Tucson marks October 7 outside Air Force base

Tucson, AZ – On October 7, dozens gathered outside of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to protest three years of Zionist genocide in Palestine. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held signs with slogans like “End U.S. aid to Israel” and “U.S. hands off Iran!” Vehicles passing by the protest honked their horns, and drivers rolled down their windows to shout in support.

During the speaking program, Moyheddin Abdulaziz, a Palestinian organizer with Arizona-Palestine Solidarity Alliance, spoke to the crowd, “The Palestinian people need your voice, need your power, need your determination. Three years ago, the Biden administration, with their junior partner called Israel, started a campaign for genocide and annihilation of our people that continues until today.” Abdulaziz then led the protesters in chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

“Today, October 7, marks the three-year anniversary of the Al-Aqsa Flood, a day of courageous resistance and a historic moment in the fight for the liberation of Palestine from their genocidal oppressor, Israel,” said Arlee Thwing, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “October 7, 2023, will be remembered as a day when Palestinian resistance exposed the weakness and vulnerability of Israel and their U.S. backers.”

Members of veteran organizations also joined the demonstration outside the Air Force base. One member of Veterans for Peace, Adrian Fernandez, led the crowd in shouting “Fuck Zionism!”

Maria Sohn-Hasman, an organizer with the Tucson Anti War Committee, said, “It’s the system of U.S. imperialism that is bombing children and families abroad and it’s the same system of U.S. imperialism oppressing us working people here at home.,” adding, “and we have way more in common with the people getting killed around the world by these evil fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles that are being sent from and built here in our city than we do with CEOs in the U.S.”

Defense contractor Raytheon’s facility in Tucson is the principal assembly site for Tomahawk missiles. It was a Tomahawk missile earlier this year that struck a school in southern Iran, killing 120 children and several teachers. The Tucson City Council recently approved conveying 212 acres to the U.S. Air Force to be used by Raytheon, the biggest employer in Tucson. This decision came after a $20 billion contract was awarded to Raytheon by the Department of Defense.

The rally was organized by the Tucson Anti-War Committee and sponsored by several progressive organizations including Arizona-Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Tucson), Tempest Collective Tucson, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Veterans for Peace, Common Defense, and Communist Party USA.

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