We told you we’d be back. Business as usual was (once again) disrupted at the Blue Fin building this Wednesday as the activists from Shut BAE Down descended in numbers to blockade the entrance once more. You think they would have learned from last time that housing genocide enablers is bad for business but it seems not.
Despite the success of the last direct action at this location, this latest blockade was approached with far more trepidation due to the rapidly rising levels of police overreach we have been seeing recently. Just the weekend before we saw the arrest of 30+ pro-Palestine activists at Pride for the “crime” of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance AKA “we think you might cause us some inconvenience so we are proactively rounding you up”
Evidently the State is cracking down more and more on anyone that points out the institutional links between it, and Apartheid Israel, the police didn’t like the activists at Pride who were against the multi-million corporations HSBC, Lloyds and Starbucks and they certainly wouldn’t like us rallying against BAE Systems who made a record profit last year of £2.7 billion, because let’s remember who they really protect and serve; British Capital.
So we went into this blockade with slightly lower expectations and numbers, but we were very quickly proven wrong. Despite the lower turnout we were able to block two entrances and shut the whole building down for close to 2 hours that morning with our bodies, banners and spirit. We filled Southwark Street with the sounds of chanting and speeches, and leafleted the rapidly growing crowd of Blue Fin workers who were unable to get to their offices.
After all, they have the power to make sure we go away for good. Believe it or not, most of us don’t want to be standing in the entrance to an office block for hours on a random Wednesday morning! But we have to because the presence of the company on the fourth floor of said office block is making billions by selling the arms used in one of the greatest atrocities of our time. The quickest way to get them out of the building is with the help of the Blue Fin workers, who have the ability to enact real change through organizing within their workplace and unions. Please get into contact with us for more info on how to do that.
Due to an increasing police presence, we left just after 9:00am with no arrests. This blockade showed us something important: that even in less than ideal circumstances, with an increasing police state and a hostile pro-Zionist incoming Government, people will still turn out in support of Palestine and against companies like BAE, and those people can really make a difference. Many wonderful activists, organised, promoted and took part in today’s action and we could not be more grateful for your support and to stand beside you.
As for the owners of Blue Fin, these are your options going forwards; get BAE out, or sit tight and see what we do next. We’re only just getting started.