April Days of Action Against Drones: University of Florida site of weeklong demonstration event

Students for a Democratic Society and the UF libertarians came together between April 8th and 12th for a week of anti-drone action, joining the nationwide April Days of Action Against Drones. As reported in Fight Back News, the event incorporated a wide variety of educational demonstration that spread awareness about U.S. imperialism, civilians murdered by drone warfare, and UF's involvement in research that supports the drone industry.

On Monday, April 8, activists painted a huge mural on the 34th
 Street Wall reading, “4700 murders and counting,” referring to the
extrajudicial killings carried out by the U.S. government in countries
 like Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, in Turlington Plaza, Students for Justice
 in Palestine (SJP) joined SDS and UF Libertarians to
 hold a moment of silence and read the names of
over 400 children killed by drone strikes in
Yemen and Pakistan.

In "Pin the Drones," students in the Plaza of the 

Americas were challenged to find a country

 that the U.S. had not invaded bombed,

 or occupied within the last 10 years. This

 proved a difficult task

On Friday, 4/12 activists gathered in front of Tigert Hall, UF's
administrative building, to call attention to the university's
 involvement in research that fuels drone development.

"Drop TUITION not BOMBS;" describes the tradeoff implicit
 in the University's funding of drone research.

 

"FUND EDUCATION NOT OCCUPATION" was the message
 broadcast by a banner hung from the Tigert Hall steps.

After the rally on Friday, April 12, a delegation of students met with administrators to demand that information concerning UF’s relationship with the military and drone companies be made public. After the meeting, SDS organizer Michela Martinazzi said, “We’re not against technology, but we are against U.S. wars and murder. We think that there is some important drone research being done for wildlife monitoring, but UF research needs to be transparent and accountable.”

April Days of Action Against Drones continue! How will YOU get involved?!

April Days of Action Against Drones hits Florida State University!

Last Thursday, in the wake of a unanimous vote by the Florida state senate in favor of a bill preventing local law enforcement from using drones to gather evidence without a warrant, students at Florida State University in Tallahassee held a US Drones Out of Africa and Everywhere! action in solidarity with ANSWER Coalition's protest at the White House on April 13 and with the nationwide April Days of Action Against Drones. 

The action took place on Landis Green, the university’s “free speech zone,” in the busy center of campus. From 11 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, students handed out info sheets about the expanding US drone program overseas and at home. Signs such as “Drones Kill Kids,” “Drone Strikes = War Crimes,” and “5,000 killed in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia (Most Civilians)” reached hundreds of students. Many students learned about drones for the first time, while others expressed their support 

for the protest and joined in.

 At 4 o’clock, representatives of ANSWER Coalition, Students United for Justice in Palestine, the Center for Participant Education, Veterans for Peace, and Progress Coalition, the event’s sponsors, gave speeches that rang throughout the campus. They spoke about the illegal nature of US drone strikes, the shocking civilian and child death tolls, and resistance to drone warfare as part of a larger struggle against the military-industrial complex and imperialism.

Your turn to get involved! Find out more about the April Days of Action Against Drones around the country!

CodePINK's Medea Benjamin: Drone Talks at VFP Miami & Ft. Lauderdale

CodePINK leader Medea Benjamin will be in Florida to help educate the public about the menace of drone killing and drone surveillance as part of her national tour to promote her book, "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control".




MEDEA BENJAMIN APPEARANCES IN FLORIDA

Ft. Lauderdale - Thursday, August 9, 7 p.m. - Hiroshima/Nagasaki Observance at St. Maurice Church, 2851 Stirling Road

Miami - Friday, August 10, 11 a.m. - Workshop on "Reining In The Drones" at the Veterans For Peace (VFP) National Convention, 3rd floor, Miami Marriott (Biscayne Bay), 1633 N. Bayshore Drive

Miami - Friday, August 10, 7 p.m. - "Veterans Meet the Community" event at Trinity Episcopal Church (VFP National Convention) 464 North NE 16th St., (corner of No. Bayshore Dr. and Venetian Causeway, next door to Marriott)

Members of Veterans for Peace are helping to lead the No Drones! effort around the country, including No Drones Wisconsin, No Drones Ohio, No Drones North Carolina, and more. To learn more about the VFP, see the main Veterans For Peace (VFP) National Convention page.