Massachussetts activists outside a Raytheon facility protest nuclear arms.
Pressuring the Nuclear Profiteers / Week of Action
Anduin Devos / NuclearBan.US
(October 3, 2024) — Our Warheads to Windmills “Two Weeks to Pressure the Profiteers” has come to an enthusiastic close. Between September 16th and the 29th, activists and advocates took on 14 companies with over 50 actions around the United States in person and virtually. The campaign focused on putting pressure on the profiteering nuclear weapons and fossil fuels companies, as well as the banks behind them.
There were standouts and demonstrations at the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel companies, tabling events and letter writing parties to get in touch with the corporate profiteers, virtual action campaigns to shame the companies on social media, divestment campaigning and boycotting to put financial pressure on these industries, and community fairs and other outreach events.
Screengrab from warheadstowindmills.org, Nuclear Weapons Week Actions
Screengrab from warheadstowindmills.org, Fossil Fuel Week Actions
Indigenous activists gather to protest fossil fuels.
These U.S. actions were part of several global weeks of action promoting peace and climate solutions including the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons “No Money for Nuclear Weapons” week of action. Each day of the Warheads to Windmills Campaign focused on targeting a different company that lobbies the government heavily to maintain these systems of destruction.
Over 50 organizations around the United States endorsed and coordinated live actions as part of this campaign to Pressure the Profiteers, even more participated in virtual pressuring by sending letters, writing emails, social media outreach, and other virtual events. Read on for some of our highlights from the Weeks of Action.
Action Highlights
In Massachusetts, NuclearBan.US hosted and cosponsored several events including a protest at L3Harris in Northampton, MA on September 17th where around 50 community members came out to support the delivery of a cease and desist letter to the company over their nuclear weapons work. The L3Harris in Northampton is a frequent target of campaigns about nuclear weapons, demilitarization, and their contributions to the genocide in Gaza.
The event was brought together by NuclearBan.US, Demilitarize Western Mass, Jewish Voice for Peace, Northampton Friends Meeting, and other members of the community. Our event in Northampton made it onto the front page of our local newspaper, and you can read the full story here!
The same day, there was a similar standout at an L3Harris facility in Clifton, New Jersey, cosponsored by New Jersey Peace Action, PAX Christi NJ, JVP Northern New Jersey, CeasefireNowNJ.org, Northern New Jersey Socialists Party, Fellowship of Reconciliation – Metro/NYC/NJ, and Muslim Peace Fellowship. Massachusetts Peace Action organized a letter and postcard writing event in Boston, MA.
We also joined the Connecticut Committee on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in New London, CT on General Dynamics Day, September 18th to take a stand against the Electric Boat engineering facility.
