Protesters Call for Bombings to Stop in Libya

On Thursday, March 24 Baltimore activists gathered at the corner of Light and Pratt St. at Baltimore's Inner Harbor calling for the United States, Britain and France to stop their bombing of Libya.

The bombings began on Saturday, March 19 after the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1973 which authorized a “no-fly zone” over Libya.

Since then, the western powers have been bombing military installations and ground forces commanded by Libya's longtime dictator, General Muammar Gaddafi, who has ruled over the North African nation for over 40 years.

The reason cited for the intervention was to protect citizens against Gaddafi's military offensive against a rebel movement fighting to overthrow the regime.

Chanting slogans like “Libya for Libyans, not for wall street dividends” and “Humanintarian war – it's a lie, US bombs, people die,” particpants of the demonstration rejected the humanitarian justification for the bombings.

Andrew Castro, a local organizer for the ANSWER Coalition, raised the question, “How could the U.S. government support a democratic movement in one country and repress it in another?”

Castro cited the Obama administration's support of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator and U.S ally, until the last days of his 30-year reign, which ended on February 11 when Mubarak stepped down because of a massive democratic uprising calling for his ouster.

He also asserted that there has been no talk of intervening on behalf of citizens facing harsh government repression who are calling for democratic reforms in Bahrain, Yemen and other nations whose authoritarian regimes are allies of the U.S.

Cindy Farquhar, a member of Pledge of Resistance Baltimore, believes that the U.S. should have pushed harder for negotiated talks and that the conflict should be settled regionally.

When asked about how the rebels called for an intervention on their behalf to prevent what many analysts claim to have been an impending slaughter by Gadaffi's forces, Castro questioned whether the “call for intervention was widespread” and asserted that western nations must respect Libya's sovereignty.

He recognized that the situation in Libya is “complex,” but urged activists to contest the escalation of the western intervention.

The demonstration was organized by the local chapter of the ANSWER coalition, and it was attended by more than twenty local activists.