Niles, OH – On October 12, members of the Pittsburgh BDS Coalition joined up with activists from various local groups to protest outside a Howmet Aerospace factory, known to be manufacturing parts for the F-35 jet which is being used by the IDF in occupied Palestine. The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement works to isolate Israel for the crimes it is committing in Palestine.

From the outset, protesters were clear that their enemies are the Howmet and Lockheed Martin executives who signed a genocidal contract which ensures that the country’s specialized titanium industry is used to manufacture tools for the war machine, rather than needed services like prosthetic limbs for the thousands of injured Gazans. The movement expressed support for the workers through chanting slogans like “Drop the contract, not bombs” and “Keep Gaza alive; cancel the F-35.”

Although only a small group was able to protest outside the factory, support from the local community was tremendous. Many people driving past the factory honked in support of the protest, even though Niles is the kind of semi-rural factory town which is often written off as inherently conservative.

The action in Niles is the second event to come as part of the Week of Action against Howmet, where organizers are moving past recognizable urban centers to protest outside the factories.

The project has been organized by the Pittsburgh BDS Coalition, in collaboration with groups like BDS International, Jewish Voices for Peace, the Anti-War Action Network, DSA, PSL, as well as a number of regional Palestine Solidarity Committees across the US.

As Pittsburgh BDS organizers see it, it’s time for the Palestine solidarity movement to go beyond regional demonstrations reacting to atrocities committed by the Zionist entity, and go on the offensive with a nationally coordinated campaign against the local infrastructure of genocide.

#NilesOH #OH #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #WeaponsIndustry #BDS

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