Anti-War Protesters Return To L.A. Streets Prior To Military Vote

The sound of car horns rang out Saturday in front of the Wilshire Federal Building as hundreds of Angelinos urged passing drivers to honk in protest against U.S. military action in Syria. The rally, which wrapped around the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue, brought together several local families who shared a common Syrian heritage. Having left the Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah five month ago, Haitham Akel, a professor in civil engineering, shared his reasons for bringing his wife and three young sons to the rally. “I was a professor in a university in Ar-Raggah when members of Al Qaeda told me if I don’t leave this city they were going to kill me. That’s why I came back to America,” Akel said. “Now the people that have power in Syria is Al Qaeda.” Having lived in Syria with his family, Akel expressed his concerns and frustrations with the possibility that the U.S. might attack his home country. “I want Syria to be Syria, not a radical Islamic country,” Akel said. “I brought my family out here because I want to tell President Obama that we don’t want him to attack my country because we were living there and we know what exactly is going on.” For the second time in two weeks, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) organized an anti-military intervention rally in Los Angeles. Saturday's Los Angeles protest was one of several that took place across the country in the hopes of swaying Congress as it prepares to vote on the Syrian military strike. Sharing similar sentiments as Akel, rally organizer Maggie Vascassenno from the International Action Center expressed her feelings on the heated topic. “I came out here because I am opposed of any U.S. war against the people of Syria,” Vascassenno said. “This war is not for the people and it’s not about chemical weapons. It’s about going over and dominating the Middle East just like Iraq was and just like Afghanistan.” Vascassenno is not alone in her anti-war sentiments. Many lawmakers in both parties oppose Obama’s request for Congress to authorize using military force against Syria following the deadly August 21 chemical gas attack that the Obama administration believes was ordered by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “The U.S. is not the world’s policeman and the people of the U.S. need jobs at home not war abroad,” Vascassenno said. “We want to let the congressional representatives know that the people of the U.S. do not support another war in the Middle East.” The Senate Foreign Relations Committee cleared the authorization measure earlier this week, and the first votes by the full Senate could come as early as Wednesday. “I would be very angry if Congress approved an attack on Syria,” said Haig Krikorin, a Los Angeles resident of six years, as he stood beside other protesters. Krikorin said he was skeptical about the origins of the recent chemical attack. “I am Syrian. My parents, my sister, my brother and my daughter are all there,” Krikorin said. “The [Syrian] government would never kill its people with chemical weapons. This is a problem.” Krikorin and other Los Angeles protesters marched along Wilshire Boulevard around 4 p.m. Saturday, waving signs that read, “War In Syria: Built On A Lie,” while chanting “Hands Off Syria.” Similar slogans were heard in front of the White House that same day, as nearly 150 protesters voiced their concerns in Washington over the possible military action in Syria. With anti-war protesters in full swing, Obama is said to address the nation on Tuesday to continue his push for support in a strike against Syria.