On Saturday April 23, Mobilization Against
War and Occupation (MAWO) once again
returned to the streets of Vancouver to raise
their voices for an end to imperialist wars
and occupations! With bright yellow signs
demanding “Stop War and Occupation: Not
Refugees!” and “U.S. Hands Off Syria” and
a large tent full of antiwar materials and
a long sign inviting passers-by to “Sign a
Petition for Humanity,” it wasn’t long before
people walking by stopped to see what the
demonstration was all about.
The end of March 2016 marked one year
of the vicious U.S.-backed Saudi Arabian
bombing of Yemen. To date approximately
8,500 Yemenis have been killed and over 80%
of the population is in need of humanitarian
assistance. Despite these massive human rights
abuses, imperialist governments continue
to supply weapons to Saudi Arabia. This
includes the Canadian government, which
is going ahead with a $15 billion arms deal
with Saudi Arabia. In response to this assault,
MAWO launched a new petition demanding
that Canada cancel their sale to Saudi Arabia
immediately.
MAWO activists also were asking people to
sign a petition demanding “Canada Hands
Off Syria and Iraq!” which outlines the recent
Canadian intervention in the region, including
the fact that Canada has tripled the number of
special forces in Iraq from 65 to over 200 in
the last month, bringing the total number of
Canadian military personnel in Iraq to 830.
Throughout the afternoon people of all ages
and from many different walks of life came
by the table to discuss and debate about
imperialist wars, occupations and intervention
from Afghanistan and Syria to Palestine
and Libya. All the while, antiwar music and
chanting could be heard along the crowded
block.
MAWO defines the period of perpetual
war that we live in today as the new era of
war and occupation. Already the countries
of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and now
Yemen have been devastated. As peace-loving
people in Vancouver, Canada we cannot stand
by as the war machine continues on its brutal
campaign. Mobilization Against War and
Occupation invites you to join in the struggle
to organize against war and occupation. Find
out about upcoming events online at www.
mawovancouver.org or Twitter @mawovan.
US/UK/CANADA/FRANCE/NATO:
NO TO WAR ON SYRIA, IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN!
SAUDI ARABIA HANDS OFF YEMEN,
SYRIA AND IRAQ!
CANADA OUT OF IRAQ!
CANADA OUT OF AFGHANISTAN!
TURKEY OUT OF SYRIA AND IRAQ!
Follow Alison Bodine on Twitter:
@alisoncolette
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