Workers Resistance

Category: US imperialism

  • Protesters at stockholders meeting say “No killer drone for Boeing”

    Chicago, IL – The Boeing Company annual stockholders’ meeting took place at the Field Museum, April 28, and 25 activists protested, both inside and outside. Braving a cold downpour, they first gathered on the steps of the museum for a press conference in opposition to Boeing’s plan to build the next combat drone for the Pentagon. Then several of the protesters that had purchased stock in Boeing for this purpose went to make statements to the board of directors

    Before going in Kait McIntyre from the Chicago Anti-War Committee (AWC) explained that she was presenting herself as a candidate for the board, because, “Time and time again AWC has addressed Boeing, in the media, outside their board meetings and at their headquarters. Boeing has either responded with ‘no comment’ or they bring out their guard dogs and call the Chicago police department. This time, we decided to nominate someone for the board in order to address them directly: me.”

    She continued, “Boeing has already used a bureaucratic technicality to say I am ineligible but we all know the real reason they find me unqualified: Because I stand up to and defy the masters of war, not take and fill their orders.”

    The AWC activists were joined inside by faith-based activists, including Sister Gwen Farry of the 8th Day Center for Justice. Meanwhile, other 8th Day activists, Sisters Dorothy Pagosa and Kathleen Desautels, spoke at the press conference. Speaking to the group on the steps, Pagosa addressed herself to the Boeing stockholders. “Your profits are not sustainable because it’s blood money used to destroy, rather than to build up the human community.”

    Also at the press conference were Michael James, a long time peace activist in Chicago, and a veteran of the Vietnam War-era Students for a Democratic Society. Standing alongside James was another SDSer, Bernardine Dohrn. James said, “On the planet, there are few places with as diverse a population as Chicago. What we do rings out.” He added, “We don’t want anyone based in our home bringing destruction on the world.”

    Brian Terrell of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, who had spent six months in prison in 2013 for protesting drone war at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, added his voice to the press conference as well. “We have not been simply protesting drones as they are now, horrific as they are. We also protest the next levels of development that logically follow. The Phantom Ray drone that Boeing is bidding to build would be a drone with the speed and killing capacity of a fighter plane and be another large step toward totally autonomous robotic warfare,” said Terrell

    Once inside, Newland Smith of AWC rose to tell the meeting, “Drone strikes as conducted by our government, according to the Geneva conventions, are illegal and immoral and inflict terror on civilian populations.” Smith, McIntyre, and Richard Berg all succeeded in making their voices heard at the meeting.

    When the delegation returned from speaking to the stockholders, AWC’s Berg told the waiting group, “Our statements caused a stir in there because there were protesters outside.” Berg urged the group to continue its efforts, “We are building the movement against war, and that’s what scares Boeing the most.”

  • University of South Florida students demand “Hands off Ukraine”

    Tampa, FL – Tampa Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and anti-war activists from the community protested U.S. interference in Ukraine at Senator Marco Rubio’s office, April 16. Marco Rubio supports efforts in the U.S. Senate to increase U.S. intervention and spend billions of taxpayer dollars in Ukraine. Students made three demands at Rubio’s office on the University of South Florida campus: No more U.S. intervention in Ukraine or Crimea; Stop U.S. aid to the illegitimate Ukrainian regime; and Oppose U.S. sanctions against Russia.

    Students gave fiery speeches denouncing Rubio’s support for U.S. intervention. Dani Leppo of Tampa SDS said, “For far too long, the imperialist aggression of the U.S. has caused bloodshed throughout the world. From Colombia to Venezuela, Iraq to Afghanistan, resources and lives are stolen in the name of spreading so-called ‘democracy.’ We must respect the people of Ukraine and Crimea.”

    When they finished speaking, the protesters marched into Rubio’s office to present their demands. The office was closed off and locked however, so protesters left a letter to Rubio listing their demands.

    SDS pointed out that the U.S. spent trillions on wars and foreign interventions while people suffered at home. Tampa SDS member Bridget White noted, “It’s ridiculous that the U.S. is backing real life fascists in the Ukraine. Can’t they be using this money to lower tuition instead?”

    SDS vows to continue the struggle against imperialism, fascism and Nazism wherever it appears.

