CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—September 27, 2013. Anti-war activists from six Midwest states are gathering in Chicago Saturday to oppose drone warfare. Their target: Boeing Company. A march will take place on Saturday, September 28 beginning at 3 p.m. at the northwest corner of Monroe Street and Columbus Drive in Chicago.
“Boeing is vying for a contract with the Navy for a new combat drone – a contract that they say they must win to stay competitive among arms manufacturers,” said Kait McIntyre of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC). “It’s time to end the drone wars, not prepare to build another generation of lethal weapons.”
Helping to lead the march and headlining a conference being held the following day will be Medea Benjamin, a national spokesperson for the anti-war and anti-drone movements. The world watched as Benjamin and her organization, Code Pink, disrupted both President Obama’s speech justifying drone warfare in May and Secretary of State John Kerry’s saber rattling remarks against Syria in early September.
AWC is against the drone wars being waged in Pakistan and Yemen. “Unbiased sources estimate 800 civilians, including almost 200 children, have been killed by U.S. drone strikes,” explained McIntyre.
According to member Joe Iosbaker, the AWC also opposes Boeing’s new drone for economic reasons. “The City of Chicago gave Boeing $63 million in taxpayers’ money to move to Chicago. That was supposed to create jobs, not to be used for building a deadlier killer drone.”
