Today in the United States, the crucial human
needs of people are being denied funding
and attention, such as healthcare, affordable
education, and housing. Comparatively, this
year the U.S. military was given a record
$700 billion budget. Already before this huge
influx of funds, the U.S. has led a new era of
war and occupation which began with the
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in
2001 and has continued with the wars and
occupations against Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen
and Palestine. In addition to outright military
interventions, the U.S. has threatened and
sanctioned Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
Alongside the U.S, the government of Canada
also has bloody hands in these imperialist
wars and occupations. After the U.S, Saudi
Arabia is the second highest buyer of military
supplies from Canada. Since 2015, Canada
has also approved more than $284 million
in exports of Canadian weapons and military
goods to the countries bombing Yemen, most
of which has gone to Saudi Arabia. This is in
addition to Canada’s $15 billion arms deal to
supply Saudi Arabia with so-called “light”
armoured military vehicles. With the backing
of Canada and the U.S, Saudi Arabia has
been at war with the people of Yemen for
the past three years and destroyed the
country with an indiscriminate bombing
campaign and a crippling air, sea and
land blockade that has prevented aid
from reaching what the United Nations
calls “the worst man-made humanitarian
crisis of our time.”
Here in Vancouver, Canada, Mobilization
Against War and Occupation (MAWO)
is out on the streets in protest every
month, demanding an end to the new
era of war and occupation and calling
attention to Canada’s role as an imperialist
country. On June 15th, antiwar activists
and peace-loving people came together in
downtown Vancouver and made an impression
on anyone walking by with an information
table, picket signs and large banners reading
“Don’t Attack Syria! U.S. Out of Syria and
the Middle East!” “U.S./Saudi Arabia Hands
Off Yemen!” and “Self-Determination for
Palestine!” People walking by stopped at the
info table to talk with activists and collect
antiwar literature, and to learn more about
MAWO’s ongoing antiwar events and actions.
Teams of activists took to the busy downtown
street and collected signatures from passersby
on a petition demanding that Canada end
it’s $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
To wrap up the action, protesters gathered
together and Alison Bodine, MAWO’s chair,
gave a speech outlining the new era of war and
occupation and the current situation of the
brutal U.S. backed, Saudi-led war on Yemen.
MAWO is committed to continuing monthly
antiwar rallies and petition campaigns, as
well as public forums and other educational
antiwar events and protest actions. To find out
about MAWO’s upcoming actions visit www.mawovancouver.org or follow on Facebook
and Twitter @MAWOVan
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