Protestors came out pounding pots and chanting furiously against President Barack Obama’s announcement to send additional troops overseas.
The protest took place at the corner of Wolf Road and Central Avenue in Colonie and was part of a nationally coordinated effort to oppose the war, protestors said.
Obama announced on Tuesday, Dec. 1 he is planning to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, while protestors are calling for the troops overseas to come home.
A crowd of protestors sang songs calling for peace, diplomacy and bringing troops home while cars supporting their chants honked as they passed by.
Yes we can, yes we can, U.S. out of Afghanistan, and `Moving forward never back, U.S. out of Iraq,` were sang with percussion accompaniment.
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, Guilderland Neighbors for Peace, Women Against War and Veterans for Peace were among some of the groups on hand.
`A lot of people are against the war,` said Joe Lombardo, a protestor. `A lot of people gave President Obama the benefit of the doubt. We saw this as a great betrayal.`
Members of the Capital District protests cited an open letter sent to President Barack Obama that calls for an end to the war and states escalation is an `utter folly` in light of the economy.
Obama said the deployment will have long-term benefits and troops overseas and are vital to stabilizing the region.
`The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 ` the fastest pace possible ` so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans,` Obama said in his announcement.
`The signatories pledged `to keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way possible. We will urge elected representatives to cut all funding for war. Some of us will be led to withhold our taxes, practice civil resistance, and promote slowdowns and strikes at schools and workplaces,` according to information from the protestors regarding the letter.
The protestors maintain that their numbers are strong, and that the war effort needs to stop.
`We will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace activists, to build the kind of massive movement– which today represents the sentiments of a majority of the American people – that will play a key role in ending U.S. war in Afghanistan. Such is the folly of your decision and such is the depth of our opposition to the death and suffering it will cause,` according to the anti-war protestors.
Obama said he is planning to hand responsibility over to the Afghan government, and is planning to begin removing troops by July of 2011. He noted that he is hopeful for international cooperation.
`Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead,` Obama said. `Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what’s at stake is not simply a test of NATO’s credibility ` what’s at stake is the security of our Allies, and the common security of the world.`
Obama addressed the regional ramifications of terrorist operations and warned that the U.S. must be vigilant and protect against future attacks.
`This region is the heart of the global violent extremism pursued by al Qaeda, and the region from which we were attacked on 9/11. New attacks are being planned there now, a fact borne out by a recent plot, uncovered and disrupted by American authorities,` according to information from the White House. `Al Qaeda remains in Pakistan where they continue to plot attacks against us and where they and their extremist allies pose a threat to the Pakistani state. Our goal in Pakistan will be to ensure that al Qaeda is
defeated and Pakistan remains stable.`
Kim Panaro, a member of Bethlehem Neighbor’s for Peace, said although there are threats present, `diplomacy and economic support,` and the withdrawal of troops are a better solution than escalation.
`You can’t convince me we are killing them for their own good,` she said. `I’m out here because there is no way that this slaughter of Afghanis is going to happen under my name.`
Obama spoke with Pakistani President Asif Zardari, according to information from the White House. Obama acknowledged the sacrifices of the Pakistani government and highlighted the importance of neutralizing al Qaeda. The pair agreed that a close partnership between Pakistan and the U.S. is pivotal, Obama promised to assist Pakistan against extremists, according to information from the president’s office.
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