Kent, WA – On Friday, July 31, 12 anti-war activists held an action at U.S. Representative Adam Smith’s district office to demand that he take material action to stop funding wars and to cut ties with Israel. Smith is behind the House of Representatives’ most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) containing Section 219, which formally integrates the U.S. and the Israeli militaries.
This protest comes after Smith’s symbolic vote against the NDAA, a war funding bill he co-authored and co-sponsored. Activists emphasized that Representative Smith’s so-called “doomed-to-fail” vote is nothing more than an attempt to deceive nearly 800,000 voters ahead of a critical election into believing that he is against funding Israel and the Iran War.
Two activists attempted to deliver Seattle Against War’s petition to the office. When they arrived, the office appeared to be closed, which is unusual for a public office during office hours. The petition, with over 1400 signatures from community members, demands that Smith use his powers as Congressman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee to take action to end all aid to Israel, end the war in Iran, and hold U.S. and Israel accountable for war crimes.
Other activists joined the petition deliverers inside the building and brought the rally to Smith’s office doorstep. Rae Lee, a member of Seattle Against War stated, “He performs support for queer communities as a clear pinkwashing tactic to paint a picture of himself as an ally. That is fucking gross, and we need to call it out when we see it. He uses BIPOC communities as PR opportunities, the pittances he leaks to struggling grassroots groups to divert our attention away from the literal billions being used for senseless wars.
Section 219, which protesters are calling attention to, enables Israel’s unfettered use of U.S. military resources, including a permanent Pentagon position to synchronize Israeli and U.S. military initiatives, an open-ended technology deal, and the ability to deploy U.S. troops to carry out their genocide against Palestinians.
Protesters then canvassed and distributed flyers at the neighboring offices in the building to raise awareness of Smith’s crimes and his recent attempt to merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries, until they were escorted by building security.
The rally continued outside the building, where activists continued to amplify demands and slogans such as “No war in Iran” and “Stop funding Israel.”
#KentWA #SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #AdamSmith
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