Philadelphia activists press conference denounces NATO

A coalition of progressive community organizations held a press conference on July 12 to protest the 75th Anniversary Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to raise the alliance’s devastating impact on communities in Philadelphia and around the world.

The press event was organized by Anakbayan, Korea Peace Now, Workers World Party, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Philadelphia Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Members of these organizations from Philadelphia joined the national Resist NATO Counter Summit and Mobilization that brought together over 400 participants and over 64 organizations in Washington, D.C., on July 6 and 7 — in spite of record-breaking heat.

The press conference began with a member of the Philadelphia Alliance reading remarks that Pennsylvania political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal made in 2012 about NATO, in general, and its assault on Libya, in particular. Other speakers from Korea Peace Now, WILPF and Anakbayan addressed the role NATO has played as a military alliance of the U.S. and several European countries in expanding imperialist domination. Most recently, NATO has increased the danger of World War III through its expansion in Ukraine and war against Russia. 

Speakers addressed the connection between the international violence NATO has unleashed against colonized people around the world and the increasing state-led violence against Black, Brown and poor and working-class people here at home, particularly in Philadelphia.

In 2022, Pennsylvania ranked number eight among the top 10 states for its total share of federal defense spending — $17.9 billion, money that should have gone toward jobs and local services including mass transit, housing and education. According to Pew Research Center, Philadelphia was recently ranked by data researchers as “America’s poorest big city.” (WHYY, Jan 10) With NATO planning more wars — expanding into South Asia to target China and providing more assistance to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza — Philadelphia residents are demanding funding for jobs and education at home.

Members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Workers World Party co-chaired the press conference, which was held at the Octavius Catto Memorial statue outside Philadelphia’s City Hall. Catto was one of the most influential African American leaders in Philadelphia during the 19th century.  He fought for the abolition of enslavement, desegregation of Philadelphia public transportation and ratification of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution barring voting discrimination on the basis of race. Catto was assassinated by a pro-enslavement zealot at age 32 in 1871.