  • Chicago forum on U.S. role in Ukraine: fascists attempt disruption

    Chicago, IL – Under attack from aggressive Ukrainian fascists, 40 anti-war activists held a teach-in here on the unfolding Ukraine crisis and NATO expansion, April 12. An equal sized crowd of Ukrainian reactionaries, one carrying the battle flag of the fascist Ukrainian Insurgent Army and another man wearing a scarf bearing the insignia of the violent neo-Nazi Right Sector, attempted to push their way into the door of the union hall during the speakers’ presentations.

    When they failed to get inside, one of them slipped a Right Sector leaflet through the door. It included language used in Hitler’s Mein Kampf, such as the need for “living space” for Ukrainians. The flyer defines Ukrainians as a “genetic community,” meaning that the Russians and Jews that live there aren’t part of their nation.

    Delivering his remarks over the muffled chanting from outside, Rick Rozoff from the Stop NATO Network detailed the U.S.’s imperialist maneuvers in Ukraine, emphasizing the role of NATO as a vehicle for American foreign policy. Rozoff explained the State Department intervention in Ukraine and arms build up in Eastern Europe as part of a long-term strategy to besiege Russia.

    Speakers from the Anti-War Committee-Chicago included Kait McIntyre, who is running as an anti-war candidate for Boeing’s Board of Directors. McIntyre’s campaign targets the world’s second largest weapons manufacturer, headquartered here in Chicago, which profits off the billions poured into drone warfare and NATO expansion by the U.S. defense budget.

    Sara Flounders of the International Action Center in New York outlined the historical cooperation between the U.S. and fascist forces in Europe. The U.S. propelled these forces into power during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, aided by the NATO bombardment. She stated that the U.S. actively maintains right-wing opposition movements around the world in order to eliminate governments that assert their national independence.

    With the fascist Svoboda party now occupying prominent positions in the new Ukrainian regime, the anti-war movement must take a strong stand against U.S.-funding of the Kiev junta, whose rise to power, as Rozoff noted, echoed Mussolini’s March on Rome. Alfonso Casal of the American Party of Labor (APL) told attendees about the history of fascism in the Ukraine. The panel was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Workers World Party (WWP) and APL, with Erich Struch of WWP as chair of the event.

    Many young people attended and contributed to the engaging discussion.

    The participants bravely defied right-wing intimidation to stage this important teach-in, refusing to allow the fascists to shut down the meeting.

  • Say no to U.S. Intervention in the Ukraine

    What the U.S. is doing in the Ukraine is nothing short of criminal. The U.S. is backing outright fascists, in an effort to put the country under the domination of the West. The White House and Pentagon are acting as a threat to peace by imposing sanctions on Russia and sending warships and missiles into the region. All progressive people should oppose the ongoing U.S. intervention in the Ukraine.

    In February, reactionary mobs with fascist gangs in the lead managed to bring down the democratically-elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych. This was the culmination of a process promoted by the U.S. and countries of the European Union to bring instability and turmoil to the Ukraine. The U.S. alone spent about $5 billion on the project. The result was there for all of us to see on TV: neo-Nazis trying to destroy monuments to the heroes of World War II and the socialist past and seizing government buildings.

    To say that the movement that ousted President Yanukovych was something progressive or democratic is to confuse right and wrong. Certainly there were legitimate reasons to be dissatisfied with Yanukovych and his oligarch associates, but that does not change the reactionary nature of the anti-government turmoil.

    It is a fact that the leading forces in this right-wing movement, such as Right Sector and Svoboda, have their roots in the most disgusting of Ukraine’s political currents. They see themselves as the political heirs of the Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, an anti-communist, anti-Semitic butcher who first did Hitler’s bidding and then went on to be a servant of the CIA. Look at the photos of the turmoil in Keiv and other Ukrainian cities; the portrait of Stepan Bandera shows up again and again. In the Ukraine, the White House and its EU allies are supporting ugly nationalists, who preach hatred against other nationalities, especially Russians, and who will carry out the most reactionary of agendas if they are successful in consolidating power.

    Given this reality it is not surprising that the people of Crimea, who are mainly ethnic Russians, voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia. They did not want to live under the monsters who roam the halls of government in Kiev. They understand what these vicious chauvinists are all about. After all, one of the first measures passed by Ukraine’s new regime was abolishing the equality of languages.

    It is also understandable and just that people in the eastern Ukraine are rising up and attempting to take things in their own hands. They are standing up to fascists and a U.S./EU power grab.

