From Indigenous Displacement to Arming Israel- Citizens are Standing Up to Indian Island
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Protesters outside Indian Island Naval Magazine. Photo by G. Dobyns [/caption]
By Sara Post and G. Dobyns
150 people rallied in solidarity with Palestine and against arms transfers to Israel in front of the gates of Naval Magazine Indian Island on September 22. The weapons depot, located 10 miles southeast from downtown Port Townsend, houses a deep-water ammunition pier, providing munitions to US Navy vessels leaving the Pacific Northwest headed to the Middle East. People representing Clallam, King, Kitsap, and Jefferson Counties demonstrated their opposition to this complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the recent wave of bombings in Lebanon with speakers, signs, and actions.
Under overcast skies, Palestinian flags, banners, and protest signs waved as activists, faith leaders and tribal members gathered to “Confront the Warmakers”--a historic nod to the 1967 protests against the Vietnam War at the Pentagon. Lummi tribal member Zumi Lane opened the event with a traditional song and spoke about connections between colonialism, genocide, and ecocide on Turtle Island and Palestine. Describing the 70,000 tons of bombs dropped on the Gaza Strip–the most densely populated area on Earth–Zumi stated that “we are all standing here today because this is the worst thing we have ever witnessed, let alone funded with our tax dollars.”
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People from all over western Washington gathered to hear speakers at the park opposite Indian Island base. Photo by G. Dobyns. [/caption]
Multiple speakers drew a connection between war, ecological destruction, and the dispossession of Indigenous lands in the Pacific Northwest and in Palestine. Lane emphasized that “we are relative to the earth because when we damage our ecosystem, we damage our own life source… Right now this pale blue dot is being colonized on every corner.” Echoing other Indigenous organizers of the event, she spoke of the Chemakum peoples’ violent displacement from Port Townsend, with some initially relocating to Indian Island until they were displaced again by eminent domain in the 1930s. University of Washington (UW) professor of Persian literature and translation Aria Fani spoke about the landscape of Palestine. Citing Hebrew poet Esther Raab’s criticism of the Zionist slogan “making the desert bloom,” he said, “[by] making the desert bloom, you are already at war with the ecology that is going to sustain you and provide you with safe haven.”
Fani spoke at length about his student and friend Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old UW graduate killed by an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) sniper in the West Bank on September 6, 2024. “She wanted to participate in the long-standing tradition of bearing witness to oppression and to the dignified resilience of people who stand up to oppression day in and day out.” He went on to implore: “Let her death continue animating this fight. [....] This is not just a fight for Palestinians; this is a fight for all that gives life, for all that breathes.” He also repeated the requests of Aysenur’s family for an independent investigation into her death.
Following the speakers, most rally participants walked to the roadway dividing US Naval land from public park land. People sang songs and held signs on either side of the road. The response from drivers passing by was largely positive, with many slowing down to honk or wave in support. Despite warnings from naval officers from the other side of the gates, a group of approximately 15 people walked directly up to the main gates and left baby shoes, shrouded dolls, and signs on the gates before walking back to the county park, while another small group planted a sapling near the main sign. No one was arrested at the event.
Many attending the event were learning about Indian Island for the first time. However, a subset of participants stated that they had been urging the community to protest for months and in some cases, years. Several attendees, including members of Jefferson County Palestine Solidarity (JCPS), were involved in urging the Port Townsend city council to adopt a ceasefire resolution earlier this year, which included a line highlighting the transport of weapons through Port Townsend Bay to Israel via Indian Island. Although Port Townsend city council passed a ceasefire resolution on January 23rd, 2024, the final version omitted reference to Indian Island. Further scrutiny has been drawn to the Indian Island since January 2024, when County Commissioner Kate Dean publicly stated that the weapons depot supplies Tomahawk missiles to Israel.
Among those who walked to the gates was another longtime activist, Doug Millholland, host of the annual “Father’s Day vigil” at Indian Island. In an interview with Millholland on the morning following the Sept 22 event, he said that he started paying attention to the weapons transfer depot in the late 1990s when he and his wife learned that depleted uranium munitions were transported from the base to the killing fields in Afghanistan and Iraq. He states– “As a Quaker activist, it deeply pleased me that the intent of those who came yesterday was focused on leading from the heart. The men with guns at the gates stood back. And we were able to decorate it with children’s shoes and small dolls.” And he added– “For everyone who was there, thank you. For those who read this and understand more of what happened, perhaps next time you’ll join.”
