Adelaide protester chains self to global defence gateway
A protester chained himself to the fence of a global defence company’s Adelaide base this morning, forcing police to attend the site.
An activist group blocked the entrance to BAE Systems Edinburgh from 5:30am until 8:30am on Wednesday morning in protest of the company manufacturing parts used by Israeli and US militaries.
SA Police attended after peace activist David Burns chained himself to the entrance gates at the Taranaki Road site – one of five locations owned by the global company in Adelaide.
Burns claimed BAE Systems manufactures parts for Israeli and US F-35 Jets used in the conflict in Gaza and Iran.
“Australia must cease involvement in US-led wars of aggression,” Burns said.
About 10 activists joined Burns from a protest group called Weapons Out, who aim to disrupt global arms trade and believe engaging manufacturers like BAE makes Australia complicit in war.
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A Weapons Out spokesperson said Burns chose to lock on to the gate and then “unlock” after a three-hour-long demonstration.
A BAE Systems Australia spokesperson said the company “respects everyone’s right to protest peacefully”.
“We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment,” the spokesperson said.
“Australian industry inputs into the F-35 global supply chain, which is a US-led and US-operated mechanism centrally coordinated by Lockheed Martin and the US Government.
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“BAE Systems Australia does not supply any equipment directly to the Government of Israel.”
A police spokesperson said the protest was peaceful.
“The protesters all packed up and left around 8.30am of their own volition. There were no offences or any issues,” the spokesperson said.
Organisers said they aimed to draw attention to weapons being manufactured in Adelaide, not disrupt traffic.
A BAE Systems Australia spokesperson said the limited protest activity “caused zero interruption to our staff entering the site and had no impact on any of the valuable work they conduct”.
BAE Systems is a British multinational company with an Adelaide base that manufactures defence technology for Australia’s Navy, Army and Air Force.
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