Mar 19, 2023 08:33 UTC
  • Iraq war anniv.: US protesters rally in Washington against US warmongering, sanctions policy

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Washington DC to call for an end to United States' militarism and sanction policy as they marked the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Anti-war protesters gathered in front of the White House and then headed to the Washington Post headquarters carrying coffins wrapped in the flags of countries that were invaded by the US over the past 20 years and demanded to stop the US proxy war in Ukraine.

Protesters demanded cutting funds and halting arms delivery to Kiev, and putting an end to “militarism and sanctions” in affected countries such as Syria, ending aid to “racist apartheid Israel” and avoiding escalations with China. They said the  arms delivery fueled the year-long Russia-Ukraine war.

They held banners that read “Feed the People, Not the Pentagon,” “Fund People's Needs, Not the War Machine,” and “Disband NATO.”

The organizers stated that the protest aimed to warn people of the threat of a “global war,” while also raising public awareness of “the human and financial toll of US militarism at home and abroad.”

“We commemorated people who have lost their lives in US wars from Afghanistan to Iraq, Somalia, Palestine, and Yemen and called the US officials to stop funding the endless wars and instead take care of peoples’ needs such as health care, housing livable wages and climate justice,” one of the demonstrators said.

The rally further coincides with the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, organizers noted. Many protesters held banners saying “Remember Iraq. No more wars based on lies!”

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