Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Jan. 8 statement from the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) US Chapter.

The cowardly assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil, the deployment of more US troops to the Southwest Asia and North Africa region (SWANA), and the belligerent threats of the Trump administration, reveal to the world what billions of people already know: The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, the single largest threat to the peace and security of Southwest Asia and North Africa, and a rogue state with no regard for international law. The assassination of Soleimani constitutes a war crime, and a violation of the sovereignty of both Iraq and Iran. It makes the world less safe, and increases the chance of an all out war in the region. The International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) US Chapter joins with the tens of thousands who took to the streets of the US on Saturday to denounce the assassination and calling for ‘US out of Iraq, no war with Iran!’ We stand with all peace and justice loving people, international civil society, and particularly the peoples of Iraq and Iran in opposing the belligerence of the US terrorist state. We call for the immediate removal of all US troops from Iraq and the whole region, and a lifting of all sanctions on Iran. US imperialism has long sought to dominate the SWANA region because of its strategic location, and the importance of the flow of oil to world markets. US troops continue to occupy parts of Iraq and Syria, while the US alliance with the Saudi monarchy wages a genocidal war in Yemen. After arming Iraq in its war against Iran in the 1980’s, the US turned against it in the First Gulf War, and subsequent sanctions, which resulted in the death of at least half a million Iraqi children (when asked about the death toll, then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright famously remarked that it was ‘worth it’), before finally launching the 2003 invasion and occupation, leading to approximately one million deaths, and creating the conditions for the rise of ISIS. It was in the war against ISIS where Qasem Soleimani gained his reputation as a general, and he was widely credited with helping to defeat ISIS in the region. ILPS chair emeritus Jose Maria Sison has observed: “In committing his criminal act, Trump is short-sightedly motivated by his selfish desire to overcome his current impeachment and to win the next presidential elections through warmongering and arousing the jingoistic sentiments that favor US imperialism. But the criminal act has serious consequences. The oppressed peoples and self-respecting countries in the Middle East are justly outraged, aroused and mobilized to fight against US imperialism. So are the people of the world, including the American people, who are against the aggressive and terrorist acts of US imperialism.” Indeed people in over 80 cities took the streets on Saturday to denounce the US war machine — an important first step in building anti-war and anti-imperialist resistance, but the movement must go further. Leading representatives of the Democratic Party have attempted to restrict opposition to Trump to simply procedural issues, accepting the lies of the administration, and continuing to support US war and occupation in Southwest Asia and North Africa. It is crucial that the growing resistance reject the imperial logic of both Trump and the leadership of the Democratic party, and assert our solidarity with the people of Iraq and Iran, affirming that all countries and peoples have the right to national sovereignty and self-determination.The people who live in the United States have a special responsibility to oppose the crimes of this empire, and to declare that our position is against the empire which threatens the future of the whole planet. We must stand with the people of the world, especially where they are rising up for a better future. Only guided by that internationalism can we fulfill our duty, to expose and oppose the US empire from within. We can learn from, and build with, the courageous forces already in motion against empire:  the anti-war veterans, the religious communities, and the indigenous and national liberation struggles within the US. In addition, we have a responsibility to bring many more people into the struggle — the youth who will be recruited as cannon-fodder, the communities that have been targeted for repression, and millions of progressive and conscious people who can see the empire has no future for them. We must develop the leadership of the oppressed and working class people, and engage in a process of unity and struggle with a wide variety of social forces. The US empire in decline is a rogue state, with no respect of international law, the sovereignty of nations, or the norms of diplomacy; it represents the single greatest threat to life on the planet. The people of the world, united in struggle, represent the solution. ILPS-US calls on our member organizations, allies, and comrades to join us, in deepening our commitment to the struggle against US empire and against US-led wars of aggression, and building deeper solidarity with people all over the world. Show your solidarity at the global day of protest for Iran nearest you on January 25th.

