Masked pro-Palestinian activists vandalized an aircraft parts factory in Scotland linked to a company that supplies equipment to Israel, after breaking in shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve. They attacked machinery and equipment with hammers and spray-painted slogans on the walls.
The incident took place at a Bruntons Aero Products plant in the Inveresk industrial area of the town of Musselburgh, near Edinburgh. The apparent motive was the factory’s alleged links to the Italian defense company Leonardo, which supplies aircraft and parts to Israel. “There is only one way this ends” and “End the relationship with Leonardo” were sprayed in red graffiti inside the plant. In a video shared on social media, the intruders are seen smashing computers and production equipment and discharging fire extinguishers. Watch:
Leonardo has repeatedly been the target of pro-Palestinian protests in Scotland. In October, three groups blocked access to one of the company’s plants, claiming it produces components for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in strikes on Gaza. In July, three people were arrested after a van was driven into the plant’s fencing.
According to Bruntons Aero Products’ website, the company supplies specialized aerospace components to contractors including Leonardo and BAE Systems, another company that has faced pro-Palestinian protests over alleged links to Israel.
No identified organization has claimed responsibility for the incident, which local reports have attributed to an undefined “autonomous group.” A statement attributed to the group said that only “direct action” has an impact and that it intends to “escalate” its activities in 2026. Police Scotland said it received a report at about 12:35 a.m. on Jan. 1 of a “break-in and damage to property.” The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Last March, pro-Palestinian activists from the group Palestine Action sprayed graffiti at the Turnberry golf club owned by U.S. President Donald Trump in Scotland. Scottish media reported that slogans reading “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” were painted on the club’s walls, along with insults directed at the U.S. president. The words “Gaza is not for sale” were sprayed on the course itself.
The group later said that “while Trump seeks to treat Gaza as his own property, he should know that his own property is within reach,” referring to Trump’s earlier statement calling for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza and his expressed desire to turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”