On Oct. 7, over 250 people came out to the New Federal Building in San Francisco to protest on the eighth anniversary of the war and occupation of Afghanistan. While the Obama administration, the Pentagon generals and Congress argue over whether and how much to expand the war they are losing, this protest called for ending the war now.
 |
Community members and activists formed a large picket in front of the Federal Building chanting, “Occupation is a crime; Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine,” “Wall Street’s war; we say no; the occupation’s got to go,” “No justice, no peace; U.S. out of the Middle East” and “No escalation; troops out now.” A Palestinian high school student led the picket in a spirited chant: “Free free Palestine, free free Iraq, free free Afghanistan!”
The demonstration, initiated by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), was supported by many Bay Area progressive organizations. The speakers at the rally included San Francisco Eight defendant Francisco Torres; Salvador Cordon, FMLN of El Salvador; Cristina Gutierrez, Barrio Unido; Jahahara Alkebulan-Maat, Black is Back Coalition; Carole Seligman, October 17th Coalition; Frank Lara, Party for Socialism and Liberation; Gloria La Riva, National Committee to Free the Cuban Five; Eddie Falcon, Iraq Vets Against the War; Bobby Coleman, Revolutionary Poets Brigade; Isabela Fernandes, Bay Area Latin America Solidarity Coalition; Mazda Majidi and Nathalie Hrizi, ANSWER Coalition; Janet Weil, Codepink; Noel Juan, World Can’t Wait; Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Military Out of Our Schools; Jackie Santos, Todo Puerto Rico con Puerto Rico; and Richard Becker of the ANSWER Coalition. Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council sent a solidarity message to the rally.
It was a pivotal day for activists to speak out against U.S. imperialist occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Haiti. The U.S. population is every day turning against the occupation. The Afghani people, like the Iraqi and Palestinian people, have shown a great capacity to continue to resist the U.S.-led brutal occupation.
The U.S. war profiteers will continue their murderous rampage that has caused the death and suffering of hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere unless we continue to take to the streets and demand an end to colonial occupation.
