On Aug. 21, a
multinational crowd of 100 people packed Monumental Baptist Church in
Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District to hear an eyewitness account
of the imperialist attack on the people of Libya. The featured
speaker was former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who recently
returned from Tripoli.
The
event took on a special significance as the pro-imperialist rebels,
aided by massive NATO airstrikes, began closing in on the Libyan
capital. The speaking tour helped bring clarity to the situation at a
critical point in the conflict.
In
addition to McKinney, Pete Shell of the Thomas Merton Center Anti-War
Committee, Sarah Sloan of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War
and End Racism), and Akbar Muhammad of the Nation of Islam addressed
the crowd. Each brought a unique analysis and drew from a wealth of
personal experiences.
Before
the keynote talk, the crowd watched a moving video that showed the
full brutality of the imperialist intervention.
McKinney’s
talk laid bare the colonialist intentions of the bombing,
highlighting the hypocrisy of NATO’s “humanitarian” rhetoric.
She connected the war to many of the domestic issues facing working
people in the United States.
After
the speakers made their initial remarks, members of the audience
asked questions relating the war against Libya to the broader trend
of increased aggression against African countries. Many expressed
interest in getting involved in the movement against US/NATO
aggression.
Although
the Western-backed opposition has scored major military victories in
recent days, the Libyan people need our solidarity now more than
ever. As the imperialist vultures begin circling Libya, it is
especially crucial to show that the masses of people in the United
States reject the war and demand respect for the Libyan people’s
right to self-determination.
