U.S. protests condemn war on Libya

New York WW photo: Ellen Catalinotto

Anti-war activists held protest rallies against the U.S./NATO war on Libya on June 27 in several cities.

A picket in front of Philadelphia’s City Hall during rush hour traffic received a very positive response from passersby.

In New York, the anti-war protest was held at Bloombergville, an area on the sidewalk near City Hall where demonstrators had been camping for two weeks to protest severe cuts to education and social services in the city budget. The protesters turned the action into a strong street meeting, where two dozen speakers — from sponsoring organizations and from Bloombergville — connected the struggle against imperialist war with the demand to fund people’s needs.

Philadelphia WW photo: Joseph Piette

The demonstrators drummed and chanted for nearly two hours. One 17-year-old woman, who was only seven when the war on Afghanistan started, described growing up watching more and more wars accompanied by attacks on workers in the U.S.

Demonstrators included members of the United National Anti-war Committee, Workers World Party, International Action Center, Philadelphia Greens, ANSWER Coalition, Socialist Action, Philly Against War, International Socialist Organization and many other organizations involved in Bloombergville.

— Joseph Piette in Philadelphia, Sara Flounders in New York