100s support Palestinians during ‘die-in’ outside Colorado-based Woodward

About 300 people gathered outside the headquarters of Woodward in Fort Collins on Friday to protest the company’s alleged involvement in the Israel-Hamas war. Event organizers held multiple 10-minute-long “die-ins” — a demonstration in which protesters lie on the ground and pretend to be dead — to show solidarity with Palestinians and demand action from Woodward executives.

The demonstrators’ outrage was directed toward Woodward when a photo allegedly taken in Gaza showed the aerospace company’s name and logo on a purported missile fragment. Although the photo’s authenticity hasn’t been independently verified, it received thousands of engagements on X, formerly Twitter.

On Oct. 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas initiated a series of attacks against Israel. According to CNN, over 1,200 Israeli civilians and more than 11,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed in the fighting. Israel and Hamas have both been accused of war crimes as a result of the widespread civilian casualties. 

“Woodward calls themselves ‘world leaders’ in the production of ‘Control Actuation Systems for the world’s most advanced guided tactical weapons, including Joint Direct Attack Munitions,’ which we know are used by Israeli Defense Forces,” demonstration organizer Carly Paul told Newsline in an email. “If not in Gaza, their products are invested in death and destruction elsewhere.”

Hundreds gathered at the corners of Lincoln and Lemay avenues in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023, to participate in a 10-minute “die-in” — a demonstration in which people lie on the ground and pretend to be dead — to represent the 10,000 or more Palestinians who have been killed since a war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds of protestors gather outside Woodward headquarters in Fort Collins to show support for Palestinians and demand action from Woodward executives on Nov, 10, 2023. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

"This is not a war on terrorism," said Palestinian American Adam Awadallah, pointing to the high number of Palestinian children killed Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. "This is a war on toddlers. Toddlers are being crushed by concrete buildings, losing their heads in their limbs in Israeli airstrikes and dying during surgery because they have no anesthetic of available." Awadallah participated in a demonstration in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Demonstrators' outrage was directed toward Woodward when a photo allegedly taken in Gaza showed the defense contractor’s name and logo on a purported missile fragment. "Woodward, Woodward, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," protestors chanted outside the company's headquarters in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds gathered at the corners of Lincoln and Lemay avenues in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023, to participate in a 10-minute “die-in” — a demonstration in which people lie on the ground and pretend to be dead — to represent the 10,000 or more Palestinians who have been killed since a war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds of protestors gather outside Woodward headquarters in Fort Collins to show support for Palestinians and demand action from Woodward executives on Nov, 10, 2023. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds of protestors gather outside Woodward headquarters in Fort Collins to show support for Palestinians and demand action from Woodward executives on Nov, 10, 2023. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds gathered at the corners of Lincoln and Lemay avenues in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023, to participate in a 10-minute “die-in” — a demonstration in which people lie on the ground and pretend to be dead — to represent the 10,000 or more Palestinians who have been killed since a war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Hundreds gathered at the corners of Lincoln and Lemay avenues in Fort Collins on Nov. 10, 2023, to participate in a 10-minute “die-in” — a demonstration in which people lie on the ground and pretend to be dead — to represent the 10,000 or more Palestinians who have been killed since a war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7. (Chloe Anderson for Colorado Newsline)

Woodward executives have declined to comment on the photo, but a spokesperson told the Coloradoan “a small portion of our business involves indirectly supplying the U.S. government with subsystems that go into military equipment. While we are not involved in policy decisions regarding the use of defense equipment containing our products, we remain committed to serving all of our customers.”

Newsline contacted Woodward for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

“When we look at the end result of their products and what they are being used for, we have to question the ethics and moral values of the people that help bring these weapons into existence,” said Palestinian American Adam Awadallah, who participated in the demonstration. “U.S. taxpayers are aiding Israel’s military and these companies are profiting from the war crimes that Israel is committing against Palestinians.”

According to the company’s website, contractors use Woodward products in guided bombs and rockets, air defense and direct attack missiles, and guided artillery and mortar rounds. Woodward boasts its reputation as a “world leader in design, development, and lean production of electro-mechanical actuation systems and components for Smart Defense application.”

“That’s just another way of saying we build smart bombs and we’re proud of it,” Awadallah said. 

The demonstration in Fort Collins was one of hundreds across the country, and the 300 in attendance were a fraction of the tens of thousands of Americans protesting Israel’s military campaign. According to organizers in Fort Collins, informing the public about Woodward’s alleged involvement in the Israel-Hamas war and condemning the ongoing civilian deaths in Gaza were just starting points. Like protesters in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Cincinnati and dozens of cities in between, they hope to pressure President Joe Biden into demanding a ceasefire. 

“Most Americans — and many people in Fort Collins — want a ceasefire, and that is evidenced by our action yesterday,” Paul wrote Saturday.