December 5, 2023
Chicago Black Lives Matter Chapter Demands Refund For US Weapons Sent To Israel
A Chicago chapter of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization has demanded a refund for U.S. weapons sent to Israel amid its war with Hamas.
On Nov. 28, the BLM Chicago chapter reposted a message from the group About Face: Veterans Against the War on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing an American-made shell that was used in Palestine with the message “Paid for by US Dollars,” adding “We want out money back!!!”
After Hamas executed the deadliest attack on Israel in October, the country retaliated with heavy airstrikes, killing more than 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza. President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would support the Jewish nation during the conflict and pledged to send the country weapons and arms to attack Hamas.
Newsweek reports since November, the Pentagon has ramped up its packages of weapons to Israel, which includes laser-guided missiles,155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions, and new military vehicles.
According to the outlet, Tamar Missiles were among the initial packages of weapons sent to Israel. They were used as part of a mobile drone Iron Dome system to intercept and destroy incoming air attacks that are detected by radar.
The BLM organization has faced criticism for its silence during the conflict, as well as a statement from a grassroots BLM organization supporting Palestinians.
“Black Lives Matter Grassroots stands in solidarity with our Palestinian family who are currently resisting 57 years of settler colonialism and apartheid. As Black people continue the fight to end militarism and mass incarcerations in our own communities, let us understand the resistance in Palestine as an attempt to tear down the gates of the world’s biggest open-air prison. As a radical Black organization grounded in abolitionist ideals, we see clear parallels between Black and Palestinian people.”
The Israel-Hamas conflict has divided people across the U.S. as both antisemitism and Islamophobia have led to hate crimes across the U.S.
Late last month, a former Obama administration official was arrested after a video surfaced of him harassing a food vendor in New York City with Islamophobic statements. Last week, three teens were arrested after attacking three Jewish people in separate events in Brooklyn.
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