Photo by Uprise RI
Early on the morning of August 12, members of the FANG Collective and RAM INC (Resist and Abolish the Military Industrial Complex) blocked entry and exit from the Raytheon Missiles and Defense factory in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Right at the gatehouse, they parked two old cars perpendicular to the four entry and exit lanes, and two people locked themselves onto the vehicles. Other members of the group held signs and banners across the roadway to greet arriving workers and live-streamed the action on Facebook.
Their statement condemned Raytheon’s role arming the Saudi regime with weapons regularly killing civilians in Yemen, and for the weapons it makes for Israel that have also been linked to civilian casualties. “We can’t sit idly by while Raytheon engineers new and more destructive ways of killing innocent people. Raytheon must be stopped and held accountable.”
The messages “Reject Raytheon” and “No More Civilian Deaths” were painted on both cars, and banners declared “Raytheon Profits From Genocide” and “Raytheon Missiles Kill Civilians”. Traffic was blocked for several hours. Police eventually brought in tools to remove the two blockaders, using a forklift to remove one locked under a car, and cutting open the trunk of the other. Both were arrested, taken to jail and released later that day. Tow trucks came and pulled the rolling barricades away.
For more information, visit thefangcollective.org.
Read the Uprise RI article and see more photos here.