UPDATED: Athy bank targeted with graffiti

THE AIB branch in Athy has been targeted with graffitied with the message “Drop Snyk”, while the front door was secured with a chain and padlock.

The incident is related to public backlash and protests against AIB nationally over reports of a proposed technology and cybersecurity contract with Snyk, an Israeli cybersecurity company founded in 2015. 

Snyk was founded by former members of Unit 8200, an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) intelligence unit.

The company is headquartered in Boston and has offices in Tel Aviv, Ottawa, Zurich and London.

Activist groups have previously protested at AIB branches in Dublin and Belfast.

Protesters and organisations such as the Bloody Sunday Trust argue that the partnership would risk exposing Irish customer data to Israeli intelligence frameworks and would render the bank complicit in military actions in Palestine.

The AIB branch was open for business on Friday.

In response to a query about the incident, a spokesperson said: "AIB, as with many regulated entities, uses a range of suppliers to provide as secure and reliable a service as possible for our customers.

"For commercial and security reasons we do not comment on individual suppliers or individual companies that are not suppliers.

"AIB regularly reviews and actively considers our procurement options to ensure that we serve the evolving needs of our customers, and ensure business and supply chain resilience.”