As the U.S./NATO war on Libya enters its fifth month, resistance to the intervention has intensified. The thousands of bombs dropped by Western governments on Libya have proved to be no deterrent to massive street demonstrations defending the Libyan government.
As of July 14, NATO air strikes have killed 1,110 civilians and wounded 4,500. The sanctions imposed on Libya by western powers have resulted in shortages of fuel, foodstuffs and water. On July 22, NATO bombed an essential pipeline that carries 70 percent of the population’s water supply. NATO announced July 30 that it had bombed three Libyan state TV satellite transmitters in Tripoli overnight.
The bombing of vital infrastructure, schools, warehouses and hospitals is routine. Far from weakening the government’s support, these attacks have served to galvanize the Libyan masses.
In Tripoli, nearly 2 million people, one-third of the Libyan population, took to the streets July 1 to oppose the NATO bombings in one of the largest rallies in world history. At the rally, protesters rolled out a huge 6 km-long (3.2-mile) Libyan flag.
The protests have been ongoing and have spread to cities and towns throughout the country. In al-Aziziyah, nearly every one of the town’s 4,000 residents came out July 19 to support the Libyan government. Pro-government protests have even taken place in Eastern Libya, including in the rebel-stronghold of Benghazi.
No comments:
Post a Comment