Campaigners continue roof top protest in Oldham over arms sales

Campaigners started their protest at 5am on Monday (1st July)

A group of campaigners claim they don’t plan to come down from their roof top protest on one of Oldham’s historic mills any time soon as they call for the UK to stop supplying arms to Israel.

The campaigners, from the group Manchester Palestine Action, scaled Cairo Mill on Greenacres Road in Oldham at around 5am on Monday (1st July) and have been up there more than 24-hours.

The building is now home to technologies company Ferranti, who say they supply electronic engineering and manufacturing in the aerospace and defence industry “with a wide range of advanced technology for Air, Land and Marine applications.”

A number of banners have been unveiled by the protesters in support of their message.

Greater Manchester Police are on the scene and have been since the protest started but they report there have been no arrests.

In a statement to the Oldham Evening Chroncile a GMP spokesperson said: “Shortly before 6.30am on Monday 1 July 2019, police were called to reports that protestors were on the roof of a building on Greenacres Road in Oldham.

Police and the Fire Service are in attendance as are specialist police negotiators.

No arrests have been made.”

Speaking to The Oldham Evening Chronicle on Tuesday morning (2nd July) the protesters say they are prepared to remain on the roof of the mill for as long as it takes.

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