Anti-military activists scaled the roof of a Cardiff business in the early hours of Thursday morning, due to its alleged connections to the Israel-Palestine war.
The 4 December protest was the fifth course of action taken by Demilitarise Newcastle over the past four days during the group’s week of planned demonstrations.
Two members, 42-year-old Regan Dubois and 63-year-old Heike Weber, ascended manufacturer Nupress Tools.
They then displayed several messages on banners, including “Nupress Arms Genocide”, “End Arms Exports” and “Arms Embargo Now”.
A Demilitarise Newcastle spokesperson said the company made at least five distinct F35 parts and was involved in Lockheed Martin’s supply of the aircrafts to Israeli Defence Force.
“Genocide starts here, at Nupress,” Ms Weber stated.
“These are the fighter jets that shred children in Gaza.
“Australia’s complicity with the genocidal slaughter in Palestine needs to end… and needs to end now.
“Even if my action today stops the death machine for a day, my comrades and I will have demonstrated that people power can halt the greed of the arms dealers.
“Another world is possible.
“Free Palestine.
“Stop arming Israel.”
Nupress Tools declined to comment on the matter.
The group also demonstrated outside the office of Shortland MP and Defence Industries Minister Pat Conroy and at weapons manufacturers Astra Aerolab in Williamtown.
They plan on protesting outside Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon’s office on Friday 5 December and at a rally for Palestine on Sunday 7 December, too.
It comes after the federal government partnered with Kongsberg to build an $850 million guided weapons production factory near Newcastle Airport.
The facility is expected open in early 2027.
“This isn’t a defence plan,” said Demilitarise Newcastle co-founder Allison Harwood.
“It’s a business plan for weapons corporations.
“Militarisation makes us less safe.
“Experts say the path we’re on is headed to nuclear war.
“This is about servicing the US as it offshores its military capability, which makes us a target.
“It’s about obscenely rich weapons corporations getting richer.
“Many of them are corporate criminals who rely on close ties to government.
“Their entire business model relies on mass atrocities to turn a profit.
“It used to be that weapons were made to fight wars.
“Now wars are fought to make weapons.”
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