FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2023

Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]

Fed up with F-35s: Impacted Communities Fight Back Against Harmful, Costly Fighter Jet Program

MULTIPLE CITIES – From Madison, WI to Burlington, VT, community members participate in nationwide days of action calling for an end to the F-35 fighter jet program. In Burlington, residents are demanding F-35 training in their community stop and the program come to an end. In Madison, residents are trying to stop the F-35 training from coming to their community. In response to the United States persistence in wasting American tax-dollars on this costly and inefficient weapon of war, Burlington and Madison will hold days of action March 27-28. 

Despite being designed to outclass every other aircraft on the market, the F-35 has been plagued by numerous design issues, including fuel leakage, engine fires, and even a faulty ejector seat. These issues have caused the military to ground all F-35s on at least two occasions since 2016.

Most importantly, residents from Burlington, VT and Madison, WI are strongly opposed to having this dangerous and unnecessary aircraft stationed in their town. Having an active training base near residential neighborhoods increases pollution levels and causes noise pollution problems for homeowners who live nearby. 

“I am excited to stand with the people of Madison with CODEPINK for their convergence against war and against the F-35. Our demands are about more than just keeping the F-35 out of the Midwest. We want to keep the F-35 out of everywhere. Out of Vermont. Out of Europe. Out of Canada, and out of Palestine! We primarily oppose the jet as a weapon of war and are excited to be organizing against it in the U.S.” said Danaka Katovich, CODEPINK’s National Co-Director.

Madison will host the 20th Catholic Worker Midwest Faith and Resistance Gathering. Attendees will use the weekend to prepare for nonviolent resistance actions in Madison on Monday, March 27 to oppose war and F-35 fighter jets.  

Nearly 100 Catholic Workers will converge from Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and be joined by Madison area activists and CODEPINK Chicago.

 "Activist leaders from around the US will be here in Madison to lead a weekend of preparations, then strong nonviolent actions on Monday to call for grounding the F-35 fighter jets, gun control at the Pentagon, and war abolition: an end to the organized mass murder called war." - Janet Parker, Madison for a World BEYOND War.

In Burlington, the newly formed Vermont Anti-War Coalition plans to take their demands to two City of Burlington meetings. As residents in Burlington point out - the city owns the airport and has the power to halt the F-35 training at its airport. 

They will raise the issue at both the City Council, Monday March 27, Public Forum at 7:30 pm and The Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee (TEUC), Tuesday, March 28 Public Forum at 5 pm. Airport Direction Nic Longo will be presenting a report on aviation emissions, including F-35 emissions at the TEUC meeting.

Both Burlington and Madison join communities across the globe in the demand to end the F-35, Late 2022, over 200 orgs from across the globe signed on to a letter calling for the cancellation of the F-35 program. 

For more information regarding the days of action or the campaign to Ground the F-35, please contact Danaka Katovich at [email protected].

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