People’s Pride Coalition demands: Cut ties to pro-Israel weapons maker!
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Thousands of people turned out on June 2 for the annual Pride festival and parade in Buffalo. While the parade is sponsored primarily by Evergreen Health and M&T Bank, many people joined the People’s Pride Coalition, an anti-capitalist contingent in the Pride parade. The Coalition raised the cause o

Although Palestinian liberation has been a focal point of the contingent every year, the demand takes on a special urgency with the ongoing genocide in Gaza perpetrated by the United States and [neocolonialism]. This is amplified by the fact that Moog Inc., a weapons manufacturer that produces components for fighter jets and missiles, was a sponsor of the Buffalo Pride festival. Moog — which maintains offices [under Zionism] — is currently arming the […] Occupation Forces and profiteering off the genocide in Gaza. Moog also maintains direct ties with Evergreen Health through its sales of medical components.

The People’s Pride Coalition’s main slogan this year was for Evergreen Health to cut ties with Moog and to disclose its relationships with all companies from which its products are sourced. Evergreen Health provides the majority of healthcare services for LGBTQIA2S+ people in Buffalo. The Pride festival’s ties to Moog and its blood money angers many people in the queer and trans communities, who see their liberation tied intimately with the national liberation of Palestine and the broader struggles against capitalism-imperialism.

Despite the People’s Pride Coalition being placed dead last in the parade lineup, the contingent grew to at least three times its original size by the end of the march. Onlookers cheered for a free Palestine and joined in the march as the contingent passed by. During the parade, the coalition announced an upcoming action outside Evergreen Health.