Margie Pestorius

Letter of Concern from Engineers: Weapons Corporation Boeing Should Not be at the University of Queensland

Professor David Hood has written a letter to the University of Queensland regarding the imposition of the weapons trade on university culture. He has specifically referenced the weapons corporation Boeing. We have invited engineers – retired, re-professionned, current, or students – to indicate support for Adj Professor Hood’s letter by adding their voices to this initiative. Engineers are encouraged to write to the Chancellor of University of Queensland Mr Peter Varghese, or resend David’s letter with an endorsement. Weapons corporations tend toward promoting war and violence and actively work against peace: they simply have no place influencing universities.

____________________________________________

Mr Peter Varghese AO
Chancellor of the University of Queensland
The University of Queensland
BRISBANE QLD 4072

Dear Peter,
I’m writing to express my concern about the influence that the Boeing
Company may be exercising on the culture of the university as a whole
and in particular on engineering teaching and research. My concern
stems from the fact that Boeing is primarily a weapons company and the
third-largest military contractor in the world, with annual revenue of
around USD$20bn from weapons related contracts.

The University of Queensland’s (UQ) partnership with Boeing is not only
ethically questionable but also at odds with research in and the teaching
of sustainability principles. At a time when the world faces a climate and
biodiversity emergency it is hard to accept that UQ would prioritise
partnerships with weapons companies over ensuring sustainability
outcomes from your research and the ethical attributes of your
graduates. This is particularly disturbing where engineers are
concerned.

The size and influence of the Boeing Institute at UQ is out of proportion
to the other work being done within the School of Engineering, and it is
concerning that a weapons company has positioned itself in the heart of
a highly respected academic institution. We must ask ourselves how we
can be sure that Boeing has not embedded itself at UQ as part of a
larger strategy to ensure its leadership in weapons development and
increase its profitably by normalising war.

The engineering profession is at a crossroad as we emerge from a
period of domination by fossil fuel companies and their extractive
projects in Australia. Right now, we must address the existential threats
to all life on Earth posed by climate change and the increasing loss of
ecosystem services through the destruction of nature and fauna habitats due to rampant human activity. We must grapple with the ethical implications of the choices we make as a profession.

As a graduate of, and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of
Engineering, Architecture, and IT at UQ, I ask that you review the
Boeing Institute at UQ and question its impact on faculty outputs. We
cannot allow the military-industrial complex to influence the
independence and strategic direction of our academic institutions.

Yours sincerely,

Adj Professor David A Hood AM

Inaugural BZE Fellow, Beyond Zero Emissions
Board Director, Australian Conservation Foundation
(Adjunct Professor, University of Queensland Energy
Initiative)
Address etc provided.

CC: Professor Deborah TERRY, Vice Chancellor
Professor Aleksandar RAKIC, Dean of Engineering, Architecture, and IT

Boeing has a weapons research facility which dominates engineering at UQ.
The UQ “defence“ and “space” research unit is pushing a self serving narrative for war in order to justify weapons development.
Boeing takes about $4-5bn a year from the Australian taxpayer. And US weapons companies like Boeing are receiving about $20-30bn a year from Australian taxpayers.
Weapons are a business model. It‘s commerce not defence. Hypersonics are core to a wasteful arms race.
UQ is “Space-Washing”. UQ pretends that weapons engineering is not connected to increasing, unethical, wasteful militarism. Hypersonics are core to a wasteful arms race.
This is a time when we are facing ecological collapse from global heating. #EarthCareNotWarfare

Text from Leaflet – Boeing is a Weapons Company.

War-Mongering with China: A Justification for More Weapons Sales

Commentary by Anthony Kelly, Melbourne, Naarm.

Wage Peace finds the Red Alert media story in the Channel 9 media (Age SMH and 7media) on Wednesday 8th March deplorable. We see Richard Marles’ – together with Stephen Smith the author of the strategic paper – disgusting alliance with the US in action as do what they are told they prepare Australian’s for giving huge amounts to WEAPONS corporations.

People see through it. But they are not sure how to act. Call out the weapons corporations. It really is a critical time. Below is a reflection by friend of Wage Peace, Anthony Kelly.

Some cursory observations about the Red Alert media war-mongering series in the Age/Sydney morning Herald this week.

It draws in five ‘experts’ – all aligned within a narrow security defence preparedness mindset. No peace researchers, China experts or diplomats.

