Tampa rally against war on Syria held outside military base

Tampa, FL – As thousands mobilized throughout the country to denounce the April 13 missile attack on Syria by the U.S., France and the U.K., local anti-war activists organized a demonstration outside of MacDill Air Force base in Tampa. The demonstrators shouted anti-imperialist slogans for over two hours in front of traffic headed into the base. The slogans of “Hands off Syria!” and “No justice, no peace!” were prevalent in the rally. The event was candidly titled “Syrian Gas Attack = Iraqi WMD; We Don’t Buy the Lies!”

The protest rejected any act of aggression against Syria. Emboldened by the quickly diminishing credibility of American corporate media, the event sought to challenge the imperialist narrative on Syria which claims that President Bashar Al-Assad used chemical warfare against a civilian population in Douma a week and a half ago.

Dina Formentini, an organizer with St. Pete for Peace said, “We found it to be preposterous that Assad was being blamed for the gassing of his people.” Formentini made the point that, “The only video that was provided of the alleged attack was from a group name The White Helmets. This group was started by a British intelligence officer with money from USAID. The White Helmets are now almost entirely funded by the U.S. and British governments, who both have a vested interest in overthrowing the Assad government.”

Among the various groups in attendance, members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization were present. Bill Aiman, of FRSO, said, “I came out to the protest because it is crucial that all peace-loving people oppose U.S. imperial aggression and support all nations in their fight against U.S. imperialism.” The event featured other activists who asserted that the U.S. should prioritize the funding of public education over the bombing of foreign countries.

Formentini explained that, “The U.S. has a history of using false information, like the WMDs in Iraq, to get American support for war, and this is the same story. Syria is a sovereign nation and they have invited Russia into their country to assist them with fighting ISIS. The U.S. has not been invited.”

As American influence on the global stage continues to nosedive, events such as these are help others see through the lies of the warmongers.