Politics
Anti-war protesters call on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to end military involvement in Yemen
One demonstrator held a sign calling her a "fake progressive" who supports "real imperialism."
January 16, 2022 7:19pm
Updated: January 17, 2022 10:59am
Protesters gathered on Friday in front of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Queens office to ask her to help end the war in Yemen.
About two dozen protesters came, and some held signs with messages such as "lift the blockade" and "peace demands action." One demonstrator held a sign calling the Democrat lawmaker a "fake progressive" who supports "real imperialism."
The Epoch Times reports that the activists, many of them elderly, did not represent one specific organization.
New York Peace Action Fund Chair Sally Jones tweeted: "We know you can help @RepAOC to end war in Yemen. We are here at your Jackson Heights office. Do you hear us? #YemenCantWait"
Ocasio-Cortez's House website states that "Due to public health guidance from the House physician, our staff is only assisting constituents remotely. Staff will not be in the Queens or Bronx offices."
Alice Sturm Sutter told The Epoch Times that she has been protesting against wars since the Vietnam Era.
"I’m here because I’m so horrified that we’re still in the war attacking the people of Yemen," she said, telling The Epoch Times that the situation is a "humanitarian catastrophe."
Radical group Flame of Liberation, which has called North Korea "the healthiest socialist society in the world today," was also present at the protest.
"Out front or congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office in NYC yesterday calling on her to take at least some action to try to stop the genocidal war against Yemen, which she claimed to be against. #ForceTheVote signs to show we know what’s going on," the group tweeted.
The United Front Against Displacement, a self-described "anti-gentrification organization," also promoted the protest on social media.
Yemen is in the middle of a violent civil war with the Houthi rebels. In fiscal year 2020, the United States sent more than $630 million in aid to Yemen. According to the U.S. State Department "more than 24 million people, or nearly 80 percent of the entire population, are in need of humanitarian assistance, more than any other single country today."
