Above photo: Liz Nelson.
At 7:30 a.m. on April 9, the heavy traffic flow into California’s Travis Air Force Base came to a sudden stop. As they have done numerous times, the “People’s Arms Embargo” blocked the main road into the base. The action this time commemorated the recently deceased long-time peace advocate David Hartsough, one of the co-founders of the Peoples Arms Embargo.
With traffic into the base stopped, one angry airman jumped out of his pickup truck and threatened to assault the peaceful protestors. He finally thought better of it and returned to his truck. Other waiting airmen and airwomen were patient and a few indicated support for the protest. One lowered his window and said, “Palestine will be free!” In the workout gym in an adjacent plaza, many people on their workout machines waved and jumped up and down in support.
At the blockade on the six-lane divided highway, about forty police officers were quickly on the scene. They broadcast a recorded message in English and Spanish that anyone blocking traffic would be arrested. Twelve protesters were arrested and cited with the crime.
The “Peoples Arms Embargo” has previously emailed the base commander, Col. Jay Johnson. They provided the evidence that weapons are being sent to Israel from this air force base. They noted, “Sending these weapons breaks U.S. laws as well as international laws which we are all obligated to uphold.” They referred to a letter from Veterans for Peace which provides details on the laws which are being broken by sending weapons to Israel. The violations include the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, Foreign Assistance Act, Arms Export Control Act, U.S.War Crimes Act, Leahy Law, and Genocide Convention Implementation Act. The People’s Arms Embargo concluded their letter by saying, “As commander of Travis AFB, you are especially responsible to ensure that TAFB is not complicit in genocide. Under the Nuremburg Principles, none of us can hide behind the excuse of ‘following orders’.”
The activists plan to continue their regular disruptions so long as the shipments to Israel continue.