On Friday, September 20th, MAPA activists stood out in Dedham square to protest General Dynamics’ presence in the town and highlight the company’s significant role in the genocide of Palestinians. As a part of Warheads to Windmills nuclear weapons week of action, activists also drew attention to General Dynamics production of nuclear missiles for US and UK submarines. MAPA was joined by members of Quincy For a Free Palestine, whose town is also home to a General Dynamics office.
Displaying a large banner reading “General Dynamics – making a killing killing Palestinians”, the group was hard to miss. Activists handed out educational flyers revealing just how GD’s Mark 84 bomb is terrorizing Palestinian civilians, one among many General Dynamics weapons which continues to be indiscriminately unleashed upon dense areas including refugee camps. The campaign has established a presence in Dedham, having previously tabled a summer event in Dedham center and protested in front of GD’s office with a to-scale effigy of the Mark 84.
Town Days
Over the past two weeks, organizers from MAPA’s General Dynamics campaign teamed up with members of JVP for tabling events at Westwood and Dedham town days. On 9/21, the group did its best at Westwood Day, which was impacted by heavy rain. A week later, Dedham Day proved a success with steady traffic at the booth throughout the day. The pro-Palestine booth attracted attention with themed giveaways such as watermelon candies for children, and Palestinian soap, bumper stickers and pins for adults. The group also offered engaging interactivities including a poster board with a Build Your Own Call Script to encourage people to contact their reps and an activity for kids to help put the Palestinian water crisis in perspective. These creative offerings helped initiate many conversations and drive engagement to the cause. As a result, they raised ~$200 for Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund and collected a dozen email addresses from people in the Dedham area who would like to be involved with future events. While still drawing attention to General Dynamics’ local presence and educating on their war profiteering through education flyers, the town days focus is broader, and aims to spread Palestinian solidarity, shedding light on their decades of struggle and celebrating their rich culture.
