Shut Down Leonardo Southampton

05/09/2026

03/09/2026

Yesterday we returned to Southampton Civic Centre on the day that the Israeli Defence Minister openly admitted that Israel is doing all it can to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. He also stated that de-populating Gaza – also euphemistically described by Israel as voluntary migration of Palestinians – remains the “only solution”.

Aside from anything else, it really is astonishing how profoundly tone-deaf to horrendously sinister historical parallels the use of terms such as 'only solution' really is.

This clearly amounts to ethnic cleansing, as countless Pro-Palestine campaigners and human rights advocates have been saying for nearly 3 years, also pointing out that the real aim of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is to ethnically cleanse the Strip.

SDL is one of the groups consistently stating these facts, as well as exposing the ongoing active enablement of the genocide by UK government policies and UK weapons companies such as Leonardo UK.

So huge thanks, once again, to everyone who turned up at our weekly vigil yesterday - the need to continue campaigning and being a visible presence in our city remains as important now as it was at the beginning of the genocide.

Also, this Saturday a coalition of local groups will be holding a Let Gaza Bury its Dead ceremony at Southampton's Peace Fountain, starting at 5pm as part of a worldwide day of action. Please support this important event if you can.

Alongside the thousands of dead buried under the rubble of Gaza's destroyed cities, there are also about 1,700 Palestinian bodies being held in Israeli military morgues or buried in military cemeteries known as “graves of numbers”, including 81 children and 10 women.

International humanitarian law mandates respect for the dead and their graves, and encourages the return of remains to families. This abhorrent treatment of dead Palestinians is yet another manifestation of Israeli disrespect for human dignity, alongside the removal of millions of tonnes of rubble from Gaza to erase forensic evidence of the genocide.

Watch this space for details of next week vigil and join us if you can 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

01/09/2026

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/28/uk-has-billions-in-contracts-with-firms-tied-to-illegal-israeli-settlements?fbclid=IwY2xjawUDczxwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMDBqdm5Ubk9sdFNRTE5sSElzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEecsarYhNgZ6siH78peRxgOhj_G1c4HeA6R8bDWgrxJptTYshnhVIWOaxq1ok_aem_J502bj3Va35ErGfUZguGzQ

Al Jazeera investigation reveals UK public money flowing to companies linked to Israeli settlements in occupied land.

29/08/2026

Back at the civic centre this week for our regular, weekly vigil against British arms exports to genocides and imperialist attacks. Britain must stop arming Israel, the UAE and the United States - solidarity with the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Iran, Syria, the DRC, Yemen and Cuba.

Stop the Gaza genocide! Stop the Sudanese genocide! Hands off Lebanon, Iran, the DRC, Cuba, Syria, Yemen and all nations facing US and US-aligned military attacks and economic warfare.

We also hope many will join Southampton-Palestine Friendship Network's picnic on Sunday 30th August, 1-4pm, on Southampton Common for their third annual gathering for Gaza to raise funds directly for the people of Deir al-Balah ❤️✊

Free Palestine! Every apartheid state must fall and US empire alongside it!

27/08/2026

As always, thank you so much to those who joined us to protest Leonardo’s death factory in Millbrook. Cars leaving the factory were forced to confront a banner reading “Blood On Your Hands”, which was used to protest the Iraq war and NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia. Decades later, we carry on this banner’s legacy as the anti-war and anti-genocide movement continues to challenge the bombs which rain from the imperial core onto the rest of the world.

Leonardo’s site in Southampton collaborates closely with Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory, which produces laser-targeting components for the F-35 genocide jet. Fifteen percent of the value of every F-35 is produced across the country, and Leonardo UK is a key part of this murderous supply chain.

Campaigners refuse to give up the fight to stop British weapons exports backing genocides and imperialist aggression around the world, despite facing ever-increasing repressive and draconian conditions. This week saw activists in Newcastle blockade Israeli weapons factory Rafael, and activists in Brighton blockade L-3 Harris, another key corporation in the F-35 supply chain.

There were also some big wins for the movement to stop arming Israel this week, as the Shenstone 5 received conditional discharges and a rare fair trial. The Shenstone 5 damaged UAV Engines, owned by Elbit, and the jury was allowed to hear their motivations, and evidence about Israel’s drones produced at the factory. The courts also deemed that the Barclays 5 will not be sentenced as terrorists for their alleged actions targeting a Barclays Bank in Lancashire in August 2024, challenging its genocidal finance capital for its investments and shares in Elbit at the time.

We hope as well that you will join Southampton Palestine Friendship Network for their Gaza gathering this upcoming Sunday, 30 August to raise funds directly for Palestinians still facing torturous conditions in Deir al-Balah in Gaza.

Please watch this space for details about next week’s vigil!

23/08/2026

Back at the Millbrook site this coming week, join us if you can to say no to weapons factories supporting Israel's genocide

20/08/2026

Huge thanks to all the lovely people who yesterday came out in support of our vigil and once again proved what real community, solidarity and standing up for each other actually mean. This has happened consistently over the past year and your unwavering support is much appreciated 🙏🙏 🇵🇸🇵🇸

There was a small far right presence which, although apparently unaware - and despite their claim to want to 'defend' the workforce - did an excellent job of inconveniencing Leonardo UK's employees trying to leave the factory on their way home.

And whatever their personal feelings about the work they do, we strongly doubt that Leonardo UK's workers appreciated having to drive past a pack of abusive far-right so-called patriots supporting them outside their workplace.

The Leonardo UK 's Millbrook site operates in close partnership with the Edinburgh factory, a known production site of components for the F-35 fighter jets which are still being used by Israel in its continuing air strikes on Gaza.

The Millbrook factory is therefore deeply implicated in Israel's ongoing genocide which has so far killed at least 1,273 people since the October 2025 'ceaserfire'. Our vigils focus on this link, and one of our demands is that the Millbrook site moves away from genocidal work and prioritises the manufacture of its other socially useful products.

And to end on a positive note, yesterday saw another victory for pro-Palestine activists across the UK as yet another jury refused to convict seven defendants in the second Filton Trial who had been accused - on a joint enterprise basis - of assisting an action in Bristol were up to 40 Israeli weapons were destroyed.

None of the defendants in the second trial took part directly in the action, so this verdict has wide-ranging implications for all campaigners and activists as the charges were intended to criminalise anyone accused of being involved in organising actions against weapons factories supporting Israel's genocide.

Please watch this space for details of next week's vigil, we hope to see you there 🇵🇸 🇵🇸🇵🇸

14/08/2026

https://www.euromedmonitor.org/en/article/7088/Israel-wipes-genocide-evidence-in-Gaza,-carting-off-rubble-and-remains-in-100-trucks-daily

At least 10 million tonnes of rubble have been removed, crushed, or moved from their original sites within the areas under Israel’s unlawful military control