On this day, 2 November 1970, actor and Vietnam GI resistance supporter Jane Fonda was arrested at Cleveland airport as she returned from an event put on by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in Canada and charged with drug smuggling. The following day Fonda was also charged with supposedly kicking a police officer, when a more famous mugshot was taken as she raised her fist in defiance at the police. Both charges were bogus – the “drugs” were vitamin tablets – and they were both later dismissed. Although Fonda is clear that the intention was to discredit her due to her valuable support for the GI anti-war movement. In addition to being a patron of VVAW, Fonda was a leading organiser of and participant in the FTA (Fuck The Army) tour, and anti-war alternative to the USO shows to serving GIs.
More info about this movement in our two-part podcast episode: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/08/06/e10-the-gi-resistance-in-vietnam-part-1/https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1572193169632494/?type=3
