July 7 — Hundreds marched in the streets of Washington, D.C., under the banner of the Resist NATO Coalition, initiated by the International League of Peoples Struggle U.S. Chapter.
A few days later, the 75th anniversary NATO war summit was to be held on July 11 and 12. The key agenda items were the continuing U.S. proxy war against Russia and war maneuvers against China.
Activists gathered at Washington’s McPherson Square and marched to the White House and Lafayette Park, where they joined additional protesters from the “No to NATO, Yes to Peace” rally. Ann Wright, an ex-U.S. Army colonel who resigned in opposition to the Iraq war, declared, “NATO represents U.S. militarism. To end war, we need to end capitalism and imperialism.”
Marchers continued to Farragut Park, chanting, “No bombs in the air, no boots on the ground” for an ending rally. Protesters carried Palestinian flags along with giant banners.
The previous day, the coalition held a “People’s Summit” prior to street marches. Keynote speakers Nicaraguan Ambassador Lautaro Sandino and Ali Barghouti of the Palestinian Youth Movement spoke to an overflow crowd at the New York Ave Presbyterian Church.
Most participants came from Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. Erica Caines from Black Alliance for Peace and Andre Powell from Peoples Power Assembly, both from Baltimore, explained the connection between NATO and Cop City. Powell proclaimed, “There is a connection between Baltimore — our suffering, our unemployment, our low wages with NATO and the U.S. war machine.
“The trillions and I say trillions spent on the U.S. state apparatus which includes not only NATO, U.S. military bases, AFRICOM, the CIA, the FBI, and every rotten fascist cop in every city and rural area — could provide for our people!”
Filipino diaspora organizers denounced U.S. imperialists’ role in building an Asian NATO. BAYAN USA chairperson Adrian Bonifacio declared, “In the Philippines, more than a dozen youth were recently killed by the fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines, who are backed by the U.S. These are youth who dedicated their lives to the cause of national democratic revolution, who, when faced with the convergence of NATO in Asia Pacific, including the Philippines, and the guns of the U.S. military — they did not back down, and they pointed their guns back!.”
A representative of the Palestinian Youth Movement outlined that NATO is “the armed wing of U.S.-led imperialism suppressing liberation movements, led by ‘Genocide Joe’ and ‘Bloody Blinken.’”
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