Originally published in Catalan
We call for the cancellation of the Aviation Week, a clear example of the connections between colonialism, racism, militarism, and the destruction of the planet and our cities!
On October 23-24, the Aviation Week (MRO) will take place at the Fira de Barcelona, a consortium that includes, among other administrations, the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia. The MRO Aviation Week, organized by Informa Markets (United Kingdom), contributes to the promotion of pollution and global warming, the hyper-tourism of our cities, and even genocide, as several aviation and defense companies profiting from the current extermination being committed in Gaza are invited.
One of these companies is Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which is 100% owned by the Israeli government, one of the largest arms manufacturers in the country and the creator of the Heron killer drone, playing a key role in Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Another invited Israeli company is TAT Technologies, a supplier to the Israeli Air Force, which has increased its services to the Israeli Ministry of Defense since October 2023. The third Israeli company invited is Qualtero, which also counts the Israeli army among its clients. The list of invitees also includes the world’s largest arms companies, such as Lockheed Martin, RTX (formerly Raytheon, through its subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace), and Boeing, which supply Israel with weapons and other military equipment used in its attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria since October 2023. These companies were explicitly named by UN experts on June 20, who called for an end to their arms transfers to the State of Israel or risk complicity in “serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law.” In addition, 16 companies have been identified as part of the supply chain for the F-35 fighter jets, which Israel is extensively using in its current attacks on Gaza.
Israel is currently under investigation by the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing genocide against the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip. In the context of this judicial process and in light of the overwhelming evidence, the Court has adopted precautionary measures to try to halt the massacre. In these measures, the Court has reminded all members of the international community that “they have an obligation to prevent the crime of genocide.” The ICJ’s orders are legally binding on the Spanish state and its various public administrations within the scope of their respective competencies.
Third states not only have the obligation, established by international law, not to support the commission of illegal acts, but must also consider that their military or other assistance to Israel’s military operations in Gaza could expose them to the risk of complicity in genocide, as established by the Convention on Genocide.
In a context where Israel has already killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and is using hunger and thirst as weapons of war, destroying hospitals and schools, and bringing catastrophe to the entire Gaza Strip, it is not only immoral for the Fira de Barcelona to allow the participation of these types of companies, but the members of the Fira consortium could be complicit in severe violations of human rights and international law.
Moreover, the Aviation Week promotes the aviation industry in all its forms, whose impact on global warming is enormous and continues to grow year after year: today, this sector generates more than 6% of annual greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) worldwide, and is therefore responsible for a significant part of the severe climate impacts. In this context, it is also important to remember that the global military carbon footprint is approximately 5.5% of total global emissions.
To further demonstrate the interconnection between human and environmental security, in 2023 Lockheed Martin and RTX were the two main contractors for the United States Department of Defense, the institution that holds the record as the world’s largest consumer of fossil fuels and the largest polluter.
In Barcelona, which claims to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change with a Climate Plan (2018) and a Climate Emergency Declaration (2020), and in Catalonia, which has a Climate Change Law (2017) intended to be an “international reference” in its development, there is no place for the celebration of a fair promoting the aviation industry, which, in addition to worsening global warming, significantly harms the health of people and ecosystems due to the direct effects it produces.
A clear example of this is Barcelona’s airport, which in 2019 had associated CO2e emissions of 8.4 million tons, more than double all emissions from energy consumption in the city of Barcelona. Its activity negatively affects the health of 2.7 million people and many other living beings.
In 2022, the European Union Court of Justice condemned Spain for its systematic failure to comply with the community air quality regulations in Madrid and the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Aviation Week does not contribute to improving these scenarios. Yet, it is presented as a “sustainable” event, a blatant absurdity when, on one hand, it promotes an ultra-polluting industry, and on the other hand, it invites more than 10,000 attendees, many of whom will arrive in Barcelona by plane.
Lastly, it should also be added that trade show and congress tourism is largely responsible for the fact that more than 30 million people visit Barcelona annually, a number that is totally disproportionate and excessive (given the 1.7 million people who live there), which overcrowds and privatizes the city and negatively impacts all aspects of its functioning (transport, housing, resource consumption, etc.). The city cannot accommodate more visitors, especially not in the same month that extra visitors are expected due to the America’s Cup sailing event.
For all these reasons, the undersigned organizations call on Fira de Barcelona, the Barcelona City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Government of Catalonia to prohibit the celebration of Aviation Week, as it includes public and private, Israeli and international companies profiting from the current situation of genocide and ecocide in Gaza and contributes to the destruction of the planet and our cities.
We also demand that Fira de Barcelona issue a public declaration of firm commitment to human rights in any activity carried out in its space and convey this to the Catalan society and the organizer, Informa Markets.
