to stand trial later this year.
Leonardo is one of the UK's leading aerospace companies and one of the biggest suppliers of defence and security equipment to the Ministry of Defence.
Its Southampton factory manufactures InfraRed (IR) detectors and Thermal Imaging (TI) sensors which play "a crucial role in supporting military, security and civil clients".
A spokesperson for the company said they were aware of today's protest but did not wish to comment.
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