Anti-Drone Demonstration Draws Hundreds; 37 Arrested for Civil Disobedience
On April 22, 2011, hundreds of people from around New York State and beyond, demonstrated against the use of Reaper drones—demanding that the drones be grounded and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan be ended—in front of the Hancock Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY. Pilots at the base remotely control Reaper drones that fly missions of surveillance and death over Afghanistan. Thirty-seven people were arrested for blocking the entrance to the base after being told to move by sheriffs. Demonstrators were charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration.
Kathy Kelly, Brian Terrell, Elliott Adams, and Ann Wright spoke out against the use of drones; they were also arrested. In addition, 91 year-old Jerry Berrigan, brother of peace activists Dan Berrigan and the late Phil Berrigan was also arrested.
This demonstration was the culmination of anti-war and anti-drone activity occurring throughout the week of April 16-22.
Over that same weekend, "the main supply route for NATO troops in Afghanistan was temporarily closed on Sunday after thousands of people blocked a key highway in Pakistan to protest against U.S. drone strikes," according to Reuters.
Video: Fiction as Reality: Two Perspectives, Two Drones, One Demonstration, and 37 Bodies
Additional Information: Syracuse Peace Council | Rochester Against War | Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones & End the Wars | Iraq Veterans Against the War | Military Families Speak Out | Jeremy Scahill speaks on the privatization of war | RIT Panel Discusses Drone Weapons | Rochester Activists Rally Against FBI Harassment | RIMC Stands in solidarity With Assange and Wikileaks | Panelists Discuss Antiwar Movement Then and Now