Above photo: Protest in Portland, OR.
In 2024, Veterans For Peace organized nine protests of military air shows across the country and invited 350.org, a global climate justice organization, to join the No Military Air Shows (No MAS!) campaign. Members of Veterans For Peace, 350.org, Extinction Rebellion, US Resist, and local environmental and civic groups showed up to educate the public and protest air shows from Portland, Oregon to New Brunswick, Maine. Veterans For Peace and 350.org also launched a petition to the Secretaries of the Navy and the Air Force to end these noisy, expensive, and polluting air shows.
So, why protest air shows?
Militarism and war are key drivers of the climate crisis. The U.S. military is the single largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels and emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world. Jet planes are one of the most egregious emitters, consuming over 1,200 gallons of fuel per hour. And these jets enact some of the deadliest violence on the planet. Throughout the last year of its genocide against Palestinians, Israel has used US-made jets to drop thousands of US-made bombs onto Gaza, killing at least 44,000 people (likely a significant undercount).
Horrifyingly, military air shows glorify these weapons. Billed as “free entertainment” (even though taxpayers foot the bill) and serving as key recruitment and propaganda tools of the US military, military air shows sanitize these machines of war as they zoom over civilian populations doing dangerous tricks, all the while emitting shocking amounts of greenhouse gasses into our rapidly warming atmosphere.
When the Navy started its “Blue Angels” military air shows in 1946, the CO2 level in the global atmosphere was 310 ppm. Today, CO2 concentration stands at 425 ppm (and rising), far above the safe ceiling of 350 ppm. Yet, these polluting air shows persist. As Andreas Malm, climate activist and author, points out: “If we cannot even get rid of the most preposterously unnecessary emissions, how are we going to begin moving towards zero?”
The No Military Air Shows (MAS)! campaign protests these polluting displays of glorified violence across the country, raising public consciousness about the connections between militarism and the climate crisis and challenging air show attendees to rethink their participation in these events. Check out photos and news coverage of our 9 protests in 2024 below and sign up to join us in 2025!
May 22: Portland, OR – XRPDX protested a Blue Angels propaganda film at a local theater.
May 22: Annapolis, MD – Members of VFP, Code Pink, and 350.org protested the annual Blue Angels show that accompanies the Naval Academy’s graduation.
July 27-28: Milwaukee, WI – Approximately 70 activists led by the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee protested the Air & Water Show.
Aug 2-4: Seattle, WA – VFP and 350Seattle led a protest of Seafair.
Aug 3-4: New Brunswick, ME – Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights led a protest of The Great State of Maine Air Show.
August 30: McMinnville, OR – Resist US Led Wars, VFP, and others protested the Oregon Air Show.
September 20-22: Virginia Beach, VA – The new VFP chapter 757, with support from Members of the Hampton Roads Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Norfolk Catholic Workers, led a protest of the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Air Show and demonstrated against the militarization of STEM in education.
September 28-29: San Diego, CA – VFP Chapter 91 led a protest of the Miramar Air Show on 8 consecutive Thursdays with support from 25 local organizations, including SanDiego350, Sunrise Movement, and Activist San Diego.
October 11 – 13: San Francisco, CA – During Fleet Week, a group led by VFP Chapter 69 with support from 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations, BayArea 350, and others bannered and distributed flyers.
In addition to these in-person protests at air shows across the country, Veterans For Peace and 350.org collected 5,650 petition signatures to the Secretaries of the Navy and the Air Force urging them to cancel military air shows. Add your name if you haven’t yet!
VFP and 350.org will continue to protest military air shows in 2025. If you are interested in organizing or participating in a protest at an air show near you, fill out this form and an organizer will be in touch!