[pjw] NEWS: Protesters Picket Boeing Over Weapons Shipments to Israel (Mercury Blog 11/20)

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello again PJW supporters

There's a lot of news and opinion out there about the Israeli war on Gaza, 
and lots and lots of activism.

I thought it important to share this article posted last night by the 
Portland Mercury, which notes that Senator Jeff Merkley has now officially 
called for a ceasefire (yay Oregon!) and that protestors interrupted work 
at the local Boeing factory in Gresham. I know someone who used to work 
there and as noted in the article and by the protestors themselves, they 
don't do military production there, but the company as a whole profits off 
of warfare.

By the way there are 43 congresspepole (only two of them Senators) who've 
called for a ceasefire officially, according to this tracker from the 
Working Families Party:

https://workingfamilies.org/ceasefire-tracker/

--dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

  https://post.portlandmercury.com/news/2023/11/20/46874609/protesters-picket-boeing-over-weapons-shipments-to-israel
    News Nov 20, 2023 at 7:09 pm
Protesters Picket Boeing Over Weapons Shipments to Israel

Activists blocked entrances at Boeing's Gresham plant, saying the company
needs to be held accountable for its role in the Hamas/Israel war that has
killed thousands.
    Kevin Foster

    Police were called to a Boeing manufacturing plant in Gresham last
    week, after protesters picketed the site over the company's supply of
    weapons to Israel.

    On Friday, November 17, Portland's chapter of the Party for Socialism
    and Liberation (PSL) organized a picket at Boeing's aircraft
    manufacturing facility in Gresham. Following Hamas' attack on October
    7, killing roughly 1,200 people in Israel and taking over 200 hostages,
    Boeing accelerated its shipment of 1,000 bombs to Israel and also
    pledged $2 million in humanitarian aid to all those affected in the
    region.

    Rallying behind the movement "Shut it Down for Palestine," around 100
    protesters circled the crosswalk at the facility's entrance in support
    of an immediate cease-fire, cutting aid to Israel, and lifting the
    siege on Gaza.

    In hopes of drawing attention to Boeing being the world's third largest
    arms manufacturer, protesters stopped cars and contractors from
    entering the facility. As they marched back and forth they chanted
    phrases like "no business as usual" and "Boeing, Boeing, what do you
    say? How many kids have you killed today?" This comes after an
    estimated 13,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since
    October 7, including over 5,000 children.

    Despite Boeing's Gresham facility only manufacturing commercial
    aircraft parts, protesters and organizers still felt it was important
    to send a message.

    "They [Boeing] make 49% of their profits through federal government
    contracts, and they've sold billions of dollars of weapons to Israel,"
    said a PSL organizer who asked to remain anonymous, fearing potential
    arrest by Gresham Police, who were called to the scene Friday morning.
    No arrests were made during the picket.

    According to the Who Profits Research Center, Boeing has made between
    $50 billion to $100 billion through arms sales to Israel.

    The PSL leaders described the protest as peaceful and relatively calm.
    After the organizers left around 9:30 Friday morning, the event took a
    more heated turn as Gresham police arrived and asked picketers for
    information on the organizers. Participants refused to turn over any
    information, saying organizers weren't there.

    With greater numbers, the picketers fully blocked the entrance to the
    facility. Multiple drivers trying to enter approached the line in an
    aggressive manner, at times inching their vehicles forward into the
    crowd. One such incident resulted in a screaming match with a Boeing
    employee over the purpose of the protest.

    "This is Boeing commercial," the man yelled. "It's still Boeing," the
    protesters responded, to which the man said "it's still America." After
    about a minute of arguing, the man left and the protesters cheered.
    While no other altercations escalated to this level, many drivers
    flipped off the crowd and drove away.

    Among the crowd was at least one Boeing employee who supported the
    protest. He declined to share his name, fearing retaliation from
    Boeing. "From an ethical standpoint, I wouldn't work for a Boeing
    military facility," he said. "I made that intentional choice. It would
    pay more if I did, but there's a line there for me that I don't wanna
    cross." He noted that protests happen at the facility once every couple
    years, but normally they only have a few people.

    PSL leaders describe their ties to Palestine as a struggle against U.S.
    imperialism. They joined the Shut it Down for Palestine movement with
    other groups such as The Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students
    for Justice in Palestine, and the ANSWER Coalition to raise awareness
    about the crisis in Gaza. "We don't want people to be able to look away
    from what's happening," the PSL organizer said. "Business as usual
    should not be able to continue while this genocide is happening in
    Palestine."

    Protesters expressed frustration with the inaction of U.S. politicians
    and the complicity of U.S. corporations, saying politicians who refuse
    to call for a cease-fire or mitigate war "shouldn't be able to look
    away." Protesters say they want to draw attention to the way US
    corporations like Boeing profit off the deaths of Palestinians.

    Since Friday's event, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley has called for a
    cease-fire in Gaza, saying the hours-long humanitarian pauses in the
    region meant to allow residents to leave safely, haven't been enough to
    counter Israel's bombing.
    Merkley

    "Israel has unleashed a bombing campaign on Gaza of phenomenal
    ferocity," Merkley said in a statement released Monday. "Israel defends
    this campaign as necessary to strike Hamas wherever necessary. But the
    impression the world has been left with is one of indiscriminate
    bombing. Air strikes have leveled much of Gaza City and hit crowded
    refugee camps, schools, hospitals, and even shelters operated by the
    United Nations."