On Thursday, an armed militant took several employees of the Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey hostage, in protest against Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The hostages were all employees of the American-owned factory.
The militant took the employees hostage around 03:00 p.m. in the factory located in Kocaeli province’s Gebze industrial zone.
In a photo published on social media platforms and local news outlets, the man can be seen inside the factory with his face covered with a Palestinian keffiyeh, and what appears to be an explosive device strapped to his body.
In another photo, he’s seen holding a gun in one hand and making a “V” sign with his other hand, next to a wall on which Palestinian and Turkish flags are painted with the caption “Gates will open. Either coffin rest or death for Gaza.”
Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, employs about 700 people at three sites in Istanbul and Kocaeli, including the Gebze plant. The factories mainly produce cleaning and hygiene products for brands like Gillette and Oral-B.
The Turkish sites serve as a hub for operations in eight countries, according to the company.
As the United States bears direct responsibility for the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, America’s capitalist industries, such as Procter & Gamble, will continue to be legitimate targets for anti-imperialist revolutionaries internationally.