 |
7-04-06, 9:15 am
Media Advisory
Contact: Hany Khalil, Media Coordinator, 718-637-7351 mobile,
press@unitedforpeace.org
Peace Groups to Commemorate July 4 With
Call for Independence for Iraq;
30 Actions Planned Across U.S., Including Contingents in Parades
3 July 2006, New York, New York—Marking Independence Day, peace groups across the United States will participate in local 4th of July activities under the banner “Peace Is Patriotic.” United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the nation’s largest antiwar coalition, has called for local events to make visible how mainstream antiwar sentiment has become in the U.S.
With more than 30 events planned across the U.S., including peace contingents in local July 4th parades, the antiwar movement will send a clear message to Congress and the White House: End the occupation of Iraq. Bring all the troops home now. No war on Iran. And stop shredding our civil liberties and civil rights in the name of fighting terrorism.
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll released last week, 50% of the U.S. public supports withdrawing all U.S. forces from Iraq immediately or within 12 months, and 57% says Congress should pass a resolution that outlines a plan for withdrawing U.S. troops. The White House continues to ignore the majority opposition to the war, which has already cost the lives of more than 2,500 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Michael McPhearson, Executive Director of Veterans For Peace, today said, "The 4th of July is a celebration of the founding generation’s separation from England, an occupying power an ocean away attempting to determine the future of people here in the newly formed United States of America. From our own history we know a nation cannot be free while occupied. The U.S. military presence in Iraq is provoking violence; to reduce it, we must allow the Iraqi people to determine their own destiny. Congress must show leadership by ending the occupation, bringing our troops home now, and taking care of them when they get here. There is no better way to honor Independence Day.”
Local actions planned include antiwar contingents in local parades, picnics, and barbecues. From Butte, MT, to Terre Haute, IN, to Los Molinos, CA, to Landsowne, PA, peace groups will call for an end to the occupation of Iraq and no war on Iran.
Highlights include:
* In Washington, DC, CodePINK: Women for Peace will kick-off the Troops Home Fast. Pledged participants include Cindy Sheehan, Dolores Huerta, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon, Willie Nelson, Sean Penn, Fernando Suarez del Solar, Michael Berg, and war resister Lt. Ehren Watada and his mother Carolyn Ho.
* In Philadelphia, PA, religious and community leaders will proclaim a “Declaration of Peace,” announcing their plans to engage in nonviolent civil resistance if by September 21 Congress fails to begin bringing the troops home.
* In Miami, FL, Members of Veterans For Peace and Democracy for America Miami will host a particularly patriotic BBQ by barbecuing the Patriot Act.
* In Butte, MT, Montana peace groups will enter a huge Statue of Liberty making a peace sign in the state's largest 4th of July parade.
For details and a full list of actions, visit http://unitedforpeace.org/july4thevents.
“Since September 11th, 2001, the Bush Administration has tried to wrap its bloody warmongering in stars and stripes,” said Judith LeBlanc, Co-Chair of United for Peace and Justice. “During the nearly five years of manipulation and fear that have followed, the White House was waged war on the Constitution and some of the principles upon which this country was founded, while labeling those who question their policies as ‘un-American’ and ‘unpatriotic.’ We have a responsibility to stand up for the best of our country’s ideals by demanding an end to the Bush Administration’s occupation of Iraq. Those elected officials who endorse an open-ended occupation are shirking their responsibility.”
Gael Murphy, co-founder of CodePink: Women for Peace, today commented, “We are deeply disturbed by allegations of U.S. soldiers’ unprovoked murder of Iraq civilians in Mahmudiya, Haditha, and elsewhere. Occupations inevitably create situations where some soldiers engage in atrocities. We can provide real support to the troops and prevent more atrocities by ending the occupation so they won’t put their own and others’ lives at risk unnecessarily.”
United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is the U.S.’ largest antiwar coalition with more than 1,400 groups under its umbrella. Its mission is to end the Iraq war and challenge destructive foreign and domestic policies undertaken by the Bush Administration in the name of fighting terrorism. Since its founding in October 2002, UFPJ has spurred hundreds of protests and rallies around the country, including the two largest marches against the Iraq war. http://www.unitedforpeace.org
|
|
