© Kareem al-Mrrany / APChildren's backpacks at the site of an airstrike in Saada, Yemen
The world's largest defense contractor and one of the top defense manufacturers posted a tweet last week, asking Twitter users to send them an "amazing photo" of a Lockheed Martin item. It is unclear what the company expected to receive, given that it produces deadly weapons of war, but the campaign backfired spectacularly.
The "amazing photos" Lockheed received show what appear to be parts of their own missile that struck a Yemeni school bus, killing dozens, as well as children's school backpacks covered with blood. The initial tweet was deleted, but screenshots taken by vigilant users are circulating on social media.
They must be very proud of the product placement," Twitter user Jason Wallace said.
"Blood on their hands: Lockheed Martin!" another wrote.
Lockheed's initial tweet coincided with reports that one of their 500-pound laser-guided MK 82 bombs was used in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a school bus in Yemen earlier this month. The attack left more than 50 dead, most of them children. The same bomb made headlines in 2016 when the Saudi-led coalition bombed a community hall in Sanaa where a funeral was taking place, killing more than 140 people and wounding 525 others.
The US has repeatedly come under fire from NGOs and even US lawmakers to stop arms supplies to the Saudis, who are leading the bombing campaign in Yemen. Despite this, the Pentagon went on to award Lockheed Martin key contracts to supply weapons to the coalition.
The Saudi-led coalition's actions have been repeatedly condemned by rights groups and the UN. It has left behind thousands of civilian casualties and has triggered a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. More than 22 million Yemenis need assistance, with 60 percent of the population lacking food and more than half of the country left without basic medical services.
Reader Comments
Maybe this is a good use of social media, start lighting up the likes Twitter and Facebook with war horror photos and draw attention to the insanity. Social Media sites could put their money where their mouth is and not delete them.