Tucson activists disrupt Raytheon rocket booth at book festival, ‘Books not bombs! Hands off Iran!’

Tucson, AZ – As part of the March 15 No U.S. War on Iran National Day of Action called by the Anti-War Action Network, the Tucson Anti-War Committee (TAWC) and others answered the call. Organizers quickly identified an important location for their action: the Tucson Festival of Books.

“Not only does this event see tens of thousands of people all weekend, we know that weapons manufacturer Raytheon is a sponsor,” said TAWC organizer Maria Sohn Hasman.

“Even local TV news covered the fact that Raytheon’s Tomahawk is being used by the U.S. in their war against Iran. And despite Trump’s lies, we know the U.S. is guilty of killing more than 170 people at the Iranian girls’ school and Raytheon’s Tomahawk missile is responsible. It is beyond disgusting to see Raytheon’s booth have a child-oriented ‘Build a Rocket’ activity. We’re here to publicly shame Raytheon as a merchant of death, their profit gains from Trump’s war on Iran, and to call on the Festival of Books to end their partnership with Raytheon,” roared Sohn Hasman to the crowd.

A group of over 30 people marched to Raytheon’s booth. In addition to protest signs, organizers made a model missile with Raytheon’s logo aimed at the iconic pink backpack covered in blood found in the rubble of the bombed girls school.

University of Arizona police attempted to keep the protesters moving but the large group held their ground to deliver their message. Chants of “Raytheon Raytheon shame on you! The missiles you build kill children too!” echoed across the University of Arizona mall as attendees of the festival read signs with “Deadly rockets fill Raytheon’s pockets” and “Hands off Iran!”

“It is clear that Raytheon got the message that we were coming for them because they took down all signage with their name on it. We need to keep building this anti-war movement as Trump and Israel see bombings as the only way to achieve their agenda,” added Sohn Hasman.

Co-sponsors of the action included progressive veteran organization Common Defense, Tempest Collective, the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, Revolutionary Communists of America, Veterans for Peace Local 13, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Tucson.

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