Activists from Defend Peace Djilang took action inside Defence Minister Richard Marles’ electoral office on February 25 calling on him to stop approving export permits of F35 parts to Israel.
Three protestors locked themselves with bicycle D-locks and chains to a removalist trolley.
Others blue-tacked “WANTED” posters to the wall. They featured Marles, Minister for Defence Industries Pat Conroy, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and officials from the Department of Defence including Greg Moriarty, former Secretary of the Department and now Ambassador to the United States, Hugh Jeffrey, David Knockles and Chris Deeble.
A series of posters also condemned Thai Airways for transporting F35 parts on passenger flights from Gadigal Country/Sydney to Bangkok to the Nevatim air base in Israel.
They held up a banner saying: “Marles to The Hague”.
Jaimie Jeffrey said: “Israel has been using F35 fighter jets to murder innocent civilians including 20,000 children in Palestine and turn Gaza to rubble.”
She said about 70 companies in Australia “make parts for these jets” and we say that the defence officials and ministers who approve export permits for these parts know “full well that they will be used to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide”.
They, along with Thai Airways executives, are in breach of international law, Jeffrey said. “The Department of Defence and Thai Airways have carried out these exports in a very sneaky and secretive way to avoid oversight.”