Help Chicago Activists Travel to Guantanamo, Cuba for the International Seminar for Peace and Elimination of Military Bases

On November 20th-28th, activists across the globe are gathering in Cuba to unite the fight against the global powers that have built military bases in all continents against the will of the people. This meeting will take place in Guantanamo Province, where a US military base has become one of the most brutal torture centers on the planet and a symbol of the gross human rights abuses committed by the US government in the name the war on terror. Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) is honored to announce that three of its younger members, Kait McIntyre, Holly Kent-Payne, and Jeff Westberry, have been invited to participate in this historic event, the World Peace Council's Fourth International Seminar for Peace and Elimination of Military Bases. We will be part of the delegation with the United National Antiwar Coalition. 

However, we need a financial commitment from you to make sure they're able to get there.  The activists in the AWC are motivated by a desire to better the world we live in. We believe you want the same thing. Your contribution will bring us one step closer to ending the destructive military industrial complex that has killed millions of people and destroyed countless lives. The funds raised will go toward plane tickets, visa applications, registration fees, housing, meals, and travel in Cuba.

Click here to donate. We appreciate donations of any size but, if possible, hope that individuals can give at least $50 and that organizations can donate at least $100.

If you would prefer to mail your contribution, please send checks to Anti-War Committee, c/o CCDBR, 1325 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60605. If you cannot contribute financially, we value the time you spend spreading the word about this important cause. If you have any talents or resources that may aid this campaign, do not hesitate to contact us. Holly, Kait, and Jeff, along with the entire Anti-War Committee Chicago, look forward to sharing the fruit of the experience you help make possible.

For more information, click here.

From Newsweek: Why Are FBI Agents Trammeling the Rights of Antiwar Activists?

Yes, Newsweek has an outstanding article on the 5th anniversary of the FBI raids of antiwar and solidarity activists. It is a must read...

Why Are FBI Agents Trammeling the Rights of Antiwar Activists?

Boeing and Black Friday flyer

We have created a leaflet based on the Amnesty International report released in July. They performed a high tech, 3D study of the city of Rafah under attack, and then diagram minute by minute, bomb by bomb, death by death, to prove Israel's war crimes.The 4 days fighting in Rafah saw some of the greatest loss of life - between 135 and 200 people. Their report is called Black Friday, because the attack started on a Friday and Friday was the worst. And, on that worst day, the bomb that resulted in the single greatest loss of life was a one ton bomb guided by Boeing's JDAM guidance system.


Click here for the Boeing and Black Friday Leaflet

Thanks to all who attended the militarization discussion

A special thanks to our speakers...

Frank Chapman:

Sundus Daghash of USPCN:

 

Lorena Buni of Anakbayan:

 

Holly Kent Payne:

Occupation is a Crime: Militarization at Home and Abroad

When: Saturday, September 12, at 1:30pm

Where: UE Hall (37 S. Ashland in Chicago).

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1451622311807274/

Panelists:

*Frank Chapman from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
*Lorena Buni from AnakBayan-Chicago. 
*Sundous Daghash from the United States Palestinian Community Network
*Holly Kent-Payne from the Antiwar Committee-Chicago

Speakers will examine the U.S. system of war and domination of oppressed nations. We hope to strengthen the work of all our movements. We'll also be selling Rasmea t-shirts and mobilizing for her appeals hearing in Cincinnati, OH, on October 14.

 

From Ferguson to Palestine, Occupation is a Crime!

In Palestine, the Israeli military routinely detains and abuses thousands of Palestinian political prisoners, including children.  In the Philippines, political activists are disappeared and murdered by the Aquino government with impunity.

In the U.S., a Black person is killed by police or vigilantes every 28 hours. Oppression is enforced by violence: extrajudicial killings.

Police crimes. Occupation. Siege. But the common enemy propping up these apartheid states, military dictatorships, and militarized police departments is the U.S. government.  The U.S. is the world's biggest warmongering superpower, and resistance in Gaza, uprising in Ferguson, and protest in Manila are all responses to its crimes.  This year, Palestinians have marched in  Ferguson and countless Black Lives Matter protests. Black activists traveled to Palestine to oppose Israeli apartheid. Angela Davis, the iconic political prisoner from the 1970s, has shared the stage with Rasmea Odeh, a modern day victim of political repression. Activists from the Philippines have also joined in the protests for both Palestine and against police crimes here. And in July, solidarity activists joined Filipinos in Washington, D.C. for a tribunal on human rights abuses by the U.S. backed government in Manila. 

The Case of Rasmea Odeh

On August 15 the Open University of the Left hosted Joe Iosbaker, who presented the case of our friend Rasmea Odeh.

Click here to check out Joe's presentation!

With thanks to the  Open University of the Left for the video.

Chicago demands Boeing end weapons sales to Israel

On April 27, "15 activists gathered outside the Boeing annual shareholders meeting [in Chicago] to protest Boeing’s weapons sales to Israel, particularly the $83 million contract with the Israel Air Force to provide 3000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Boeing secured this contract in November, just months after Israel’s Operation Protective Edge led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, including over 500 children. These war crimes led to protests across the globe and made Boeing a target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement"... Read more here. Thanks to FightBackNews for the great coverage.

Check out this video of the action (with thanks to John Dworkin and Forces in Motion):
https://youtu.be/_-b4kttDDtQ