Anti-war protests planned across North America

The United National Anti-war Coalition has called for protest actions across the country on the anniversary of the imperialist U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

At the first national conference call to organize the protests, held at the end of August, 49 people from 17 U.S. states and British Colombia in Canada participated. Many of the areas reported work already underway to organize actions on the Oct. 5-7 weekend.

In the Los Angeles area, two coalitions had begun to build demonstrations. Speaking for one of the groups, John Parker of the International Action Center expressed his readiness to discuss holding a common demonstration. This was also the suggestion of the UNAC leaders on the call.

In an email inviting people to participate in a second conference call set for Sept. 5, UNAC wrote that it is preparing a website that “will allow people to enter their own information on their actions. Until the site is online, please send details of any actions in your area to [email protected]. Please include date, time, place, demands, sponsoring organizations and contact information.”

Among the slogans UNAC is promoting are “No wars! No sanctions! No drone attacks! Bring all the troops home now!” “Self-determination for the people of Syria and Iran!” and “No to racism, raids and repression! No to Islamophobia!”

Syria, Iran threatened

The developing civil war that the imperialist powers are imposing on Syria, with the assistance of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and NATO member Turkey, gives the Oct. 5-7 demonstrations a growing urgency. On Sept. 3, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius threatened the Syrian government with intervention should it use chemical weapons, which Syria allegedly possesses. Fabius was putting French imperialism behind a similar aggressive threat that U.S. President Barack Obama made in August.

These threats — along with the overwhelmingly one-sided propaganda in the corporate media demonizing the Syrian government — are reminiscent of the pretexts used against Iraq before the U.S. invaded that country.

Just last year the NATO powers, with a mandate pushed through the United Nations Security Council by the U.S., Britain and France, carried out an air war that destroyed Libya and left its people in the hands of a chaotic and reactionary pro-imperialist grouping while imperialist corporations have grabbed Libya’s oil. So far, China and Russia have exercised their veto against any similar U.N. mandate regarding Syria.

The other major war threat raised at this time is that a U.S.-backed Israel might strike Iran’s nuclear power industry.