PROTESTERS are set to target a Scottish council's annual airshow after it emerged three arms firms with "blood-soaked" links to Israel are backing the event.
Earlier this month, South Ayrshire Council announced that Thales will be a “key sponsor” for the 2026 edition of the International Ayr Show – Festival of Flight.
The French defence giant employs more than 7000 staff in the UK, including at a factory in Govan.
But it has also been subject to a number of protests over its arms sales to Israel, including a joint venture with Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest weapons firm – to produce the Watchkeeper drone, which ended earlier this year.
We previously told how South Ayrshire Council faced backlash over Thales' sponsorship of the air show, with the Scottish Greens branding the decision "shameful".
However, the Sunday National understands two other major defence companies with links to Israel, BAE Systems and Leonardo, are also sponsoring the event.
BAE Systems, which also has a factory in Govan, is one of the UK’s leading arms companies and produces parts required for F-35 jets, which have previously been used by the Israeli army during its bombardment of Gaza.
And Leonardo UK, which has a factory in Edinburgh, manufactures laser-targeting systems for the F-35 jets used by Israel in Gaza, supplies naval guns fitted on Israeli warships, and provides radar components for Elbit’s Iron Fist system.
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) has now revealed that it expects the air show to be targeted by protesters.
An SPSC spokesperson told the Sunday National: "We are almost three full years into what the International Court of Justice calls a 'plausible case of genocide' against Israel and what a UN committee describes as the 'extermination' of Palestinians by Israel, using weapons contributed by a number of arms companies, including Thales.
"It beggars belief that South Ayrshire Council would include this blood-soaked company in any way in an event which aims to be family-friendly, given that Thales has been and is still facilitating the extermination of literally thousands of Palestinian families and tens of thousands of children.
"SPSC calls on local people to organise a protest against this obscenity, which we will support practically."
More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's brutal onslaught of Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry.
According to the United Nations (UN), Israel has killed 20,000 children and injured 44,000 more since October 7, 2023.
In June, the UN's independent international commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory found that Israel has "deliberately targeted Palestinian children resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes".
Last year, the same commission confirmed that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Sponsors for the International Ayr Show – Festival of Flight are assessed on their ability to support activities and deliver benefits for South Ayrshire's communities.
"Scottish based aerospace and engineering companies with a local workforce have been strong supporters of the airshow since our first event in 2023, and their support of our STEM activity and outreach has helped us to provide opportunities for young people to understand the world of STEM.
"We do not comment on every aspect of a sponsor's wider corporate activities.
"We will continue to consider sponsorship matters in line with our responsibilities as a public body."
Thales and BAE Systems were approached for comment. Leonardo UK declined to comment.
