Minneapolis, MN – More than 300 people joined a spirited protest here, Sept. 7, to demand that Congress votes against a war on Syria.

The Obama administration will be seeking a resolution in support of a military attack on Syria in the upcoming week.

Carrying signs and banners, protesters chanted “1,2,3,4, we don't want another war, 5,6,7,8, vote no, it's not too late,” receiving the support of many of those passing by.

Meredith Aby, of the Twin Cites based Anti-War Committee, told the crowd, “Secretary of State Kerry had the balls to say that after WWI the civilized members of the international community decided to never use chemical weapons again. Well, the civilized ones might have agreed but that clearly didn’t include the U.S. The U.S used chemical weapons to inflict illness and painful death on large amounts of innocent people by using napalm in Vietnam and Southeast Asia and later in Iraq by using white phosphorus. If Obama really is appalled by the use of chemical weapons, he should at least have the same concern about what his own country does. All of us here should demand that the U.S. never use chemical weapons again.”

Speaking on the goals of a U.S. attack Aby said, “Obama has publicly stated he wants a regime change. At the point at which the president is deciding who gets to rule Syria, we are talking about the U.S. installing a puppet government. It’s clearly about clearing the way for a U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran. The U.S. geopolitical plans for the region are the real motivations for attacking Syria. Stopping this war is critical because we are not just fighting to stop an attack on Syria, we are working to stop an attack on Iran and to stop the continuation of U.S. imperialism in the Middle East.”

The protest was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace, Women Against Military Madness and others.

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