More than 20 pro-Palestine activists blockaded the headquarters of Safran Data Systems in Les Ulis, south of Paris, disrupting the company's activities for nearly three hours in a protest against its links to Israel's arms industry.
The action brought together retirees, students, trade unionists and activists from several organisations, including Stop Arming Israel France, which shared footage of the blockade on social media. Protesters gathered outside the company's premises in the industrial zone, blocking access and forcing the evacuation of several employees.
Safran Data Systems is part of Safran Electronics and Defense, a French company with documented links to Israel's military industry. These include the production of fighter jet components and a partnership with Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael, established in 2021, to develop sensor technology. A Rafael representative said in 2022 that the technology had reduced the time needed to complete a military targeting process known as the “kill chain” to less than half a second.
Stop Arming Israel France also states that Safran has supplied dozens of shipments of military-use components to Israel since the beginning of the current genocide in Gaza. According to a report published by the Palestinian organisation Urgence Palestine, several Safran subsidiaries have supplied military components to Israeli companies, including Elbit Systems, a major supplier of drones and military equipment to the Israeli army. The group also identifies Safran Data Systems as a supplier of components for Israel's Iron Dome air-defence system.
A spokesperson for Stop Arming Israel France said the aim was to disrupt the normal operations of companies involved in the arms trade and to have a tangible impact on their business activities.
The blockade forms part of a wider growth in direct-action organising against companies supplying Israel's military, with groups across Europe and beyond increasingly targeting weapons manufacturers and their facilities.
