People from all over the country are organizing to converge on Washington, D.C., to demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq.
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a massive National March & Rally in D.C. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march.
There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!" We will march together to say "No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!”
Back to the streets! Protests set for October 2009
The ANSWER Coalition organized thousands of people to march on the very first day of the invasion of Afghanistan. Above is the ANSWER demonstration in San Francisco on October 7, 2001 — less than four weeks after the September 11 attacks.
October 7, 2009 marks the start of the ninth year of the invasion of Afghanistan. On that day, there will be anti-war actions in cities and towns throughout the country. There will also be anti-war actions on Monday, October 5, and Saturday October 17.
Many national and local anti-war organizations are initiating these actions. The ANSWER Coalition is either initiating or endorsing and supporting all of these actions.
The war and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq are both colonial-type wars. Bush used the “War on Terror” as a pretext for the escalation of imperialist intervention. Bush is gone but the brutal occupations continue.
Now, eight long years after the invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S. and its NATO allies are vastly expanding the war, doubling the numbers of troops. Casualties on both sides are soaring. Resistance to foreign occupation is growing rapidly inside Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan. The war is a disaster for the peoples of those countries, just as are the occupations of Iraq and Palestine. It is also growing disaster for the people here — not only the soldiers and their families, but the tens of millions of people suffering from the economic crisis.
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq cost more than $14 billion per month, $160 billion every year, nearly $1,000,000,000,000 ($1 trillion!) since the start. At the same time, we are told by the politicians — who never say no to the military-industrial complex and have given away more than $10 trillion to the big banks — that there’s no money for single-payer health care. They have proven that the money is there. The problem is that the politicians are dedicated to protecting the interests of the military and health insurance corporations, not of the people.
The ANSWER Coalition is calling for people across the country — in cities, towns and campuses — to take action on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, and at all the planned actions between October 5 and October 17 to demand an end to all the wars and occupations, and health care for all. We urge you to organize a rally, picket, teach-in or some other kind of activity that day.
A list of all the anti-war actions in October will be posted within the next week on the ANSWER Coalition website at www.ANSWERCoalition.org.
By clicking this link, you can let us know what you are planning and we’ll add it to the national calendar.
Click here to see a list of anti-war actions taking place around the country in October.
Journey to Gaza
An eyewitness account
Anti-war veteran Michael Prysner speaks to the press in Egypt before leaving for Gaza with the Viva Palestina convoy.
Iraq war veteran Michael Prysner and award-winning filmmaker Travis Wilkerson chronicle their trip to Gaza as the ANSWER Coalition's representatives in the Viva Palestina Caravan.
Major Civil Rights Victory! Military-style checkpoints in D.C. struck down by Court of Appeals
On July 10, a major civil rights victory was won when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia declared unconstitutional the military-style checkpoints put up by the Metropolitan Police Department. The lawsuit was filed by attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund on behalf of Washington, D.C., residents.
The ANSWER Coalition organized grassroots opposition to the military style checkpoints since they were established in June 2009 in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Trinidad in northeast Washington, D.C.
If the government had succeeded with this unprecedented program, military-type checkpoints would have been set up in urban areas throughout the United States.
The following is a press release sent to the media by the Partnership for Civil Justice fund. Please circulate the press release to friends and family members and on social networking sites:
In an unanimous and strongly worded ruling, a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has declared the District of Columbia’s so-called Neighborhood Safety Zone checkpoint program to be unconstitutional, reversing a lower court ruling in favor of the municipality. ...
Support the people of Honduras against the coup! Child among those shot and killed by the military
On July 5, hundreds of soldiers blocked the runway at the International Airport of Honduras' capital using military vehicles, preventing the return of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya. President Zelaya has stated he will attempt another return flight in the coming days.
More than 120,000 people had marched to the airport in Tegucigalpa to demand that the Honduran coup plotters allow Zelaya to land his plane and resume his presidency, and to fight against the repression of the people's movement.
The military fired live rounds against the unarmed protesters, killing at least three people, including one child. Hundreds more have been wounded.
Leaders in Latin America and throughout the world have denounced the coup. Emergency demonstrations have taken place in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and elsewhere, and more are being planned throughout the country. Take action now!
Join the demonstrations! To see upcoming demonstrations, click here.
If you know of upcoming demonstrations opposing the coup in Honduras that are being organized in your area, please email us the date, time, location and other details at info@answercoalition.org.
Click here to send a letter to the White House and the representatives and senators from your state.
Bush's 'Smoking Gun' Witness Found Dead ANSWER Coalition files FOIA Request to get to bottom of story
The ANSWER Coalition is joining with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund and IndictBushNow.org to demand that the truth be told. We have filed a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) with the CIA, Department of Defense, Department of State and other agencies to reveal information in their possession about Libi’s imprisonment, torture, false testimony on Iraq and the circumstances of his death. Click here to read more.
We Will End the Siege of Gaza!
Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Mary Grant
On Saturday, June 6, demonstrations took place around the country for Gaza Solidarity Day, which marked the 42nd anniversary of the Israel's seizure of Gaza. The demonstrations also stood for all Palestinian people's inalienable right to return to their homes from which they were evicted.
Next step - Caravan into Gaza: The ANSWER Coalition is building for the Viva Palestina humanitarian caravan to Gaza that will leave the United States on July 4. Millions of dollars of humanitarian aid is being brought to Gaza by hundreds of activists and volunteers.
This could be a breakthrough period for the people of Palestine. The people of Palestine are suffering, but they are strong. We can now see the political climate is shifting around the world. All over the United States, people are organizing to bring an end to the siege.
