HEAR Sara Flounders International Action
Center co-director and WWP Secretariat member, give a talk and show video
footage on her recent trip to Syria as part of an U.S. anti-war delegation that
included former U.S. Attorney General, Ramsey Clark;
former Georgia Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney; IAC West Coast
director, John Parker and others
The
anti-war delegation visited Syria the week of Sept. 16 to see for themselves
what is happening there. The delegation included human rights lawyer and former
U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Cynthia McKinney, a former six-term
congressperson from Georgia; Dedon Kamathi of the All-African People’s
Revolutionary Party and Pacifica Radio; and Johnny Achi of Arab Americans 4
Syria in Los Angeles. The International Action Center, which pulled together the
delegation, sent key organizers John Parker from Los Angeles and Sara Flounders
from New York.
Below
are reports from the delegation, condensed from emails and a phone interview
conducted by Andrea Sears of WBAI radio with Flounders and Syrian youth
organizer Ogarit Dandash. It can be heard online at
leftvoices.net.
Sara
Flounders: “Today [Sept. 17], we are visiting a youth resistance
encampment called Over Our Dead Bodies on Qasioun Mountain. It is the site of TV
and communication towers overlooking Damascus. This is a human shield commitment
made by hundreds of youth every day and at least 100 every night against U.S.
bombing. It was begun two weeks ago, when it seemed a U.S. strike was
imminent.
“What
we’re involved in on this trip is people-to-people resistance, meeting people
from neighborhood defense teams, also meeting people at a displaced persons
center whose homes had been destroyed by the U.S.-supported rebel forces.
“Today,
we visited such a center of about 300 people — 65 families in a public school in
the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus. Families of from six to 10 people share one
classroom. It is crowded! But at least families are assured shelter, good food
for the kids, medical care and meds, and classes.
“We
also visited a military hospital where victims of gas attacks and sniper and
shrapnel fire were being treated.
“We
earlier had a meeting with the Grand Mufti of Syria. He is the top Sunni
religious leader and stands with the government in defense of a secular state
for all religions. Because of his position and because he refused to join the
Islamic right-wing jihadists, his son was publicly assassinated almost two years
ago.
“He
had planned to visit the U.S. this past summer to hold meetings with many
Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders on the importance of a society
based on tolerance. But the U.S. denied his visa.
“Day
and night, we hear the boom of civil defense mortars and some heavy explosives,
but most parts of Damascus are secure. It is a beautiful, modern, clean city
with wide boulevards. Everything here is still well lit, even street lights all
functioning. The infrastructure is pretty incredible. The housing blocks
everywhere we have been are very modern. Everywhere are Syrian flags and
enormous patriotic fervor.
“Women
are especially outspoken about what is at stake here, when they compare it to
what the future holds in Iraq or Libya.”
Ogarit
Dandrash: “I am usually a journalist, but now I am an activist. The
experience in Iraq has taught us. We don’t trust the U.S. government. Only when
the Syrian government says we have an agreement and it is safe now will we go
back to our schools or our jobs. Until then, we will stay at the encampment
here.”
John
Parker: “There was great relief when it seemed that President Obama had
called off the attack. But over the last few days, Obama and Secretary of State
John Kerry have made it clear that an attack is not off the table. A U.S. attack
on Syria would destroy what is a very modern, developed country with results
like what we’ve seen already in Iraq and Libya, which once had the highest
standard of living in Africa and is now in chaos.”
Delegation
members have played a big role in organizing anti-war actions in the U.S. since
the U.S. government began threatening Syria during the last week of August. They
intend to use their experience in Syria to strengthen their anti-war organizing
among the U.S. population, which is overwhelmingly opposed to U.S. military
action against Syria.
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