Protest outside Boeing Headquarters, 100 N. Riverside Plaza, at the corner of Randolph Street and the Chicago River
Thursday, December 20th, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Sponsored by: Anti War Committee, American Friends Service Committee, Muslim Task Force, Protest Chaplains of Chicago, and Voices for Creative Non Violence
Boeing spy drone over Iran
US threatens war in the Middle East
On November 6th, a spy drone made in the United States by Boeing Corporation was captured by Iran after violating their air space. Called a Scan Eagle, this is further evidence that the US government is making moves toward war with Iran.
The peace movement opposes the US spying on and threatening Iran. Most people in the US are against new wars with Iran and Syria, and want the US to get out of Afghanistan. Most people opposed the disastrous war on Iraq that killed over 1,000,000 Iraqis, as well as thousands of US troops. The US government is pointing fingers at Iran and Syria as countries that want war. But the Iranians don’t have spy drones 16 miles off Miami Beach.
Chicago based Boeing Corporation is the second largest weapons manufacturer in the US, and has a growing role in the drone industry. The Scan Eagle is mainly used for surveillance, but they are also deployed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, used for targeting for bombings and for assassinations. In addition, most of Israel’s war planes are made by Boeing; and many of the missiles used in Gaza last month are provided by Boeing. These include some bombs that are made of depleted uranium, which is linked to increases in birth defects in Gaza since being used in 2008.
Boeing: $63 million in tax breaks from the people of Chicago and Illinois
Another reason people in Chicago and Illinois should care about what Boeing builds: Boeing received millions of our tax dollars to move to Chicago. The incentives to move Boeing here are dollars being taken from our communities. This is an additional war tax, on top of the trillions of dollars of our taxes already spent on the war budget in the US.
As a company, Boeing is largely dependent on government contracts. However, Boeing received a $605 million tax refund in 2011. In fact, they paid more to their CEO than in federal taxes: Boeing CEO James McNerney received $18.4 million in pay. This is a corporation that had $10 billion in domestic pre-tax profits between 2008 and 2010.
The tax money being given to Boeing and spent to wage wars – from Iraq to Palestine - should be brought home to fund jobs, education and health care. We call for Boeing to stop providing drones – for spying on Iran, or for assassinations in Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan. And we demand an end to wars by the US government.
Stop Threats of War Against Syria and Iran
Money for Jobs, Healthcare and Education, Not for War
