Thousands of people marched in New
York City on April 9 to demand an end to imperialist wars and acts of
aggression. Demonstrations were also held in Iraq that day
to demand an end to the occupation.
The multinational crowd gathered at
Union Square for a rally beginning at noon. Busloads of people had
been arriving all day from cities across the eastern United States.
After a roughly two mile march, the demonstration ended at Foley
Square, where more speakers addressed the crowd.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation
and the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
mobilized a large and spirited contingent, marching alongside allies from Ugnayan and Damayan, organizations of Filipino youth and migrant workers, respectively. Favorite chants included
“They say cut back, we say fight back!” and “1, 2, 3, 4 we
don’t want their racist war!” The demonstration was called by the United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) and endorsed by many organizations.
The demonstration emphasized solidarity
with oppressed countries targeted by imperialism. In addition to the
criminal occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, many were opposed to
U.S.-backed Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. Parker
Van Nostrand, a protester from New York, said, “I think Israel is
participating in terrorist acts against Palestine.”
Abu Bukar, a Pakistani living in New
York, expressed indignation at the blatant violations of Pakistani
sovereignty by U.S. predator drones: “When the drones come over our
country, they do not have our permission.” He cited an incident
where drones bombed a peaceful tribal conference.
Many demonstrators saw the connection
between the war on workers abroad and the war on workers at home.
Referring to the recent wave of austerity and the threatened
government shut-down, Blayne Sapelli said, “It’s absurd that they
could talk about fiscal responsibility when we’re spending billions
on war.”
In the face of intensified repression,
the Muslim community courageously mobilized in large numbers.
Opposition to the rising tide of islamophobia became a major
component of the demonstration. In reference to the recent
fear-mongering hearings held by bigoted U.S. Representative Peter
King, Zinzia Hashun told Liberation, “What Peter King is
doing is Hitler-like”.
As the people of the Arab world rise
up, it is critically important to take a stand against imperialism.
The April 9 march and the March 19 demonstrations that
took place a few weeks earlier show the continuing momentum the anti-war movement.