#US #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Iran #ILPS #War #GeneralQasemSoleimani #Soleimani

Washington, DC – The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) is reporting that Israel struck the region around Damascus, December 25.

According to the report, “Syrian air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by the Israeli warplanes from over the Lebanese territories and downed most of them before reaching their targets, affirming that the damages of the aggression were limited to a munition warehouse and the injury of three soldiers.”

U.S. and Israeli-backed forces in Syria are in the final stages of defeat.

#WashingtonDC #DistrictOfColumbiaDC #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #Syria #War #SyrianArabNewsAgency

Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Twin Cites based Anti-War Committee blasted Trump’s attack on Syria, April 6, stating, “We denounce U.S. missile attacks on Syria. The U.S. should not increase its intervention in Syria. More bombing will not bring back the victims of this recent chemical weapons use. This escalation risks a broader regional war. Israel is considering invading and Russia could respond too. The U.S. is pouring gasoline on this conflict. The anti-war movement needs to respond in full force by demanding an end to U.S. attacks and get its troops out of Syria.” Aby-Keirstead added, “We can't just protest the Muslim ban. We need to protest how our government creates more refugees.”

The Syrian government has made it clear that it has not used chemical weapons. Many press reports indicate the bombing of a chemical weapons factory run by forces opposing the Syrian government caused casualties In Khan Shaikhun.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Syria #War #Trump

Tampa, FL – A group of 50 people gathered at the First United Church of Tampa for a panel discussion, “State Repression and the War on Terror.” Speakers focused on the U.S. government targeting of Arab-Americans, Muslims and anti-war activists for political repression.

“Only the fish that opens its mouth gets in trouble,” said Attorney Hassan Shibly of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Shibly advised individuals to remain silent and call their lawyer when facing intimidation and questioning by the FBI. CAIR offers representation to clients for free.

Another panelist, Cassia Laham, spoke about the growing student movement in opposition to U.S. support for Israeli and for the liberation of all of Palestine. She helped found Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Florida.

“We have a duty to keep organizing together to keep moving forward,” Laham said. Currently she is active with People’s Opposition to Imperialism, War, and Racism (POWIR) in Miami and organizes in solidarity with Palestinian American women’s leader Rasmea Odeh.

Rasmea Odeh is a 68-year-old woman who was imprisoned, tortured and raped by the Israeli military in their illegal occupation of Palestine in 1969. On March 12 in Detroit, Judge Drain will sentence her. This follows an unfair U.S. trial where Odeh was not allowed to tell her story, while the lies of the Israeli military were accepted as fact. Rasmea Odeh has won awards in Chicago for her work with women and children, but the U.S. government is set on punishing her.

“Targeting of Arab Americans and Muslims for the sake of ‘safety’ is a lie used by the state to perpetuate fear of these oppressed communities and to instill support of U.S. wars overseas,” said Mick Kelly from Minneapolis.

“The U.S. has built an empire that encompasses every continent, the people of the Middle East are defeating that empire. They are fighting to get the boot of the U.S. and Israel of their necks. We need to stand in solidarity with all those who are fighting for their liberation and defeat attempts to repress ourselves and others,” continued Kelly. Kelly is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists whose home was turned upside down by the FBI in 2010.

Kelly also spoke about Rasmea Odeh’s trial in Detroit, “Through organizing and speaking out, it is a way to make a breakthrough.”

The CSFR-Tampa is organizing a local protest on March 12 in support of Rasmea Odeh. One local leader will be attending Odeh’s sentencing in Detroit.

To follow CSFR-Tampa for updates, like their page at https://www.facebook.com/TampaCSFR

#TampaFL #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #War #andRacismPOWIR #CouncilOfAmericanIslamicRelations #PeoplesOppositionToImperialism

Tampa, FL – Activists from the Tampa Bay area organized a protest on June 27 in response to a U.S. intervention in Iraq. It was an emergency action in response to President Obama’s sending military advisors to Iraq, and the flying of U.S. drones over Baghdad.

