Raytheon decommissioned?
The Belfast Telegraph that one of its own columnists, , was one of the who today stormed the Derry offices of the American defence and weapons manufacturing company Raytheon. According to the Telegraph:
An American flag was also set alight and a glass door smashed as debris rained down from a second floor window and littered the area outside. A banner was unfurled from inside the building, reading: "Raytheon has been decommissioned". A dozen more people protesting over the deaths of Lebanese civilians remained outside, with placards bearing anti-war and anti-Raytheon slogans.
Comments
Why does NI have US arms companies working there anyway? So much for America's support of the peace process!
If only we could rid this world of arms and finally humans could live in peace together...
Alan, that comment was ridiculous and curious. I'm not even going to dignify it with further response.
Would it surprise me that McCann was one of those who stormed the Raytheon offices? NOPE. The guy is the certifiable product of backward social theories without an ounce of moral sensibility in his head. I ALSO predict that some political figures will show their political colours now with support for McCann.... this will be a great litmus test.
On this rather than unionist/nationalist issues, people should decide where to place their votes in the next general election.
Is an arms manufacturing company such a bad thing? Serious question.
daniel
Surely it is the case that arms are neither good not bad, it is the use that they are put to that is. I accept that the more that there are, the more that they are likely to be used but that is a matter of amount rather than status.
I wonder if McCann et al are protesting about the fact that raytheon's products are being used by Israel or the fact that they are being used at all. Given the timing, i suppose it is safe to assume the former. So the question I ask is are they peace protesters or anti-israel protestors? Do they wish to protest against the arming of Hizbollah by Syria and Iran?
I believe that Israel's actions are an illegal overreaction to the intial provocation and that their use of collective punishments is a war crime. But the silliness of those protesters looks like facile, publicity hungry, posturing rather than a development of the discussion or a blow for the rights of ... Oh Christ who cares - it makes absolutely no difference to the people affected - lobby your MP/TD/MEP to see if we can get parliament recalled and get it to issue a directive to government (for the first time since 1979)
Handy Sponge- You are overthinking McCann. He hasn't even thought this hard about it himself.
Daniel in Dublin- Thanks for the most sensible question yet.
Stephen- I think what you want to do is rid the world of hate, not arms.
How many years have we been crying for jobs in Northern Ireland? Especially in the North West?
Raytheon provide skilled well paid jobs in an economic blackspot. Its curious to see the same old publicity hunters involved in this and sticking their faces in front of the cameras at every opportunity.
I felt ashamed when I saw what the protestors had done trying to intimidate the workforce, its back to the worst we experienced during the troubles. They have been remanded for a month, no less than they deserve.
As a caller to Radio Ulster said yesterday is it Kellogs next for supplying cereal to the troops?
Sarcasm -- lowest form of wit, highest form of intelligence.
Mr McCann is a thug. Behaving violently to show your support for peace? Claiming to be Mr Socialist when your behaviour puts jobs at risk? McCann and others of his ilk must be crippled from all those self-inflicted shots to the feet.
SG
I had a discussion about arms companies a few years ago with a socialist who slammed their use by various Governments around the world.
When I asked him if was it only socialist revolutionaries who were only allowed to use weapons he smirked and walked off.
PB
War like bad health is good business. There is no money in peace and no money in good health. The crazier you become the more likely you are to become involved in so-called revolutionary activity and the more likely you are to be locked up;and the crazier you will be when you get out,and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on...Begin with the notion that you are a crazy person watching other crazy people at work doing crazy things and then make some effort to find out how you got that way in the first place and how not to be crazy any more. Because, until you do and whatever you do you will be just another crazy person doing crazy things like everybody else.
Pax- You're implying that WHO created WHICH war for financial gain? Could you be any more vague?
Great website and music!