On March 27, in Baltimore, the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) held a protest against the former top commander of U.S./NATO forces in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal. Protesters from Maryland and Washington, D.C., gathered to protest outside the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where McChrystal was speaking.Other endorsing organizations included March Forward!, World Can’t Wait, War Criminals Watch, Party for Socialism and Liberation, American-Iranian Friendship Committee, Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore/Fund Our Communities and others.
Protesters held placards and chanted, calling for McChrystal’s the arrestfor war crimes. The protesters also spoke out against the war in Afghanistan, which has caused thousands of civilian deaths.
The protesters stood directly across the street from the main entrance and were seen and heard by the hundreds of people who came to hear McChrystal speak, and many stopped to listen. Many cars honked in solidarity with the protesters, and in addition, many bystanders approached the protesters to give words of support and get more information.
For five years, McChrystal was the head of the Joint Special Operations Command, a highly secretive force within the U.S. military, which carries out covert operations ranging from combat missions to assassinations. In addition, McChrystal is known for operating “ghost” camps, which are used to torture and humiliate prisoners. A former interrogator in one of these camps wrote,
“It was a point of pride that the Red Cross would never be allowed in the door. … Once, somebody brought it up with the colonel. ‘Will they ever be allowed in here?’ And he said absolutely not. He had this directly from General McChrystal and the Pentagon that there’s no way that the Red Cross could get in—they won’t have access and they never will. This facility was completely closed off to anybody investigating, even Army investigators.” (Esquire, Sept. 21, 2009)
McChrystal was fired in 2010 as the top commander of U.S./NATO forces in Afghanistan, but his murderous policies in Afghanistan have continued.
Immediately after he was fired, he was hired as a Senior Fellow at Yale University to teach a seminar in leadership and globalization. At Yale, students and community members protested his teaching position because of his murderous role in the Middle East.
Additionally, McChrystal signed a contract with a Washington-based agency for speaking engagements around the country, where he reportedly earns up to $60,000 per engagement.
McChrystal has the blood of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans on his hands. He should be held accountable for his actions, and he should be protested wherever he goes.
