Miami, FL – About 30 anti-war activists in South Florida gathered together, Aug. 18, to hear Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin speak about her new book, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S-Saudi Connection. Miami was Benjamin’s first stop on a tour meant to increase awareness and create more dialogue around the ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Kingdom of the Unjust, largely centers around the human rights abuses and war crimes committed by the Saudi government, and how the U.S. supports, utilizes, and defends those actions. Benjamin spoke about the millions of dollars’ worth of weapons the U.S. sells to Saudi Arabia each year, their mutual interests in the Middle East, as well as their involvement in American politics.

Her book and the tour itself could not have come at a more opportune time. Over the last five years, the Saudis have not only exported weapons and money to terrorist groups throughout the Middle East fighting in Syria, Iraq and Libya. These Saudi-backed groups have created violence and chaos throughout the region which has killed hundreds of thousands.

Benjamin talked of the current waves of illegal bombing raids the Saudi government is conducting against the people of Yemen. These strikes have targeted schools, hospitals and heavily populated neighborhoods, killing thousands of civilians. Yet despite these horrific war crimes, the U.S. continues to support their regime.

Several progressive groups came together to discuss these topics with Benjamin, including the Green Party of Miami and People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR). The audience was able to ask questions and give input during the event.

“In her lucid presentation, Medea dismantled false dominant paradigms about the U.S.'s interests in the Middle East,” said Carlos Valnera of POWIR.

“It was important for Benjamin to speak in south Florida to inspire a new wave of peace and justice activists to get mobilized,” said David Gibson of Peace, Justice and Sustainability Florida. “She supported current activists who continue to work for positive change and informed us on the coming struggles so we can organize a powerful and effective response to the abuses of those currently in power.”

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Florida #POWIR #MedeaBenjamin

Miami, FL- Medea Benjamin, an anti-war activist and lead organizer with CODEPINK: Women For Peace, joined South Florida activists at a meeting, Feb. 18, to discuss the condition of the anti-war movement in the U.S. and internationally. The discussion at Florida International University was hosted by People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) and included members from War vs. Human Needs, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

Medea Benjamin spoke about her travels to American-created war zones and areas being targeted by U.S. drones. She described tragic encounters with families of those murdered by American drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia – including the mother of three sons who were all targeted and killed by drone strikes.

“It is horrible that there are so many innocent casualties,” she said. “But even those actually targeted by drones and labeled as 'militants' are usually young people who join organizations like Al Qaeda because they don't have much and have run out of options. Hearing their families speak about them was like hearing about young people who decide to join gangs in the U.S.”

Such personal stories about this new form of war are described in her book, Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control, which she distributed to people at the meeting.

“The only ones benefiting from drones are the companies make them,” Benjamin said.

Aside from drone warfare, those in attendance also discussed the current state of the anti-war movement – its ups and downs since Obama took the U.S. presidency. They also discussed the importance of continuing to organize against U.S. wars and imperialism, mentioning the big 2012 anti-NATO protest in Chicago. Activists shared stories and asked questions regarding successes and failures of their various actions over the last year.

When Medea Benjamin asked about local actions, members of POWIR shared their experiences organizing against U.S. drone attacks, the U.S. torture prison at Guantanamo Bay, Obama’s failed attempt to start a new U.S. war in Syria, and spying by the NSA. They expressed the importance of rallying in solidarity with whistleblowers as well.

“It is inspiring to know that a new, young group like POWIR exists,” Benjamin said. “We are so impressed by your group and all the work you all have done.”

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #POWIR #MedeaBenjamin

“Boeing is vying for a contract with the Navy for a new combat drone – a contract that they say they must win to stay competitive among arms manufacturers,” said Kait McIntyre of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC). “It’s time to end the drone wars, not prepare to build another generation of deadly weapons.”

AWC has been campaigning against Boeing’s new drone since 2012. The Navy is accepting bids for a carrier launched combat drone which will be the size of a fighter plane, able to travel much farther than the Reaper, the combat drone currently in use, and carry a larger number of missiles.

AWC has been joined by a number of anti-war groups in Chicago, including U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Syrian American Forum, ANSWER Coalition and many others. They’ll also be joined by groups that have been protesting outside drone command centers, such as Camp Ripley in Minnesota and Camp Williams in Wisconsin.

Helping to lead the march and headlining a conference being held the following day will be Medea Benjamin, a national spokesperson for the anti-war and anti-drone movements. The world watched as Benjamin and her organization, Code Pink, disrupted both President Obama’s speech justifying drone warfare in May and Secretary of State John Kerry’s saber rattling remarks against Syria in early September.

AWC is against the drone wars being waged in Pakistan and Yemen. “Unbiased sources estimate 800 civilians, including almost 200 children, have been killed by U.S. drone strikes,” explained McIntyre.

According to member Joe Iosbaker, the AWC also opposes Boeing’s new drone for economic justice reasons. “The city of Chicago gave Boeing $63 million in taxpayers’ money to move to Chicago. That was supposed to create jobs, not to be used for building a deadlier killer drone.”

More local groups are starting to take a stand against drone warfare and other new wars, such as in Syria. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2858, adopted a resolution this month against war on Syria. That statement read in part, “… the enormous financial costs of bombing and war could be better spent on public services such as healthcare, education, jobs, safety for our children or to feed the hungry…”

The Chicago protest will start at 3:00 p.m., on the northwest corner of Monroe Street and Columbus Drive.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #drones #MidwestActionAgainstDrones #MedeaBenjamin