Pro-Palestinian activists claim responsibility for ‘blood red’ paint sprayed over iconic Manchester building
09.10.2023 - 14:15
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Pro-Palestinian activists have taken responsibility for covering one of Manchester's most iconic landmarks with ‘blood red’ paint.
A paint cloud imitating blood has been sprayed over the front of the Grade II listed Express Building on Great Ancoats Street. Greater Manchester Police said they were alerted to the damage at 7.40am today and are investigating.
Palestine Action activists have taken responsibility for the vandalism at the front of the former home of the Daily Express newspaper offices this morning (Monday, October 9), where they say an Israel-linked recruitment firm, IO Associates, is based.
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The group also struck offices in Bristol, London, and Reading that they claim also house IO Associates.
Writing on Instagram, Palestine Action said: “Actionists spray blood red paint over the Manchester offices of iO associates, the sole British recruiters of Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer #ShutElbitDown.”
The protest comes as the Israeli military prepared for a ground offensive on Gaza after Hamas militants killed scores of civilians in the south of the country over the weekend. It’s estimated that around 700 Israelis were killed during the attack, with more than a hundred also taken hostage and brought back to the Palestinian enclave.
In retaliation, the Israeli military has been pounding the densely populated strip of land with munitions, which has resulted in more than 400 Palestinian deaths. The Express building was a key part of 'the other Fleet Street' which once existed in the city. It opened