BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Great State of Maine Air Show is marketed as a weekend-long event of planes swooping through the sky with incredible aerial performances to leave the community in awe.
However, groups standing outside the show on Saturday had a different message to send about its intentions.
The Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights organized a protest to encourage people not to attend the show over questions regarding the ethics of its headlining act: the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
"We object this use of our tax dollars and we object to warplanes as entertainment," Lisa Savage with Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights said.
The group compared the planes on display to those being flown over Gaza, for very different purposes.
"If you were a child in Gaza, you would be hearing that noise constantly and it wouldn't be for entertainment, you would be waiting to see if a bomb was going to drop on your family's home," Savage said.
The group objects to the U.S. government's involvement in the war in Israel and says the air show glamorizes the U.S. military and its power. However, organizers struggle to see the connection.
"The purpose of the air show is to inspire the community," Mary Breen, the marketing director for the Air Show Network, said.
Breen said she's amazed by the positive effect the show has, specifically on younger crowds.
"It's amazing to see the kids' reactions, whether they're checking out the planes on the ground or watching the planes flying," Breen said.
Yet, that inspiration is another point advocates said makes the show deceptive.
"It's actively designed to be fun, almost video game-esque for these kids and make them think this is something that would be an exciting career for them instead of something that's potentially very dangerous for them and is guaranteed to be very dangerous for people across the world," Rosemary Corkins with Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights said.
Corkins believes there is an unspoken goal of recruiting youths, but Breen said their mission is very straightforward and community-focused, referencing that all the booths at the show are staffed by local nonprofits.
"There's nothing negative or ill-willed, it's a great way for guests of the show to give back to local groups and support their community," Breen said.
But no matter what positives come out of the event, those who oppose it are insistent a dark cloud hangs over the joy.
"There's no way to separate this from that genocide that is happening because this is a site that will see an increased rate in Maine youth signing up," Corkins said.
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