Tuesday, September 10, 2024, by Terry Lodge…..
Demanding No U.S. defense of the Israeli Genocide!, this afternoon Veterans for Peace and Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition staged a demo at the entrance to the Toledo Air National Guard base at Toledo Express Airport this afternoon. As we arrived at 3 PM, I delivered a letter of demands to a sergeant who tried to explain to me that he was not authorized to accept mail. He finally took it as we departed.
See Toledo Blade coverage for photos
We arrived with five people who were willing to risk arrest. The entry drive to the base was very wide, and flat, and when activists refused to budge to allow incoming traffic to go in, drivers drover across the grass at the far edges of the drive to get in.
About half a dozen Air Natl Guardies finally came out to the entrance, including one guy with the obligatory AR-15. Five deputies also showed up and were initially nasty, but after 20 minutes, must have been told to stand down. They gently would push demonstrators aside to let traffic in, but when that didn’t work, they literally left about half the entrance way to demonstrators who would not move, and they created a narrow passage at the edge of the drive on the opposite side.
It was a hot, sunny day, and once the tone was set — that apparently there were to be no arrests — the police mellowed and friendly conversations (!) started to take place. The police even offered bottled water to us! The troops also got a little nicer and a little defensive about what they do. The ANG base is an F-16 squadron; 4 F-16s took off for practice runs while we were there, loudly breaking the sound barrier. The base does a great deal of mechanical work on F-16 engines and delivers planes globally for US Air Force purposes. We think Toledo ANG pilots also have been involved in the US air defense of Israel’s genocide when Iran undertook its multiple missile counterstrike last April, and possibly in August, when there was tension about an Iranian and Hezbollah counterstrike. There are 14 US bases in the Middle East, all of which have air power.
We ended the demonstration at 4:30 and the deputies actually suggested if we have another demo at the base, that we call them so they can make sure traffic moves safely. “Irony” doesn’t begin to describe this day.
Our movement in Toledo is diverse, age-wise, racially and from religious and gender perspectives. Today was good for us to better get to know one another and forge group identity. There are some very courageous young people showing leadership.
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