Good work today everyone. #UICFORMIZZOU

Posted by SJP UIC on Thursday, November 12, 2015

Help Chicago Activists Travel to Guantanamo, Cuba for the International Seminar for Peace and Elimination of Military Bases

On November 20th-28th, activists across the globe are gathering in Cuba to unite the fight against the global powers that have built military bases in all continents against the will of the people. This meeting will take place in Guantanamo Province, where a US military base has become one of the most brutal torture centers on the planet and a symbol of the gross human rights abuses committed by the US government in the name the war on terror. Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) is honored to announce that three of its younger members, Kait McIntyre, Holly Kent-Payne, and Jeff Westberry, have been invited to participate in this historic event, the World Peace Council's Fourth International Seminar for Peace and Elimination of Military Bases. We will be part of the delegation with the United National Antiwar Coalition. 

However, we need a financial commitment from you to make sure they're able to get there.  The activists in the AWC are motivated by a desire to better the world we live in. We believe you want the same thing. Your contribution will bring us one step closer to ending the destructive military industrial complex that has killed millions of people and destroyed countless lives. The funds raised will go toward plane tickets, visa applications, registration fees, housing, meals, and travel in Cuba.

Click here to donate. We appreciate donations of any size but, if possible, hope that individuals can give at least $50 and that organizations can donate at least $100.

If you would prefer to mail your contribution, please send checks to Anti-War Committee, c/o CCDBR, 1325 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60605. If you cannot contribute financially, we value the time you spend spreading the word about this important cause. If you have any talents or resources that may aid this campaign, do not hesitate to contact us. Holly, Kait, and Jeff, along with the entire Anti-War Committee Chicago, look forward to sharing the fruit of the experience you help make possible.

For more information, click here.

From Newsweek: Why Are FBI Agents Trammeling the Rights of Antiwar Activists?

Yes, Newsweek has an outstanding article on the 5th anniversary of the FBI raids of antiwar and solidarity activists. It is a must read...

Why Are FBI Agents Trammeling the Rights of Antiwar Activists?

Boeing and Black Friday flyer

We have created a leaflet based on the Amnesty International report released in July. They performed a high tech, 3D study of the city of Rafah under attack, and then diagram minute by minute, bomb by bomb, death by death, to prove Israel's war crimes.The 4 days fighting in Rafah saw some of the greatest loss of life - between 135 and 200 people. Their report is called Black Friday, because the attack started on a Friday and Friday was the worst. And, on that worst day, the bomb that resulted in the single greatest loss of life was a one ton bomb guided by Boeing's JDAM guidance system.


Click here for the Boeing and Black Friday Leaflet

Thanks to all who attended the militarization discussion

A special thanks to our speakers...

Frank Chapman:

Sundus Daghash of USPCN:

 

Lorena Buni of Anakbayan:

 

Holly Kent Payne:

Occupation is a Crime: Militarization at Home and Abroad

When: Saturday, September 12, at 1:30pm

Where: UE Hall (37 S. Ashland in Chicago).

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1451622311807274/

Panelists:

*Frank Chapman from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
*Lorena Buni from AnakBayan-Chicago. 
*Sundous Daghash from the United States Palestinian Community Network
*Holly Kent-Payne from the Antiwar Committee-Chicago

Speakers will examine the U.S. system of war and domination of oppressed nations. We hope to strengthen the work of all our movements. We'll also be selling Rasmea t-shirts and mobilizing for her appeals hearing in Cincinnati, OH, on October 14.

 

From Ferguson to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime!

In Palestine, the Israeli military routinely detains and abuses thousands of Palestinian political prisoners, including children.  In the Philippines, political activists are disappeared and murdered by the Aquino government with impunity.

In the U.S., a Black person is killed by police or vigilantes every 28 hours. Oppression is enforced by violence: extrajudicial killings.

Police crimes. Occupation. Siege. But the common enemy propping up these apartheid states, military dictatorships, and militarized police departments is the U.S. government.  The U.S. is the world's biggest warmongering superpower, and resistance in Gaza, uprising in Ferguson, and protest in Manila are all responses to its crimes.  This year, Palestinians have marched in  Ferguson and countless Black Lives Matter protests. Black activists traveled to Palestine to oppose Israeli apartheid. Angela Davis, the iconic political prisoner from the 1970s, has shared the stage with Rasmea Odeh, a modern day victim of political repression. Activists from the Philippines have also joined in the protests for both Palestine and against police crimes here. And in July, solidarity activists joined Filipinos in Washington, D.C. for a tribunal on human rights abuses by the U.S. backed government in Manila. 

The Case of Rasmea Odeh

On August 15 the Open University of the Left hosted Joe Iosbaker, who presented the case of our friend Rasmea Odeh.

Click here to check out Joe's presentation!

With thanks to the  Open University of the Left for the video.

Chicago demands Boeing end weapons sales to Israel

On April 27, "15 activists gathered outside the Boeing annual shareholders meeting [in Chicago] to protest Boeing’s weapons sales to Israel, particularly the $83 million contract with the Israel Air Force to provide 3000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Boeing secured this contract in November, just months after Israel’s Operation Protective Edge led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, including over 500 children. These war crimes led to protests across the globe and made Boeing a target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement"... Read more here. Thanks to FightBackNews for the great coverage.

Check out this video of the action (with thanks to John Dworkin and Forces in Motion):
https://youtu.be/_-b4kttDDtQ

NEWS ALERT: For Immediate Release and Distribution

Anti-War Committee – Chicago

Protest at Boeing Stockholders Meeting -

Stop Boeing from Selling Smart Bombs to Israel

Monday, April 27

Field Museum

8:00 a.m.

