Photos by Sophie Blaylock and Carolyn Corcoran
Protesters gathered outside Congressman Ed Pastor‘s office Monday evening with letters in hand and large signs under their arms. The group of about 20 handed a stack of letters to a staffer, who assured the protesters she would give the letters to the Congressman.
While the protesters took their positions along Central Avenue in front of the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus University Center, Pastor, along with Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, was at the nation’s capitol, waiting to vote on whether or not to use force against Syria in response to alleged chemical attacks.
The White House has stated that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its own people, allegedly killing more than 1,000, including several hundred children. This intelligence has led President Barack Obama to seek Congress’ approval for military intervention in the conflict.
Peter Maines, a spokesman for the Republican Precinct Project and member of the libertarian group Arizona Liberty Revolution, said both sides of the political fence do not want to go to war.
“I’m here to tell them that we’re opposed to bombing Syria. It’s bipartisan; it’s overwhelming,” Maines said. “We’re sick of war and we don’t want to create a larger regional conflict.”
The protest drew support and promotion from a range of Phoenix political organizations. Arizona Liberty Revolution, a libertarian group which draws heavily from the ideas of former Texas congressman Ron Paul, urged its members to attend through online promotional material.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a self-proclaimed Marxist group, also supported the No War With Syria chapter in Phoenix. These groups, while often at odds ideologically, found common ground in their stances on the issue of U.S. military action abroad. Occupy Phoenix, the coalition group which originated from the Occupy movement protests against the financial sector, also helped mobilize protest attendees.
Virginia Hauflaire, Co-Chair for End Wars and Occupations, a branch of Progressive Democrats of America, said both groups reached the same conclusion but for different reasons. Progressives oppose war out of concern for civilian populations while libertarians protest from an isolationist perspective.
“We’re not against war for the same reasons, but we’re both against war, so we can get together on that,” Hauflaire said.
Activists collected signatures at the September First Fridays event. The 105 signatures were then attached to a form letter, written by Maines. The group also brought personal letters for Pastor and additional signatures on a petition organized by the coalition via MoveOn.org, which provides organizational tools to aid what the site refers to as “grassroots movements.”
“He said he wanted to hear from his constituents and that’s exactly what we gave him,” Maines said. “I guess at the end of the day it all depends on whether he was serious about wanting to hear what his constituents said.”
The protesters have also held rallies at the offices of Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake. According to CNN’s current count, both Flake and McCain are expected to support the resolution to approve the use of force by the U.S. in Syria, but it is unknown how Pastor will vote.
The resolution passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sept. 4. It was expected to reach the Senate floor Sept. 11, but the vote was delayed Tuesday after a drop in Senate support. A date has not yet been set for a vote in the House.
Multiple calls for comment were not returned by any of the three Congressmen’s offices.
If the U.N. finds that chemical weapons were used, the protesters would support international action, but only military intervention as a worst-case scenario, said Mitch Rubin, a member of End the War Coalition.
“I’m opposed to the use of chemical weapons; that’s against international law,” Rubin said. “But it’s also against international law to go to war not in self-defense and without a U.N. Security resolution.”
Contact the reporter at Noah.B.Briggs@asu.edu
