Harlem, N.Y., rally says no to U.S. attack on Syria

An emergency protest rally was called Sept. 3 to inform the Harlem, N.Y., Black community of the impending U.S. attack on Syria. The rally was organized by the Black-led December 12 Movement and the Freedom Party in front of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building on 125th Street.      

Passersby heard that a U.S. military attack on Syria would support armed rebels for regime change — and not about the Syrian government’s use of any alleged chemical weapons. The U.S. is using this allegation as an excuse to attack Syria.  The motives of the U.S. in Syria are no different than they have been in the Middle East in general —  to evoke lies to destroy any government that resists U.S. domination, to engineer the assassination of its leaders, and/or to acquire that country’s oil. The U.S./NATO military takeover of oil-rich Libya resulting in the brutal assassination of President Moammar Gadhafi is a prime example.

Organizers raised other examples such as U.S. implicit support for the recent military coup in Egypt — where thousands died.  The U.S. lied about Iraq having “weapons of mass destruction,” resulting in tens of thousands of Iraqis dying and tens of thousands more displaced.

The U.S. is the biggest chemical weapons manufacturer in the world. The U.S. and Israel have stockpiles of weapons and chemicals, paid for by U.S. tax dollars.

December 12 organizer Omowale Clay stated, “Wars are not in the interest of the Black community. We will not send our youth to make war in the interest of the rich. Black people cannot afford to be silent. We must send the message, “Hell no, not again!” And “No to the Obama Administration’s proposed war on Syria!  We oppose the war economy and its aggressive foreign policy.”

He went on to say, “There is a crisis here at home around health care, housing, education and jobs. Our war is on poverty and racism, not U.S. foreign wars.  Black and poor communities get attacked every day by domestic terrorism and racist policies and practices. There is a centuries-long white supremacist war on African-American communities everyday.”

The organizers are urgently calling for everyone to spread the message of “Not Another War,” including contacting local politicians and Black Congressional Caucus members to demand “No Attack on Syria!