Vol. 73/No. 11      March 23, 2009

The protest in Washington will be the first national antiwar demonstration in the United States since President Barack Obama took office.

The main flyers building the action say, “From Iraq to Afghanistan to Palestine—Occupation is a crime.”

The U.S. military announced plans to withdraw 12,000 of its more than 140,000 troops from Iraq this year. As a result of their bloody war there, the U.S. rulers have succeeded in establishing a relatively stable allied regime in Baghdad with an increasingly effective army and police force.

The Obama administration made clear that the U.S. government is planning for a long-term military presence in Iraq. U.S. officials say Washington will maintain a garrison force of as many as 50,000 troops there after the completion of its “withdrawal,” scheduled to take place over the next year and a half.

The U.S. troop reduction in Iraq also serves to free up forces for a major escalation of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, where the imperialist armies face a more difficult challenge. Last month Obama approved sending an additional 17,000 U.S troops there—a 45 percent increase.

The missile strikes in Pakistan continue. The new administration has already launched some of the largest-scale and deadliest attacks since the war began.

At the same time, Washington is mounting pressure against the governments of Iran, North Korea, and Sudan.

The protest demands the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The action also protests Washington’s support for Israel’s war against the Palestinian people.

Among the endorsers of the action, initiated by the ANSWER Coalition, are: the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, National Council of Arab Americans, International Action Center, San Francisco Labor Council (AFL-CIO), the International Socialist Organization, Bay Area United for Peace and Justice, and many others.

According to the ANSWER Web site, there are buses going to the Washington action from at least 11 states: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Student groups are building the action and organizing transportation from their campuses, as are mosques and other organizations.

The protest in Washington will begin at noon on 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW and march to the Pentagon.
 
 
Related articles:
U.S. war exercises threaten N. Korea
U.S. talks with Syrian officials seek to pressure Iranian gov’t
Order to arrest Sudan president is pretext for imperialist intervention
Build March 21 antiwar actions!  
 
 
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