The report below was originally published by the ANSWER Coalition.
As demonstrations took place across the country to mark the eighth
anniversary of the “shock and awe” invasion of Iraq, bombs and
missiles began raining down on the people of Libya. The ANSWER Coalition
immediately put out a call for protests to take place across the country to
demand “Stop the bombing of Libya.”
Demonstrations took place in cities and towns nationwide, including
Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; New Haven,
Connecticut; Naples, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston,
Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Albuquerque, New Mexico; New York City,
New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Greenville and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina;
Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; as well as
internationally, including in El Salvador and Canada.
Please see below for reports and photographs from several cities.
Washington, D.C.
 Washington, D.C., March 26 Photo: Matt Murray |
On March 26, protesters gathered
directly in front of the White House to show their opposition to the bombing
campaign being carried out by the U.S. government and other imperialist
countries. For hours, they chanted slogans such as “War in Libya—We say NO!
U.S. intervention has got to go!” as others stood just feet away chantinga in
support of intervention while holding Libyan, U.S., French, British and
Canadian flags.
Brian Becker, the National
Coordinator of Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, explained to the many
media outlets, tourists and those demonstrating on other issues why the group
had gathered:
“In order to understand the war in
Libya, it is important to understand the historic role of those governments
that are now bombing Libya—Africa’s largest producer of oil. Britain and France
cruelly colonized Africa to exploit its resources and to profit off the labor
of African people. The United States grew rich off of the enslavement of
millions of African people. It is inconceivable that these same powers could be
intervening in Libya because of their tender concern for democracy or freedom.
“They are at war against Libya
because they hope that the outcome will be the creation of a client regime in
Tripoli or a partition of the oil-rich eastern part of the country with a new
governing authority that would be beholden to the Western governments who are
bombing today. We are here to stand in opposition to the illegal, criminal
bombing of Libya, and to assert that the Libyan people—and they alone—should
determine the destiny of their country.”
Throughout the event, many groups
of families and students visiting the White House showed their support by
holding signs and signing a petition against the war.
The demonstration was initiated by
the ANSWER Coalition and was attended by activists from D.C., Maryland,
Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and by other progressive
organizations, including the FMLN-DC (Farabundo Marti National Liberation
Front).
New York City
 New York City, March 23 Photo: Karina Garcia |
Despite below-freezing temperatures
and a “wintry mix” of hail, snow and rain that preceded and followed the event,
protesters stood their ground in front of the Armed Forces Recruiting Station
in Times Square to say no to the imperialist attack on Libya. The New York City
demonstration was initiated by the ANSWER Coalition and took place on March 23.
It was the first of many coordinated events that took place across the United
States March 23-26.
Even with NYPD cars parked on the
small island that houses the Recruiting Station and cops standing nearby to
prevent the use of mechanized sound, everyone held their ground and made their
voices heard, chanting “Libya for Libyans—Not for Wall Street dividends” and
“Money for jobs and education—Not for war and occupation.”
Participants included activists
with the ANSWER Coalition and World Can’t Wait, high school and college
students, teachers, and other workers who had taken the day off or left work
early so they could participate. Several passers-by, including New Yorkers and
tourists, joined in the picket line to express their opposition to the bombing
campaign that had begun just four days earlier.
Austin, Texas
 Austin, Texas, March 23 Photo: Patrick Moore |
A spirited group of demonstrators
gathered at the corner of 6th and Lamar in Austin on March 23 to demand an immediate end to
the bombing of Libya.
Austinites from all walks of life showed their support;
pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike expressed their disapproval of the war.
Some picked up signs and joined the protest. Others signed a petition.
The overwhelming support and
enthusiasm that the people of Austin showed the demonstrators points to the
fact that the vast majority of workers in the United States are fed up with war
and want to see that money used instead to meet human needs.
San Francisco
 San Francisco, March 23 Photo: Bill Hackwell |
Outside the New Federal Building
anti-war and community activists gathered for an emergency demonstration on
March 23 in San Francisco to condemn the United States and NATO bombing
campaign in Libya.
Around 5 p.m., people gathered and
began picketing with signs reading “Stop U.S./French/British War on Libya,”
“War in Libya: $100+Million Per Day” and “U.S. Imperialism OUT of the Middle
East!”