    The Ukraine is an important prize for the Western imperialist powers, who covet its natural resources and industries and plan to make use of its strategic location. Their goal is the complete encirclement of Russia. Western powers have prepared a large loan from the International Monetary Fund, and in return, the Kiev authorities are preparing austerity measures that will further impoverish the people, starting with a 50% rise in the price of gasoline on May 1.

    Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. has systematically expanded its aggressive military alliance, NATO, throughout Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. It has reached the point where Russia is close to being surrounded. Russia’s elite and their political representative Vladimir Putin want to expand their sphere of influence and control. As a result they find themselves being drawn into a conflict with the Western imperial powers.

    The U.S. government has no right to complain about the actions of Russia. Its moral authority is less than zero. The U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with NATO, it destroyed Libya. It is trying to subjugate Syria and finances the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The list of current U.S. wars and interventions is much longer, but the point is clear enough: Washington DC is the capitol of an empire and those that speak for it are hypocrites and liars.

    All progressive people should oppose sanctions on Russia. We have seen this before. Sanctions are a step towards war. Likewise, we need to be clear about how we assess events in the Ukraine. A victory for fascists and their Western backers would be a setback for people everywhere.

    Here in the U.S. we are under attack by a system that takes away our jobs, exploits us when we work and thrives on inequality and oppression. Our enemy is right here at home.

    End U.S./European Union Intervention in the Ukraine!
    Stop U.S. Funding for Ukrainian Fascists!
    No Sanctions on Russia!

  • Minneapolis forum on Ukraine crisis and U.S. intervention

    Minneapolis, MN – Over 30 people attended an educational forum on the current crisis in Ukraine on March 28 at Mayday Books.

    The forum, entitled “What’s Behind the Crisis in Ukraine?” attracted longtime peace activists as well as people new to anti-war activities.

    Speakers included Gerald Erickson, Professor Emeritus, Classical/Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota; Dean Gunderson, chair of the Minnesota chapter of U.S. Friends of the Soviet People; Linda Hoover of Women Against Military Madness and longtime peace, labor and anti-racist activist; and Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.

    Erickson started the program by drawing attention to the similarities between U.S. and NATO policies that exasperated the breakup of former Yugoslavia and the current crisis in Ukraine.

    Aby stated, “Most Americans don’t understand that the U.S. helped promote instability in Ukraine and supported the coup. And the mainstream media is not explaining this to people. An important role for the anti-war movement is to be clear that the debate is not about whether the U.S. should intervene in the Ukraine – because the U.S. already is. We need to be focused on ending and not escalating U.S. intervention. “

    She continued, “We have done a good job in the Twin Cities of building a movement against drones and likewise we need to organize against the U.S. tactic of destabilization. At our protests it is critical that we focus on the main slogans of ‘U.S./West hands off Ukraine’ and ‘No sanctions/no threats against Russia.’”

    Mayday Books, the sponsor of the program, is an all volunteer, independent progressive bookstore located in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis.

  • Crimea reunion with Russia sets back U.S., EU and NATO drive in Ukraine

    The ongoing turmoil in Ukraine is a threat to world peace. We, the people have no interest in backing the wrongful actions taken in Ukraine by the U.S. government. All U.S. interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine must stop at once!

    The big recent news is that in a March 16 referendum, 96% of voters in Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, voted for unification with Russia. The turnout was 80% of those eligible.

    A majority of the Crimean population is ethnic Russians. The Western media said no one in Crimea wanted unification with Russia but them. The huge margin of the vote makes it clear that large majorities of all Crimean nationalities approve of unification with Russia. The corporate media are part of the problem.

    A few days after the referendum, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Crimea was once again part of Russia, as it had been up until 1956.

    U.S. government officials and the media, always ready to come up with their own version of reality, are grumbling that the referendum was somehow fixed. International observers saw no evidence of voting irregularities. So far the U.S. has been able to come up with nothing more to oppose the Crimean people’s will than sanctions.

    The significance of the Crimea-Russia reunification must be seen against the background of a previous month of events. On Feb. 21 a coup backed by the European Union overthrew the legitimate government of Ukraine. An illegal neo-Nazi junta was imposed amidst lawlessness and violence.

    The security and military posts of the Kiev junta are filled by fascists. Andriy Paruby of the Svoboda party, which traces back politically to forces that fought alongside the Nazis in WW II, is commander of the National Defense and Security Council. Second in command is Dmitry Yarosh of the neo-Nazi Right Sector. The ‘prime minister’ of the junta, Arseniy Yatseniuk, is the person okayed for the post by U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland in the notorious leaked phone call.

