Raytheon 14 trial began today: IPSC restates its solidarity with the defendants

national | anti-war / imperialism | press release Monday May 17, 2010 23:41 by Fintan Lane - Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign 087 1258325

IRELAND-PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN

PRESS RELEASE, 17/5/10

IPSC EXTENDS SOLIDARITY TO RAYTHEON ACCUSED

As the first day of the trial of the Raytheon 14 ends, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) wishes to once again extend its support and solidarity to the accused, who engaged in direct action against the Raytheon arms company in Derry in an effort to safeguard the lives of Palestinians.

Raytheon supplied many of the bombs and missiles used in the Israeli assault on Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009. Raytheon's factories globally manufacture Tomahawk Cruise missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Hellfire missiles, the 'bunker buster' bombs, the delivery systems for cluster bombs, white phosphate and napalm.

The actions carried out by the Raytheon 14 (9 women and 5 men) were acts of resistance in defence of the Palestinian people, 1,400 of whom were murdered in the Israeli attack on Gaza in 2008-9. The IPSC commends those before the courts for their entirely appropriate response to the presense in Derry city of Raytheon, a company that has apartheid Israel as one of its largest customers.

According to Dr Fintan Lane, a spokesperson for the IPSC, "The non-violent direct actions engaged in by the Raytheon 14 were both necessary and justified. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign believes that the charges should be dropped immediately and the defendants commended for their actions. They acted in defence of the Palestinian people who were and still are being murdered by weapons supplied by Raytheon to the Israeli military. Raytheon are dealers in death and facilitators of mass murder. They have the blood of many Gazan men, women and children on their hands. One should always remember that more than 300 children were killed during Israel's pitiless assault on Gaza between late 2008 and early 2009."

Dr Lane continued: "It is important that all decent-thinking people stand by the Raytheon 14 as they face the courts. It is the directors and owners of Raytheon who should be before the courts, not those who acted to protect human lives. We call on the northern authorities to have sense and drop the charges immediately."

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

For further information, phone Dr Fintan Lane (IPSC Media Officer) at 087 1258325.