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Camping on Raytheon's Roof

Friday 19 December 2008

by:   |  Visit article original @ UK Indymedia

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Protesters in Bristol, England are occupying the roof of Raytheon Corporation, maker of the Patriot missile (model shown here) and "bunker buster" bombs, to demand the company leave their town. (Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis / AP)

    Three hardy protestors have spent the last nine days camping on the roof of Raytheon's Bristol office; they intend to stay on the roof until the New Year! They are braving sub-zero temperatures, and are relying on the support of ordinary Bristolians, to drive Raytheon out of Bristol.

    Raytheon is the fifth largest military contracter in the world, and the maker of "Bunker Buster" bombs, Tomahawk and Patriot missiles. A number of their missiles can be loaded with cluster bombs. Raytheon have annual revenues of around USD 20 billion, including huge contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and have regularly been found guilty of illegal activity.

    The current roof-top protest is the third such protest to have targetted Raytheon in the last two months. There have also been a series of weekly protests as Bristolians have gathered to express their disgust at Raytheon's activities.

    Last week supporters on the ground delivered a letter to the office unit, Argentum House, informing them that Raytheon is breaching international law and should be given notice to leave. One roof-top protester said, The US and Britain had no more right to invade Iraq or Afghanistan than Nazi Germany did to invade Poland or France. Raytheon played their part by producing foul, indiscriminate weapons and we won't be quiet till they have left our city for good...

    Raytheon were targetted in 2006 by a group of activists in Derry, who were angry at the part Raytheon played in the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. On 9 August 2003, a jury accepted that the nine had acted to prevent a war crime, and unanimously declared the nine innocent. In their statement after the trial the nine said, "This victory is welcome, for ourselves and our families, but we wish to dedicate it to the Shaloub and Hasheem families of Qana in Lebanon, who lost 28 of their closest relatives on the 30 July 2006 due to a Raytheon 'bunker buster' bomb."

    Raytheon also manufactured the missile that killed 62 civilians in a Baghdad market in 2003.

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Comments

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Out here in Oregon, a woman

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 16:43 — Sarah (not verified)
Out here in Oregon, a woman {google Michele Darr or Michelle Darr} fasted 40 days on the State Capitol Steps to extract from Govenor Kolungoski, his answer to "the unaskable question"; "A soldier has in his crosshairs an insugent, ie Bagdad Neighborhood Watch. Why Gov K, should the soldier pull the trigger?" The Gov said he had no answer but the deployment of 3500 Oregon National Guard to Iraq in April is nontheless "inevetible". She and others were arrested and for chriminal tresspass. They will not have to go to trial because the AG was forced to drop the charges. Power to the people speaking truth to power!

Three cheers for people

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 19:26 — candide (not verified)
Three cheers for people smart and dutiful enough to challenge the industry that relies on dehumanizing millions of targeted citizens and that pulls strings to keep such conflicts as the Israel Palestine tragedy going, for profit.

the first amendment is

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 19:36 — Anonymous (not verified)
the first amendment is wonderful. But realize it does not give americans the right to break the law. Just as yelling fire in a crowded movie is against the law, so is criminal trespass! why would someone trespass if they could do the same thing where they are allowed? It is o.k. to give power to the people but... If someone wants to fast for fourty days, more power to them. That is not harming anyone else. If they are blocking a public passage that is unlawful. The Suprmee Court has determined some of the limits to free speech. That is the law of the land. If you want to change that law, it can be done in each state. We have 50 + laboratories to change laws and if those changes work, they can be used in other states.

Following the end of the

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 21:10 — Doug Riemer (not verified)
Following the end of the First Gilded Age in 1890, people rebelled in "popular protests" and labor strikes. Unfortunately, this was too little too late, and the country fell into a four year depression -- begun by the Financial Panic of 1893. 1892 Strikers at Carnegie steel, NY Tailor strike and Pullman Car strike, Trolley workers strike The U.S. just finished it's Second Gilded Age late this year and is now in its protest/depression cycle. See The U.S. Through Its Planetary Cycles Part 1 Part 2 at TheCelestialWheel.com

Raytheon also has facilities

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 21:38 — greg gerritt (not verified)
Raytheon also has facilities in Rhode Island. We need to muster the resolve to drive them out of here. The jobs can all be converted to windmills, solar power, and mass transit systems. www.ProsperityForRI.org

I have to disagree and say

 Sun, 12/28/2008 - 21:50 — Mike (not verified)
I have to disagree and say the U.S. invading Afghnanistan is not the same as Nazi Germany invading Poland or France, and the U.S. and its allies invading Iraq in 1991 is not the same as Nazi Germany invading Poland or France.

The author is mixing issues.

 Mon, 12/29/2008 - 02:46 — Stanley Goodman (not verified)
The author is mixing issues. Raytheon's weapons production is one. Israel's bombing in Lebanon is another. The two are separate and require separate evaluation. Israeli troops patrolling the peaceful border were attacked and killed, while others were kidnapped. Northern Israel, including homes of my friends and the local hospital, was rocketed by Hizbollah. If these protestors don't like Israel's response, I guess they would turn the other cheek if their sons were murdered. If a nation is attacked, the attackers must be prepared for the response.

so i guess raytheon found

 Mon, 12/29/2008 - 06:45 — ultimus gimp (not verified)
so i guess raytheon found murder considerably more profitable than entertainment (television) cluster bombs are an abomination

In reaction to the comment

 Mon, 12/29/2008 - 09:38 — Ak Malten (not verified)
In reaction to the comment of Sun, 12/28/2008 - 19:36 — Anonymous. If someone breaks in a house he can be called a "criminal" and can be brought before a court, but if the same person would save the inhabitants of the house from being burned when the same house is on fire he will be called a "hero" and will not be brought before a court or else will walk free. You talk about the first amendment that is fine, but there is a higher law which can be called upon when one want to act to prevent a criminal act from a state or an organization or a person from happening and that is International Law. International Law is dealing with weapons and with the ways wars are allowed to be fought. The Nuremberg Principles, which are part of International Law are dealing with the above issues. The Nuremberg Principle IV states: "The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." In "normal therms": If I am able to act and my moral choice tells me I have to act, it is my duty to act under International Law to prevent a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity from happening, because ... [Because ...] if I do not act, I will be responsible under International Law to be part of the "Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI". (The Nuremberg Principle VII) I can be called a criminal according to International Law and be brought for court and judged for not preventing an International Crime from happening. But if I act accordingly and prevent an International Crime from happening I will walk free. And this is what happened in 2006: (I quote from the article) "Raytheon were targetted in 2006 by a group of activists in Derry, who were angry at the part Raytheon played in the Israeli bombing of Lebanon. On 9 August 2003, a jury accepted that the nine had acted to prevent a war crime, and unanimously declared the nine innocent." And it should happen this time as well... Ak Malten http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/nur-prin.html

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