Chants of “Free Bradley Manning” filled the air on Sept. 19 at Quantico Marine Base during a spirited rally in support of Private First Class Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of releasing the notorious “Collateral Murder” video to Wikileaks.
 PSL Photo |
The demonstration was part of International Days of Action in Solidarity with Manning. In addition to the protest in Quantico, Va., events took place in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington State and elsewhere across the United States and around the world.
Manning is being held at the Quantico Marine Base Prison, about one hour south of Washington, D.C. If convicted, he will face up to 52 years in prison.
The crowd was there to demand freedom for Bradley Manning and punishment for the real criminals, those who have committed war crimes. Demonstrators held signs saying, “Free Bradley Manning” and “The War is Criminal.”
Speaking on behalf of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), Nicholas Powell told the crowd: “Those who have committed war crimes, including the top brass, should be held accountable and put on trial—and Bradley Manning should be set free. Bradley Manning and anybody else who helps tell the truth about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are heroes, and history will remember them as such.”
Demonstrators held signs saying, “The War is Criminal.” Iraq war veteran Josh Steiber told the crowd: “What was shown in the WikiLeaks video is again pretty typical and not extraordinary. That’s what the war looks like. Civilians were harmed worse than what was shown in that video.” Steiber served in the company that appears in the WikiLeaks video, Bravo Company 2/16.
Today, the U.S. government is occupying and destroying the sovereign countries of Afghanistan and Iraq with high-tech weaponry and creating mass carnage. It is up to the masses of people to demand the freedom of Bradley Manning and an end to the criminal occupations overseas!
