Two Gaza protesters storm Cork business accused of supplying technology to Israel

Two Palestine Action Éire activists broke into Collins Aerospace in Cork, accusing the company of links to Israel’s military

Collins Aerospace Cork on Penrose Quay.

Gardaí are at the scene of an ongoing incident after reports that two Gaza protesters broke into a Cork business accused of having “deep ties” to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Activists from the Palestine Action Éire group entered the offices of Collins Aerospace on Penrose Quay, Cork City, on Monday morning, where Palestinian flags were displayed.

A Garda spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that officers are currently at Penrose Wharf.

"No further information is available at this time," they added.

In recent years, Collins Aerospace has been repeatedly targeted by pro-Palestine protesters over its parent company, RTX (formerly Raytheon), which has supplied defence systems to Israel, including missiles.

RTX has also partnered with Israeli firms to develop weapons systems, which it says are used to “protect the citizens and infrastructure of Israel.”

In a statement released on Monday morning, Palestine Action Éire claimed that two members broke walls, windows, and equipment at the Cork site in protest at Collins Aerospace’s alleged ties to the Israeli Defence Forces.

"The two Palestine Action Éire (PAÉ) actionists behind this new disruption of Collins Aerospace’s Cork site, cite Israel's assault against Gaza, which has been confirmed by the UN Human Rights Council to be a genocide, as the main reason for their action. PAÉ situates this action within an ongoing campaign against Collins Aerospace's operations in Ireland," the group said.

One of the protesters quoted in the statement said: "After two years of genocide, I don’t know what to do anymore. We’ve marched, petitioned, passed motions at council and union level, asked nicely, asked loudly, occupied spaces, blocked roads, travelled to Egypt and organised flotillas of boats carrying humanitarian aid that have been illegally seized. And nothing has changed."