[pjw] EVENT REMINDER: "The US Lied About How Many Troops Are in Iraq-- Time to Get Them All Out!" Fri 3/21/25 5 PM

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi again IAG supporters
Oops, I meant to send this reminder out on Wednesday and now here we are 
less than 24 hours from the Friday rally...

In the US, the anniversary of the war on Iraq is March 19, but it was 
March 20th in Iraq when the bombing started 22 years ago.

We'll highlight some of the week's onerous news including about Gaza and 
Yemen while devoting most of the announcements on the continuous war on 
Iraq.

In addition to having new fact sheets to hand out, we'll be displaying the 
8 foot tall _mini_-tower of peace that debuted at last year's event.

The info about Friday's rally is also posted at
   https://www.pjw.info/iraq22yl.html

and the direct link to the flyer is
   https://www.pjw.info/iraq22yl_flyer.pdf

Thanks
dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

Peace and Justice Works
    Iraq Affinity Group
    PO Box 42456
    Portland, OR   97242
    (503) 236-3065  (Office- call or text)
    iraq at pjw.info
    http://www.pjw.info/Iraq.html


              The US Lied About How Many Troops Are in Iraq--
                         Time to Get Them All Out!
     ***22 Years After the Invasion*** Friday, March 21, 2025 5:00 PM
                 Weekly Friday Rally for Peace and Justice
                              Please mask up
                       and stay distanced for safety
                        Pioneer Courthouse Square,
                          SW Yamhill and Broadway

  On Friday, March 21, just a day after the 22nd anniversary of the US
  invasion of Iraq, there will be a special Friday Rally for Peace and
  Justice to mark the date. The event, titled "The US Lied About How Many
  Troops Are in Iraq-- Time to Get Them All Out! ***22 Years After the
  Invasion***" will begin at 5 PM including a rally and a march. Hosted
  by the Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, the event takes
  place at the same location every week-- SW Yamhill and Broadway.

  The US has more than 2500 troops in Iraq, which they admitted after the
  Assad regime fell in Syria, but they won't say how many are really
  there.*-1 The initial invasion in 2003 was based on lies about Weapons
  of Mass Destruction. In 2024 it was revealed that then-President George
  W Bush thought invading this sovereign nation was a "mission from
  God."*-2 Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis perished in the Shock and Awe,
  subsequent US attacks, and the "civil war."

  If there was any question that the US intended to stay so long, just
  look to the US embassy in Baghdad, the biggest in the world.

  The Iraqi government has brought in people from Gaza and Lebanon for
  medical aid due to attacks by Israel.*-3 There will be no peace in the
  Middle East until the Israel/Palestine conflict is resolved and that
  occupation is ended.

  In 2002, Congress' vote to authorize the Iraq war was driven in part by
  9/11 even though Iraq had nothing to do with those attacks. The
  Authorization is still on the books.

  After the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil
  in 2020, the Iraqi Parliament voted for all US troops to leave. That
  has not happened. However, an arrest warrant remains in effect for
  President Trump, who ordered the killing.*-4

  The Friday Rally for Peace and Justice has been held weekly since
  November, 2001. For the first 18.5 years it was coordinated by Portland
  Peaceful Response Coalition, and since March, 2020 by Peace and Justice
  Works Iraq Affinity Group. Due to the ongoing dangers posed by various
  respiratory diseases, we ask that participants mask up and stay
  distanced. This event is endorsed by War Resisters League-Portland.

  For more info or to cosponsor or endorse this event, contact Peace and
  Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group at 503-236-3065 or iraq at pjw.info.
       __________________________________________________________________

   *1- The exact number of troops is not being released for "security and
   diplomatic considerations." The US lied about the number of troops in
   Syria too, claiming there were 900 when there were really 2000.
   https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2024/12/23/pentagon-quietly-increases-us-troop-level-in-syria-iraq

   *2-
   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/george-w-bush-iraq-fallujah-god-tony-blair-b2671846.html

   *3-
   https://www.newarab.com/news/palestinian-wounded-transferred-iraq-medical-treatment
   https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Iraq-s-Health-Ministry-pledges-care-for-Lebanese-displaced-due-to-Israeli-military-operations

   *4-
   https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqi-officials-seek-stronger-us-ties-amid-trump-arrest-warrant