Workers and Students Denounce Lockheed Martin’s Responsibility in the Genocide of the Palestinian People

September 3, 2025 | Lək̓wəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Territories. Today, workers and students are gathering at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Esquimalt, British Columbia, to protest the arms manufacturer’s role in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 60,138 people in Gaza have been killed since October 7, 2023—approximately 1 in every 37 people, with an average of 91 deaths per day. As this humanitarian and political crisis worsens, children and families are among the primary victims. Journalists have also been deliberately targeted in efforts to suppress international awareness of Israel’s crimes.

Lockheed Martin—a global security and aerospace corporation—has been profiteering from this genocide and from other conflicts involving Israel across the Middle East. The company, which maintains operations on Esquimalt territory, has supplied F-35 fighter jets and other weapons systems to Israel. These aircraft are used to bomb Gaza and devastate its civilian population.

It is unacceptable that Lockheed Martin continues this legacy of violence on lands that have already witnessed the brutal effects of colonization and genocide against Indigenous Nations. By supplying arms to Israel, they are perpetuating a system of apartheid and occupation under the guise of corporate interest and national security.

Workers and trade unions across the globe have called for immediate action. Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, has unanimously adopted a motion in solidarity with Palestinian workers and trade unions. They have endorsed the call for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. The World Federation of Trade Unions has also condemned the genocide and expressed its full support for the Palestinian people.

As workers and students based on Lək̓wəŋən, and WSÁNEĆ territories, we raise our voices in solidarity with these global unions and call for the following immediate actions:

• An Arms Embargo NOW

• Canada must declare Israeli goods and services HOT CARGO

• Lockheed Martin must shut down operations and stop profiteering from war

In Solidarity with Palestine,

    Workers and Students on Lək̓wəŋən and WSÁNEĆ Territories