BREAKING: Another city joins the call: Three weapons manufacturers across Canada are now blockaded in an effort to stop flow of weapons to Israel
Peterborough, Toronto, Calgary, Feb. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dozens of community members have blocked access to a Raytheon facility in Calgary, joining blockades this morning in both Toronto and Peterborough to demand an end to military exports to Israel. These rolling actions are a concerted effort to interrupt Canada's complicity in Israel's genocide against Gaza, just days after the UN called for an immediate arms embargo against Israel.
Raytheon is the world's second-largest military company, which supplies the Israeli Air Force with guided air-to-surface missiles for its F-16 fighter jets, as well as cluster bombs and bunker busters, which have consistently been used against Gaza's civilian population and infrastructure.
Workers and community members also blocked all entrances to the TTM Technologies plant in Scarborough this morning, resulting in the first shift of the day being cancelled altogether. In Peterborough, activists picketed a Safran Electronics facility, and spoke with many supportive workers about their employer's complicity in genocide.
TORONTO: Rachel Small, [email protected], 647-769-2472 (Toronto, World BEYOND War)
PETERBOROUGH: Urpi Pine, 705-977-2929; Kerry Bebee, 705-772-9340; Hanah Mcfarlane, 705-933-8211
CALGARY: Wesam Cooley, 587-572-5507
"In face of the ongoing complicity of the Canadian government, workers and activists are taking matters into our own hands to prevent companies in our communities from supplying weapons and components to Israel. We won't allow business at Raytheon to proceed as usual while they continue to supply Israel with missiles and bombs that are being used to commit genocide."
Wesam Cooley, Calgary spokesperson
"We are seeing different actions take place at arms companies across Canada demanding an immediate arms embargo against Israel. As a Palestinian, I have been gobsmacked at the Canadian governments open defiance of international law, particularly in light of the most recent UN report directing Canada to impose an arms embargo on Israel. What's worse is that since October, Canada has authorized at least $28.5 million of new permits for military exports to Israel, their participation in this genocide must end now, we need an arms embargo!"
Dalia Awwad, Palestinian Youth Movement
As Israel's genocide in Gaza drags into its fifth month, Trudeau's government has been facing escalating scrutiny and public pressure. Over 82,000 Canadians signed a parliamentary petition demanding an embargo on military exports to Israel, and 75 civil society groups called on Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to resign if she won't impose an arms embargo. Government officials have been misrepresenting the nature of Canada's military exports to Israel, and failing to uphold their legal responsibility under the Arms Trade Treaty. Today's coordinated actions to stop arming genocide were planned by a number of local groups, and have been endorsed by national organizations including World Beyond War, Labour for Palestine, and the Palestinian Youth Movement.
Photos from each action are available here.
National Media Contacts:
Rachel Small, [email protected], 647-769-2472 (Toronto, World BEYOND War)
Dalia Awwad, [email protected], 416-988-9695 (Toronto, Palestinian Youth Movement)
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