Boeing, merchants of death

We post this article by Margie about actions by the Wage Peace group at Boeing in Brisbane. We provide documentary evidence of claims made by the group. A Catholic worker, Jim Dowling, was also involved in the action, and he goes to trial on the 25th of February 2025 at the Brisbane Magistrates Courts. One would have to ask why the Brisbane Magistrates Courts and Police Prosecutions feel immune from prosecution for contempt of the International Court of Justice ruling that there should be no assistance given to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Ian Curr, Ed., 27 December 2024.

–oOo–

DAVID, MARGIE and another were each found guilty for protesting at Boeing Defence. Boeing is a massive US weapons company based in Brisbane. It was revealed at trial that there are 1,500 Boeing employees at their Australian headquarters in the CBD. They are designing weapons and organise some ADF projects.

In January 2024, immediately following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing regarding genocide in Gaza, twelve (12) Brisbane people attended Boeing. They held banners, read poetry, prayed, and pasted pictures of children: a memorial to 15,000 children murdered in Gaza since the Israeli genocide commenced in October 2023. Many of these children have been killed with Boeing bombs, attack helicopters, and fighter planes.

Plea deal
Another person pled guilty to unlawful assembly and wilful damage. A so-called ‘plea deal was arranged‘ whereby the “enter with intent to commit an indictable offence” was dropped. Dave and Margie participated in a 4-day trial and one day of conviction with magistrates remarks and sentencing hearings.

David must pay $1500 restitution, part of a $5000 bill with the company admitting they had not replaced the glass doors of their weapons display cabinet. Margie was found guilty without conviction of assault and fined $1000. The assault was admitted in court to be very minor, with no effect and was a soft brushing of one person past another.

The assault was found to have occurred as Margie Pestorius moved to stand in front of the door to prevent it being closed. “I was enabling communication from one space through to another. Also others moved through and pasted the pictures, read poetry and made speeches and prayed. We were an eclectic bunch.”

Margie has been given a court order banning her from attending inside 4 different Boeing weapons design venues. This is despite this being the only set of arrests at Boeing for any activist over the past three years since the local campaign kicked off.

“Our goal was that people should know that Boeing is a weapons company. We were looking to withdraw social license for the vast amount of Australian money going to Boeing. Also that soon after the October 2023 bombings in Gaza, Amnesty International released pictures of 2 bomb fragments with Boeing serial numbers. These 2 bombs alone had killed 19 children and 24 adults. Boeing expedited orders worth millions of dollars of JDAM bombs to Israel.”

“We also know that Boeing is making wing kits at Ferra Engineering in Tingalpa, Brisbane.

These wing kits (we assume) are being used in Israel when “smart” JDAMs are being dropped from aircraft (onto the people of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen).

1,500 employed at weapons dealer in Brisbane CBD

The magistrate was concerned that Boeing had been severely disrupted by the small occupation of the reception area. The protestors had caused “significant disruption,” Magistrate Lisa O’Neill said, with the lock-down of up to 1500 staff for one and a half hours. O’Neill indicated that this was the reason she was being severe, imposing sentences, and a conviction for Ms Pestorius.

In January, following local actions at Ferra, Boeing and Rheinmetall, rather than supporting an investigation into war crimes, the police issued warrants for the arrest of all twelve (12) of the Boeing disrupters. Counter Terrorism Squad raided the homes of some of these folk, each committed to complete non-harm and the politics of nonviolence, and arrested them.

Margie Pestorius faces a more serious charge now on March 6th for refusing to hand over a pin to her phone despite a warrant. For this there is a 5 years in prison maximum sentence. “The prosecutor already requested I be given a suspended sentence for Boeing because apparently 4 protest based public nuisance offences over 7 years is an incredible threat to society”, said Margie following the court.

I also face a false charge of ‘breach of bail’, where the police have provided a photo of me in one place, and then have simply asserted I am in another place at Boeing. I am concerned at the level of interference in my life, “ said Margie.

The crew involved was connected to Peace Group Wage Peace. Some of the same people were on trial the week before for building a similar picture on glass memorial – accompanied by a lock-down to the factory and stopping a student recruitment event. For that Sam and Dave both received $900 fines with no convictions at Ipswich Court.
There is a crowd funder for various legal expenses and court costs available at https://chuffed.org/project/activistsagainstweaponslegalcosts

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Contact: Margaret Pestorius
Wage Peace
-Disrupt Land Forces
-Peace in Papua
P: SIGNAL +61 0403214422
E: pestoriusm@gmail.com
W: http://www.wagepeaceau.org