October 7th, 2018 marked 17 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Afghanistan today isn’t the promises of democracy, women’s liberation and education for children that we heard 17 years ago from imperialist war propaganda. Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a baby, a child or a mother (UNICEF). This ongoing wars and occupations are not “scaling down” after 17 years – with recent U.S. and NATO troop increases there are upwards of 20,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan! Also on the rise are civilian deaths, which are at a record high in 2018, and increasingly due to U.S. airstrikes.
In Vancouver, Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) held an antiwar rally and petition campaign on October 7, and made the demand “U.S./NATO and All Foreign Troops Out of Afghanistan” heard loud and clear! Activists held picket signs, handed out antiwar literature, and talked to passersby who stopped at the information table to find out more. The rally wrapped up with a program of speakers, making sure that everyone is walking by knew that there is still a need for peace and justice loving people to get involved and protest against the ongoing war in Afghanistan.
On October 20 – 21, antiwar activists in the U.S. called for a Women’s March on the Pentagon. Organizers of the march demanded the complete end to the wars abroad, the closure of foreign bases, and that the Pentagon budget is dramatically slashed to fund healthy social programs at home. For more on the Women’s March on the Pentagon visit www.marchonpentagon.com
On October 20th, MAWO held a solidarity action and echoed antiwar demands, from Washington DC to Vancouver BC. The action held in busy downtown Vancouver attracted people walking by who took information and signed on to petitions against Canada’s $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. A program of speakers closed out the rally, along with photos of protesters holding picket signs and posters reading #WomenMarch4Peace which were shared online worldwide!
For upcoming antiwar events and actions, visit www.mawovancouver.org or follow MAWO on Facebook and @mawovan on Twitter.
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