In Pershing Square, Los Angeles, protesters holding signs reading “No War Against Syria” and “Obama Is Lying To Us” on Aug. 31 spoke out against the potential military strike against Syria, as police officers looked on.
“We are protesting the war in Syria, or at least the potential bombardment of Syrian military forces,” one protester said. “We are trying to present a massive cultural recognition. A lot of people don’t lead their lives thinking.”
The conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011 as part of Arab Spring, heightened on Aug. 21 when two chemical weapons attacks caused the deaths of hundreds of civilians, many of which were children. The United Nations sent in an investigative team of 20 people to interview refugees and rebels, as well as to determine the origin and the nature of the chemical weapons used.
President Barack Obama announced on Aug. 31 that he would seek to gain congressional approval
for a military strike. The United States’ closest ally, Great Britain, declined to participate in the attack,
while France announced its intent to support the U.S. A potential solution to the conflict arose
on Sept. 9 when Russia’s President Vladimir Putin proposed that Syria give up the chemical weapons
to international control, and President Obama spoke to the nation on Sept. 10 about his intentions.
“… When, with modest effort and risk, we canstop children from being gassed to death and thereby
make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act,” President Obama said in
his speech. “That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”