Berlin: Pro-Palestinian activists attempted early Thursday to block access to a Rheinmetall facility in Berlin as part of a weeklong protest campaign aimed at stopping ammunition supplies to Israeli armed forces.

According to Anadolu Agency, the protest took place in Berlin's Wedding district, where demonstrators from the group 'Peacefully Against Genocide' sat in the roadway and tried to glue themselves to the pavement to stop vehicles from reaching the Rheinmetall facility.

Police moved in shortly after 6.30 am local time, using physical force and pepper spray to clear the demonstrators. Authorities said around 60 protesters were briefly detained for identity checks, while two were arrested on suspicion of assaulting officers.

Rheinmetall's Berlin facility, once used primarily to produce automotive parts, has increasingly been repurposed since last summer to manufacture components for artillery ammunition.

Protesters accuse both the company and the German government of complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza through continued arms exports to Israel. They are also demanding that Rheinmetall shut down its production facility in Berlin.