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Date: 10/31/2023
NORTHAMPTON — On Oct. 25, hundreds of activists gathered to protest Israel’s occupation of Gaza as well as L3Harris Technologies, a weapons manufacturer and defense contractor with headquarters in Florida.
“Not a penny, not a dime; stop funding genocide,” protesters chanted as they marched a little over a half a mile to the local L3Harris location at 50 Prince St. in Northampton.
Over two dozen protesters embarked on their march from Veterans Memorial Field Recreation Area to L3Harris holding signs that read messages like “stop the U.S. war machine” and “stop bombing Gaza,” while others waved the Palestinian flag in an act of solidarity.
As this group began marching, hundreds of other protesters coming from Smith College walked parallel on the other side of the road holding signs that read “End all U.S. aid to Israel” and “Stand with Palestine, End the Occupation Now.” The Smith protesters shouted their own chants and joined the Veterans Field protesters at L3Harris.
The protest against L3Harris was because of their weapons manufacturing and defense contracting for places all around the world.
Passerby cars beeped to show their support of the protesters as they marched to the defense contractor’s location.
“Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go,” chanted activists along the way, referencing Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Others chanted, “Long live the Intifada.”
The protest comes weeks after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in early October. On Oct. 7, militant organization Hamas launched a terrorist attack where 1,300 Israelis were killed and over 150 were kidnapped. In response to this attack, Israel launched a massive airstrike that, as of press time, has killed over 6,500 Palestinians, including almost 3,000 children.
The Associated Press described Isarael’s attack as a “suffocating siege” on Gaza, as residents are currently running out of water, food and medicine, while U.N. workers barely have any fuel left to support relief missions in Gaza. Over 1 million Palestinians have been misplaced in Gaza, as of press time.
The U.S. government has pledged support for Israel during the war.
The Oct. 25 protest
After marching and chanting for about half a mile, the hundreds of protesters arrived at L3Harris and gathered at the entrance for more chants, including “shut down L3,” “it is right to rebel, L3, go to hell,” and “L3Harris get out of town; we don’t want your money, leave now.”
At one point, the activists directed a “quit your job” chant to the L3Harris building.
After chanting at the tech company’s entrance, the protesters walked several hundred feet away from the company and gathered on a hill, where four speakers condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza and admonished weapons companies like L3Harris for being complicit in these catastrophic wars.
“There’s no time to grieve,” said Manar, an Arab student and member of the Smith College chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine. “Israel continues to massacre Palestinians, and the world continues to ignore their cries.”
Fighting through tears, Manar noted how American aide and technology to Israel has flattened 51% of Gaza, as Palestinians have been massacred by the hundreds.
“No one is safe in Gaza; nowhere is safe in Gaza,” Manar said. “I fear that the youth of tomorrow; that there won’t be a tomorrow for Palestinian youth … the world has been trained to kill us, to vilify us, and to dehumanize us.”
Another speaker named Sonya talked about how they participated in a blockade of the technology company back in mid-October, where Demilitarize Western Mass. demanded that elected officials in Western Mass. stand with the organization in demanding L3Harris either close their operations or convert it into something that “improves-not destroys-humanity.”
Demilitarize Western Mass., a collective of anti-imperialist and abolitionist activists confronting the military-industrial complex in the community, said that L3Harris is the ninth largest weapons maker in the world with a revenue of $17 billion in 2022.
According to a press release from the organization, L3Harris profits from various weapons and surveillance technology systems utilized by U.S. and other world powers for wars, occupations and other human rights violations. Israel, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement are among the beneficiaries of L3Harris.
“L3Harris is central to issues of imperialism, border surveillance, migrant justice, racism, policing, indigenous rights, climate catastrophe, nuclear proliferation and militarism,” read the organization’s release regarding the blockade event. “We must stand against L3Harris.”
During the Oct. 25 protest, Sonya said that the revenue generated from L3Harris could be used for things like food, housing or other amenities the community desperately needs, rather than weapons.
“This is in our backyard, and it has been allowed to exist for so long with little to no pushback,” Sonya said, of L3Harris. “And this is all of us gathering to say, ‘hey, look at what is in your backyard … help us kick them out.’”
The protesters brought along “peacekeepers” to help keep the crowd safe during the march to-and-from L3Harris in case there were any agitators. The activists also brought “police liaisons” in case of a police presence.
There was no attempt by the protesters to block the entrance to L3Harris during the Oct. 25 protest, and Reminder Publishing saw no visible arrests during the protest.
“We know that Israel is a genocidal state, built on stolen land and propped up by aid and weapons from the United States,” said another speaker at the protest. “We stand here in front of L3Harris because we know that these weapons come from our own backyard and that corporations that manufacture and sell genocide are right here in our communities.”