Pro-Palestine protesters stage sit-in at Maersk's Maidenhead offices

Pro-Palestine protesters in Maidenhead staged a demonstration at shipping giant Maersk’s offices today (June 11).

More than 50 people with Palestinian Youth Movement staged a near-hour-long sit-in at the company’s offices in Market Street as part of the group's Mask off Maersk campaign.

The protesters say Maersk is transporting arms that help Israel in its war with Hamas, and which have caused enormous suffering to civilians trapped in the conflict.

But the company says it does not transport weapons to active warzones and is committed to responsible business practices.

A Palestinian Youth Movement spokesperson who took part in the action said: “Because Maersk has been the primary transporter for weapons manufacturers, we believe that by targeting them as a logistics company - we’re targeting all of them.”

Protesters at the sit in chanted: ‘Maersk workers make us proud, you can turn the ships around' and ‘Maersk Maersk turn the tides, cut the ties with genocide.’

Protesters in the lobby of Maersk's Maidenhead offices

Palestinian Youth Movement says it is undertaking action at Maersk sites across the country and plans action at Maersk sites in the USA, Italy and Denmark.

And there could be further action taking place in Maidenhead.

The spokesperson said. “[There are] offices across the country and at all of those will be sites we will be staging action at in the coming weeks, months and maybe years if our demands aren’t met."

They added:  “Mask off Maersk is a first step to raise awareness among the local community and the area, to make them [Maersk] known.”

A Maersk spokesperson said: “We have taken note of the campaign referencing Maersk, which we understand is organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement.

“We can also confirm that we have not been contacted by the Palestinian Youth Movement nor have we had any direct interaction with the group or its members.

“With regards to the allegations brought forward by the Palestinian Youth Movement, we want to reiterate that throughout our operations, Maersk is committed to responsible business practices, and this also includes applying standards and principles to ensure that we do not carry out any shipments of weapons or ammunition to countries or areas currently involved in armed conflicts.”