Upstate New York protests drone warfare
By Minnie Bruce Pratt on May 2, 2013 » Add the second comment.
Resistance
to U.S. drone warfare intensified in upstate New York on April 28 as
more than 250 people rallied at the gates of Hancock Air Base in
Syracuse. The rally was organized by the Upstate Coalition to Ground the
Drones and End the Wars. Thirty-one people were arrested in the action.
Pilots at the base operate unmanned, armed Reaper drones,
bombing people in Afghanistan. Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. The base
houses the 174th Attack Wing, New York Air National Guard, and is a hub
for U.S. military drones.
Local activists have been arrested and sent to jail for
repeatedly mounting “civil resistance” against the drones for more than a
year. On April 24, four activists were sentenced to 15 days in jail for
an action at the base in October. (upstatedroneaction.org)
Military and local authorities have stepped up measures to
limit anti-drone actions. Local judges granted an “order of protection”
to a drone group commander against demonstrators. Local police have
severely limited public areas allowed for protests, and local courts
have imposed unusually high bail requirements on protesters.
Significant military spending for drone warfare is
projected for Central New York. A recent Pentagon budget earmarks $40
billion for the purchase and development of drones over the next 10
years. (peacecouncil.net)
The April 28 action aiming to accelerate anti-drone
organizing was the culmination of a three-day conference, “Resisting
Drones, Global War and Empire: A Convergence to Action.” The conference
was sponsored by more than 70 regional and national organizations,
including the Syracuse Peace Council, the United National Antiwar
Committee and Veterans for Peace. Regional sponsors ranged from Ithaca
Catholic Worker to the Buffalo International Action Center to Occupy
Albany.
Speakers at the conference and the rally included Marilyn Levin of UNAC, Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative NonViolence, Col. Ann Wright of Occupy DC and Elliott Adams of Veterans for Peace.
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