MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Police said 10 people were arrested after a protest blocked the Middletown Pratt & Whitney campus entrance early Monday morning.
Officers were called to the facility just after 5:30 a.m. on the report of people chaining themselves together and blocking the entrance.
When they got there, officers found several protestors sitting in the road with their arms interlocked inside tubes, according to police. Officials also said additional protestors were standing in the road chanting, filming, and monitoring the protest.
The protestors were part of a nationwide effort by the pro-Palestinian group A15 Action to disrupt companies "complicit in arming of the Israeli military during its assault on Gaza."
According to A15 Action, the group in front of Pratt & Whitney on Monday was an independent group of around 15 protestors from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, and they worked in solidarity with A15 Action.
The group protested Pratt & Whitney due to the company's involvement with Israel, including the 15-year contract it signed with the Israeli Ministry of Defense at the end of 2015. That contract was to support the Israeli Air Force with material forecasting, item repair management, and spare parts for the Israeli Air Force's F100-PW-229 engines.
Middletown officials said protestors had also placed a vehicle across Aircraft Road, where the facility is located, blocking part of the road. Police said employees were unable to leave or enter the Pratt & Whitney campus.
Along with Middletown police, the South district FIre company responded, as well as mutual law enforcement aid from Connecticut State Police, Meriden, Cromwell, and Berlin police departments.
Officials said the vehicle barrier was removed without any incident and officers made "every effort to convince" protestors to leave and avoid arrest. According to police, these efforts were unsuccessful. After several warnings that an arrest was imminent, police said the protestors indicated they were not leaving.
Officers along with fire personnel were able to remove the protestors and their tubs without incident or injury, according to officials. All of those who were arrested were charged with disorderly conduct for obstructing traffic.
After the arrests, officers began opening the road in an effort to get Pratt & Whitney staff in and out of the building. According to officials, one woman began obstructing the open road and was arrested and charged as well.
Less than three hours later, Aircraft Road was reopened to traffic and a total of 10 people were arrested, police said.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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