Monday, December 21, 2009

Peace activists tell Obama “No you can’t!”

By Jamilla El-Shafei, Socialist Worker, December 18, 2009

WASHINGTON–Antiwar activists assembled in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, on December 12 to protest Barack Obama’s escalation of the war on Afghanistan and his Nobel Peace Prize speech in Oslo about waging a “just war.”

The call for the protest, which was put out by activists from Maine and Washington, demanded an end to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops, and an end to drone attacks and covert military operations in Pakistan. The End U.S Wars web site states, “If President Obama does not meet these demands, we promise intensified opposition with antiwar candidates prepared to defeat his war policy.”

Continues >>

Tags: , , , , , , ,

1 comment:

jamilla said...

The ranks of the anti-war movement in the US has thinned to the point that we are like a flea on an elephant. I find myself asking again, "Where is the outrage?" You might think that such a protest in front of the White House would at least attract a much larger crowd than 250 people. Is it because of the "Obama effect?" Are people so demoralized after voting for a "peace president" to find they have elected a Trojan Horse?" Or perhaps those who have been most affected by the economic downturn are struggling to put food on the table and cannot prioritize the sort of activism which requires making a trip to DC, or taking time from work.
Certainly rebuilding the grassroots is a project which will require much time, sacrifice and a clear political focus.