Bringing truth to General Dynamics bomb plant in Saco, Maine today

Shrouds covered in fake blood were placed at the entrance of General Dynamics as workers arrived this morning. Some workers drove over them before the police moved them to either side of the driveway.

 

Gaza today

Forty citizens turned up early this morning in Saco, Maine for a protest at the General Dynamics (GD) bomb plant. They make the guidance systems for the bombs the US provides to Israel that are daily being dropped on Gaza and Lebanon.

We arrived at 6:30 am and unloaded a large amount of shrouds that were filled with newspaper, empty plastic bottles and rags. Fake blood (made from food dye) was poured onto the shrouds and across the worker driveway entrance. The police were very angry when they arrived and ordered the group to move them. The police ended up moving the shrouds to both sides of the wide entrance themselves.

I was again serving as the police liaison and when the Saco police chief approached me it felt like he wanted to hit me. He was raging. It was still early and the kids had not begun to arrive at the school across the street. A sound system was blaring the sounds of bombs exploding. (This sound was shut down well before the school kids arrived.)

At one point the chief came up and told me he was going to arrest the next person that cursed into the sound system. After the exploding bomb sounds were turned off there were a series of speakers. One of them used the word 'shit' and the chief unnecessarily threatened to make an arrest. It seemed to me at that point the chief was looking for trouble.

As always in Saco the two-lane road between the bomb plant and the school was jammed with cars. Volunteers were offering flyers to passing motorists. Some took them. We got our usual good number of honks or peace signs and waves. We did of course get some middle fingers and one driver waved a small Israeli flag outside his window as he passed by. 

When the half empty big school busses eventually came by the kids were of course curious. I saw one young girl flash a peace sign. I imagine that once at school they were talking about the protest. Those that fear we might have traumatized the kids might also consider the really dumb decision to build a bomb plant across the street from a school. How about the daily images of Israel indiscriminately killing children in Gaza? Don't they think these school kids in Saco see them every day on social media?

Is it any surprise though that all across the world people are engaged in escalating protests against the US-EU-Israeli genocide in Palestine that has now also moved into Lebanon. Anyone shocked that people of conscience would be out in the streets challenging this madness must be living in a dream world. Of course we are going to hold dramatic protests in a desperate attempt to shake the public from their slumbers.

After WW2 the Nuremberg law that followed the war stated that every citizen has a 'moral obligation' to resist genocide when it is happening before our very eyes. 

There was no violence at GD today. No one even tried to get arrested. Last I heard we still have a right in this country to protest against government policies - especially when the US is funding, arming, and helping to direct attacks on Palestine and Lebanon using Pentagon space surveillance which is facilitating the genocide.

I was proud to be there today holding my sign that reads, 'Stop funding Israeli terrorism'. It should actually say 'Stop funding US & Israeli terrorism'. 

As long as I can I will continue to stand against these war crimes - these crimes against humanity.

Free, free Palestine!

Bruce 

~ Watch and read coverage of the protest from one local TV station here