A coalition of democratic forces has risen up against the genocide. Turkish freedom flotilla activists took over a German ship carrying munitions for the genocide in Gaza. Germany is the second largest supplier of arms to Israel after the United States. Queensland companies NOIA and Rheinmatall manufacture and export artillery shells to Israel under licence from the Australian government. Ferra Engineering at Tingalpa in Brisbane is the SOLE manufacturer of the AME weapons bay adapters for the F-35 jets currently dropping b0mbs on displaced civilians in Gaza. The AMEs are what hold and drop the bombs, and they are being made here in our backyard!
On May Day the international day of the workers Queensland Police attacked trade union members and others under the direction of Labor politicians (Steven Miles) and Qld Council of unions officials (Jacqueline King and Kate Ruttiman). When the former premier spoke we turned our backs on the Premier in quiet disapproval of his governments partnership with arms dealers providing munitions and weapons to commit genocide in Gaza and war crimes in Lebanon.
Later in evidence the police director of major events Inspector Emma Gordon claimed that she was only protecting her Premier yet QCU officials had spent the week preparing for police intervention on the May Day platform. ACTU general secretary, Sally McManus, stood quietly on the dais and watched police attack unions members. McManus spoke soon after from the platform without raising any concerns about Labor government partnership in the genocide or its undemocratic actions against workers and union activists protesting the slaughter of an entire people and the total destruction of Gaza in Palestine.
To justify their actions, police trumped up a charge of serious assault against one of the protestors present and gained a conviction that will result in a black mark against the worker concerned and a possible jail term. An appeal against the conviction is being prepared by civil liberties lawyers.
Similar trials are coming up this week after activists occupied Boeing offices in Brisbane. At a picket outside Ferra engineering on Monday 4th November, Andy Paine discusses this protest movement targeting weapons companies, highlighting the legal challenges faced by activists who display images of atrocities in public spaces. The wage peace movement aims to disrupt the arms industry and prevent genocide, they are facing charges designed to restrict public assembly and protest. The trial is set down for four days, with daily gatherings at Boeing in Brisbane to show solidarity. Andy encourages social media support to keep protestors from feeling isolated and to inspire more people to take action against genocide. He urges the public to follow the movement on platforms like Wage Peace and Disrupt War.
Ian Curr
4 Nov 2024
The Boeing Four face court in Magandjin again today (Wednesday Nov 24), defending their actions to disrupt the business of genocide. In January, the Four took action with others at Boeing HQ in Brisbane CBD and at the Ferra factory in Tingalpa to oppose arms exports to Israel. Boeing is banking on genocide. Boeing bombs are devastating communities in Gaza and now Lebanon. The Boeing activists are charged with a range of offences, including brushing past a staff analyst at Boeing ( assault), pasting leaflets onto a glass cabinet (wilful damage, and for staying there while this happened.
The first days trial was incredibly shambolic where the same matter was dealt with by three separate magistrates, one of whom could not remember which day of the week it was,* and another who dismissed himself because he ‘knew one of the defendants in another life’.
A Kings counsel represented one of the defendants’ pro bono in front of a frustrated magistrate who had trouble explaining to self-represented defendants how to cross-examine properly without actually disclosing the basis of their not guilty plea, the‘defence of others’ .
Two of the defendants were up on level seven, defending themselves against these veory serious charges (when you compare these charges against one of plausible genocide as pronounced by The International Court of Justice against by Israel). Meanwhile, the other defendant was downstairs on level five, awaiting to be called before a magistrate who dismissed himself and another who could not remember the day of the week . Eventually this defendant waited all day to nearly five pm only to be told that his matter should it be encourage with the other defendants but since Boeing and police had already given evidence that was no longer possible and that he would have to come back and face another magistrate on the 9th of December with only the possibility that the charges that he faced today would be the same charges he would have to face in a month’s time . Go figure.
What did the Boeing actvists actually do on the 7th floor of a building on the corner of Charlotte and Albert streets in Brisbane? The building contained 1500 Boeing workers. What was their job description? To build F35 fighter bombers that drop bunker Buster bombs killing whole families and levelling 15-story buildings in Beirut and Gaza City. Did the Boeing 3, 4 or 8 read poetry and display images of murdered Palestinian people? Did they tell the story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip who was brutally murdered by Israeli forces, along with six of her family members and two paramedics coming to her rescue?
The trial continues today, Wednesday.
The magistrate is behaving as if she has already made up her mind, but you never know. It’s difficult to enter the mindset of magistrates working in this cold, inhumane palace of injury .
Supporters at court are welcome; meet us every morning at Boeing HQ, 123 Albert St, at 7.45 and march with us to the Magistrates Coirt.
Two of the Boeing activists pled not guilty today.
Put Boeing on trial for genocide.
#StopArmingIsrael #ArmsEmbargoNow #boeingarmsgenocide
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KSz3gvJgFsrug9H9/
Activists from the Freedom flotilla to Gaza stop a ship carrying munitions in port in Turkey
https://x.com/Milli_direnis/status/1853179240004423936