The framing is extremely narrow, in fact far more narrow than the so called Defence White Papers and other industry generated ASPI papers- basically limited to ‘could we cope militarily if China invaded us?’ That’s entirely the wrong question.

There is zero critique of Australia’s military alliance with or subservience to the US war-fighting strategies and how that remains our single largest strategic risk as a nation.

Blind support for the US is assumed by the editors – rather than challenged or questioned – like real journalism.

It refers to US bases being targets in a potential war – yet offers no critique that removing them might make us safer. Red Alert even states that 200,000 US troops would be targets if stationed here. Again – it’s the US alliance that makes us potentially unsafe but that obvious conclusion is not drawn by these ‘experts’.

The fact that China has the US navy routinely exercising off its coast, and is almost entirely surrounded by bases and US allies, and has been dealing with continual economic and political containment by the US for decades….is not even mentioned.

There is zero analysis or even mention of the current global security architecture, such as global weapons regulations, bans and sanctions (as frail as it is), that Australia is also a part of and can also decide to invest in as part of its ‘defence strategy’ if it chooses. Nuclear Weapons ban anyone?

Red Alert articles have a clear narrative – emphasizing or headlining factors that might lead to war often with great hyperbole – whilst minimizing or scooting around those that make it look less likely.

Former Diplomat David Livingstone has said that “China has neither the capability nor intention to undertake a maritime invasion of Australia, and it is clear that the ADF will not impact China’s thinking on Taiwan” This little observation from back in February is ignored.

Peace and security pundits have been warning of the rapid miltarisation of the entire Asia-Pacific region for years – India, Japan, Korea are all modernising and expanding militaries along with China. Rather than critique or even explore the risks of the Asia Pacific’s decade long arm’s race spiral – where countries repeatedly reinforce their own militaries in response to the growth of their neighbors’ forces, Red Alert just feeds into it.

“Buy more weapons” is the ultimate and only solution this ‘innovatiove, in-depth, investigative’ piece of drival offers. It’s like a full-colour, wrap-around, sponsored ad for AUKUS.

Let’s not mention climate change hey.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/red-alert-20230306-p5cpt8.html

Love against the machine – Land Forces 2021

At the beginning of June, Land Forces, the largest weapons expo in the Southern Hemisphere was held in Brisbane/Meanjin.

The weapons industry is full of well-documented corruption. People often refer to the revolving door of personnel between the military, government and arms industry. One example of this in Australia is the ex-defence minister, Christopher Pyne, walking straight out of his government position and into a lucrative position in the arms industry. These people profit directly from war. They make profits on and the violence perpetrated in West Papua, Yemen, Kurdistan and Palestine. These weapons are also a major contributor to environmental degradation and cause of climate change.

Based on this knowledge, the Catholic Worker community joined other local and interstate groups in protesting the Expo. In the 6 months leading up to it there were protests held at various weapons manufacturers in Brisbane. In the days leading up to the expo 5 people were arrested for stopping deliveries of tanks and AV equipment. During the 3 days of the actual Expo a continuous protest was held and various actions took place to #DisruptLandForces. This zine tells some of those stories, as well as others.

Love against the machine - click to view as pdf — *Love against the machine*

check out our Disrupt Land Forces site

Frontier Wars Ceremonies

Elder Gudju Gudju Fourmile

“The frontier stories are important for healing. The frontier stories event has become part of our event calendar, it’s very important for us as a people to heal the wounds of the past and secure the future. We have Yidindji elders here today who have horror stories of beheadings and shootings at places like Skeleton and Davies Creeks, yet here we are, wanting to make things right.

“Many tribal nations have a story to tell, some are funny and then there are those which are difficult. There is a danger these stories will go unheard for most Australians.

“It’s easy to be overshadowed by COVID for example, but looking into the mirror as a country and working out who we are as a nation, is paramount – if we can’t sort it out there will always be a sense of unfinished business here. Frontier Wars is a tough one for us as Indigenous Australians, but in saying that this is a wonderful opportunity to build a new Australia. We’d like to encourage everyone to take part, even if one person is inspired we have done our part.”

Murrumu of Walubara

“Events like the Frontier Wars commemoration are a great reminder there needs to be formalised agreements or treaties between the Commonwealth of Australia and the various tribal nations on the continent called Australia,” Murrumu said.

