Palestine solidarity activists blockade Mount Pearl company over its ties to an Israeli arms manufacturer
About a dozen peace activists blockaded the parking lot of Kraken Robotics in Mount Pearl Thursday morning, where they gathered to protest the company’s affiliation with an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
“We’re here to disrupt business as usual and demand an arms embargo,” said protestor Megan Hutchings.
The blockade was part of an international day of action organized by global anti-war movement World Beyond War. Representing local groups Palestine Action YYT and Labour for Palestine, Newfoundland protestors were joined Thursday by their counterparts, who carried out actions at Kraken’s office in Toronto and its factory in Halifax.
The day of action came two days after Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights filed lawsuit a lawsuit against the Government of Canada in an attempt to stop Canadian arms exports to Israel. According to the federal court application, access to information requests have revealed that “Canada has approved an additional $28.5 million in exports of military goods and technology,” since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023 and during Israel’s ongoing military bombardment of Gaza.
Additionally, Canada has a legal obligation to control its exports of military goods and technology to countries engaging in human rights violations. The suit claims that permits of military goods to Israel violate the The Export and Import Permits Act, which requires the minister of foreign affairs to consider whether goods and technology could support peace and security or undermine them, violate humanitarian or human rights laws, contravene international conventions on terrorism, transnational organized crime offences, or involve serious gender-based violence or violence against women and children. Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights says it’s “clear that Israeli forces are committing serious atrocities in the course of its assault on Gaza.” (more...)
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