Join the protest against warmongers, AUKUS and weapons companies at IODS

Join the protest against warmongers, AUKUS and weapons companies at IODS: 24 July 2024!

Indian Ocean Defence & Security (IODS) is a talkfest and arms trade event. It’s primarily aimed at beefing up Australian militarism and defence under the guise of security. The conference event tagline, “where AUKUS meets the Quad” is explicitly about shoring up Australia’s alliance with the US and wider regional support for the drive to war on China.

Amidst Israel’s brutal genocide of the Palestinian people – and the West’s backing of it – we need to oppose the promotion of war and weapons in our city. Australia’s AUKUS partners, the US and UK, are also both major suppliers of weapons and intelligence to Israel. Together with Australia they are complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

Among the conference sponsors are arms merchants Babcock Australasia, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), L3 Harris, Thales and Navantia, each implicated in the genocide in Gaza. The first two of these sponsors, Babcock and HII, are in partnership with Curtin University – an IODSC Platinum sponsor – as part of the AUKUS Workforce Alliance.

We continue to call for Curtin and all universities to Disclose and Divest from weapons companies.

A touted conference highlight is the session with the three AUKUS partner Navy Chiefs (from the UK, US and Australia) on the deceptive glories and safety of nuclear powered submarines – in an attempt to justify Australia spending $368 billion on nuclear-powered subs.

A standout exhibitor and presenter is one of Israel’s major weapons companies, Rafael Systems out to promote its “precision-strike technology” responsible for the slaughter of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. There will be another action, organised by Students for Palestine WA, on Thursday 25th June at@ 12pm specifically against Israeli weapons company, Rafael.

For the sake of humanity and the planet, we need to stop the drive to war both in our region and in the middle east – before it turns nuclear.