Speakers addressed an array of issues, from President Obama’s continuation of U.S. wars,to the oppression of nations by imperialism, as well as anti-war activists facing political repression by the FBI—for speaking out against US wars.

“The US has no interest in the wellbeing of the Iraqi people, and the millions of dead Iraqis from the past 94 years of US and British domination are a testament to that,” said Gage Lacharite from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society.

Jesse Nevel of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement facilitated the rally and stated, “Up with Iraqi liberation. Down with war and occupation” and described the US government’s foreign policy as “parasitic”, connecting current US imperialism to the history of enslaving and murdering African people.

Jessica Schwartz from Stop FBI – Tampa Bay talked about the U.S. government persecution of Arab Americans and Muslims for their political activity, as well as the Antiwar 23 who were raided by the FBI in 2010. “People fighting against the system and opposing U.S. wars, occupations, and military interventions like the one in Iraq are attacked by the US government, which prides itself on so-called ‘freedom of speech’”.

Marisol Marquez from Raices en Tampa linked the US meddling in the Middle East with the history of oppression in the US. “With its history of seizing Mexican land, committing genocide against Native Americans and enslaving Africans, how can this country possibly know what another country needs? Invading another country was not okay back then, and it sure as hell is not okay now.”

Jared Hamil from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization explained about the current situation in Iraq: “Sometimes there are many forces and groups at play. It can be confusing. And we ask ourselves where do we stand. We must always stand on the side of the people, not with those who attempt to build the US Empire. History shows that those two are never on the same side. We must stand with those who oppose imperialism, with those who fight imperialism”.

Organizations included in the protest were St. Pete for Peace, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, Stop FBI Repression – Tampa Bay, Raices en Tampa, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, and Tampa Dream Defenders.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #Obama #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #Iraq #Imperialism #Bush #DreamDefenders #Intervention #RaicesEnTampa #USF #War #2001 #ISIS #MiddleEast

###Ten years of the “war on terror”

Just days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, [President George W. Bush stated](http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2001/09/17/2001-09-17_a_fight_vs__evil__bush_and_c.html), “This crusade – this war on terrorism – is going to take a while, [...] And the American people must be patient. I'm going to be patient. But I can assure the American people I am determined.”

[A few days later](http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/), Bush said, “Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.”

As Bush made clear ten years ago, this war would not be about ‘al Qaeda,’ but about a long war that would span the globe. And Bush was right about this. The ‘war on terror’ led to:

- The invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, which has caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths and forced millions of people to leave their homes - The invasion and occupation of Iraq, in which the U.S. occupation was responsible for the deaths of over one million Iraqis and the total devastation of that country’s infrastructure - Cruise missile attacks and drone air strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia that have killed countless civilians - The establishment of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, the site of countless abuses of human rights and torture of hundreds of people - Even the killing of Osama Bin Laden is symbolic of the expansion of the ‘war on terrorism’: Bin Laden was reportedly killed deep within Pakistani territory in the city of Abbottabad, in violation of Pakistani sovereignty.

The headlines of all the major U.S. newspapers and TV outlets are crowing, “Osama Bin Laden is dead!” and some people apparently took to the streets in celebration in Washington, D.C.

But how can anyone find joy or cause for celebration in the death of one man who has been used as an excuse and justification for the deaths of so many hundreds of thousands of people, and the forced displacement of countless millions in the Middle East and Central Asia?

###‘War on terror’ and criminalizing national liberation movements abroad

One of the most far-reaching implications of the ‘war on terrorism’ is the criminalization of national liberation movements and labeling these movements and their supporters as ‘terrorists.’ From this angle, the ‘war on terrorism’ is nothing but a thin veneer over the U.S. drive to control resources and dominate territories across the globe.

