|
| Photo: Robert Brune of D.C. Media Group |
|
| Protester engaged in civil disobedience is arrested Photo: Robert Brune of D.C. Media Group |
Activists from across the Northeast converged at the National Security Agency headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., on May 3 to protest U.S. drone warfare. The protest included a rally, die-in and civil disobedience where three activists were arrested.
The NSA provides intelligence to the Obama administration, based on its bulk collection of spy data around the world, to support the drone program. Drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen have become nearly weekly acts of terror, including one as recent as May 1. Fifty five people were reported killed over the course of three days of strikes in Yemen in late April. A December 2013 strike targeted a wedding party, killing or injuring dozens.
The United States functions as a death squad government, permitting the president and military leaders to create secret “kill lists” of people who have been selected for assassination. There is no due process, no trial and no evidence. The individuals are selected to be murdered and they are killed, and many civilians who are nearby also die. Drones are the weapon of choice.
This year's action at the NSA featured a reading of a list of Pakistani children murdered by drone strikes. The activists then participated in a die-in, and then attempted to march to the front gate of the NSA.
The march was stopped by the Department of Homeland Security, which would not permit the protesters to march on the NSA. Three activists sat down in the street, refusing to leave, and were arrested in an act of civil disobedience.
The action was organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance. The demonstration was carried out in coordination with other anti-drone warfare actions around the country, including a street theater and die-in the following day at the White House.
Click here for an audio recording of the reading of names at the die-in.