Seattle anti-war organizers shut down U.S. Rep.’s military recruitment event

Tukwila, WA – On Wednesday, May 21, protesters rallied to Foster High School to disrupt a military academy ceremony. Congressional Representative Adam Smith was the host for the event. He was slated to personally hand out these endorsements to prospective military academy cadets, but, not for the first time, Smith failed to attend his own event, giving no notice to attendees. He had staffers play a video instead.

Organizers from Seattle Against War (SAW) teamed up with Veterans for Peace to infiltrate this event and make sure the real consequences of war were told. After a short video of Adam Smith, SAW members interrupted a speech by a West Point military officer with chanting and disruption. More speakers were scheduled, with an agenda spanning over an hour long, but the people’s voices prevailed, and the speakers did not finish their speeches. Instead, the event was shut down mid-program and the recruiters, event staff and attendees vacated the auditorium.

Victorious, the protesters took the stage and chanted anti-war slogans such as “Warmonger, war profiteer, we want you out of here,” and “Adam Smith, you can’t hide, you profit from genocide!” until the auditorium fully cleared out. The event, which was planned to run two hours in total, was shut down in 20 minutes by the overwhelming display of solidarity and anti-war enthusiasm.

Shane French from Veterans for Peace remarked, “Being in the military is just being a security guard for capitalism. Change one mind at a time. Planting seeds of doubt one at a time.” Students will remember that this war mongering did not go unopposed, and that there is an alternative.

Meredith Ruff from SAW stated, “I’ve been trained not to disrupt. Go through the proper channels, not make anyone uncomfortable. We need to escalate; our representatives haven’t been listening through proper channels. They have all been bought and I want them to know they can’t get away with it.”

Among the protesters were student youth as well, the targets of military recruitment efforts. Ena Laughlin, a student activist with SAW, said, “As a high school senior and lifelong South Seattle resident, I’ve seen firsthand how military recruiters exploit the economic concerns of low-income students and students of color. I feel a responsibility to encourage fellow students not to become cogs in the military industrial complex. I want my generation to step into their power by fighting against genocide, capitalism and the U.S. war machine.”

SAW successfully brought together generations of anti-war activists in a unified front to fight back against military recruitment. Until the wars of capitalist aggression and imperial domination cease, you can expect students, veterans, activists and concerned community members to stand up and fight back.

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