“The Yidindji Nation is currently building that bridge which means people can be free of the feeling of guilt or shame, or sadness from things that have happened in the past. This is what reconciliation will look like in my view – the simplicity in it all is that it should be built on the greatest foundation, which is love for one another.”

Sovereign Yidindji Government Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Murrumu of Walubara.

People to People Ceremonies

People to people ceremonies are held around this Great South Land. Other nations have also been exploring Frontier Wars history and truth telling events such as the following photos show, held in Canberra in previous years.

Ceremonies occur each year at the Myall creek site between the Wirrayaraay people – a clan of the Gamillaroi people and local non-indigenous people. A beautiful memorial has been built at the site of the Myall Creek Massacre, a place to walk through the landscape, to sit and reflect comes to life each year with a local ceremony.
Ceremony occurs in Brisbane at the Dundali memorial on the 5th January in Post Office Square. First Nations people from Dundali’s tribe and people who live around on Jaggera Country meet there and remember the public hanging of Dundali who had been fighting for his people during the Frontier Wars when he was captured, incarcerated for months and then killed – a sign to all that the British were capable and willing to rain great terror and appalling violence.
A ceremony occurs at Liffey Falls in Northern Tasmania during June each year to remember the Aboriginal Wars which included a massacre at that place.
The ceremony to commemorate the Battle of One Tree Hill
Other ceremonies occur now on 26th January and on other days specific to local people

The Gimuy Ceremony

“We think the Gimuy ceremony is special,” says Margaret Pestorius, a non-Indigenous participant at the ceremonies. “It is a collaboration of friends; a ‘people to people’ ceremony. It is a gift from us to those for whom we have great respect, the Gimuy Walubara Yidindji; but also an acknowledgement of the violence inflicted by OUR people, and their many, many years of resistance.”

“We conduct it on ANZAC eve – because that is the time for remembering the disgusting nature of war and the courageous resistance of people seeking to protect their families and their Land. On ANZAC eve we can transform the meaning of ‘Lest We Forget’.

“We start with the story telling of the Frontier. And we perform a lament in response. The lament we play has no words. It is a cry from our hearts and our bodies as we dance and play music. We then are led in song by First Nations performers from neighbouring tribes or from across the seas. And we process to the great shields of created by the artist Paul Bong, a Yidindji man, which are installed in the centre of Gimuy, Cairns.”

Telling the Stories at Anzac Time: Lest We Forget

“Why can’t Australians think about resisting war and Australia’s increasing militarism? Is it related to the silence and denial we have wrapped around the wars of invasion on this continent? I believe we must tell the stories of the Frontier – best we can. We must tell the stories of the Land. And we must tell the stories of the many families and tribes and nations that suffered the atrocities of colonising warfare. We need to build these real events in our minds: So we remember how war hurts people for generations to come; so we act decisively to stop it. Never again!”

“We have noticed that when we tell frontier war stories in partnership with Aboriginal people around the time of ‘ANZAC Day’, we also jam a spoke into the pervasive militarism that continues here. We disturb the manufactured ‘national narrative’ that overseas wars created this nation.”

Video Resources: Build a People to People Ceremony

*VIDEO: Gimuy Frontier wars ceremony 2018*

*VIDEO: How Peace Pilgrims organised a Frontier Wars Ceremony in Cairns*

*VIDEO: Remembering the Frontier Wars | A David Bradbury Film*

Grants, Banners, Creations and Designs

We can send designs for creating beautiful banners. We can help you organise your people to people ceremony. We have small grants available to assist in creating Frontier Wars events.

What can we do?

Offer your assistance to First Nations people in organising. Then do what you can. We may be able you help you think about next steps. Call us on 0403214422.
Or invite your non-indigenous allies to help you create a people to people ceremony. We are happy to try an assist 🙂
Create conversations between first nations people and non-indigenous allies about what you might do together.
Invite people to help. Many people want to create and participate in these ceremonies
Assist people to create songs and dances and music and performances that reflect the stories of the Frontier Wars – and their resistance and survival.
Promote pre-Anzac frontier war storytelling locally
Organise a Frontier Wars event in your community

In addition you might start participating in the local ANZAC day ceremony

Make a Frontier Wars wreath out of local materials and lay it on your war memorial on Anzac Day
Contact us 0403214422 and we can put you in touch with someone who can help with the creation of locally made wreaths
Lay a wreath in the middle of the ‘Welcome to Country’ at your RSL event.

