Antiwar coalition respond to Bush's call for a "surge" - Calls for activists to march on Washington and stay there

Antiwar coalition respond to Bush's call for a "surge" - Calls for activists to march on Washington and stay there

Jan 11, 2007--Activists with the Troops Out Now Coalition, a national antiwar organization, have responded to President Bush's call for a surge in occupying forces with their own call for a "surge" in the antiwar movement.

The Coalition has called for local emergency protests this Monday, on the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and is calling for a March mobilization in Washington DC, asking acitivsts to march on the city and be prepared to stay there.

"The point of President Bush’s speech this evening is not in the details of his proposals; rather, it’s the message," said Larry Holmes, a spokesman for the Troops Out Now Coalition. "He’s telling us once again that he doesn’t care that the majority of us want the war and occupation to end immediately; he’s going to continue the war until the people force him to end it."

"Congress must be put on notice; it is not enough to merely oppose Bush’s proposal for a “surge” in troops to Iraq." Holmes continued. "It’s not enough for them to hold more hearings to criticize the war--talk is cheap and people are tired of it. It’s not enough for Congress to vote on resolutions calling for phased withdrawals and timetables, or any other partial measures. It’s not enough for Congress to threaten to oppose funding for new troops. Last November, the voters mandated the government to get out of Iraq. The elections changed the leadership of Congress to serve this purpose. It is now up to the people to insure that Congress does not betray this mandate."

"The people want nothing less than the immediate, unconditional, and complete withdrawal of all troops, and the shortest route to that end is for Congress to vote "no" to any further request for war funds, period. When Congress gets President Bush’s request for $100 billion more to fund the war, it must say "no" to the entire amount. To ensure that Congress does not approve another dollar for the war, on March 17, (the fourth anniversary of the war) when we march on Washington against the war, instead of getting back on our buses and heading home, we are asking activists to be prepared to stay in Washington to make sure that Congress votes 'no.'"

The Troops Out Now Coalition has buses, car caravans, "peace trains", and vans coming from more than 40 organizing centers to the March 17 demonstration.

Troops Out Now Coalition
55 W. 17th St. 5th Fl.
NY NY 10011
212.633.6646
www.TroopsOutNow.org

Media Contact: Dustin Langley 646-354-8056