Statement following protest at Raytheon/RTX and BAE Systems

On Behalf of the Louisville Ceasefire Coalition

Fifteen people were arrested on the morning of Friday, February 2 at Raytheon/RTX and BAE Systems in Louisville, including several members of the Louisville Ceasefire Coalition. We were arrested in three locations blocking access and egress points to Raytheon/RTX and BAE Systems in South Louisville, which are companies that manufacture weapons sold and transferred to the Israeli government and that are used for the destruction and killings in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Louisville Ceasefire Coalition was formed after October 7, 2023, to push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israeli occupation. In addition to demanding a permanent ceasefire, our protest also emphasizes that continued and growing US military aid to Israel, and the profiteering of these companies, directly contributes to the genocide of the Palestinian people. We support what the International Court of Justice has recently determined: that the Israeli government is plausibly engaged in a genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.  
We chose to protest at Raytheon/RTX and BAE Systems because they are arms manufacturers in our own backyard. And these companies are both fueling and profiting from Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. These companies have provided weapons that have directly caused the deaths of over 27,000 people, 40% of whom are children. 
Our intent in this action was to raise awareness of U.S. complicity in war crimes through the unlimited supply of weapons to Israel being used against a civilian population. Raytheon/RTX and BAE Systems are the world's second and seventh largest military companies, respectively, and manufacture missiles, bombs, components for fighter jets, naval guns, and other weapon systems used by the Israeli military against Palestinians. These technologies are also integrated into Israel's main weapon systems, including fighter jets, military drones, and warships. These weapons are often gifted to Israel through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Financing program.
US military funding to Israel topped $3.8 billion in 2023, as part of a record $38 billion deal over 10 years signed under former US President Barack Obama in 2016. In the past 75 years the US has supported Israel with a total of $124 billion in the form of military and defense aid. Congress is also currently debating a $14.1 billion additional US military aid to Israel.
Between 50% and 60% of buildings in Gaza have been demolished and the bombardment has displaced some 85 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents. Israel has cut off food, water, fuel, and medical supplies getting into Gaza and continually bomb areas they have designated as “safe zones.” Half of the population are at risk of starvation and 90 percent of Gazans regularly go without food for an entire day or longer.
And it cannot be stressed enough: these companies are making weapons right here in our community and it impacts all of us. One of those arrested, Carla Wallace, emphasizes that, “We have needs here at home for affordable housing, jobs, healthcare and education. Funds used for weapons to kill people in Gaza could be used to care for people here in Kentucky and elsewhere.”