Protestors sit-in at Boeing Company headquarters, protest weapons for Israeli attack on Gaza Chicago – Wednesday, July 16, 2014

At 5:00 p.m. today, a group of activists from the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC), the 8^th Day Center for Justice, the American Friends Service Committee, the Episcopalian Peace Fellowship, and Jews for Justice in Palestine, entered the Boeing Company building and refused to leave. They went there to deliver a message: they oppose the Boeing Company providing weapons for the Israeli siege of Gaza. The action was initiated by Jewish Voices for Peace, as one of a number of actions happening around the country in response to the vicious assault by Israel.

AWC – Chicago issued the following statement about their participation the action. AWC has gone after Boeing for almost two years for their role as the second largest arms manufacturer. Kait McIntyre, one of the protesters, is a candidate for Boeing’s board of stock holders. Also among the AWC protesters are Joe Iosbaker, Newland Smith, and Bonnie Coyle.

The Anti-War Committee - Chicago condemns Boeing Company for manufacturing weapons for targeted deaths of civilians in the Israeli siege of Gaza

In our campaign against Boeing we have routinely exposed their company as a key element of the U.S. war machine, which profits off the sale of weapons for U.S. wars and U.S. allies. Boeing reaps billions from the sale of weapons for use in the Israeli attacks on Gaza as part of its eight year old siege of Gaza. Boeing has provided the Israeli air force with several hundred F15 and F16 fighter planes and thousands of tail kits designed to make dumb bombs into “smart bombs,” improving accuracy. More recently Boeing designed a laser seeker to add to the nose of a bomb equipped with their tail kit, giving the ability to engage moving targets.

In addition Boeing has provided at least 60 of the Apache attack helicopters to Israel, as well as their payloads of “pinpoint accurate” Hellfire Missiles.

In observing the precision of Boeing’s products, we learn something about Israel’s bombing and missile strikes on Gaza.  As these weapons are so precise, then the deaths of civilian men, women and children - the vast majority of the 200 killed by Israel - are premeditated. The Israeli pilots know who is in their gun sights. They launch their weapons with full knowledge.

This means that the Israeli pilots are no different than the criminal settlers who burned Mohammed Abu Khdeir alive. They are killing in cold blood. They are killing civilians – men, children, women, and old people. They bomb food stores, hospitals, and even a center for the disabled.

The men who killed Mohammed Abu Khdeir have the sounds of their victim in their minds, but Israeli pilots have killed hundreds since Israel’s operation “Protective Edge” began, and thousands more throughout the history of the occupation.

Finally, Chicago is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the U.S.  Chicago is also home to the Boeing Company, whose stock price soars from the slaughter of countless Palestinians. This is a slap in the face we cannot abide.

End the siege of Gaza now! End U.S. aid to Israel! Free Palestine!

 

End the seige of Gaza NOW!

Several thousand Palestinians and their supporters rallied and marched here, July 9. Antiwar Committee Chicago is proud to be in the streets with our brothers and sisters.

Teach-in on U.S. Intervention in Ukraine

No New Cold War with Russia

No U.S. Support for Fascist Atrocities in Ukraine

We Need Funds for Healthcare, Housing, Jobs and Schools, Not for War

Thursday, May 22nd

7:00 p.m.

205 W. Monroe Street, 5th floor

8th Day Center for Justice

Speakers:

Rick Rozoff, manager of the Stop NATO website

Carl Rosen, President of the Western Region of the United Electrical union

Marina DudaNova, a local activist who lived through a war in her homeland, Transnistria, in 1992

This teach-in has been called to respond to developments in Ukraine in the past weeks: in Odessa, the deaths of 46 people and burning of the House of Labor at the hands of fascists; the attacks on cities in east and southeast Ukraine by army and fascist militia attacks; and the growing moves by the US and NATO in Ukraine and threatening a new war with Russia.

Sponsors:

8th Day Center for Justice

American Party of Labor

Anti-War Committee – Chicago

Chicago Area Peace Action

Stop NATO

Students for a Democratic Society – College of DuPage

Workers World Party

This event is organized as part of the call for emergency antiwar actions by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). To read the statement, a list of endorsing organizations, and see the events around the country, go to: https://unacpeace.org/

https://www.facebook.com/events/648309835239946/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Anti-War Committee t-shirts, $15 plus shipping. Contact joeiosbaker@gmail.com

Boeing Campaign video

Kait McIntyre's campaign video (made by Bonnie Coyle) to take on Boeing.