    The objectives of the U.S and EU-backed coup are to seize control of the country and open its markets to a flood or EU products, which would harm its economy; impose austerity measures under the International Monetary Fund – longer work hours, lower pay, cuts in social benefits, etc., in order to recoup billions in foreign debts; bring the country into NATO, which would allow the stationing of U.S. missiles within minutes of flight-time from Moscow.

    The Crimean events have turned the political momentum against the U.S.-EU junta. The junta is a hodgepodge of petty thugs and corrupt billionaires, with no program and no capacity to rule. It has no legitimacy and no positive way to win the people’s loyalty. Its thugs can only attempt to terrorize the people to bow down before its rule. The Crimean setback unsettles its fragile grip on power. The people’s resistance to the neo-Nazi takeover has been heartened.

    As to Russia itself, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, no one at all saw it coming. The successor Russian Federation fell into chaos. Gangster capitalists became billionaires by seizing formerly public assets like oil and gas industries. They used any and all means, including criminal violence. These bloated ‘oligarchs’ do not function according to capitalist norms, such as they are. Russia is only now recovering from weakness.

    The last Soviet leader, Gorbachev, was ‘promised’ by the Western imperialists that they would not advance NATO into the former Warsaw Pact countries. But to imperialists, any agreement not backed by strength is, as Hitler said, just a “scrap of paper.” Today a reunified Germany, Poland and many other former East Bloc countries are in NATO. Two, Latvia and Lithuania, actually border Russia, although far to the west of Ukraine.

    The Crimean developments have stalled stopped the aggressive NATO project Ukraine. The overall picture remains conflicted and dangerous. It will continue to be so for some time.

    The aggressiveness of U.S. policy is driven by deep and unsolvable problems in its economy. The ‘recovery’ from the financial collapse of 2008 is really only a return to profitability of the giant financial companies.

    Wall Street’s demand for profits is impossible to satisfy. It attacks workers with union-busting, speed-up and lower pay. It plunders hundreds of billions in homeowner savings through predatory mortgages. Trillions of dollars are ripped off through the ‘your money or your life’ healthcare system. Consumers are chiseled out of a dollar here and a hundred bucks there every time they turn around.

    The same hunger for profits drives U.S. interference and aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia and many more countries. Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine are all presently being attacked by the U.S, which uses the tactic of playing on local grievances – meanwhile pumping in money, arms, etc. to make the situation worse.

    In the aggression against Ukraine, there is considerable division between the U.S. and the European Union. Russian business ties to the EU are much greater than those with the U.S. Broad economic sanctions would harm the EU far more than the U.S. The EU has its own problems. It is only an association of countries, within which Germany swings by far the most weight. Thus the U.S. cannot act against Russia without stepping on the toes of some of its ‘allies.’

    On March 17 the Russian Foreign Ministry offered a proposal to the U.S. and the EU to form an international support group for Ukraine and the following principles for a settlement of the crisis were offered by Russia:

    • Respect for the interests of the multiethnic peoples of Ukraine;
    • Support of the legitimate aspirations of all Ukrainians and all regions of the country to live safely in accordance with their customs and traditions, to speak their native language freely, to have unimpeded access to their culture and maintain extensive contacts with their compatriots and neighbors;
    • Inadmissibility of the revival of neo-Nazi ideology and the necessity that Ukrainian politicians dissociate themselves from ultra-nationalists and suppress their attempts to destabilize the various regions of the country;
    • Importance of civil peace and national concord in Ukraine must be recognized to promote constructive relations in the Euro-Atlantic region on the basis of equality and mutual consideration of interests of all regional states.

    There are ominous developments. On March 18 the New York Times reported, “Highlighting the tensions, the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev approved a presidential decree authorizing the call-up of 20,000 reservists, and another 20,000 for a newly formed national guard. The interim government also increased the military budget with an emergency allotment of about $680 million.”

    Ukraine is a destitute country. The junta has no means on its own to make an emergency allotment of $680 million. The money must be coming from outside – and certainly not from Russia!

    On March 20, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen threw the full hand of imperialist cards on the table. He wrote that Ukraine, i.e., the neo-Nazi junta, “is seeking communications gear, mine-clearing equipment, vehicles, ammunition, fuel and medical gear, and the sharing of intelligence. Provide it. Hurt the oligarchs with their London mansions and untold billions parked in Western banks. Crimea may not be recoverable but the West must make clear it will not accept a Russian veto on E.U. and NATO expansion.”

