Tuesday, March 20, 2007 marked the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In the days surrounding the anniversary, over 1000 protests, marches, demonstrations and vigils were held across the U.S. calling for immediate troop withdrawal.
In Rome, U.S. Citizens for Peace and Justice organized a full day of protest, beginning the morning of the 20th with the "Fax the Facts" fax blast. We had written seven letters to Ambassador Spogli in the past, all of which remain unanswered. This time we decided to try a different approach. U.S. citizens from all over Italy were invited to send a letter via fax from our web site to the Bush Administration and our Ambassador. The message conveyed three simple facts on the war and occupation of Iraq: -- the war is destroying innocent lives: our kids' and untold numbers of Iraqis', -- the war is worsening our security, -- the war is busting our economy.
The letter also reminded Ambassador Spogli of his recent role in pressuring the Italian government to increase troop levels in Afghanistan and to approve the new U.S. military base in Vicenza, calling on the Ambassador to use his position to effect a change in U.S. foreign policy and to promote diplomatic rather than military solutions.
That afternoon, we braved freezing temperatures and marble-size hail as we stood in front of the U.S. Embassy with signs saying "Bush: You're not listening - 655,000 civilians dead" and "Spogli: You're not listening - 2,000,000 Iraqis have fled." We were joined by Italian groups such as Un ponte per., Donne in nero, Traduttori per la pace, Bastaguerra as well as Giovanni Franzoni and European Parliament Member Luisa Morgantini.
"Fax the Facts" continued despite the extreme weather conditions, as passers-by and Italian activists sent faxes from a mobile station set up right across the street from the Embassy, thanks to a laptop with a UMTS card connected to the internet.
We were interviewed by several journalists including a student from St. John's University in Rome, a podcaster and the local radio station Radio Città Aperta.
Over 100 faxes were sent to the Embassy that day.
Will this be the last anniversary in which we find ourselves calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq? The tide of public opinion is turning back home; let's work hard now to make it so.
Stay informed
Join the USC4P&J mailing list to stay informed on events and initiatives.
Ongoing/Future Events
Our Eyes Wide Open Film Series is suspended; for further information click here.
Upshot of our Nov. 9th group discussion on current politics:
It wasn't the Russians that got us Trump. Or Comey. Or even the massive GOP election fraud. It was the DNC.* *Dem National Committee
To learn how to stop the DNC
from delivering us another Trump, read Autopsy: the Democratic Party in Crisis.
Photo of a school in Yemen bombed by Saudi Arabian jets supplied by the U.S. and fueled in the air by the U.S. Air Force.
Tell Trump to STOP THIS CARNAGE, not fuel it! Click here.
Also participate in the CodePink email and/or phone initiative:
Click here to sign a petition, to put an end to the sanctions against Syria - their only effect is to take a terrible toll on the population, causing them to migrate! And click here to see the video by the Italian Committee to lift sanctions against Syria.
Did someone tell you that U.S. military intervention in Iraq was over? Not true: we're at it again. This time the pretext to drop bombs is "curbing ISIS" (which was created by the U.S. in the first place, to overturn al-Malaki in Iraq and then Assad in Syria, and is now out of hand.
Like what happened to "our" creature al Qaeda in Afghanistan). And the death toll continues to rise...
Write your senators and tell them: "Enough! U.S. out!! Iraq has shown it can curb ISIS by itself!"
