General Atomics' DC office added to anti-drone protest targets

Opponents of drone use plan to descend today (November 15) on the Washington DC offices of San Diego–based defense contractor General Atomics, manufacturers of the Reaper and Predator drones flown by governments worldwide but mostly noted for their use by American armed forces in overseas theaters.

According to a report from PCMag.com, anti-drone activists will follow their protest with an event billed as the Global Drone Summit, taking place Saturday at Georgetown Law Center nearby. The conference, in its second year, aims to bring together anti-war protesters (CodePink is a major organizer), academics, human-rights activists, family members of people killed by errant drone strikes in the Middle East, and former drone pilots.

Protests are nothing new at General Atomics — a group of local activists have been picketing the company's Poway facilities weekly for over a year. And a new group, Back Country Voices, formed recently to protest the use of San Diego airspace for drone-testing programs (more on this group via the Reader in the coming weeks).