Conveniently, the labeling of a movement or organization as ‘terrorist’ always aligns with the interests of U.S. foreign policy. As it just so happens, many of the organizations on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list are in resource-rich countries that receive millions of dollars in U.S. military aid. Movements that form in opposition to U.S.-backed dictatorships or repression in these countries – from Palestine, to Colombia, the Philippines, India and many others – are placed on the State Department’s the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, and their members and supporters are targeted for repression.

And what if circumstances change and the designation of a the Foreign Terrorist Organization becomes inconvenient to U.S. foreign policy? The U.S. simply chooses to ignore its own rules. We see this in Libya today, where the U.S. and NATO are supporting and possibly arming members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, or in Iran, where prominent members of the U.S. political structure have met with and expressed their full support for the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), a group which carried out numerous terrorist attacks in Iran. And we can’t forget [Luis Posada Carriles](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Luis_Posada_Carriles), the self-confessed anti-Cuban terrorist who the U.S. refuses to extradite to Venezuela or Cuba so he can face justice for his bombings and attacks which killed dozens of civilians.

###Destroying civil liberties at home

Often we hear of the ‘erosion’ of our civil liberties in the wake of 9/11 and the PATRIOT Act that was passed, supposedly as a tool to help assist law enforcement with the ‘war on terror.’ But “erosion” is far too passive a word: it sounds like a gentle, natural process. What has taken place, and what continues today, is an all-out assault on the civil liberties granted by the Constitution, and the democratic rights to speech and assembly. The main effect is to strengthen the political and policing power of the ruling class and provide new tools for targeting domestic dissent.

The PATRIOT Act, the legal framework for the ‘war on terrorism,’ is still intact today, ten years after it was first passed as temporary measure. And thanks to this legal framework, the surveillance and spying apparatus of the U.S. has grown to enormous proportions – as the Washington Post series “Top Secret America” has reported, no one even knows how large, or how much money is spent on the domestic intelligence agencies.

What is known is that since Sept. 11, 2001, the FBI has stepped up its surveillance and harassment of Muslims in the United States – beginning with the rounding-up of thousands of American Muslims in the months after Sept. 11, 2001 for ‘voluntary interviews’ with the FBI. U.S. corporate media and right-wing politicians have encouraged people to view Muslims with suspicion. Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. Muslims who give money to charities that help people who suffer from the U.S. policies of war and occupation in Palestine are prosecuted under the ‘material support of terrorism’ statute. And the FBI increasingly dedicates its resources to entrapping Muslims in plots that the FBI has come up with; as was the case in Oregon where the FBI encouraged the ‘radicalization’ of a disaffected Muslim youth and provided him with the money, a fake bomb and encouragement to go through with an attack that was then ‘foiled’ by the FBI.

Then, six months ago, the expansion of the domestic ‘war on terrorism’ took a new turn as dozens of [FBI agents raided the homes of social justice activists in Chicago and Minneapolis](http://www.stopfbi.net), eventually issuing subpoenas to 23 people to a federal grand jury concerning an investigation into the ‘material support of terrorism.’ The raids came just months after the Supreme Court ruled in a controversial case, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, that free speech can be considered material support for terrorism if it is done in coordination with or under the direction of a foreign terrorist organization. The court did not define what “coordination with” or “under the direction of” means, leaving many wondering whether statements or organizing efforts against the disastrous and bloody interventions of the United States military in places like Colombia or Palestine will be in violation of the law.

###War of terror

Under the pretext of fighting terrorism, the U.S. has invaded and occupied Iraq and Afghanistan, and used air strikes and covert operations across the world. The ‘war on terrorism’ has caused over one million deaths and forced millions to flee their homes.

This is not justice for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The ‘war on terrorism’ only deepens the sadness and pain caused by those attacks ten years ago. It is well past time for Americans to understand that the path to justice and peace is through ending all U.S. military aid and military interventions around the world, dismantling the PATRIOT Act and reigning in the out-of-control domestic spying by the FBI and other agencies.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #WarOnTerrorism #September11 #OsamaBinLaden