The rally began with a moment of
silence for Leonard Weinglass—civil rights lawyer and strong supporter of the
sovereign rights of countries in their struggle with U.S. imperialism—who had
passed away earlier that day of cancer.
Following the respectful silence,
Dr. Henry Clark of the West County Toxics Coalition came to the microphone and
pointed out the connections between the U.S. thirst for oil profits and its
intervention in Libya, which has the largest oil reserve in Africa.
Several speakers, including an Iraq
war veteran, a representative of Code Pink and Richard Becker, West Coast
Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, all spoke on the hypocrisy of U.S.
imperialism bombing any country for “humanitarian” reasons.
Saul Kanowitz with the Party for
Socialism and Liberation highlighted the ridiculous claim to be “protecting
civilians” on the part of the imperialist members of the U.N. Security Council.
For instance, he pointed out that France had massacred millions of Algerians in
their colonization of North Africa, and Britain had carved up the Middle East
and North Africa with the Sykes-Picot treaty for their own colonial profits.
Leila Al-Lahham and Frank Lara of
the ANSWER Coalition held down the microphone throughout the rally as MCs,
unifying the picketers in the rain with chants like “Humanitarian aid, it’s a
lie, bombs fall and people die!”
It was a successful demonstration
at the time when it is most important to speak out against and defend the
sovereignty of Libya as it is being attacked by U.S. imperialism and its
allies.
Baltimore
 Baltimore, March 24 Photo: Aurora Bonucci |
Despite chilling winds and a frigid
temperature, a spirited rally in Baltimore demanded an end to the war on Libya.
On March 24, Baltimore community members and activists gathered at McKeldin Square near the Inner Harbor for
a rally condemning the U.S., French and British war on Libya. The rally was
initiated by the ANSWER Coalition of Baltimore as part of a national call for
demonstrations against the war on Libya.
The diverse, multinational crowd
carried signs that read “Money for jobs and schools, not war against Libya!”
This message resonates with a city where poverty and unemployment rates are on
the rise while schools are severely underfunded. But the crowd was not only concerned with
domestic issues that are continuously neglected by the U.S. government, but
also showed solidarity with all victims of imperialist plunder, chanting “From
Baghdad to Tripoli, stop the U.S. war machine.”
Participants drew connections
between wars in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, and pointed out that the bombing
of Libya began exactly eight years after the invasion of Iraq.
Chicago
 Chicago, March 24 Photo: Ana Santoyo |
On March 24 in Chicago people came
out on a below-freezing night to join a militant picket outside the downtown
federal building to demand an end to the bombing of Libya. The emergency
protest was initiated by the ANSWER Coalition.
Protesters unfurled a large banner
that read “Stop the War on Libya Now!” Dozens of placards demanded “Money for
Jobs and School, Not for War on Libya!” and “U.S. Out of the Middle East!”
The protest was joined by members
of many Chicago-area anti-war groups and by members of the American Muslim
Alliance. Hundreds of ANSWER Coalition statements, titled “This is not a war
for democracy,” were passed out to people walking by the downtown action.
Speaking at the protest, ANSWER Chicago
coordinator John Beacham said, “This new war on Libya is not about democracy or
humanitarian intervention. The bombs raining down on Libya are not saving
lives, they are killing civilians and destroying whole sections of urban
infrastructure … all so Washington and Wall Street, the occupiers of Iraq and
Afghanistan, can attempt to enforce their will on the largest producer of oil
in Africa.
“The Pentagon is bombing Libya and
backing the brutal crackdowns in Yemen and Bahrain in order to halt and reverse
the revolutions happening in Tunisia and Egypt, and throughout the region. We
oppose the U.S., French and British war against Libya because it is a savage
attempt of the former colonizers of Libya and Africa to strike a blow against
the new freedom struggle in the Arab world. We must stand up to Washington and
say, ‘Hands off the People of the Middle East and Africa!’”
Los Angeles
As it rained bombs in Libya,
protesters assembled in Los Angeles at the Westwood Federal Building on March
24 to demand an end to this new U.S./NATO war.
Students and workers carried signs
that read “No U.S./U.N. War on Libya” to show their opposition to the
authorization of a no-fly zone over Libya and the beginning of bombing.
