No Weapons Sales to Israel! Stop Boeing from Selling Smart Bombs to the IDF!

In November 2014, Boeing was awarded an $83 million contract by the Israel Air Force for providing 3000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs). JDAMs are kits that convert unguided bombs into “smart” guided weapons. Just months earlier, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, killing over 2000 Palestinians, including 513 children. By producing these JDAMs and other weapons for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Boeing is fortifying Israel’s actions and contributing to the occupation of Palestine. Therefore, we charge that Boeing has the blood of thousands of Palestinians on its hands.

Furthermore, Boeing’s Defense, Space, and Security department, which made the deal with Israel, is located in St. Louis, MO, about 15 miles away from Ferguson, MO. When Ferguson community members were under siege by police terror in the wake of the murder of 18 year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson, the people in Gaza expressed solidarity and support. Boeing’s new deal violates this special bond and puts money towards war that could be going toward education and eliminating the school to prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts Black and other oppressed nationality youth.

We condemn Boeing’s business dealings with the IDF, from selling weapons to collaborating with Israeli armament companies. There is a growing movement calling for an arms embargo on Israel, echoing the call from civil society organizations in Palestine. We are adding our voices and demanding the US government implement a military embargo on Israel and force Boeing to sever its ties.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarCommittee #Israel #BoeingCorporation #ChicagoAntiWar

Chicago, IL – Dr. Matar speaks for the Syrian American Forum July 2, as people gathered here, for a third week in a row of protests, to say, “Hands off Syria! No new wars!”

The Anti-War Committee-Chicago (AWC), the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, the March 19th Coalition and the Syrian American Forum are organizing the rallies. Kait McIntyre of AWC announced that this week and again next, “Chicago’s protests are part of a national coordinated effort called by the United National Antiwar Coalition, A.N.S.W.E.R., United for Peace and Justice and over a hundred other groups.”

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Chicago, IL – On June 18, the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) organized a spirited protest against U.S. intervention in Syria. Over 50 people came to Federal Plaza to speak out against the Obama administration's plans to send arms to the Syrian rebels and threats to set up a No Fly Zone. Speakers included activists from the AWC, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the ANSWER Coalition and a member of the Syrian American community, who came with 20 other countrymen and women, proudly displaying their Syrian Arab Republic flags.

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Chicago, IL – Nahla Yafai, a Yemeni student in Chicago, was emphatic. “Drones have hit our country again and again. Many civilians and children have died, but no one knows here, except for our community. And now you know, and you must speak out.” In the past year, Yemen became the main destination for U.S. drone strikes in the world. Yafai stood with three other Yemeni women, all wearing shirts painted with their national flag at an April 6 rally to oppose drone warfare.

The month of April has been chosen by anti-war activists nationally as a coordinated month of protests against drones and the threat of new wars. In Chicago, the marchers went to the headquarters of the Boeing Company. Boeing CEO James McNerney is competing with the other top arms manufacturers for the growing budget for unmanned aircraft for the military. This year, the Navy is asking for designs for a new combat drone. Boeing is expected to propose its “Phantom Ray.”

Over 150 people joined the protest. Kait McIntyre of the Anti-War Committee of Chicago told the crowd, “We don’t want Chicago to be remembered as the birthplace of the next killer drone.”

Debbie Pope of the Chicago Teachers Union added her voice to the demand for cutting the military budget. Looking at the current crisis of school closings in Chicago, McIntyre added, “We need to cut the Pentagon and the war budget in order to have money for schools, jobs and healthcare.” She added, “Boeing is our poster child for military spending.”

Vince Emanuelle of the Iraq Veterans Against the War told people, “In the next ten years, the Pentagon plans that 50% of the armed forces will be robotic weapons.” The IVAW speaker declared they would oppose a U.S. war waged with robots and drones just as they have opposed the wars deploying U.S. troops.

The protest included a theatrical performance as well. Activists portraying Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia from Star Wars stood outside the Lyric Opera House, located near the Boeing office building. As the audience streamed in, Leia pleaded for their help in saving her planet from drone strikes. Boeing’s McNerney is an opera buff and Boeing contributes to the Lyric Opera House.

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