Anti-war groups protest against anti-Gaddafi air strikes

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Anti-war groups protest against anti-Gaddafi air strikes
Small group of protesters demonstrate outside Downing Street calling for end to military intervention in Libya
Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk, Sunday 20 March 2011 20.06 GMT

Shouting "Hands off Libya" and waving placards stating "The lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan have not been learnt", a small but passionate group of anti-war protesters made their stand outside Downing Street.

The disgust and anger felt by those opposing the air strikes was spelled out by MP Jeremy Corbyn and former MP George Galloway, the chair of CND, Kate Hudson, and the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, Lindsey German.

"The stench of hypocrisy around this war is unbelievable," said Corbyn.

"This war is about oil, control and a message to the rest of the world and region that we can do it if we want to. I fear we will soon be involved in a ground war, the partition of Libya and the theft of that country's oil and resources.




Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/20/anti-war-protests-libya-air-strikes

[Catherina]

1. Thanks. Rec'd n/t

[Cetacea]

2. Thank you.

K&R

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Northerner]

4. K&R for the anti-war peace protestors

[bhikkhu]

5. I wonder if they've really been following this

The whole mess, as far as I've seen, is about Gadhafi's miserable response to the protests of his populace asking for more democracy...and the immediate occasion was that he had his military parked at the edge of Benghazi, where he promised "no mercy, no pity" for its 600,000 inhabitants.

[Cal Carpenter]

6. They want democracy, not more imperialist meddling

for the benefit of the world's ruling class.

Gadhafi sucks, no question, but US and NATO involvement ain't about democracy, it never is.

[bhikkhu]

8. I'm all for non-involvement, such as was the rule in Egypt and Tunisia

...but here the people were getting slaughtered by their military and mercenaries, and begging for some specific, limited assistance. If it all stays within agreed bounds, and if the Libyan people can do what the Egyptian and Tunisian people did, then there could be a good ending.

The one frightening thing is how cult-like Gadhafi's supporters seem, as if State TV is there only reality...

[joshcryer]

7. It wasn't just parked there, it was shelling from there.

The reports are pretty clear.

[VermeerLives]

9. Interestingly, this is the eighth anniversary

of when George Bush ordered U.S. troops into Iraq in 2003 (March 19, 2003, to be exact). And today President Obama launched a Tomahawk missile assault on the sovereign nation of Libya with no majority support in the U.N. and without even consulting Congress. AND......he dropped over $70 million worth of Tomahawk missiles on Libya.

[Vinee]

10. change we can believe in. nt

[WatsonT]

11. Anti war groups opposing a new war

imagine that.

[Amonester]

12. These days, opposing any war, old or new

never changes a damn thing.

Been there, done that. :(

[RedCloud]

14. Hey they aren't wars until they get declared!

[freshwest]

13. That sentence needs to be considered every time the media tells us bombing is needed:

"This war is about oil, control and a message to the rest of the world and region that we can do it if we want to..."

That is never argued, just accepted as normal behavior. Which it is, if we agree with fueling an empire.

Let's get honest here and quit all that fancy talk about lofty principles about high ideals enforced with violence.