Write a letter to Congress today! 'Right to Travel to Cuba' bills introduced in Congress
Thousands of people are writing to tell Congress: End the travel ban to Cuba. A "Right to Travel to Cuba" bill has been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill is simple and self-explanatory: it would end all restrictions on travel from the United States to Cuba. The bill has received bipartisan support, and already has 123 co-sponsors in the House, and 20 in the Senate.
President Obama has proposed lifting travel restrictions on Cuban-Americans. These bills call for the lifting of travel restrictions for all people in the United States. The travel restrictions are part of the larger economic blockade of Cuba. The blockade, which uses food and medicine as a weapon against the Cuban people, must be brought to an end as well.
On Sixth Anniversary of Iraq war... More than 10,000 march on Pentagon, leading war profiteers
The last two-thirds of the march (Getty Images)
Brian Becker on CSPAN's "Washington Journal"
A "throng of war protesters swelled Saturday as they marched across the Memorial Bridge." (AP) The protesters marched on the Pentagon and what followed was a dramatic direct action at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and KBR, corporations that demonstrators labeled "merchants of death." The predominantly young crowd continued to grow as the day proceeded. They marched through the Pentagon north Parking Lot and then into downtown Crystal City, where the leading war corporations' headquarters are located.
The march was led by a contingent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. There was a significant delegation from members of the Arab and Muslim communities and many students participated.
The Arlington County Police mobilized in full riot gear in an attempt to block the demonstrators from delivering symbolic coffins at the doorsteps of the war corporations. They brought tear gas, snarling dogs and pointed guns loaded with rubber bullets directly at demonstrators. The Arlington County Police also put out an absurdly low count of the demonstration, which was more than 10,000 people.
In Los Angeles, a simultaneous demonstration drew 4,000 people, which culminated with a dramatic die-in at the Kodak Theater. Another 4,000 demonstrated in San Francisco, where police carried out violent attacks on demonstrators and arrested numerous people.
"This is the launch of the anti-war movement in the post-Bush era. Bush is gone, but the occupation of Iraq continues, the war in Afghanistan is escalating, and the people of Palestine are living under a state of siege," stated Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition.
Below are a few additional photos from the march, which can be downloaded in hi-resolution and credited to Bill Hackwell if used:
Demonstrators cross the bridge to the Pentagon (View hi-res)
Demonstrators lay coffins at the doorstep of the War Profiteers (View hi-res)
A protester carries a coffin draped with an Afghani flag (View hi-res)
From Washington, DC to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Worldwide Hundreds of Thousands March to Let Gaza Live!
Washington, DC
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Orlando, FL
On Sat., Jan. 10, hundreds of cities, and hundreds of thousands of people, responded to the call for an International Day of Emergency Action to support the people of Gaza. Outside the United States, marches took place in London, Edinburgh, Cairo, Athens, Kuala Lumpur, Beirut, Seoul, Mexico City, Jakarta, Montreal, Paris, Barcelona, Marseilles, Lyon, Oslo, Berlin, Bern, Karachi, Nablus, New Delhi, Amman, Sarajevo, Ramallah, Stockholm, and Tokyo. The protests continue to grow -- today, another 250,000 took to the streets in Spain and more than 100,000 in Algeria.
Please make an urgently needed donation today to help this movement continue to grow. Click this link to donate.
In the U.S., the Day of Action was initiated on just one week's notice by a call from the ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda - International Palestine Right to Return Coalition. In Washington DC, over 20,000 took to the streets in the freezing rain to demand, "Let Gaza Live!" The streets were so backed up that thousands of people in buses and cars were still arriving after the march had left Lafayette Park.
The demonstration began with a rally at the White House. Featured speakers included former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who was just on a humanitarian relief mission attempting to bring supplies to Gaza when the boat she was on was intentionally struck by an Israeli military vessel; Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, Muslim American Society Freedom; Rev. Graylan Hagler, National President of Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice; Mounzer Sleiman, Vice Chairman, National Council of Arab Americans; Ralph Nader; Paul Zulkowitz, Jews Against the Occupation; Brian Becker, National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition; Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney and co-founder, Partnership for Civil Justice; and others.
The spirited march then led to the Washington Post, where demonstrators denounced the paper for its biased pro-Israeli coverage of the massacre and its complete blackout of protest activities in the United States.
In San Francisco, 10,000 took part in the march and rally. The rally included a huge outpouring from the local Arab community, and energetic participation from Bay Area youth.
A crowd of 2000 demonstrators confronted a heavy police presence in downtown Orlando for the "Let Gaza Live: Florida Statewide March for Palestine" called by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition/Florida—just six days prior. The demonstration is the largest anti-war demonstration in Florida in more than a decade and certainly the largest ever protest in Florida calling for a free Palestine. Police tried to intimidate marchers by initially searching all bags, forcing protesters to remove sticks from signs, and denying the use of amplified sound. Organizers and protesters challenged and pushed back their unwarranted scare tactics, and the protest turned out to be a powerful success.
The Free Palestine Alliance, a member group of the ANSWER Coalition National Steering Committee, has been writing daily statements about the Gaza Strip Massacre. These are important statements of political orientation from the Palestinian-American community. Click here to read the statements issued by the Free Palestine Alliance.
Send a letter to the State Department and Congress Send a letter to the State Department and Congress: Join with people around the country and around the world who are demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel. This is an urgent situation and we must all act now. You can send a letter with our easy click and send system demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Without U.S. aid, the Israeli military attacks, siege and blockade of Gaza could not be continued. Click this link now to send a letter to the State Department and elected officials in Congress.
