By Gray Trammel
This past sunny Sunday, dozens of concerned community members gathered at Gas Works Park to protest weapons manufacturer, Anduril Industries, which is building military drones in the Lake Washington Ship Canal. With some on land and others on about 11 kayaks, demonstrators denounced the genocide in Palestine and the war in Iran, which they said Anduril is complicit in.
“We think it’s a terrible shame that so many institutions in Seattle are still supporting this genocidal colony. Something we can do is try to end complicity, boycott, divest from Israel, divest from institutions that support Israel, sanction them and prevent them from getting more arms. I think that is the least we can do,” Kendall Gregory, a member of the Seattle Revolutionary Socialists (SRS), told TtS.
Demonstrators busted out several chants, including “No war with Iran!” and “Anduril will pay the price, we are done playing nice!” The kayakers traveled from Gas Works Park to the former Foss Shipyard and back. Organizers said they chose the shipyard because the facility is now being used by Anduril Industries.
“We believe it’s a big part of our organization’s job, and others that we are aligned with, to bring it to attention that a country founded on genocide does not have a right to exist, actually,” Casey Burkhart, member of SRS, said.
Anduril Industries develops autonomous weapons systems, drones, and software for the U.S. military and its allied governments. Palmer Luckey, the creator of the Oculus virtual reality headset who has a net worth of $5 billion, according to Forbes, founded Anduril in 2017. In April, GeekWire reported that Anduril has quietly been building autonomous warships at Foss Shipyard, an historic Seattle Shipyard. Later that month, Anduril defended its autonomous vessel program, stating that the Navy needs, “modular vessels that can be produced at speed, deployed in volume, and upgraded continuously with iterative software updates.”
“I think the people are coming here today because we are pissed — we as taxpayers right now are paying an estimated $1 billion to fund the Iran war,” Aida with Seattle Against War said.
Attendees carried signs reading “Turn off the tap, our taxes fund genocide” and “Palestine lives, keep speaking out.” Organizations in attendance included Nidal, Seattle Revolutionary Socialists (SRS), Socialists Alternative, and Seattle Against War (SAW). While no formal speeches were given, organizers distributed flyers to attendees. As the demonstration occurred, several people visiting Gas Works Park stopped to watch. Some bystanders took photos and videos of the protest while others accepted flyers distributed by the organizers.
At the time of reporting, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson had not publicly commented on Anduril Industries’ operations at the former Foss Shipyard.
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