CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—July 9, 2013. The White House’s June 13th announcement that it would begin directly supplying arms to the opposition in Syria is a dramatic escalation of the U.S./NATO war against that country. Thousands of U.S. troops and intelligence personnel are training opposition forces and coordinating operations in Turkey and Jordan. Israel, the recipient of more than $3 billion annually in U.S. military aid, has carried out heavy bombing raids against Syria. The Pentagon has developed plans for a “no-fly” zone over Syria, threatening a new U.S. air war.
The pretext for this escalation is the assertion, presented without any actual evidence, that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in the conflict that has been raging for more than two years. According to Mounzer Ahmad of the Syrian American Forum, “Like their predecessors, President Obama and other top U.S. officials pretend to be concerned about “democracy” and “human rights” in Syria, but their closest allies in the campaign against Syria are police-state, absolute monarchies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”
Holly Kent-Payne of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago said, “Just as the false claim of “weapons of mass destruction” was used as justification for the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, the allegations that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian military is meant to mask the real motives of Washington and its allies.”
The groups involves also object to the U.S. government cutting basic services and eliminating hundreds of thousands of public sector workers jobs in the last three years in the name of a discredited austerity which has destroyed the economy. At the same time, the government has unlimited billions available for wars of aggression and NSA surveillance of almost every American.
The local groups involved in this protest are part of a national coalition that has called for National Days of Action, June 28 – July 17, 2013, to demand:
Stop the U.S./NATO/Israeli war and forms of intervention against Syria!
The solution to the Syrian crisis must be Syrian, by Syrian people, free from outside intervention!
Fund people’s needs, not the military!
U.S. Out of the Middle East!
Sponsoring groups: Anti-War Committee – Chicago; U.S. Palestinian Community Network (Chicago); Syrian American Forum; A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Chicago); March 19th Coalition
Speakers:
Dr. Matar Matar, Syrian American Forum
Nancy Wade, Green Party candidate for the 5th Congressional District in Illinois
Holly Kent-Payne, Anti-War Committee – Chicago
For a full list of sponsoring organizations nationally: http://nepajac.org/syriaendorsers.html
Event Details:
When: Tuesday, July 9th, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Federal Plaza, 50 W. Adams, Chicago