The demonstration was opened by
Iraq war veteran Mike Prysner, co-founder of March Forward!, the veterans and
service members affiliate of the ANSWER Coalition, who demanded: “The U.S.
government must stop bombing Libya immediately. These are the same bombs that
were dropped in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Libyan people must decide how to run
their country—not the U.S. government.”
Following his statement, the crowd
began chanting “Libya for Libyans—not for Wall Street dividends” and “No
justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East.” Numerous cars passing the
protest honked in solidarity. The number of protesters increased as
pedestrians walking nearby joined the demonstration.
As it began to rain, few
demonstrators budged. Instead, they began to chant louder, saying “We’ve seen
this all before—same story, different war.”
Hector, an electrician holding a
sign that read “$ for jobs and schools, not war against Libya,” remarked: “They
say they’re going to do one thing and they do another. They say they are going
to help Libya but they are bombing Libya. The government cannot help them by
dropping bombs.”
Minneapolis
 Minneapolis, March 26 Photo: Emergency Committee |
Over 40 people joined an emergency protest in Minneapolis on Friday,
March 25 to show opposition to the U.S. -led bombing of Libya.
Participants gathered at a busy intersection in the city’s West Bank
neighborhood with signs and banners. Slogans included “U.S. Hands off Libya”
and “Stop the U.S. War Against Libya.”
The protest in Minneapolis was supported by Anti-War Committee,
Emergency Committee to Stop U.S. War in Libya, Mayday Bookstore, Students for a
Democratic Society (U of M), Twin Cities Peace Campaign and Women Against
Military Madness.
A statement issued by organizers said in part, “The U.S. attack on
Libya is not a ‘humanitarian intervention.’ This is a war launched to try and
control the oil resources of the region. This new war is costing billions,
while schools are closed, working people lose their homes to foreclosure, and
millions face unemployment. We needs funds for job, housing, schools and human
needs, not a new war.”
Boston
 Boston, March 26 Photo: ANSWER Boston |
Local anti-war activists and
students gathered at Boston’s Park St. Station in the heart of downtown for a
speak-out and protest against the U.S.-led war and bombing of Libya.
Demonstrators held signs reading “No U.S./U.N. War on Libya” and
“Money for jobs and schools, not war on Libya!” Popular chants
included “Libya is under attack—What do we do? Stand up, Fight Back!”
ANSWER organizers handed out
hundreds of leaflets and collected signatures on a petition calling for an end
to the bombing of Libya. Many people passing by stopped to talk to organizers
and some picked up a sign and joined the protest in support.
C. Gonçalves, an organizer with
ANSWER Boston who chaired the rally, said: “The same U.S. government and
military that is now bombing Libya for so-called ’humanitarian‘ reasons has
waged criminal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, continued to bomb villages in
Pakistan and is actively supporting the violent repression of peaceful
protesters in Bahrain and Yemen. The U.S. war in Iraq has led to one in
three Iraqis being killed, wounded or displaced from their homes. The U.S.
government is not capable of ‘humanitarian intervention’–this is a war for profit
and is being waged in the interests of the super rich.”
High school
student organizers Pedro Montanez and Sackona Fitts with El Movimiento drew the
important connection between the cost of U.S. wars and the budget cuts in the
public school system. Lynn Meza with Chelsea Uniting Against the War (Chelsea
Uniéndose En Contra de la Guerra) noted that each of the hundreds of
cruise missiles being dropped on Libya costs $1 million each, and yet we are
told there is no money for jobs and schools. Other speakers included Sergio
Reyes of the Boston May Day Committee, Susan McLucas of the Committee for Peace
and Human Rights, and Frank Neisser with the International Action Center.
Several local
media outlets were present to cover the action, including the Boston Globe, Boston
Herald, New England Cable Network (NECN), local NBC affiliate WHDH Channel 7
and Emerson College.
New Haven, Conn.
 New Haven, Conn., March 26 Photo: Norman Clement |
Connecticut residents turned out in
bitter cold and wind in New Haven on March 26 for an emergency
demonstration and street meeting against the U.S.-led bombing of Libya.
