No to U.S. War on Syria! Protests Across the U.S.

New York City

From a reader:

“We’re here! We’re serious! No fascist war on Syria!” People rallied across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan Friday night to condemn the Thursday night air-strikes against Syria by the Trump/Pence regime—“to call out these murderers, and bring down this fascist regime,” as Travis Morales put it for Refuse Fascism in introducing the rally. The protest was brought together by Refuse Fascism and the Answer Coalition.

There was a speaker from the Answer Coalition, followed by Sunsara Taylor, one of the initiators of Refuse Fascism and a writer for Revolution/revcom.us. Sunsara spoke about the need for a revolution to get rid of this system and that “America was never great.” And she said, “If you’re with me on that, or not… if you’re with the communists… if you’re with the democrats… if you’re a religious person… if you’re an atheist…,” that everyone must come together now to drive out the Trump/Pence fascist regime. She concluded by emphasizing the major demonstrations taking place the last 10 days of April—the March for Science, People’s Climate March, and the May 1 protests against attacks on immigrants.

There was also a guest speaker from South Korea, who put this latest attack on Syria in the context of the U.S. wars for conquest that killed 5 million people in the Korean War; the millions slaughtered by the U.S. in Vietnam; and the ongoing slaughter in Iraq, the result of a war that the U.S. had kicked off under the pretext of going after “weapons of mass destruction.” The rally was followed by a march down Fifth Avenue.

One young protester had come from Long Island. It was the first demonstration he had ever been to, and he was surprised to see himself holding up a sign—“The U.S. is still waging an unjust war on Yemen”—that someone had handed him. He was very upset with the “chaos” of the past months, and was trying to make sense of it. Referring to the innocent people in a poor village in Yemen who Trump had killed in the Navy SEALs raid that was his first military operation as president, the young protester talked about “women and children gunned down by Apache helicopters.” The media had said this was the first time that Trump had “acted like a President.” And then, last night after the air strikes on Syria, the media and the Democrats said this was Trump’s “second moment.” The protester from Long Island was outraged by all this—he didn’t know what fascism was, but he hated Trump, and wanted to understand more.

When the march went through Times Square, three French tourists, all students, took up posters for a moment themselves. They were against Trump’s attack on Syria, and also upset about the Syrian children who had been killed by the poison gas, which Trump had seized on as justification for the aggression. One of them said, “I think Trump is a coward. A coward and a murderer.” And another said, “He can’t stay the president. It’s a crisis for humanity.”

Chicago

From a reader:

150 people protested in Chicago at Trump Tower as part of an emergency national day of action against the U.S. missile attack on Syria. The rally and march was called by ANSWER Coalition.

Signs included “Resist Trump’s War on Syria!” and “Rockets for NASA Not Syria!” and a homemade dripping blood sign with the words, “What is it good for?” There were Revcom signs, “In the Name of Humanity! NO US Attacks on Syria! Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime!” One protester had a Palestinian flag painted on her cheek. There were Refuse Fascism signs, “In the Name of Humanity: We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America” in different languages, including Arabic.

A speaker from the Middle East said, “America is a great country but now it’s going insane!” The Revolution Cub led a chant during the march taken up by many: “1-2-3-4, Slavery, Genocide, and War; 5-6-7-8, America was never great!” A pedestrian walking by said that the U.S. attack on Syria was justified because of the victims of the chemical attack—but changed his mind when challenged to look at what the U.S. has done to people in the Middle East. A couple from Colombia who were visiting took a picture of themselves holding the Refuse Fascism “NO!” picket signs and then sent to all their friends in Colombia.

Los Angeles

From a reader:

An emergency protest was held in Los Angeles Thursday night to say NO! to the U.S. bombing of Syria. The ANSWER Coalition called for the protest and led an energetic crowd in chants condemning U.S. imperialism and its role in the Middle East and this latest bombing of Syria. Refuse Fascism in Los Angeles endorsed the action, organized a contingent, and spoke at the rally. The Revolution Club LA was there too. Refuse Fascism spoke, and distributed its Call to Action, and identified the Trump/Pence regime as fascist and called for this fascist regime to be driven from power by the actions of millions—the URGENCY of driving this fascist regime from power is underscored by this latest U.S. attack and bombing in the Middle East! The National Lawyers Guild, California for Progress, and other groups participated. There were a number of Syrians at the protest, which began at Pershing Square in downtown LA and then marched through downtown streets to LA City Hall―a couple of hundred people strong.

Houston

From a reader:

There were three rallies in Houston protesting the bombing of Syria by the Trump/Pence regime. Local Refuse Fascism activists also got out flyers and organized among students at the University of Houston campus. On Saturday, April 8, dozens of people rallied in Moody Park in Houston demanding “No Ban, No War,” and for affordable healthcare. Later, a team with Refuse Fascism took the Call to Action out to people at the annual Art Car parade, as debates and discussions broke out about why the Trump/Pence regime is fascist and how they can be driven out. A man from Europe talked about how scared he is with what the U.S. government is doing, and said that it makes him think about the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Eugene, Oregon

A dozen people showed up to a "Hands Off Syria" rally in Eugene Friday evening to stand in solidarity with other groups protesting that night, and to denounce the U.S.'s first direct attack on Syria, and demand that there be NO endless wars and NO U.S. intervention in Syria.

San Francisco

Over 100 people gathered downtown in the rain to condemn the U.S. strike on Syria. The protest was called by the ANSWER organization. Speakers included Vets for Peace, Refuse Fascism, and others.