UNAC Response to Terry Burke and In These Times

On March 13, 2016 the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) held a Day of Peace and Solidarity rally in New York City. I was among the many speakers who made clear our opposition to all U.S. interventions abroad. Obviously Syria was a subject of discussion and Syrian-Americans were in attendance who condemned the American led destruction of their country.

Terry Burke condemned the event in an In These Times article published two weeks ago. Burke says that our event was too "U.S. centric" and decried the fact that some of the Syrians who marched with us carried their own flags and images of president Assad. Burke criticizes the lack of a Syrian presence within the anti-intervention movement except there was a Syrian presence which she acknowledges but they are pro-Assad so they don't really count. It was the usual blather from pseudo leftists who don't really mind when wars are carried out by democrats and who are happy to listen to the bogus claims of humanitarian intervention. It is the U.S., Saudi, Israeli, Turkish, Qatari, ISIS camp who have destroyed Syria and displaced 9 million people and killed 400,000 more. There is nothing humanitarian about this brutal war.

It is discouraging that "leftists" aren't in full accord in their opposition to imperialism nor that they repeat corporate media lies about Syria and the rest of the world. UNAC wants self-determination for all people. Self-determination is impossible when a nation is under attack. Syria should be free of outside interference and its people should be able to make changes in their system on their own. That is why this war must end.

None of her arguments makes sense, but we at UNAC felt compelled to respond, point by point. After much discussion we did so and our rebuttal is now posted on the UNAC web site. Please take the time to read it.

Hands off Syria!