Officer 'bitten' and five others injured with four arrested at pro-Palestinian protest

Six police officers were injured and four people arrested after a pro-Palestinian demonstration blocked the entrance to a military electronics factory in Glasgow.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside French company Thales’ site on Linthouse Road in Govan from 5am on Wednesday, with Police Scotland called shortly after.

The demonstrators were demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza.

The force confirmed that four people had been arrested and six officers were injured, including one who was bitten on the arm, after police clashed with protesters.

Two officers attended at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, one was discharged after treatment and the other remains there for further assessment.

Three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman were arrested and charged during the demonstration.

They will all be released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date.

Chief inspector Derrick Johnston said: “We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest as well as those affected by protest activity, however officers were met with an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance today.

“One of our officers was bitten, assaults are not part of the job and will not be tolerated, and we were fortunately able to arrest the individual responsible.

“When policing any protest our priorities are to ensure the safety of protestors, the public and police officers involved as well as preventing criminal behaviour or disorder and de-escalating tensions.

“We are committed to protecting the rights of people who wish to protest, however when this is not done peacefully, officers are required to maintain public order and will exercise their powers of arrest if necessary.”

The protest marked the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe”, when 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven out of what is now Israel before and during the war surrounding its creation in 1948.

More than twice that number have been displaced within Gaza since the start of the latest war, which was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack into Israel.

UN agencies say 550,000 people, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, have been newly displaced in just the last week, as Israeli forces have pushed into the southern city of Rafah and re-invaded parts of northern Gaza.