North Carolina: SDS protests Afghanistan massacre
Asheville, NC – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered for an emergency demonstration at the Asheville Federal Building, May 12 to protest the May 4 U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan, killing over 130 civilians. The Obama administration has stated that they will not ban future air strikes.
Michael Graham, a member of the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) SDS said, “We oppose the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan and are greatly displeased with the plan to double the U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year. The people of Afghanistan have the right to determine what’s best for their country. People hated George W. Bush because of his wars, and what are we doing now? It's outrageous to trade one war for empire for another.”
UNCA SDS recognizes that an increase in U.S. troops to over 60,000 will not bring anything good to the people of Afghanistan. Afghan civilians are getting fed up, and there is rising popular anger at U.S. and NATO atrocities such as this latest in a series of massacres. A Fight Back! article reported in February, “The fact is, no occupation can ever win over the ‘hearts and minds’ of an occupied people, and only those who dream of empire would think otherwise. Each massacre of Afghan civilians will provoke more Afghans to join the fight against the occupying forces, while the puppet government put in place to help pacify the population is crumbling under the astonishing levels of corruption and negligence.” ( U.S. Occupation Faltering in Afghanistan, 2009, Fight Back!)
Today, the University of North Carolina at Asheville SDS stood in solidarity with the hundreds of Afghan students that took to the streets last Sunday in Kabul to protest the massacre and mourn the deaths of the women, men and children who died on May 4. Standing in front of the Federal Building with their banner, “U.S. out of Afghanistan now! Fund education, not occupation!” UNCA SDS and community members chanted, “The people of Afghanistan are under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!”