Friday April 24, 2015

Press Contacts:

Joe Iosbaker 773-301-0109; Kait McIntyre 815-988-8631

Members of the Anti-War Committee (AWC) – Chicago will attend the annual meeting of the Boeing stock holders at the Field Museum. Together with other area peace groups, the activists will hold a press conference to oppose the Boeing Company supplying the Israeli Defense Forces with smart bomb kits.

Kait McIntyre, Newland Smith and Joe Iosbaker will be attending, and will use the public comment section of the stock holders meeting to deliver their message. Said McIntyre, “We will tell them that we are opposed to their arming of the Israeli military in its wars on Gaza, and its occupation of Palestine.”

Smith explained, “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. These are to

replace the ordnance deployed during Operation Protective Edge in July and August 2014, in which over 2000 Palestinians, including 513 children, were killed.

According to McIntyre, “In Israel’s wars on Gaza, over 80% percent of bombs dropped had Boeing’s JDAM tail, with Boeing’s satellite guided software.”

Also joining the press conference will be Arny Steiber of Veterans for Peace and

Nerissa Allegretti of National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

Flyer for protest against Boeing smart bomb sales to Israel

Protest at Boeing Stockholders Meeting

Monday, April 27

Field Museum

8:00 a.m. 

Members of the Anti-War Committee will be attending the meeting of the Boeing stock holders, where we will use the public comment section to deliver a message to the Board and many of its richest stock holders. We will tell them that we stand unequivocally opposed to their arming of the Israeli military in its wars on Gaza, and its occupation of Palestine.

The JDAM kit attached to a variety of regular bombs, making them precision guided “smart bombs.”

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. 

How important are these JDAMs for Israel’s wars? During Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, out of all the bombs dropped, 81 percent were using Boeing’s JDAM tail, with Boeing’s satellite guided software. 

Since 2009, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) increased the percentage of guided munitions in their arsenal. Without exaggeration, we can say that Boeing contributed directly to the deaths of over 80% of the Palestinian dead. 

Therefore, we charge that Boeing is complicit in Israel's assault on Gaza and its cruel and illegal military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 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 police 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. We demand that Boeing sever its ties with Israel and that Boeing prioritize production that improves the world, not destroy it.

Chicago Stands with Venezuela

Antiwar Committee Chicago is proud to be one of many signatories on the following statement in suuport of Venezuela:

On March 9, President Obama issued an alarming and outrageous Executive Order declaring Venezuela to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States…” imposing sanctions and basically threatening to overthrow the democratically elected government. 

Venezuela has not threatened the U.S. in any way, except by being politically independent and working to develop independent, sovereign economic policies in collaboration with other Latin American countries that also reject US domination.  We note that the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), which represents every country in South America, has condemned the Executive Order as a "threat of interference" against Venezuela's sovereignty. Presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro were both elected in what the Carter Center, runs by former President Jimmy Carter, declared to be the best election process in the world.

On the other hand, the US has, since 1998 when Hugo Chavez Frias and the Bolivarian movement won the first of many elections, carried out covert and overt interference leading to violence and threatening Venezuelan democracy. These actions  include funding and advising opposition parties and groups that have in turn fomented violence in Venezuela  and in April 2002 the US supported an attempted coup d’état (April 2002) in which President Chavez was kidnapped by opposition groups. 

US interference and aggression has continued since Nicholas Maduro was elected president in April 2013.  The most extreme opposition groups funded and encouraged by the US led violent street actions and attacks from January - May 2014. While other governments in Latin America and the Vatican assisted the Venezuelan government in bringing much of the opposition to dialogue, US officials and members of the US Congress House of Representatives approved sanctions against Venezuela in May 2014 — de facto support for the extremist opposition. In February 2015 a new coup plot “operation Jericho” was uncovered that planned bombings of government and civilian centers in Caracas and involved some of the same opposition figures involved in the 2002 coup. 

As residents of the Chicago we reject the pressures from the US government and others that led to a Chicago City Council resolution in 2014 supporting US interference in Venezuela. It is clear to us that Venezuela’s government and people are no threat to the people of the United States or to US National Security. On the contrary, support for violence and attempts at destabilization by the US government are a threat to peace and to the well being of the people of the United States and of Venezuela. We call on President Obama, to rescind the  executive order naming Venezuela a US national security threat and to end sanctions against Venezuela and Venezuelan officials and we call on the US government to end all interference in Venezuela. 

No Weapons Sales To Israel

Below are two statements from AWC....


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.

Black Lives Matter! Justice for Mike Brown & Eric Garner!

In 2014, in separate instances, police officers killed two unarmed Black men; Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO and Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY. In both cases, the officers were not indicted. Anti-War Committee Chicago stands in solidarity with oppressed people-not just abroad but in the US as well. 

We have witnessed firsthand the injustice of the US courts in the case of Rasmea Odeh. Why is a prominent Palestinian community organizer facing incarceration while homicidal police officer Darren Wilson, who publicly stated he has no remorse, walks free? Why are Rasmea’s supporters labeled as “almost certainly criminal” and the person who filmed the police killing Eric Garner indicted while the officer that used the lethal, illegal chokehold faces no charges? 

These murderous cops were exonerated, despite mountains of evidence. This is a chilling affirmation of the systemic racism in this country. As we saw in the case of Eric Garner, cameras and video footage of cops cannot solve this problem. We support those protesting in Ferguson, New York, and countless other cities across the globe. We call for justice for Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and all victims of police crimes. We want an end to police control of oppressed Black and Latino communities.

OCCUPATION IS A CRIME FROM FERGUSON TO PALESTINE!

If you or your organization would like to endorse these statements, please email Kait McIntyre, Anti-War Committee Chicago member, at kait.mcintyre@gmail.com    

From all of us at the Antiwar Committee Chicago to all of you...