On Nov. 10, protestors gathered on the steps of San Francisco’s city hall to demand an end to martial law in Pakistan, an end to the dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf and to end U.S support of the dictatorship. A crowd ranging from 50 to 100 people rallied on city hall’s step and then marched to a busy corner, chanting and delivering spirited speeches. Signs were displayed in both English and Urdu with slogans such as “Busharraf,” “End martial law,” and “Go Musharraf go.”
Mazda Majidi of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) spoke about the United States government’s control of the Musharraf dictatorship. He connected U.S support of Musharraf’s repressive rule to the occupation of Iraq and to the overarching war against the people of the Middle East. He extended solidarity to the struggle of the Pakistani people and emphasized that the people have the right to determine their own destiny.
Musharraf called for emergency rule on Nov. 3. Since then, there has been a crackdown on opposition forces.
The Friends of South East Asia and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (or Move for Justice) called and organized for the action. ANSWER, along with the other organizations, sponsored the demonstration.
The San Francisco protest coincided with dozens of other demonstrations taking place across the United States and in Europe.
