Pro-Palestinian activists blockade the Covent Garden store of dead sea beauty product company Ahava over their complicity in the Israeli occupation and colonisation of Palestine.

Israeli cosmetics purveyor Ahava's central London store was today occupied and closed by pro-Palestinian campaigners. Activists entered the shop just before 11am and locked their arms into plastic tubing enclosed in a concrete filled barrel to prevent their removal from the shop.

Police were called and arrived after 10 minutes. Realising the could not remove the protestors themselves they called on a specialist 'cutting team' to break through the concrete barrel, who managed to remove the activists at 2pm. The activists were then who were then arrested on suspicions of aggravated trespass.

The day was largely peaceful save for ugly scenes at the shop whilst the blockade was established, with one customer racially abusing a Muslim pro-Palestinian activist for the duration of the time, shouting "All Muslims are scum" at her.

Today's action was part of a broader campaign against the company, who operate from the illegal Israeli West Bank settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. Demonstrations have taken place in 13 world cities, in London alone a regular picket of the shop has been ongoing since March and four previous blockades have taken place, with prosecutions for the first three collapsing. This weekend evidence was heard about Ahava's illegal practices at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine.

The next picket of the shop will take place on Saturday 27th November, between 12 and 2 pm.