Colonial Frontier Massacres, Australia, 1780 to 1930

massacre map — *University of Newcastle*

See also ABC news article about the map: New map plots massacres of aboriginal people in frontier wars ABC 5 Jul 2017

We massively disrupted the Land Forces weapons expo

To the surprise and fascination of exhibitors, 20 people ran into the expo and occupied a Rheinmetall tank and one locked on. Our signs called them out for the $30b per year spent on weapons that could be better spent preventing further climate chaos and on social justice. We call it Crapitalism!

During seven days of creative, ingenious, staunch, peaceful, collaborative actions, over three hundred people spoke truth to the power of the war makers at Brisbane’s Land Forces weapons expo. Our Festival of Resistance unfolded in a whirlwind of humanity discovering itself, as we supported each other to take risks, make art, experiment and disrupt the military industrial death machine that is wrecking our planet and her peoples. There was rage, there was grief and there were moments of despair, but above all, growing by the day, there was joy. As we took action together to Disrupt Land Forces, as we planned and played together at our base in Jagera Hall, something extraordinary and alchemical happened. Solidarity transcended ideology or intellect or politics and became, simply, love. It was exquisite. There was a buzz running through our collective spaces; we were all high on the magic of our making. The community we created over those seven days provided a glimpse of the future we hold in our hearts and it is magnificent.

Thanks but no tanks

Disrupt Land Forces got off to a spectacular start on May 27 with a tank blockade action disrupting the bump in at Brisbane Convention Centre – a day before the Festival of Resistance’s planned launch. Two of us happened to be in the neighbourhood when a Rheinmetall Unarmed Combat Warrior and a Ripley cannon mount came rolling around the corner headed for the loading dock. And … go! The sugar glider spirit was with us as two of us ran, jumped and climbed onto the moving weapons and quickly messaged the rest of us. We ran! Within a few minutes fifty of us had surrounded the weapons and one person had locked on to the Ripley machine. Within an hour, a hundred of us were dancing in the street. After four hours of disruption to the weapons industry, four of us were arrested and all of us were elated with the people power we had raised together. It was a glorious start.

Protestors occupying a drone tank being delivered to the Convention centre dock — *Protestors were eager to get started, and occupied this Autonomous Combat Warrior (drone tank) being delivered to the Brisbane Convention Centre – five days before the Expo opened.*

Lighting the fire

On May 28 we held our planned launch event, lighting solidarity fires simultaneously at the Brisbane Sovereign Aboriginal Embassy in Musgrave Park and in the highlands of West Papua. Aunty Karen, Yuggera elder, had proposed lighting the fires to echo the distress fires that people in times past have sent to warn each other of the incursions of police and soldiers in these lands. Karen’s idea was to connect us in Kurilpa (aka South Brisbane) with our friends in West Papua, to signal that we recognise their distress and to pledge our support. We would connect the fires via zoom, in a fantastical merging of ancient and contemporary communications methods. We never thought in a million years that we could make it happen. What with Indonesia throttling the internet in West Papua, the vagaries of weather and the difficulties of even routine contact with people in West Papua, the vision seemed almost impossible to bring to life. To our astonishment, the vision became reality. The Zoom connections were made, the fires were lit and there we were inside a breathtaking communion of First Nations peoples sharing stories and expressing solidarity. By firelight. And by Zoom. We were launched.

Uncle Kev at the Welcome Fire — *Uncle Kev Buzzacot talks at the Welcome Fire – we will not forget the Frontier Wars and the dispossession of First Nations peoples across the world by wars fought for resource extraction.*

Fever Pitch

The solidarity grew as we explored tactics, exchanged ideas and planned together through our workshops on Saturday 29, and was amplified through dance during Saturday night’s concert. Sunday morning, May 30, one hundred of us were on the doorstep of two weapons companies in the heart of Brisbane’s (literal) military-industrial complex in Redbank: Rheinmetall and DB Schenker. The police didn’t like our poles, but they didn’t seem to mind that the street signs now read “Fascist Way” and “War Crimes Drive” – references to the millions made by Rheinmetall and DB Schenker from the persecution and murder of Jewish people under Nazism. Sunday night we disrupted the bump in for a second time, with a Grim Reaper figure atop a ‘Sensitive Cargo’ truck and a solid circle of arms around the base. Uncle Kevin Buzzacott gave a memorable speech calling for the wisdom of the elders to be heeded: “We know the way home”. The truck-jumpers and arms-linkers held up bump in for hours. Monday we visited SkyBorne (killer drone manufacturers) and Thales (exporters to Indonesian Special Forces Kopassus), where two of us were arrested to the sweet sounds of Black Brothers performed by Uncle George and Aunty Irene Demarra. Tuesday June 1, the opening of the Land Forces expo, we created a cacophony. This really was a carnival of chaos, with slippery blood spills blocking one entrance, the Quakers for Peace blocking another and total aural and visual mayhem going on at the third. It was a long, hard walk into the Convention Centre for the war makers that day. Our Vuvuzelas (plastic horns), our Cazerolazo (banging pots and pans), our rape whistles and our voices were all at fever pitch. We set out to make the Land Forces participants uncomfortable. We succeeded.

