Chicago, IL – The Obama administration announced it will arm the Syrian opposition and the U.S. military has made plans to set up a No Fly Zone over Syrian territory. The Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) opposes these measures to escalate the conflict which has already cost 93,000 lives.

The AWC has called a protest against U.S. intervention in Syria for June 18, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Federal Plaza, 50 W Adams, in Chicago.

President Obama says the Assad government crossed a ‘red line’ by using chemical weapons. According to Holly Kent-Payne, an AWC spokesperson, “How can we believe this when there is no evidence cited as proof of the Syrian government’s use of the nerve gas, sarin? In fact, Turkey recently caught 12 members of the Syrian opposition with sarin, and the top U.N. investigator in Syria, Carla Del Ponte, stated last month that she found evidence of the rebels, not the government, having used sarin.”

Joe Iosbaker of AWC added, “The truth is, the Syrian rebels are losing so the U.S. is scrambling for excuses to intervene. Remember when Bush lied about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ to justify the war in Iraq? The U.S. and NATO support the Syrian rebels despite their strong ties to Al-Qaeda because they want to replace Bashar al-Assad with someone who will do their bidding.”

Recently, NATO published a finding that 70% of Syrians support the Assad government. Also, Pew Research Center polls show that the majority of Americans oppose U.S. intervention in Syria.

According to the Pentagon, the No Fly Zone would cost $50 million a day. Kent-Payne said, “Chicago is closing 50 schools, while the White House thinks nothing of spending $50 million a day. We need healthcare and education, not more war in the Middle East!”

For more info: antiwarcommitteechicago.blogspot.com

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