Protest Civilian Killings in Iraq and Afghanistan

FRIDAY, APRIL 16th, 2010 | 6-8 PM | UNION SQUARE SOUTH

Hunter College’s Campus Anti-war Network (CAN), in collaboration with the NYC Anti-war Network, would like you to join us to protest the gunning down of civilians, including two Reuters journalists in Iraq. The incident, which was exposed by www.Wikileaks.org, also shows “shoot-to-kill” orders, and an attempted coverup. See the link:

www.collateralmurder.com

Recently, the U.S. military has shot at and killed civilians without warning or provocation. This includes the gunning down of the busload of civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, April 12th. Military commanders have unapologetically and repeatedly called these civilian deaths “collateral damage.”

There have been other incidents, recently, including one a week or so ago involving two women, both mothers of small children. Apparently, the bullets from their corpses were removed in a suspected attempt to hide evidence of guilt.

This protest will be held on a public sidewalk with a moving picket line in an effort to exercise our democratic right to protest without a police permit to protest. Bring your banners and signs and be sure to let others know. All are welcome.

Let’s show our outrage at these killings and the whole brutal chain of destruction and mayhem that stretches back to the days when both countries were invaded for reasons of state. For reasons of people, let’s make sure these deaths don’t disappear into the memory hole of the corporate media.

For more information on your rights to protest,  http://www.nyclu.org/knowyourrights#demonstrating

For coverage by Democracy Now, see:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/6/massacre_caught_on_tape_us_military

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/world/asia/13afghan.html?ref=todayspaper

Wikileaks releases video of Iraq massacre

On July 12^th, 2007 US forces massacred twelve unarmed civilians – two of which were Reuters reporters. The wikileaks video depicts 8 unarmed civilians  walking through a square in New Baghdad. You can hear one of the soldiers claim that the men were carrying RPGs and other weapons. He then said that the men were firing and asked his commander for permission to engage. After killing most of them, one of the men can be seen crawling away, clearly hurt and unarmed. One soldier can be heard saying that he wanted to kill the wounded man and encourages him to “just pick up a weapon.” A van can then be seen coming to rescue the wounded individual.  US forces proceeded to kill the unarmed rescuers. The two small heads in the passenger side of the van are children. One was hit, but luckily they both survived- no thanks to US forces who refused them treatment at the highly superior nearby US military hospital. The US military confirmed the authenticity of this video, but denied  that US forces violated any rules of engagement. However, it’s not only our goal to question whether or not the military forces followed the rules of engagement- but to challenge the whole idea of rules of engagement in US imperialistic wars that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan alone. Unfortunately this was just another day on the job. SILENCE IS VIOLENT. SPEAK OUT NOW.

** Flyer for Distribution**

Antiwar Benefit!

Friday, March 12th at Goodbye Blue Monday (1087 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY)

Click here for map

The NYC Antiwar Coalition is hosting a film screening/rockfest to raise money for travel to DC on March 19th/20th and to create a counterrecruitment program. Come and join us! We will receive 15% of the bar take that night and there is a 5-10 dollar donation at the door.

Film: View from a Grain of Sand- on the plight of women in Afghanistan and the negative effects upon their situation arising from U.S. military involvement there.

AnitaFix+ReturnTheLand-NY/Pgh anarchic performance resistance folk bringing the streets to the stage and the stage to the streets.

Evil Twin-featuring Gina Favano from Philadelphia’s legendary theatric punk phenoms Beware the Blunted Needle. Gina currently livesin Pittsburgh, and is one of the most radical and cathartic solo performers currently playing. Always stunning. Currently on tour with a new, long-awaited full-length solo cd.

Mandy Katz-also from Beware the Blunted Needle. I believe she’ll be doing solo violin and voice, and Gina says she’s the greatest. We’ve met only briefly but she seems to be awesome in every way. Based in Philadelphia.

David Schull and Left Coast- incredibly original songsmith. David is a leading installation artist and painter in NYC’s underground art scene. His songs are like paintings both lyrically and musically. A genius of musical/poetic impressionism.

Living a Painting- mind manifesting performance and freakish theatrics from a cutting edge, radical performance group from N.Bergen, NJ- (near Jersey City). Featuring body painting, fire dancing/eating, visionary choreography and ecstatic movement. Sure to be electrifying, challenging and inspiring.

Rude Mechanical Orchestra- Radical Orchestra and dance troop based in NYC. They’ve provided tunes for demonstrations, parades and events promoting social justice.

Bring the troops home Jan 21st anti-escalation rally

Counter-recruitment

To ‘celebrate’ the one-year anniversary of Obama’s inauguration, a few of us from the NYC Antiwar Coalition joined Elaine Brower and others from Military Families Speak Out in their weekly counter-recruitment activities outside the new Army recruitment center on Chambers St. Naturally, given that since the Vietnam War, the military has targeted low-income communities and students for recruitment, this new recruitment center has joined its fellow (a Marine recruitment center) right near the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The perpetuation of class exploitation via the military at its “finest,” I suppose.

But it’s not all bad. One young person took a flyer from us and was reading it as he walked away. He came back after traveling half-way up the block to ask me if a piece of information – a statistic from icasualities.org saying that about 1.2 million Iraqi civilians have  been killed in the war – is true. I told him how icausualities compiles its information, and his eyes grew wide as he genuinely told me, “well I guess I shouldn’t join the army then! Thanks!”

More people talked positively to us than to the Marines standing nearby.

When we were wrapping up, I walked over to one of the Marines, shook his hand, and told him that I hope he understands that we don’t engage in counter-recruitment because we’re against individual people: we do it because we’re against war. He shook my hand warmly and said, ‘hey, I understand. We do what we do so you can do what you do.’ He glanced down and noticed the sizeable peace necklace dangling around my neck. He said, ‘it’s all about Peace, man!’

I have two reactions to that: it’s so sad (and enraging at the system) that he’s been convinced that fighting war can bring Peace. The training – particularly of Marines – is so brutal that it is designed to completely break a human being down and rebuild him (I say ‘him’ because of the many issues regarding sex in the military) into an obedient soldier. This man was sweet to me when he could have been spiteful; he just genuinely believes he’s helping folks.

So let’s help get an alternative message out there: let’s spread the Courage to Resist publication to soldiers so that they can become aware of what their fellows are doing against the wars. Also, when we leaflet, let’s offer a list of alternatives to students who are being seduced by the empty promises of the armed wing of capitalist, imperialist oppression.

It may be slow – one ‘I guess I shouldn’t join the Army’ at a time – but isn’t that one worth the effort?

New England United Conference (Jan 30th, Cambridge, MA)

Join representatives of the NYC Anti-War Coalition at the New England Antiwar Conference for workshops and talks. To arrange transportation and housing please contact nycantiwarcoalition@gmail.com

http://www.newenglandunited.org/

NEW ENGLAND ANTIWAR CONFERENCE

Saturday, January 30, 10:30 am-6 pm
MIT Bldg. 34-101, 50 Vassar Street
Cambridge MA

Support GEM Demonstration (Jan 21st)

January 21st, GEM (Grassroots Education Movement) is protesting charter school/public school overcrowding and closures etc. The NYC Antiwar Coalition will be joining them under the banner of Fund Education, Not War on January 21st at 4:15, starting on the corner of  77th and 5th. The antiwar contingent will then march a couple of blocks at 4:30 to join the larger demonstration.

GEM: Grassroots Education Movement NYC