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‘Good job’: Texas University students grill Lockheed representative, questioning firm's complicity in war crimes
In the midst of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, pro-Palestine protestors at the University of Texas at Dallas confronted Lockheed Martin's Senior Fellow.
In the midst of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, pro-Palestine protestors at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) confronted Lockheed Martin's Senior Fellow, expressing concerns about their involvement in contentious projects and the ethical implications surrounding the deaths of children in Gaza.
Protesting the defence contractor's presence in the university, ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ club members questioned Lockheed Martin Corporation, the US aerospace, arms and defence firm.
In a video shared on social media, a Lockheed Martin official can be seen delivering a speech at the Texas University, where he was grilled by the students.
"You have an impressive resume during the 18 years that you spent working on F22 jets and the year since that you worked on the F35. If you were to give an estimate, how many children do you think you've killed?" the first student asked.
"I don't even know how to answer that question nor will I give it a shot," the high-ranking Lockheed Martin employee said in a reply.
Also Read: US anti-semitic incidents up 400% since Israel-Hamas war began: Report
Another student questioned, "What can you share about company's culture and working with a team of genocide supporters and murderers?"
“That's another one I am not going to answer because that's not who I work with,” the US aerospace worker responded.
"I am just wondering as, let's say an intern working as a system engineer or software engineer.. I don't know if you will be able to speak on this, but would you be working on a small part of those systems or you working on projects with business impact? Would you be kind of doing a small, little side project or would I be able to directly contribute to the murder of Palestine children?" the third student inquired.
Lockheed Martin supplies the Israeli Air Force with F-16 and F-35 planes, which Israel has extensively employed to attack Gaza. It also offers F-35 helmet-mounted display systems, training, and maintenance services to Israel.
‘Hats off to these kids’: Internet reacts to the video
After the video of the event when viral on social media, some X users hailed the students for countering the Lockheed Martin employee amid the ongoing war.
“I have watched this a few times. The kids are gold. I tip my hat to their sense of justice and not being afraid to speak up,” one X user wrote.
Another reacted, “Sheeesh! Hats off to these kids. The absolute LEAST we can do is make these people uncomfortable”.
"Awesome. Good job kids, I'm proud of you. You will change the world, a third user chimed in.
However, one person asked, “Is it the engineers’ fault how the products are used?”
The war began on October 7 when Hamas terrorists poured into southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people, including civilians, and kidnapping nearly 250 men, women, and children.
Following this, Israel launched attack on Gaza, killing over 29,000 Palestinians since October 7, according to the territory's Health Ministry.
