John Kerry has just made an ominous announcement that the U.S. intends to take "action" against Syria, and that Syria will be "held accountable." Talk of a chemical weapons attack in Syria is filling the airwaves. The U.S. is blaming the Assad government for it and openly talking of direct military intervention.
We, as the antiwar movement, have a duty to denounce any military action against Syria by the United States.
We must make clear that we will not be tricked into another war designed to make profits for the Wall Street military contractors and oil profiteers. Such a war will take thousands of innocent lives. There is no justification for such a criminal act.
The billions of dollars that such a war would cost should be spent on education, schools, healthcare, and other basic societal needs. The fact that another foreign war is being considered, at a time that food stamps are being cut, record numbers of homes are being foreclosed, and schools are being shut down and privatized in the name of a "budget crisis", is outrageous. Austerity is continuing in the U.S. and public sector workers' jobs are being eliminated. Basic infrastructure within the U.S. is crumbling. Bridges are insecure. Water is not being properly purified.
A new war will be disastrous for people of the Middle East, the U.S., and the entire world. According to a Reuters poll, 89% of the population is opposed to U.S. support for Syrian opposition.
FACTS on SYRIA:
- There is absolutely no evidence or confirmation that the Assad government carried out the alleged chemical attack.
- United Nations weapons inspectors are in Syria at the direct REQUEST of the Syrian government to prove that they have not used chemical weapons. The attack took place a mere ten miles away from the inspection team, on the very day they arrived.
- Carla Del Ponte, a United Nations Human Rights investigator, has stated that the Syrian government has not used chemical weapons but the rebels have.
- In May, 12 members of the Syrian rebel forces were arrested in Turkey. The rebels possessed 4.5 pounds of Sarin, the neurotoxin gas alleged to have been used in the recent attack.
- In January, the "Daily Mail", a prominent British newspaper, reported that the Syrian rebels were planning a chemical attack which they would blame on the Syrian government in order to justify U.S. intervention. The report was based on leaked emails from military contractors.
- The Syrian rebels are receiving direct weapons and funding from the United States, despite their record of atrocities including rape, murder, and torture. The U.N. has reported that they are actively recruiting young children, in addition to other violations of international law.
- The Assad government has fully cooperated with the weapons inspection teams.
- Members of the United Nations inspection team have openly stated their doubts about the chemical attack. Dr. Ake Sellstrom, the leader of the team, called the reports of the alleged attack "suspicious".
- Reports on the attack are extremely inconsistent. Some reports said over 1,300 were killed. Other reports have said less than 200. Still other reports say over 350. The numbers are unclear and totally unsubstantiated.
- The report being circulated by "Doctors Without Borders" is not based on their own information, but based on reports they received from a Syrian rebel group by their own admission.
- Videos of the alleged attack were posted on the internet by allies of the Syrian rebels, BEFORE the attack took place.
- The credibility of the video of the alleged chemical attack is being widely questioned by chemical weapons experts. The victims are not displaying the proper symptoms of having been struck by a Sarin nerve gas. The people shown treating them are not wearing proper equipment.
- The U.S. is currently urging the U.N. weapons inspection team to halt its work. The U.N. weapons inspectors insist that they must be allowed to continue their investigations and to determine actual facts.
Despite all of this confusion and inconsistency in the claims about this alleged attack, the U.S. government, along with its corporate allies in Britain and France are openly pushing for an attack on Syria.
We have seen all this before:
- The Spanish-American War was justified with an alleged attack on the U.S.S. Maine. In reality, the ship was sunk by an internal explosion.
- The U.S. entrance into World War I was justified with the "Zimmerman Telegram", claiming Germans were plotting to invade the U.S. with Mexico. The telegram was later proven to be a fraud.
- The Vietnam War was justified with the "Gulf of Tonkin"incident claiming Vietnam had attacked a U.S. ship. It was later proved that the alleged attack never actually took place.
- In 1983, the U.S. invasion of Grenada was based on allegations that the government was planning to murder U.S. medical students. This was proven to be complete fiction.
- In 1989, the U.S. overthrow of the government of Panama was based on false allegations about drugs and attacks on U.S. troops.
- The U.S./NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was justified with reports of with unsubstantiated reports of genocide in Serbia. A great number of these reports have been totally discredited.
- The Gulf War of 1991 was justified with false reports of Iraqi War crimes in Kuwait. The "babies thrown from incubators" stories that filled the TV news, were proven to be totally false.
- In 1991, the U.S. used satellite photos to claim that Iraq was amassing soldiers to invade Saudi Arabia. The photos were proven later to have been complete forgeries.
- The U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan was justified in the name of fighting a "war on terror" after Sept.11. None of the people who allegedly carried out the 9/11 attacks had any connections with Afghanistan or its government.
- The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was based on reports of "weapons of mass destruction" and "chemical and biological weapons." After the U.S. invaded, killing thousands of innocent people, it was proven that Iraq never had any such weapons.
- The U.S. intervention in Libya was justified with claims of genocide and rape. Now that the Libyan government has been overthrown and thousands innocent Libyans killed, many of these reports have also been thoroughly discredited.
Emergency actions will take place at Federal Buildings around the country, and in Times Square in New York City in the event of such an attack. Be in the streets. Demand an end to U.S. support for the Syrian rebels.
The International Action Center urges united actions of antiwar, community and progressive forces to organize for anti-war people's assemblies, rallies, and protests against another war!
MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT A NEW WAR!
U.S. HANDS OFF SYRIA!
END U.S. FUNDING OF ISRAEL AND EGYPT!
U.S. OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST!
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