Politics & Government
25 Arrested At Lockheed Martin Protest In KOP, Including Ben And Jerry's Co-Founder
Hundreds gathered at the gates of the local arms manufacturer in a "nonviolent direct action" against suffering in the Middle East.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — Dozens of activists were arrested at a recent protest at Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia as demonstrators seek to hold the world's largest weapons manufacturer responsible for atrocities around the globe. Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben and Jerry's, was among the individuals arrested.
The Good Friday event was organized by the faith group Red Letter Christians, which said that around 200 people gathered at gates of the 230 Mall Boulevard property.
"What would Jesus do in these times?" Cohen shared in an Instagram post about the event. "Would he let his neighbors starve? Would he take money from his own people who are struggling to put gas in their car?"
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The event was centered around a vigil of prayer and "nonviolent direct action," specifically pointing to suffering in the Gaza Strip. Israel, which has killed around 70,000 Palestinians, is one of Lockheed's major arms buyers through the U.S. government's military aid process.
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"As people of faith and conscience, we believe the call of the Gospel is to pursue peace and resist systems that profit from war," organizer Shane Claiborne, one of the founders of Red Letter Christians, said in a statement.
Protesters also sang songs and read names of deceased children during the event. An estimated 20,000 of the 70,000 casualties in Palestine are children.
Around 25 arrests were made without incident before police disbursed the crowd.
Lockheed did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the event from Patch.
"We left the Lockheed gates in handcuffs, but with our heads held high," another attendee shared. "Our hope is not in weapons, but in solidarity, compassion, and the courage of community. The work continues."
Lockheed has been a repeated target of local protests, with similar events calling for an end to violence in Palestine held over the past three years.
Red Letter Christians are a left-leaning group that focus their faith specifically on the words spoken by Jesus in the Bible.
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