A Bit of a Rant, A Bit of a Ramble: Public Shaming of Genociders in our Minnesotan Neighborhoods
Carols, a comic, and more
About the author: Anonymous is an anti-Zionist organizer in the Twin Cities.
Who doesn't love a good caroling during the holiday season? That's what we thought, too!
As the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is being conveniently covered up, Minnesotans play a large part in designing and producing the weapons of war being used to enact violence in Palestine. My fellow comrades and I decided to subvert the holiday season and condemn active innovators of genocide that live among us in our community through the joyous act of caroling!
It is all too easy for genociders to hide in the sprawling, twisted streets of the suburbs with their invasive and war-profiting jobs. From their McMansion houses and ring cameras, it is laughably easy to watch and police anything they're scared will disrupt their peace. The enablers and producers of genocide get to sleep, while their bombs, their patents, and their "hard work" literally destroys homes and families like theirs, in Gaza, the West Bank, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
We wanted to make sure that their community knew what they do for work, to help educate their neighbors on the horrors they profit from.
Now, in this particular neighborhood in Twin Cities suburbia, there is not one but TWO men who work for Northrop Grumman's neighborhood bomb factory. Bright and early on Christmas Eve, my comrades and I popped into their suburb and started merrily strolling down the street, distributing the season's greetings through pamphlets and songs about the predators that live protected in their cul-de-sacs!
Pamphlet #1
We had our lyrics all primed and ready, our songs practiced, ready to connect with anyone who wanted to know what we were doing. One of the first houses we came upon had some children outside, playing in the snow, and they asked us to sing them a song. We sang them a rousing, slightly panicked (because we didn't know all of the lyrics...) rendition of "Deck the Halls." We jaunted past, ready to sing our condemnation of the genocide to the folks in the neighborhood who didn't know about the evil work two men in their community do.
Pamphlet #2
Stop #1: Sing some carols to the Director of Engineering at Northrop Grumman!
Now, I don't know about you, but the songs that we sing at Christmas time definitely deserve to be updated to reflect the present times, don't you think? We reached our first destination, and sang to the director's ring camera (and very cute dog who was peering through the windows) because no one would answer our knocks or the doorbell. Enjoy these updated carols!
“Jingle Bells”
(Chorus)
Jingle bells / Your house smells / Northrop dropped a bomb
You're designing weapons / Don't you know that it's wrong?! / HEY
Jingle bells / Go to hell / We know what you build
Munitions and guidance kits / That should make you sick / HEY
(Verse)
Dashing to your home / To sing some songs silly songs
And we'll keep coming back / Until you quit your job
Your company is bad / You profit while kids die
You are fucking murderers / That should make you cry / HEY
“Last Bombmas” (sung to the tune of "Last Christmas")
(Chorus)
Last Christmas I paid all my tax / and the very next day you used them for bombs
This year to save me from tears / please fund all the public schools
(Verse)
Come out baby, don't be shy / You're so evil, how do you sleep at night?
Tell me, bad guy, do you recognize it? / The harm that you cause by making a profit?
Happy Bombmas, you wrapped them up and sent them / across the world to children who are innocent
Do you know what a tool you've been? / Profiting from genocide time and again?
(Chorus)
Last Christmas I paid all my tax / and the very next day you used them for bombs
This year to save me from tears / please fund all the public health care
After singing for a few minutes, we noticed that all of the neighbors that had previously been outside were not anymore. In fact, one woman rushed to unload her trunk and quickly shut the garage door in our faces as we started singing her our songs! We walked on, singing both regular and updated versions of some wintery songs on our way to stop #2.
But, guess who did want to hear our songs? Did you guess the police? If so, you'd be correct! Leave it to the scared, good ol' "neighborhood-watch" suburbanites to call the cops on Christmas Eve on a group of carolers.
As in, we weren't doing anything except for singing, laughing and facing the genocide with community, courage and truth.
1312 (ACAB) all day every day, and as the police followed us, we continued on our journey to spread awareness about the second innovator of genocide in the neighborhood through caroling.
As always, cops were copping, and they attempted to intimidate us through threats of citations and tickets for standing on private property while singing. Now remember- don't ever talk to cops! Even if they ask for your leader or information. Just stare at them. Or meow! Anyway- we walked on with a rousing (unedited) version of "Jingle Bells."
