London Palestine Action protesters on the roof of the UAV Engines factory. Photograph: Guardian
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters are in the second day of a rooftop protest at a factory they claim supplies engines for Israeli drones which are used to kill civilians in Gaza.
Twelve protesters from the London Palestine Action group scaled the factory of UAV Engines in Lichfield, Staffordshire, at 5am on Tuesday, forcing the factory to close.
According to its website UAV Engines, a subsidiary of Israeli defence contractor Elbit, manufactures engines for "various size tactical UAV's, target drones and single mission platforms".
The company could not be reached for comment. Police arrested a man on Wednesday morning "on suspicion of aggravated trespass following negotiation".
One of the protesters, Sammy, aged 26, said: "This is a company that are making engines for weapons that have been used on the civilian population of Gaza and the West Bank, killing men, women and children as they leave their homes and go out to the market.
"The UK government has done nothing so we have had to take this action."
The protesters draped a banner reading "UK: Stop arming Israel" over the side of the building, and have spent the morning reading out names of those killed since the latest conflict began.
Sammy said that the group has no plans to end its occupation soon. "We want to stop this company operating. We're trying to keep this factory shut so they can't make things which kill innocent civilians."
The police have closed the road into village where the factory is based.
Chief inspector Jane Hewett from Staffordshire police said: "We have a number of officers in the area who are maintaining order and keeping the peace as well as ensuring the safety of protesters, emergency teams and the wider public.
"We are providing fair and balanced policing at the site and have a number of specialists in attendance including police negotiators who are working to resolve the incident safely.
"This appears to be an organised and planned protest and we are investigating the circumstances of how the protesters came to be on the roof."
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