Quakers block the war makers from entering the expo with the help of a brass band and vuvuzelas — *Quakers block the war makers from entering the expo with the help of a brass band and Vuvuzelas (toy horns).*

Bloody suds by Nick Chesterfield — *The war profiteers were greeted by bloody chaos. Photo by Nick Chesterfield.*

*Climate angels brought the war mongers the message that it is not worth sacrificing the blood of our children for their profits.*

*Extinction Rebellion Red Rebels and wraiths joined the war mongers feast with their own Dinner of Death*

All ages, all cultures, all genders

The creativity, once unleashed, became a raging torrent. We are stunned, thrilled and just incredibly impressed by all the ways people took action, and by the spirit of radical respect people extended to each other throughout the Festival of Resistance. (Radical respect = accepting and allowing divergent styles of protest even when, or especially when, we find them hard to understand.) This respect for difference was empowering and enabled a vast range of people to participate in ways they found meaningful. Tuesday saw Butoh Hauntings, hardcore heckling, a citizen’s arrest of Christopher Pyne – again, invoking the spirit of the Sugar Glider with a stunning leap onto a moving car – poetry, story telling and a deeply moving ‘Say Their Names’ ceremony for the children recently killed in Gaza. On Wednesday the Quaker Grannies set up a 24 hour vigil, Climate Angels shed blood on the threshold, twenty of us stormed the expo and climbed onto a tank (hi Rheinmetall! It’s us again!) and a raucous, theatrical ‘Dinner of Death’ parade ruined the schmooze fest of the war makers down at South Bank. We were having fun. Thursday June 3 kicked off with a singing installation at the main entrance and at midday, exhausted after seven days of actions, we still had energy for a dance party to smash the patriarchy.

Say Their Names - ceremony for Palestinian children killed in recent Isreali strikes — *Say Their Names – ceremony for Palestinian children killed in recent Isreali strikes*

The solidarity is strong with this one

We have to talk about the kitchen. Thrown together, last minute, no budget, no resources, still the kitchen served us two plentiful, tasty, nutritious meals a day, on time, with smiles, with hugs even. Our kitchen and our logistics team were beyond science; they may have created a breach in the time-space continuum. Our minds were blown. Not only did the kitchen feed us and the logistics team equip us every day, they did so in multiple locations (e.g. at the barricades, the solidarity fire, the watch house) without skipping a beat. Brisbane locals are off the charts for solidarity. The hospitality of our Brisbane people extended to supreme street medicine, legal observing and to rock solid watch house and court support. We highly recommend Brisbane as a place to hold a week long Festival of Resistance. Brisbane folks are up for anything, and can do everything. To all our Brisbane people, we heart you very much. ❤

Irene and George sing about their home - West Papua — *Irene and George sing about their home – West Papua*

37 of us were arrested

while standing up (and sitting in) for humanity. Inside the building, the planners and facilitators of crimes against humanity plied their killing trade. Outside the building Queensland police arrested us for actions such as: blowing a whistle, sitting on the ground, tweeting, performing Butoh, sugar gliding, holding a wok and dancing. None of us used violence, none of us manufactured or sold weapons that will maim human beings and decimate the biosphere. 37 of us will face court. The war criminals were protected by hundreds of police to carry on their ‘legitimate business’ of exporting terror.

Please donate to help with legal costs

We will never stop

The people who came together to Disrupt Land Forces were empowered and elated by the experience. We came away inspired and buoyed by the love and solidarity that flowed in from around the world. We will not stop resisting until the oppression has ended and we are travelling together on the path of healing our planet and her peoples. Click here to kick in for our legal costs to show you stand with us. Stay with us for more beautiful actions for peace and justice in a city or forest near you.