Stop #2: We were ready to continue singing with conviction at the house of staunch zionist and the Director of Supply Chain at Northrop Grumman. This lawn was peppered with We Stand with Israel signs.
You may not be as familiar with these tunes, but have no fear! Links are attached so you can hear the beautiful, haunting melodies these next two songs have.
(Chorus)
Even on Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah / You're still making weapons
Then dropping them on Bethlehem / and Lebanon and Yemen
Gather round the children / put bombs in their toys
Nothing left is sacred / except your fat paycheck
(Verse)
And while folks are dying / you sit and relax in your home
The bombs that you make / might be dropped far away / but the guilt will live deep in your bones
(Chorus)
On this Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah / you're still making weapons
Then dropping them on Bethlehem / and Lebanon and Yemen
Gather round the doctors / bomb a hospital
Nothing left is sacred / this genocide must end
This genocide must end / this genocide must end / this genocide must end / this genocide must end
“Weapons, Weapons, Weapons” (sung to the tune of "Dreidel, Dreidel Dreidel")
Weapons, weapons, weapons
You made them at your job
And when they're done and ready
Some lives you're gonna rob
As we finished singing to their ring camera, we walked away with the police following us closely. Fortunately, we were ready to leave grim suburbia behind. As we were leaving, the disconcerting, creepy siren that cop cars make when they are driving on sidewalks started in the local park. If you've never heard it, imagine a decrepit ice cream truck jingle, with sharp notes and tones that make your skin prickle. It's annoying to admit—but it did a good job of solidifying that we were ready to get out of that McMansion hellscape.
So, why am I writing this? For a few reasons.
The first is that, in Minnesota, we help fuel the military-industrial complex in many unique and horrifying ways. This map shows the staggering number of weapons manufacturing plants in our neighborhoods and communities, just here in the Twin Cities:
I don't believe that the folks who are working for these companies should get to fade into anonymity. Instead, they should realize that most Minnesotans don't want polluting, dangerous weapons being made next to their children's schools, soccer fields or apartments. I can't stop the US from sending Israel daily payments of $49+ million, but I can disrupt the status quo to provoke conversations in my communities and neighborhoods about the impact of their jobs. Read: jobs that develop tools and weapons to assist in annihilation of the Palestinian people.
Made in Plymouth...
...used to bomb Gaza (2024).
Pamphlet #3
Additionally, when I got home from caroling, I laughed—a bit manically, but laughed nonetheless—about the ridiculousness of it all. The caroling my comrades and I did demonstrate how many people are so scared of even making connections in their neighborhoods, let alone receiving information about problems and issues that affect them. So much so that they immediately cry to the police to get rid of the scary, COVID mask- and keffiyeh-wearing queers who are singing, which is not an illegal act.
I also am trying to articulate the connection between the fascism that is alive and well in the USA and the repression of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The military-industrial complex is so deeply interconnected in generating capitalism that the industry has effectively embedded itself into every community and neighborhood without many folks knowing. Simply bringing attention and educating people about the weapons manufacturing is enough to threaten capitalism, which in turn is protected by the police, racism and classism. Israel's occupation of Palestine has always been about profit and controlling resources and land. Because the Palestinian people are so steadfast in their love and care of the lands, for decades they have effectively slowed Israel's land theft, destruction and profiting off of Palestinian lands which otherwise would have been razed, built on and commodified for colonizers. The resistance against capitalist, colonizing and occupying regimes will always be interconnected with the similar struggles around the world.
All of this is to say—creativity in resistance scares people. Because it works. I can guarantee you there were conversations had on Christmas Eve, people wondering about the season's greeting pamphlets, wondering why the creepy air-police siren was going off in the park at 11 am, wondering why the cops were following some carols a group was singing throughout the neighborhood.
As we enter 2025, I personally don't have any expectations of the genocide being stopped, or political prisoners being released, or that my actions will impact the ruling capitalist bourgeoisie. Still I remind myself that resistance grows cell by cell. Day by day. Action by action.
Let's get creative as we resist fascism, as we resist the normalization of genocide, as we work towards a world that does not believe in the glorification of the military, violence, or force as profitable arms of capitalism.
Liberation is inevitable! Palestine will be free!
Please enjoy a comic of this absurd experience, drawn by a talented comrade.
Disturbing people's Christmas with horribly written parodies of Christmas carols is not the heroic look you think it is.