CODEPINK, Madison and Burlington VT – Cancel the F35

Cancel the F-35 | James Marc Leas, March 28, 2023

Read the article online to find out more about activities in Burlington

MADISON – A nonviolent resistance action successfully blocked the shift change this morning at Truax ANG Base this morning, March 27, 2023. More than 40 activists, including CODEPINK took part in protesting the F-35 fighter jets, which are scheduled to come to Truax Field in Madison this spring.  These jets were opposed by the MMSD School Board and the Madison City Council.  Activists are calling on the Governor to change the mission of Truax ANG base to a peaceful one.  Today in Burlington, VT, the other F-35 base, activists are also demonstrating at their city council meeting. After activists successfully blocked the shift change at Truax, they headed to the capitol with an 18 foot banner that reads “Ground the F35”.

The group’s statement is below.

“We demand no F-35s here in Madison and no F-35s anywhere in the world. We primarily oppose this fighter jet as a weapon of war and recognize the harm it has caused and is intended to cause all over the globe.” Danaka Katovich National Co-Director of CODEPINK.

“We 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.

“We want the Governor to meet with a delegation of Safe Skies representatives in order to discuss the F-35 project and to propose a solution that will meet the needs and concerns of Madison residents and our local public official allies.  We want the Governor to negotiate with the Air Force to create a new mission for the Air National Guard at Truax Field.” – Safe Skies organizer Tom

The actions happening in Madison and Burlington are a part of an international campaign to end and ground the F-35 program. Over 200 organizations from across the globe have signed on to a letter calling for an cancellation of the F-35 program, an end to F-35 training in residential areas like South Burlington, Vermont and Madison, Wisconsin, and a reinvestment of the project’s funds to life affirming programs. We are making these demands based on the harm caused abroad, cost of the program to the taxpayer, inefficiencies and failures, the environmental impact of F-35s, and the effects training has on local communities.