    Voices like Cohen’s are not isolated. The aggressive U.S.-EU ambitions will continue to endanger world peace. The imperialist media are spreading lies and confusion. The genuine forces of the people must wage a determined struggle to expose the lies of the war makers, and enlighten the vast majority about the real sources of danger.

  • Israeli war planes, artillery attack Syria

    Israeli war planes attacked Syrian military positions inside Syria, March 19. The Syrian Arab News Agency is reporting that one person was killed and seven more were wounded in the attacks.

    On March 18, Israeli forces fired artillery, tank and anti-tank shells into Syria. The aggression followed the wounding of four Israeli soldiers in the illegally occupied Golan Heights.

    A statement issued Syria’s Command of the Army and the Armed Forces said, “This new aggression came in a bid to divert attention from the successive victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army.”

    In recent weeks the Syrian Army won a spectacular victory over U.S. and Israeli-backed terrorists in Yabroud City.

  • Milwaukee protests U.S. intervention in Venezuela

    Milwaukee, WI – Despite freezing cold temperatures, Milwaukee students and anti-war activists rallied in solidarity with the Venezuelan government on March 3. They stood waving flags and held up signs reading “U.S. hands off Venezuela,” and “Soy Chavista!” Standing on ice and snow, they chanted against U.S. intervention and in support of Venezuela’s President Maduro. They are joining progressive people around the world holding rallies in solidarity with the Venezuelan government.

    The Milwaukee protesters support the powerful Bolivarian movement and the Venezuelan government’s progressive reforms of the past 15 years. Millions of Venezuelans are no longer living in poverty, have learned to read and write and work at new jobs. Venezuelan President Maduro’s government spends billions from state oil revenues on jobs, education, health care and housing, for the benefit of the many. Wealthy Venezuelans and some college students are upset and protesting the government.

    The U.S. government is backing the right-wing protests. After 15 years of losing election after election, the wealthy reactionaries are attempting to reverse the Bolivarian Revolution and the progress made by poor people. The majority of Venezuelans reject the turn towards violence by the reactionaries.

    Chance Zombor of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization fired up the crowd, “When we occupied the capitol building in Madison, we were fighting for workers’ rights against an extreme right-wing agenda. When we marched with Occupy Wall Street, we were saying that the wealthy should not control our country.” He explained about the protests, “What’s happening in Venezuela is the opposite! The demonstrators there do not represent the majority of Venezuelans, who voted to support Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.”

    Milwaukee Anti-War Committee organized the protest along with other organizations. Leaders plan to do more outreach rallies like this one in the Riverwest neighborhood to educate people about U.S. wars and intervention.

  • Tucson solidarity with Venezuelan Revolution

    Tucson, AZ – On the evening of Feb. 27, a group of activists gathered outside Tucson City Hall to protest U.S. interference in Venezuela and declare solidarity with the revolutionary Bolivarian government.

    Protesters held signs reading, “U.S. hands off Venezuela,” “We stand with Maduro for peace,” “Let democracy decide,” and “Long live the Bolivarian revolution!” Friendly drivers honked their horns and passersby raised fists of solidarity during rush hour in Tucson’s downtown. People stopped to ask about the demands of the protest and were appalled to learn about U.S. government backing of right-wing movements, as well as the violence targeting popular people’s projects in Venezuela. Venezuela’s revolutionary government takes billions in oil profits and invests them in jobs, housing, food programs, health care and education, lifting millions out of poverty.

    In recent weeks, a right-wing movement backed by the U.S. is attempting to overthrow the revolution and return Venezuela to the days of poverty and misery. The U.S. is funding non-governmental organizations and using other illegal methods to support anti-government protests and violent attacks by the right-wing opposition. Pro-U.S. and counter-revolutionary forces are once again turning to street violence in the wake of electoral failures. It is similar to the failed coup attempt against revolutionary President Hugo Chavez on April 11, 2002. At that time, the U.S. government under President Bush funded and provided intelligence to the coup makers at that time. Now, the government led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is responding to more U.S.-backed provocations with calls for a peace conference. Venezuelan police also use force when necessary to suppress the guarimbas – roadblocks with burning tires and men carrying an assortment of weapons.

