10 people arrested for protest outside of Pratt & Whitney plant
By Rob Polansky
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MIDDLETOWN, Connecticut (WFSB) — Ten people were arrested for a a protest outside of a plant in Middletown on Monday morning.
The protest started at the Pratt & Whitney plant on Aircraft Road around 5:40 a.m.
Police said they found a number of people sitting in the road in tubes with their arms interlocked.
“There were also additional pedestrians standing in the roadway chanting, filming, and monitoring the organized protest against the war in Gaza,” Middletown police said. “The protesters had also placed a vehicle across the roadway, which was blocking part of Aircraft Road. Based on their placement in the roadway, Pratt employees were prohibited from leaving or entering the Pratt & Whitney campus.”
South District firefighters responded. Middletown police said they also requested mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies. Connecticut State Police, Meriden police, Cromwell Police, and Berlin police sent officers to help.
The vehicle blocking the roadway was quickly removed without incident, police said. They said they made every effort to convince the protesters to leave the roadway and avoid arrest, but negotiations were unsuccessful.
“After multiple warnings that an arrest was imminent, the protesters indicated they were not leaving,” Middletown police said. “The decision was made to arrest anyone obstructing vehicular traffic.”
South District fire personnel helped the police and removed each protester from their respective tubes without incident or injury.
“All parties in the roadway were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for obstructing vehicular traffic into Pratt & Whitney,” police said.
After the parties were arrested and removed, officers said they began opening the roadway in an effort to get Pratt & Whitney staff in and out of the facility.
“One female pedestrian began obstructing the open roadway and was arrested for Disorderly Conduct as well,” police noted.
Aircraft Road was opened to traffic around 8 a.m.
A total of 10 people were arrested during this incident.
The names of the arrested parties will be released at a later time, police said.
Channel 3 received an email that claimed the protest was part of a nationwide effort to target companies that protestors argued were “complicit in the arming of the Israeli military during its assault on Gaza.”
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