San Jose, CA – On Saturday, July 6, around 20 people gathered in San Jose for a protest in solidarity with the national mobilizations against NATO and RIMPAC that are occurring in Hawaii, San Diego and Washington D.C.

RIMPAC, which stands for the Rim of the Pacific, is a series of maritime military exercises held by the U.S. and its allies in Hawaii. This year it is being held from June 27 to August 2, while the NATO summit being held in Washington DC from July 9-11. Both RIMPAC and NATO are examples of the U.S.’s military encroachment on the rest of the world, ranging from its use of the Philippines as a military outpost to its warmongering acts against China and Russia.

Organizers from San Jose Against War set up a table at the corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and Santana Row, in the middle of one of Northern California’s busiest shopping districts. Attendees passed out flyers to people demanding that funding for NATO be redirected to meet people’s needs here at home.

The protest began with chants of “From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!” and “No more U.S. war, no more NATO war!” Andy Schafer from San Jose Against War gave a speech explaining NATO’s history as a vehicle for the U.S. to consolidate its power and weaken the Soviet Union after World War II. Members of the new San Jose State University chapter of the League of Filipino Students then spoke about how the U.S. exploits and oppresses the Philippines in order to use the nation as a de facto military outpost in its aggression against China. 

Joshua Cardoza from California United described NATO and the U.S.’s role in ushering in imperialist exploitation in oppressed nations, saying, “Whether it’s United Fruit Company installing right-wing dictatorships in South America, or the Shock Doctrine used throughout Eastern Europe and Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, [resulting in the sale of] their manufacturing and natural resources to oligarchs. It has evolved into endless wars in the Middle East”

Philip Nguyen from San Jose Against War then spoke about the role that the U.S. military has played in the exploitation and national oppression of Hawaii, saying, “The military operations held in U.S.-occupied Hawaii have poisoned their water, destroyed their land, and is the cause of a huge uptick in sexual violence on the island.” 

Nguyen continued, “U.S. imperialism and the monopoly capitalists demand that our tax dollars fund their wars that steal land and resources and exploit people for cheap labor to generate massive profits, rather than using it here to fund housing, healthcare and education.”

The protest was called by San Jose Against War and California United in solidarity with the organizers of the national mobilizations, Cancel RIMPAC and the Resist NATO Coalition.

#SanJoseCA #CaliforniaUnited #SanJoseAgainstWar #SJAW #CancelRIMPAC #ResistNATOCoalition #NATO #ResistNATO

Washington, DC – On July 7, hundreds of activists from over 60 organizations mobilized to protest the 75th anniversary NATO Summit occurring July 9 -11 in the city. The protest, organized the Resist NATO coalition started at McPherson Square and marched to the White House, demanding an end to U.S.- NATO aggression and to defend peoples’ struggles.  

The Resist NATO coalition is made up of various groups including the International League of Peoples’ Struggle – US (ILPS-US), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Bayan USA, Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), International Action Center, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). 

A member of NAARPR spoke at the rally stating, “From the war-torn streets of Afghanistan to the devastated cities of Libya, we raise our voices in support of those who have been killed by U.S. military aggression. Instead of money going towards our military, why is money not going towards our community? Why is money not going towards education? Or mental health?” The U.S. is by far the largest contributor to NATO’s budget. In 2023, the U.S. represented 68% of the total expenditure of NATO, spending $860 billion.

An organizer in Palestinian Youth Movement stated, “It is not only important, but necessary, to resist NATO through a broad united front, in order to protect people’s just struggle for freedom in Palestine, in the Philippines, in Puerto Rico, in Washington DC, and everywhere in the world. The peoples’ resistance in Palestine threatens the interests of Western imperialism and for the first time in recent history, the tides are turning. The myth of Israeli invincibility, of U.S. supremacy, of the futility of resistance, and of capitulation being the only solution has shattered. People around the world are joining the fight for total liberation.”

The Resist NATO coalition had a successful weekend of actions to protest the NATO summit, and they plan to continue building out the united front against US-NATO military escalation and aggression.

#WashingtonDC #ResistNATO #ResistNATOCoalition #FreePalestine #Philippines #PuertoRico #Imperialism #ILPS #FRSO #NAARPR #IAC #BAP #NATO #NATOSummit #USOutOfThePhilippines

Washington, DC – On July 6, the Resist NATO Coalition hosted a Counter-Summit with over 300 attendees from across the country, two panels, and a cultural performance. This year is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The Resist NATO coalition states, “In practice, NATO acts as an armed wing of U.S.-led war.” Key slogans from the event included calls for the U.S. out of the Philippines, and an end to the ongoing U.S.-backed genocide of the Palestinian people.

The Resist NATO coalition is comprised of over 60 organizations such as the International League of Peoples’ Struggle – US (ILPS-US), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Bayan USA, Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), the International Action Center, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

The coalition was formed in response to NATO hosting a summit in Washington, DC this year July 9, 10 and 11.

The speaking panels featured activists and organizers from the peoples’ struggles, such as Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Nodutdol, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, Pan-African Community Action, etc.; discussing how to connect their fights through the collective need to dismantle NATO and resist its military aggression and escalation.

One of the panelists, from the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, discussed the need to join the March on the RNC in Milwaukee on July 15 to fight against the racist and reactionary Trump agenda.

One of the panelists, an organizer in Palestinian Youth Movement, stated, “The NATO military alliance was created to protect Western imperialist interests in the wake of growing communism and people’s liberation movements internationally after World War II. NATO is anti-people in nature, a piece in the imperialist war machine that aims to crush national liberation movements in order to maintain Western hegemonic rule and control over the world’s resources.”

The Counter-Summit was followed by a mass mobilization the next day.

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #NATO #ResistNATO #ILPS #FRSO #Bayan #BAP #NAARPR #IAC