By Monika Rekola, Orilliamatters, June 7, 2026

“There are other things that the factory can be producing that do not lead to the loss of human life and trauma and suffering,” said speaker at protest/vigil.

“Shut down Raytheon! Shut down the killing machines.”

That chant and others echoed Friday outside Raytheon ELCAN in Midland as dozens of protesters gathered for a grief vigil and protest tied to the ongoing war in Iran, Gaza and broader Middle East conflicts.

At several points throughout the gathering, shouts of “Shame!” erupted from the crowd following speeches accusing governments and manufacturers of complicity in war crimes and the deaths of children.

Organizers said the protest drew community members from Simcoe County, Owen Sound, Toronto, Newmarket and surrounding areas to Raytheon ELCAN’s Midland optical technologies and manufacturing facility on Leitz Road.

Participants carried Palestinian flags, signs and photographs of children while placing rows of children’s shoes, backpacks and paper peace lilies near the entrance to the facility during a moment of silence.

“We wanted this to be both a vigil and a protest,” organizer Becky Stein said prior to the event. “We want to honour the lives of those Minab school children, but we also want to raise awareness and put pressure on Raytheon.”

The demonstration centred around allegations that products manufactured at the Midland facility are linked to weapons systems used in international conflicts.

Raytheon ELCAN did not respond to multiple requests for comment by publication deadline.

Stein said organizers believe local residents should understand how Midland’s facility connects to global military conflicts.

“There are other things that the factory can be producing that do not lead to the loss of human life and trauma and suffering,” she said. “We want to gain allies both inside and outside of the facility.”

The gathering began at nearby Regent Park before participants walked together carrying shoes and flowers toward the Raytheon entrance while remaining on public property.

Organizers estimated the display aimed to symbolize the reported deaths of 156 children and teachers killed during what speakers described as a February 2026 missile strike on a girls’ school in Minab, Iran.

Several speakers addressed the crowd throughout the morning, including health-care workers and activists connected to Palestine solidarity groups.

Among those attending was Midland-area nurse Marie Tota, who arrived back in Canada late Thursday night after travelling from Crete following her involvement aboard the aid flotilla vessel Holy Blue.

Tota, who has remained vocal about the humanitarian mission in recent weeks following the flotilla’s interception at sea, delivered an emotional speech about the impact of war on children.

She alleged weapons components manufactured at the Midland facility contribute to violence overseas and accused governments of failing to intervene.

“Every action that we have taken here to stop the flow of weapons has not worked because our government is also complicit,” she said. “If we can’t stand up for the children in Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, then who can we stand up for?”

She called on the Canadian government to impose sanctions on Israel and strengthen restrictions surrounding weapons exports.

“Each of these shoes represents a collective failure of our society and our government,” Tota said. “It is far past time to correct that failure.”

Another organizer, Monica Chaudhuri, described the demonstration as a deliberately broad coalition effort rather than one tied to a single organization.

“There’s a number of different places people are coming from,” Chaudhuri said. “It’s a geographically diverse effort.”

The protest remained peaceful throughout the morning, with organizers repeatedly emphasizing they did not intend to trespass or disrupt operations at the facility.

“Our goal is to impact people who work there — to make them stop and think about what they’re doing,” Stein said.

The demonstration followed a similar protest held outside the Midland facility in 2024 during a national day of action connected to opposition to F-35 fighter jets.

Raytheon ELCAN Optical Technologies is a Midland-based subsidiary of U.S. aerospace and defence company RTX Corporation, manufactures optical and military systems including targeting technology, weapons guidance components and infrared imaging systems for military and commercial applications.

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