NYC meeting begins mobilization for April 9 anti-war march

Efforts for major anti-war protests on both U.S. coasts on April 9 are picking up steam. Organizers and activists from national, regional and local anti-war organizations packed a meeting hall near Times Square on Jan. 13 in the first regional mobilizing meeting for the New York demonstration. A regional conference of the United National Anti-war Committee in November had given the first push to what should now become a major anti-war campaign.

In prior conferences and interim activities, UNAC established its opposition to the active U.S. aggressive wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and set forth positions on other issues. The committee opposes U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan, threats against Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; U.S. arming of the Israeli state against the Palestinian people; and U.S. interventions in other regions. UNAC also defends the Muslim community in the U.S. against repression and supports actions defending the political activists recently targeted by the FBI.

Imam Abdul Al Amin Latif, president of Majlis ash-Shura, the Islamic Leadership Council of Metro NYC, representing 40 mosques in the region, spoke at the meeting. He reported on a Muslim Peace Summit held on Jan. 6 at the Long Island Islamic Center that focused on the April 9 rally.

The Muslim community will be giving strong support to the anti-war efforts. Among those who took the floor were representatives of immigrant communities, political organizations and dozens of local anti-war groups from New York City, nearby Long Island, upstate Albany and New Jersey.

At the Jan. 13 working meeting people begin plans for outreach, especially to unions, students, the African-American community and Latinos/as, as well as all immigrants. They took copies of a leaflet publicizing the April 9 demonstration, which were brought from Albany by UNAC organizer Joe Lombardo. Participants decided to hold planning meetings every other Wednesday, starting Jan. 26. Sara Flounders of the International Action Center and Hanalei Ramos of FiRE, Filipinas for Rights & Empowerment, co-chaired the meeting.

For more information see UNACpeace.org.