Peace Group Protests At Andover Raytheon Site

ANDOVER, MA — Peace protesters gathered outside the weapon manufacturer Raytheon's Andover facility Thursday to protest the companies sales to Saudi Arabia, which have been used in the country's deadly war in Yemen.

The group of Massachusetts Peace Action protesters, carrying signs reading messages like "Raytheon: Good People, Bad Products" and "Whistleblowers Needed," called on employees to blow the whistle and leak documents related to the war in Yemen.

"We will make a special plea to any employee who has access to internal company deliberations which, if revealed, would undermine the company’s ability to continue its involvement in war crimes in Yemen," the organization said ahead of the protest. "We will urge such an employee to come forward with that information."

According to New York Times reporting, Raytheon has sold billions worth of bombs to Saudi Arabia since the war in Yemen began in 2015. Raytheon weapons have been identified in at least a dozen attacks on civilians, the newspaper reported.

While the Biden administration temporarily froze arms sales to Saudi Arabia in early 2021, a congressional effort to block $650 million in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, including 280 Raytheon missiles, failed last year.

"We’re asking workers to take a stand against Raytheon’s role in the war in Yemen," Massachusetts Peace Action said of their rally Thursday.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.