Boston demonstrators demand peace for Syria

The Syrian American Forum mobilized people to gather in Copley Square in Boston to call on the Obama administration to help end the ongoing war in Syria. A group of Syrians and their supporters demonstrated on Aug. 29 outside of the Boston Public Library to demand peace for Syria.

The Syrian American Forum has been at the forefront of the struggle for peace and self-determination in Syria since the war began in 2011. Forum activists raised Syrian flags and carried signs that condemned U.S. allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia for their support for rebel groups in the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has estimated the war has caused the death of over 200,000 Syrians. The U.S., Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have provided diplomatic and material support for “rebels“ inside of Syria in their efforts to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. In the summer of 2013, the Obama administration sought congressional approval for military intervention in Syria to achieve this objective.

At the time, Russia brokered a deal that prevented a potential world war scenario. Ever since, the U.S. and its allies have continued the war under the guise of fighting ISIS. A coalition, led by the U.S. and Turkey, has conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria without the approval of the government in Damascus or even the United Nations. These strikes have killed Syrian civilians, including 52 in May of 2015.

The Syrian American Forum press release for the demonstration states: “The [U.S.] American and international battle against terrorism continues to be short of achieving its objectives. This is due to … the refusal of the U.S. and its allies to acknowledge that an alliance which includes Syria is the only path to a strong alliance to defeat ISIS, Al-Nusra, and other terrorists.”

Syrians at the demonstration made it clear they want Washington to play a role in bringing peace to the war-torn nation. When asked what people in the U.S. can do to help, a Syrian American Forum representative answered, “Stop listening to the American government.”

The war on Syria is part and parcel of the world capitalist system’s drive to expand global profits at the expense of workers and oppressed people. Self-determination is a critical principle in the fight against capitalism and for a new socialist world. It is of absolute necessity that people in the U.S. stand with Syrians in their just fight to defend the sovereignty of their nation. Long live Syria!