A ug 6 2006

Armenian Activist Reports from Anti-War Protest in NYC

Photo by Aramazt Kalayjian On Saturday 8/5/06 at 4 pm, an Anti-War
protest took place in Times Square, NYC. The rally was sponsored by
Al-Awda, NY; the Arab American Muslim Federation; Defend Palestine
NY; International Action Center; NJ Solidarity Activists for the
Liberation of Palestine; Jorge Marin, Martin Luther King, Jr,
Bolivian Circle; Josue Renaud, NE Human Rights Org. For Haiti, Chuck
Turner of Boston City Council.

The attendance was much more significant then at the previous rally
held in front of Israel’s Mission to the UN, not only because it was
held on a weekend day but also due to the fact that the outreach
through emails had been more effective and widespread. The relative
small attendance by the Arab community can be ascribed to this group
having been so closely monitored and persecuted by the US authorities
that many are now afraid (especially those with a precarious visa
status) to be seen as supporters of any Arab cause.

The protesters were easily in excess of a thousand. The Armenian
contingent was made of about 12 individuals, almost all familiar
faces from the Armenian and the Left Conference. Many held signs that
said "Armenians in solidarity with Lebanon." We discussed the current
political situation, exchanged information, as well as listened to
the speakers.

As was the case with the previous protest-rally, this one too was
packed with energetic slogans and chants. The speeches came from
various ethnic, religious, and human rights groups and the speakers
expressed their solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian people
while condemning Israeli and US policies. There were speakers
representing Iranians, Cubans, Palestinians, Arabs, LGBT, Filipino,
African-Americans, Orthodox Jews, etc. as well as those representing
the various leftist organizations that sponsored the rally.

The most memorable and poignant speeches were those by Rashid Khalidi
and Ramsey Clark. The latter asked that we cut US military budget by
70% so the US can offer better education and universal free health
care to children rather than kill children with US made bombs.

Unlike the Boston rally on 8/2 there were no Armenian speakers in NYC
— something that needs to be changed. The rally ended with a march
to the Exxon-Mobile building.

Maro Matossian