April 23rd Caterpillar protest in Peoria
In Solidarity, 18.04.2004 19:21
Stand up for Palestinian human rights!
Help end illegal home demolitions in Palestine!
Demand CAT CEO James Owens meet with our delegation!
Demand a fair contract for CAT workers!
Carpool from Milwaukee
Rally and march to CAT headquarters
Friday, April 23rd, 2004 - Noon
Peoria Civic Center Parking Lot
Corner of SW Monroe St. and Fulton St.
Call Peace Action (964-5158) to carpool from Milwaukee, go on your own, or meet up with Chicago organizers.
According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) more than 10,000 Palestinian homes have been destroyed by Israel, most using Caterpillar equipment. Civilian home demolition is a crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which Israel has signed.
Caterpillar management is guilty of aiding these crimes, continuing to sell equipment for which the main purpose is home demolition.
Join us on April 23rd for a legal, non-violent action to demand Caterpillar management end all sales to Israel until these gross human rights violations end.
At 2:00 pm we will march to CAT headquarters and demand that CEO James Owens meet with our delegation consisting of members of the Palestinian community as well as Craig and Cindy Corrie, the parents of Rachel Corrie, a 23 year old humanitarian volunteer murdered by a Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer while attempting to prevent the demolition of a civilian home in Gaza.
Flier with Caterpillar FAQ:  http://www.stopcat.org/stopcat_A23_full.pdf
Arabic flier: http://www.stopcat.org/stopcat_Arabic.pdf
Chicago bus tickets are still available: http://www.stopcat.org/businfo.html
For more information, please visit http://www.stopcat.org
FAQ
What’s Caterpillar got to do with Palestine?
The Israeli Occupation Forces frequently destroy the homes of already impoverished Palestinian civilians. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (www.icahd.org/eng)*: since the beginning of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in 1967, Israel has destroyed over 10,000 buildings, leaving 50,000 men, women and children homeless. What is the IOF’s choice weapon in its home demolition campaign? Specially armored D9, D10 and D11 Caterpillar bulldozers. On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie,an American student volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, was murdered by an IOF soldierdriving a Caterpillar bulldozer as she attempted to stop an illegal home demolition in the Rafah district of Gaza. For more information on Rachel, visit: www.palsolidarity.org
*Many believe that the total number of Palestinian homes destroyed is far higher that the estimate of the
ICAHD.
Are home demolitions necessary to protect Israel from terrorists?
The vast majority of home demolitions are directed against civilians who have not been charged with terrorism or any other crimes. Demolitions are used as collective punishment to clear the way for illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, construction of the “Apartheid Wall”, or simply to assert Israeli dominance over Palestinian lives. Home demolitions do not prevent terrorism – they deepen the poverty,
anger and despair that fuel violence. If Israel is serious about protecting civilian lives, it must address the root causes of terrorism by respecting democracy, self-determination and human rights in Palestine.
What does all this have to do with me?
The Caterpillar bulldozers that destroy Palestinian homes are partially financed by your tax dollars. Israel is the world’s largest beneficiary of U.S. military and economic aid. It receives over five billion dollars a year and 75% of this is spent on arms and equipment from U.S. corporations. As U.S. taxpayers, we need to
take personal responsibility for ensuring that our money is not used to support brutality, oppression and military occupation. In the wake of September 11, it is vital that we promote peace, democracy and social justice in the Middle East and around the world. We unequivocally support our UAW brothers and sisters in their struggle for a fair contract. We do not, however, support the executives of Caterpillar in their decision to sell D9, D10 and D11 bulldozers to the Israeli military with the full knowledge that they are used as a weapon in illegal home demolitions.
What is this campaign asking of Caterpillar?
We demand that Caterpillar cease all sales to the Israeli military and government!
We demand that James Owens, CAT CEO, meet with a small delegation (including the parents of Rachel
Corrie) at 3:00 PM on Friday April 23 in Peoria during the “International Day of Action Against Caterpillar”! We demand a fair contract for CAT workers represented by the UAW!
Is the campaign winnable?
Yes! Unlike arms manufacturers, Caterpillar sells mostly to civilians, and it has many customers in the Arab world. Sales to the IOF represent a small part of Caterpillar’s total business. So the company may well be willing to give up its IOF contracts in order to maintain its standing with Arab and Western civilian customers.
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