● Workers in Palestine ask workers around the world to help stop the genocide in Gaza
● Syndicates from 6 different countries help prevent arms trade with Israel
On the 9th and 10th of November 2023, an international call to stop arming Israel was sent to the world by the coalition of Palestinian syndicates under the banner Workers in Palestine.
18 towns in Canada, the USA, Italy, Spain, and Australia have answered the call and several factories and harbours have been invaded by protesters, preventing the delivery of weapons and military equipment to Israel.
For the campaigners, “large rallies are important, but we also need to put direct pressure on governments and companies profiting from the arms trade with Israel. As Israel’s genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza escalates, and Palestinians are assaulted and threatened across historic Palestine, we once again appeal to all people of conscience, trade unions, workers, and students to take meaningful action to Stop Arming Israel”.
They add:
“Many of the weapons causing mass destruction in Gaza now are made and shipped globally, with profits passing through countries.”
They conclude: “No more business as usual! The time to act is NOW!
Workers in Palestine are calling to:
● EVERYONE to block all factories making and exporting arms to Israel
● UNIONS AND WORKERS to not manufacture, transport, or handle weapons and /or surveillance tech destined for Israel and make public statements to that effect.
● STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS to uncover if your university has contracts or cooperation agreements with weapons companies supplying Israel, call them out, and organize to cancel them.
Here is a look at some of the world’s actions in solidarity with the ‘Workers in Palestine’ campaign.
In the UK:
● More than 400 protesters blocked the entrance of BAE System in Rochester.
● At least a thousand people protested in front of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, asking for an end to military training with Israel as well as for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
In Canada:
● Hundreds of Indigenous people and militants managed to get 4 weapon factories to close: L3Harris in the towns of Hamilton, Montreal and Toronto, and Lockheed Martin in Ottawa.
● Militants blocked the entrance to GeoSpectrum in Dartmouth. GeoSpectrum belongs to Elbit Systems and is one of the major weapons providers to Israel.
● Other actions targeted offices of ZIM Shipping in Vancouver, and of Boeing in Winnipeg.
In Australia:
● Protesters stopped the delivery of weapons to Israel by ZIM in Naarm and Melbourne
● Protesters disturbed the delivery of weapons by the same company in Sydney; some protesters used jet-skis.
In the USA:
● Protests in front of Raytheon’s offices in Goleta, California.
● Syndicalists and protesters stopped a factory belonging to Colt and based in Hartford, Connecticut. The site was making weapons used in the current Genocide in Gaza.
In Spain:
● Employees from Airbus in Getafe, Spain, protested inside the factory and asked for an immediate stop to arms trade with Israel. They expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians.
● Syndicalists and militants protested in the mine belonging to Israel Chemical Limited. ICL provides Monsanto (now Bayer) with phosphate used for the production of white phosphorus, which is then sold to Bluff Arsenal (PBA). We know that this chemical is used against the Palestinians and that it burns the skin. It is a crime against international law to use it.
● Syndicates representing the workers of Barcelona’s harbour signed a pledge to stop arms trade with Israel and declared that they refused to load any boats with weapons for that country. They also asked for an immediate ceasefire.
In Italy:
● Dockers blocked the harbour in Genoa
● They protested in front of ZIM’s offices.
Other actions have taken place like in Belgium, with workers refusing to load and transport weapons destined to Israel.
The Workers in Palestine expressed their gratitude towards this global action of solidarity, whose intent is to save innocent lives and stop the Genocide of the population in Gaza.
The aim is also to end Israeli impunity and hold them accountable for their actions in Palestine, as well as their partners in crime.
The following ayah from the Qur’an is an important reminder for us all:
“And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved the lives of all mankind”
(Quran: 5:32)
