Act Of Solidarity With The People Of Fallujah: Derry, 19 Nov 2004

derry | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Monday November 15, 2004 23:05 by Feicer - Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign feicmail at yahoo dot ie

Raytheon= Arms Trade= Death in Fallujah

Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign (FEIC) call for support for a peaceful act of solidarity with the people of Fallujah, Fri Nov 19 in Derry, outside the Raytheon Plant, from 1pm-5.30pm..

“People leaving Fallujah described rotting corpses being piled up and thousands still trapped inside their homes, many of them wounded and without access to food, water or medical aid. US commanders insist civilian casualties in Fallujah have been low, but the Pentagon famously claims it does not keep figures.

Escaping residents described incidents in which non-combatants, including women and children, were killed by shrapnel or hit by bombs. In one case last week, a nine-year-old boy was hit in the stomach by shrapnel. Unable to reach a hospital, he died hours later from blood loss. His father had to bury his body in their garden.”

taken from “A city lies in ruins, along with the lives of the wretched survivors”, Michael Georgy in Fallujah, The Independent, 15 November, 2004

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This Friday 19 November, in an act of solidarity with the people of Fallujah, the Foyle Ethical Investment Campaign will carry out the burial of an effigy of a child in public space outside the Raytheon plant on the Branch Road in Derry. Raytheon, the world’s largest manufacturer of missiles, is one of the biggest providers of arms and weaponry to the US Army in Iraq. Raytheon hardware and software assist the US Forces in their war in Fallujah as well as, of course, making lots of money for Raytheon.

This act of solidarity will begin at 1pm and will close with a candlelit vigil at 5pm. The vigil will conclude at 5.30pm.

We ask anyone who wishes to express concern at the situation in Iraq generally and solidarity with those in Fallujah in particular to attend at any time between 1pm and 5.30pm. If you wish, please bring flowers to lay in memory of those killed in Iraq. Please also bring candles for the vigil.

FOR INFORMATION:

Amongst the many Raytheon products in use in Fallujah are:

* The Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile;
* The Raytheon AN/TSQ-158 Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS), and the Raytheon AN/VAS-5 Driver's Vision Enhancer (DVE) mounted inside the US Army’s armoured vehicle, the Stryker;
* The thermal imaging sights mounted in the Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, HMMWV (high mobility, multi-purpose wheeled vehicle) scouts, and field artillery. As Raytheon proudly boast on their website, they have pushed up the production of this hardware to meet the US Army’s “request for accelerated delivery”;
* Of course, it is not just Raytheon’s hardware which is helping the US Army in Fallujah. Amongst the many specialised pieces of software they have sold to the US Forces is Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). In Raytheon’s own words, “AFATDS is the Army’s system of record for planning, coordinating and controlling the use of all mortars, close-air support, naval gunfire, attack helicopters, offensive electronic warfare, field artillery cannons, rockets and guided missiles. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, AFATDS directed more than 35,000 rounds of munitions, 857 rockets, and 453 long-range missiles safely to their targets”