Seattle against drone warfare

AS PART of a week of action against the U.S. government's use of drone warfare around the world, more than 100 people gathered April 17 in downtown Seattle. This followed a rally by students on the University of Washington campus organized by Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights. The downtown rally was sponsored by Veterans for Peace and the ANSWER coalition.

Craig Schwartz, a Seattle Central Community College history professor, explained that drones are only one tool of U.S. foreign policy. He called for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East and urged participants to oppose the U.S. government's goals of "domination of the region's resources and labor."

Ed Mast of the Palestine Solidarity Committee explained the role of the U.S. in supporting Israel, the only nuclear power in the Middle East. He talked about the U.S. and its ally Israel being the biggest perpetrators of repression, including denial of civil liberties in the region. Any movement against U.S. wars abroad must include support for the Palestinians, he said.

Other speakers talked about the slaughter of civilians, including many children, as a result of drone attacks. The U.S. possesses 96 percent of all foreign military bases in the world, said one speaker. Some of these bases are used for U.S. drone attacks.

The rally ended with a moving reading of the names and ages of many of the victims of the U.S. drone attacks by a University of Washington student, Sabiha, and a moment of silence for the victims.

After the speakers, the rally moved to the street to raise public awareness. One target of the march was the aircraft maker Boeing, a major participant in the U.S. drone program.