Tampa, FL – 50 anti-war activists protested U.S. bombings on Syria at the corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Gandy Boulevard here, Sept. 27. The Syrian government did not give the U.S. permission to make the attacks in its territory. The U.S. government plans to continue violating the sovereignty of Syria as it targets the group calling itself the Islamic State. The crowd of protesters chanted, “Hands off Syria!” and “No more war!” to express outrage against the U.S. bombings.

Tom Lingo with Saint Pete for Peace spoke, “Today we are here because the U.S. government has made the decision to start bombing members of ISIL, and they’re doing it in Syria…Last year, Syria was a country they were thinking about engaging in, but they backed off because they didn’t have the political will for it and also because they didn’t have the support from the people. They’ve been using current events to propagandize, manipulate and bring up the war fervor.”

Jared Hamil from Freedom Road Socialist Organization emphasized, “Our job as Americans and for those in the anti-war movement is to oppose any and all intervention by the U.S. Never be fooled – intervention has never been humanitarian!” Hamil provided historical context of U.S. imperialism, including U.S. wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The protest took place near the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the headquarters for U.S. military operations around the world. Sponsoring organizations included Saint Pete for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at University of South Florida, Friends of Human Rights, and Block the Boat Campaign.

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