Stop Boeing's Killer Drone

The Anti-War Committee is organizing to oppose the Boeing Company’s plan to win the Pentagon contract for the next generation combat drone.

Sign our new petition here.

We will be protesting at the Boeing Stockholders Meeting on April 28th at the Field Museum.

Stay tuned for more information.

We are supporting Kait McIntyre’s campaign to get elected to the Boeing board on an anti-war platform.

Here is Kait's platform:


1.       Her platform calls on Boeing Company to disinvest in drone research, stop seeking drone contracts in general and end its pursuit of the Navy UCLASS combat drone contract. Boeing should close the Phantom Ray drone project, end production of the Scan Eagle program, and stop any current or future bidding on drones for warfare and surveillance without proper warrants. The US’s use of drone warfare – targeted killing, and attacks in countries where we have not declared war - violates international law. We need to end wars, not build a new generation of deadly weapons.

2.       Her platform calls on Boeing Company to end military production. The projected cuts to the Pentagon budget are greatly needed, but are only the beginning of retooling of our economy away from war production, in the interests of humanity and the U.S. economy.  In line with the needed cuts to the Pentagon, Boeing should shift its business strategy to phase out all military production. The United States has spent trillions of dollars in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, as well as in Libya and Syria. This money could have been contributed toward schools, jobs, health-care, and other social service programs that benefit people. Pentagon contracts and weapons manufacturing mean death and destruction. From the depleted uranium bombs that have poisoned the soil and people of Gaza, to the B52 bombers that killed so many Vietnamese, we deeply regret that Boeing products have harmed so many and linked the Boeing name with bloodshed, death, and destruction.

3.       Her platform calls on Boeing Company to end their history of corporate welfare and class warfare, and give back to the communities where they operate. Boeing uses loopholes to dodge paying taxes, but tax payments on their enormous profits could stop the slashing of government funded social programs. In addition,Boeing should repatriate profits from overseas operations.

Current Boeing CEO James McNerney has said that educators and families with children in school in Chicago may have to “do some things at the local level that the local level doesn’t want to do in order to ensure some quality.” His meaning is clear: he backs Mayor Emanuel’s attacks on the teachers and children of Chicago Public Schools. Boeing should put a stop to these attacks and speak out against Emanuel closing schools and turning schools into military academies.

Boeing should sign onto labor peace agreements. We believe that the key to building a company is keeping well-paid jobs with benefits like pension plans, and treating workers fairly. We oppose cutting jobs for thousands just so a handful can buy multi-million dollar homes in Miami.

Finally, Boeing should commit their vast wealth to research and development for green air travel, and lead the industry towards sustainability. This is urgently needed as climate change accelerates.

Update on Anti-Boycott Bill in IL State Legislature

03/21/2014

We are delighted to report that State Senate Bill 3017 was not called for debate or a vote during the Judiciary Committee hearing on Wed., March 19th. It now appears, although there is no certainty on this, that the bill will not be moved forward during this legislative session. If the March 28th deadline for moving a bill is not met, it means this unconstitutional assault on academic freedom and free speech will have effectively been defeated.

We have come this far because people and organizations throughout Illinois took action. Our hundreds of phone calls and email messages, the petitions, and the direct discussions with members of the State Legislature all had an impact and made a difference! We had a sense we were on strong footing when we saw that 95 organizations and individuals had submitted to the Judiciary Committee "witness slips" through Wednesday indicating that they opposed this legislation, even though they could not appear at the committee hearing in person. Only 3 people submitted witness slips in support of the bill.

The issue is not quite settled though. A State Senate resolution introduced by the same Senator Silverstein, SJR 59, is still pending.  It has much the same  purpose of undermining academic boycotts of Israel, minus the punitive measure of defunding public universities.  The Resolution has still not been assigned to a Senate Committee, so we will keep you updated on its status, and on what you can do to oppose it.

Thank you for making your voice heard!  Look out for our continued updates  on any related developments.

The Illinois Coalition to Protect Academic Freedom and Free Speech was formed in response to anti-boycott legislation introduced in the Illinois State Senate.  The Coalition includes the Center for Constitutional Rights, CAIR-Chicago, Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, Palestine Solidarity Legal Support, American Studies Association, Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago, Arab-Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Committee Against Political Repression, Friends of Sabeel: North America, United States Palestinian Community Network,  American Friends Service Committee- Chicago, Just Foreign Policy, Defending Dissent Foundation, American Muslims for Palestine, UIC Graduate Employees Organization, IFT-AFT Local 6297,and other individuals.