On October 26, demonstrators gathered in Albuquerque calling for an end to U.S. intervention and imperialism.
The speak out event was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and co-hosted by Stop the War Machine. Speakers included local members of ANSWER and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Demonstrators held signs that read “Hands off Yemen” and “U.S. out of the Middle East” gathered at First and Central avenues in downtown Albuquerque. Passersby—by foot or car—took notice of the demonstration and responded with positive approval, whether by honking horns or with encouraging shout-outs. These bustling city streets had the usual noise of a Friday evening with heavy car and foot traffic but the loud chants of the comrades could be easily heard.
Demonstrators chanted: “What do we want? No more war. When do we want it now!”The message of the speak-out was clear: The working class of New Mexico stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen and against the aggressive alliance of the imperialist United States and the corrupt monarchy of Saudi Arabia.
Demonstrators stood up to speak out about how the horrors of Yemen result from U.S. objectives in the Middle East to dominate the resource-rich and strategically important area. This strategy has led the U.S. to align itself with Saudi Arabia by providing powerful weapons and advice in this tragic war against Yemen.
“Why don’t we hear anything about Yemen?” asked Kate Barr as she took to the microphone. Many speeches of the evening highlighted corporate media’s refusal to cover Yemen’s plight. “It’s because doing so would expose the United States and its partner in crime Saudi Arabia for what they really are—which is murderers. Millions of Yemeni people are starving from U.S. backed blockades and the destructive power of bombs made right here in the United States. They [the United States] are active participants in the starvation and murder of thousands. There’s been 17,000 airstrikes on Yemen.”
University student and ANSWER coalition member Jacob Ortega spoke, “Since 2015 the United States aided and funded Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen. This war on Yemen has resulted in the deaths of thousands of working people in Yemen. The people of Yemen aren’t the only ones being affected by the war though. U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia is $210 billion. This is money that the U.S. government say that we don’t have. This is money that could wipe out poverty in America.”
Other speakers highlighted how imperialist wars also have devastating consequences for the working-class at home.
Karina Rodgers stated: “So, the U.S. military and imperialism poses a humanitarian crisis to the world, and we are not separated from that. Here in New Mexico, Sandia Labs has poisoned our water with nuclear waste, we are not stranger to this!”
The speak-out on the corner of two of Albuquerque’s busiest streets amplified voices and chants as a way to reach the community. More people are waking up to the atrocities that U.S. aggression is responsible for in Yemen. We demand an end to U.S. intervention in Yemen and the entire Middle East!