    The recent violence represents an escalation by a section of the wealthy capitalists and their supporters against the socialist-oriented Chavista government. The right-wing opposition is taking advantage of difficulties with inflation. Also, the scarcity of some goods figured in initial protests, but soon turned into violence directed at supporters of the Bolivarian revolution. Some business people in Venezuela deliberately hoard certain goods, purposely sabotage the economy, and then engage in currency speculation to make big profits. The wealthy opposition parties keep losing election after election, including the recent municipal elections where they lost ground. So now some are turning to violence in an attempt to impose their will on the majority.

    Tucson Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Alliance for Global Justice planned the rally, and were joined by representatives of Tucson Peace Vigil and Veterans for Peace. Protesters held signs and shouted, “Stop media lies!” in response to wide scale news manipulation by Venezuelan and American news corporations.

    The Bolivarian government has the upper hand and the correct handling of the disturbances can bolster the progressive and patriotic movements in Venezuela, but the right-wing opposition is determined to reverse the Bolivarian revolution.

    As for Tucson, SDSer Dayna Broder proclaimed: “We stand for solidarity with Venezuela, against war, and with President Maduro for peace.”

  • Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross speaks to Anti-War activists about Syria

    Minneapolis, MN – On, Feb. 16, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) organized an event for Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross, the Mother Superior at the Monastery and Convent of Saint James in Qara, Syria, to speak via Skype to a packed room at the 4200 Cedar Community Center here.

    Mother Agnes is an international spokesperson for peace in the Syrian conflict. Time and again, Mother Agnes has faced life-threatening situations in her humanitarian work for the safety and security of others.

    Margaret Sarfehjooy, chair of the WAMM Mideast Committee, opened the event, saying, “We care deeply about the human suffering of the Syrian people… The situation is becoming more and more violent, with more and more Syrians losing their homes, losing their children, living in horrible situations that we can’t even imagine. What can we, in the U.S. do to help?”

    She continued, “WAMM strongly opposes U.S. military intervention, whether direct or indirect, in the war that is currently raging in Syria, and call for an escalation of diplomacy, not war.”

    Noting the significance of the Syrian conflict, Mother Agnes said, “Syria is becoming a battleground of regional war, and maybe a worldwide war.” She noted that on the one hand, Syria’s government has the support of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), ALBA countries (Latin American countries including Cuba and Venezuela), and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    She named some of the countries supporting the opposition, “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, the U.S., Britain, Jordan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and of course, Israel.” She continued, “We think it is scandalous to set out to topple the Syrian government with these allies.”

    Mother Agnes is one of the main organizers of this Mussalaha Intitiative, which Sarfehjooy described as, “an example of how diplomacy and reconciliation are used in Syria to reduce the violence. Mussalaha describes itself as a community-based, non-violent initiative originating within Syrian civil society. Founded at the community level, it includes members of all Syria’s ethnic and religious communities who are tired of war. It stands as a demonstration of hope that a third way option to armed conflict remains possible and provides an alternative to military intervention from abroad.”

    Mother Agnes said, “Reconciliation brings the possibility to build bridges between different sides of conflict. Diverse people were living together for a long time in Syria under a civilian pact. Foreign forces are sowing dangerous fear and hatred among people. Mediators must be willing to talk to all sides and bring them to a common accord in civilian areas.”

    She then described one community, where the intervention of foreign fighters had displaced 50,000 civilians, brought on a military siege and resulted in starvation conditions for the remaining inhabitants. Through her work, a ceasefire was negotiated to allow the evacuation of those who wanted to leave. Following the agreement, she said, “650 rebels came to give up their arms and act as non-violent opposition. Now that neighborhood has settled a peaceful agreement with guarantees the population its rights.” Mother Agnes reported that such agreements had been negotiated in six more areas, covering 1.5 million people.

    Critical of the U.S., Mother Agnes said, “We need to stop fueling this on all sides with arms. The U.S. should agree with Russia to not arm either side, but instead to support reconciliation.”

    When asked about the prospects for a negotiated settlement to come out of Geneva 2 talks, she said, “As long as toppling the government is a condition of the talks, nothing can happen. This government enjoys the support of more than half the population. The demand should be to create a good atmosphere for fair elections.”

    Mother Agnes urged U.S. peace activists to oppose U.S. military intervention in Syria, including the shipment of arms to fuel the conflict, in Syria. She said, “I love the American people, but the American government can be very harmful. When they want something they think any means are justified.”

    Some 70 people attended the event, which was endorsed by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, the Twin Cities Peace Campaign, and Veterans for Peace Chapter 27.