People came from across the state
to participate in the demonstration, and local residents showed support for the
rally by honking their car horns, and by stopping by to talk about how the
attacks on working and poor people are affecting them. A local school teacher
connected the struggle for economic justice at home to the struggle against
U.S. wars abroad: “They’re spending billions of dollars over there, but I
don’t know if I’m going to have a job tomorrow.”
The state’s governor recently
released a budget proposal that demands $2 billion in concessions from state
workers, and would raise the tax burden of state residents by at least $295 per
year on top of cutbacks to social services and assistance programs. At the same
time, the bombing of Libya alone is costing hundreds of millions of dollars a
day.
ANSWER Coalition organizer Chris
Garaffa addressed the crowd, calling for a strong movement to fight back
against the attacks on the working people of the United States and of the Arab
world: “These wars aren’t fought for our interests. We don’t have anything
to gain from them. But Bank of America and General Electric do. Those companies
pay nothing in taxes to the state! We have to build a movement that connects
these struggles, one that demands an end to the attacks on working people, and
an end to the bombing of Libya and all U.S. wars overseas!”
Albuquerque, N.M.
 Albuquerque, N.M., March 26 Photo: Preston Wood |
Under sunny New Mexico skies, protesters
from throughout the Albuquerque area filled the plaza at the gates of
University of New Mexico on Central on March 26 in response to the ANSWER Coalition call
for emergency actions all across the country to protest the U.S. bombing of
Libya.
Saturday shoppers and passers-by
stopped by to read the ANSWER statement on the latest U.S. war and to sign the
petition demanding an end to the bombing. Passing cars, trucks and
motorcyclists honked and waved in agreement.
The spirited
protesters chanted and carried signs demanding funding for jobs and schools
instead of a war against Libya. ANSWER NM organizer Chris DeBonis called out
the U.S. propaganda machine by exposing the complete lies and falsehoods being
used to promote the unfolding war and occupation of Libya: “This is not
about protecting civilians and it’s not about democracy. The U.S. government
has been supporting ruthless regimes in the Middle East for decades. Bombs
don’t bring democracy, they bring death to innocent people. We demand that the
bombing stop now and that the U.S. government and its allies, France and
Britain, get out of Libya now!”
Seattle
 Seattle, March 26 Photo: Jane Cutter |
People came out to protest the
U.S./NATO bombing of Libya at on March 26. The demonstrators gathered at
Westlake Park in dowtown Seattle.
The protest was organized by ANSWER
Seattle. Other organizations that participated included The World Can’t Wait,
Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Socialist Party, Veterans for Peace
#92, and Military Families Speak Out.
Demonstrators gathered on the
sidewalk outside the park where many people were passing by. Many stopped and
listened to the speakers who explained why the U.S. intervention in Libya was
wrong, and took informational flyers.
Jane Cutter, coordinator of ANSWER
Seattle, co-chaired the rally. She explained: “The reasons given for the
intervention—to protect civilians to promote democracy and human rights—are
nothing but propaganda. The U.S. government has installed and propped up many
of the most reactionary regimes in the world, and nowhere more than in the
Middle East.”
Sensei Gregory Lewis, a long-time
community activist and host of the “All Power to the Positive” podcast,
addressed the people with a lively speech entitled “Wake up God Dammit!” In it
he stated, “The U.S intervention in Libya is ultimately an armed economic venture;
a literal ‘hostile take-over.’ This too is about oil. Take note of how as
prices spiked at the outset of the launch of the first cruise missiles at
‘multiple anti-aircraft batteries.’ Only a complete asshat actually believes
that the U.S./NATO/Arab League intervention is a ‘humanitarian’ effort. Each
missile dropped on Libya costs well over a million dollars each. Yet, the
budget cuts continue at the federal, state and local level.”
Ibrahim Saudy, a local activist
from Egypt, spoke about the irony of U.S. politicians’ expressions of concern
for people “far away” while they are cutting human services at home. Saudy also
pointed out that the Iraq war started with the imposition of a no-fly zone.
Other speakers included Steve
Hoffman of FSP and Emma Kaplan of World Can’t Wait.
Contributors to this report: Chris Garaffa, C. Gonçalves, Andrew Nance, Jane Cutter, Stephanie Fisher, Michelle Schudel,
Nicholas Powell, Patrick Moore, Preston Wood and Sarah Sloan.
