Pro-Palestinian protesters have blockaded an aerospace defence company’s factory in Edinburgh. The group, calling itself Stop Arming Israel, gathered outside the Leonardo facility on Crewe Road on Tuesday morning, accusing the company of “complicity in genocide and the Zionist war machine”.
Masked protesters stood outside the factory entrance holding banners, including one that read “Leonardo F35s: Paid in blood”. They demanded that Leonardo UK drop its involvement with F-35 fighter jets, which are manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The site in Edinburgh has been targeted by similar protests in recent months.
Omar, a 33-year-old teacher involved in the demonstration, said: “We refuse to be complicit in the mass murder, the genocide of hundreds of thousands of children, from Lebanon to Iran to Gaza. Components for the F-35 fighter jet used by Israel in the ongoing brutal assaults are made in this factory in Edinburgh. When we come together as a community, as people, we can do our bit to stop the Zionist war machine.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said officers were called around 5.20am on Tuesday April 28 2026 to a report of a protest outside a business premises in the Crewe Road North area of Edinburgh. A spokesman for Leonardo UK said: “While we respect the right to peaceful protest, the safety and wellbeing of our employees and the local community is our absolute priority. Leonardo UK is subject to UK Government export controls and all of our exports are subject to rigorous licensing processes. Leonardo UK does not supply equipment directly to Israel.”
