“Stop bombing Libya! U.S. out of
Africa!” echoed throughout San Francisco’s major intersection at
Powell and Market as more than 125 activists and supporters gathered
to demand an end to the U.S./NATO bombing of Libya and call for the
money spent on war to instead provide for people’s needs. The
demonstration was sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop
War and End Racism).
While participants picketed, a number
of people spoke. A common thread throughout the speeches was that the
U.S. government claim of “humanitarian intervention” is a lie.
Antoinette Marquez, an elementary
school teacher and member of Teachers 4 Public Education, opened the
program and spoke of the pressure put upon her in the classroom by
the budget cuts. “I’m fed up with the politicians and the
government telling us that there’s no money for education. Then how
can the government spend $10 million a day on bombing Libya and
killing people?!”
Palestinian youth activist and
University of California student Tamara Khoury expressed her anger at
the continued U.S. intervention around the world and the increasing
hardships for people living within the United States:
“If you look back in history, the
United States has never funded or supported a real popular uprising,
a mass movement of the people for the benefit of the people. Why?
Because the imperialist powers only care about profits and power.
Just look at the growing number of homeless families in the United
States, or the number of students who have had to drop out of their
universities because they can’t afford to pay fees. Where is the
humanitarian intervention here?” Khoury also elaborated on the
irony of the United States claiming to act in Libya for humanitarian
reasons while continuing to fund the Zionist, apartheid state of
Israel.
Omar Ali, a student at San Francisco
State University and an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, echoed
Khoury’s sentiment when he spoke about the role the United States
played during Egypt’s revolution earlier this year. “As an
Egyptian, I stand against the NATO-led bombing on Libya, which has
left more than 800 civilians dead and more than 4,000 Libyans
injured. While Egyptians were fighting against a U.S.-backed military
dictatorship, protesting in the streets of Egypt, and attacked by
thugs, the United States remained silent.”
Another theme was the call for unity.
Attending his first demonstration, Lester Myers, a Liberian now
living in San Jose, spoke of the need to break out of the stigma and
stereotypes that have been applied to Africa, and to develop unity
amongst Africans to fight back against the attempts of their former
colonizers to keep them subservient. “Unity is good for
everyone. It is good for the people of the United States of America,
and for all the people around the world.”
Stephanie Tang of World Can’t Wait also
called for unity in the anti-war movement: “When it comes to
standing up to the crimes of our government, we have to stand
shoulder to shoulder.”
In the spirit of that solidarity and to
demonstrate concretely how the issues are connected, participants
marched to Civic Center where there was a rally in support of the
Pelican Bay State Prison hunger strikers. Frank Lara, a member of the
Party for Socialism and Liberation, closed the joint rally expressing
the groups’ shared sense of unity. This unity was shown by the
marchers as they entered Civic Center with a twist on the familiar
anti-war chant: “Money for jobs and education, not for war and
incarceration!”
