PROTEST AT YOUR U.S. LAWMAKER’S OFFICE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023 — AND EARLIER TOO IF SAUDI AIRSTRIKES RESUME

We, the following organizations, call on people across the United States to protest the U.S. supported, Saudi-led war on Yemen. We call on our members of Congress to take concrete steps, listed below, to bring the harmful U.S. role in the war to a rapid and final end.

Since March 2015, the Saudi Arabia/United Arab Emirates (UAE)-led bombing and blockade of Yemen have killed hundreds of thousands of people and wreaked havoc on the country, creating the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The U.S. has been not only a supporter of, but a party to, this war since its inception, providing not only weapons and materiel for the Saudi/UAE war effort, but intelligence support, targeting assistance, refueling, and military defense. While the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations have promised to end the U.S. role in the war and reduced targeting, intelligence and refueling assistance and limited certain arms transfers, the Biden administration has resumed defense assistance relying on US troops deployed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and expanded sales of “defensive” military equipment.

Efforts to Stop the War: President Biden, during his campaign, promised to end U.S. weapons sales and military support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. On January 25, 2021, his first Monday in office, 400 organizations from 30 countries demanded an end to Western backing of the war on Yemen, creating the largest anti-war coordination since the Iraq War in 2003. Just a few days later, on February 4, 2021, President Biden announced an end to U.S. participation in offensive operations in Yemen. Despite President Biden’s commitments, the U.S. continues to enable the blockade – an offensive operation on Yemen – by servicing Saudi fighter jets, assisting Saudi and UAE with military defense operations, and providing military and diplomatic support to the Saudi/UAE-led coalition. The humanitarian crisis has only worsened since Biden took office.

The U.S. Role in Enabling the War: We have the power to help stop one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. The war on Yemen is enabled by continued US support as the United States provides military, political, and logistical support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 

People and organizations from across the U.S. are coming together to call for an end to U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen and solidarity with the people of Yemen. We demand that our members of Congress immediately:

→ Pass a War Powers Resolution. Introduce or co-sponsor a Yemen War Powers Resolution before International Women’s Day on March 8th, to end U.S. participation in the war in Yemen. The war has exacerbated gender inequality in Yemen. Congress should reassert its constitutional authority to declare war and end executive branch overreach in embroiling our country in disastrous military campaigns. 

→ Stop Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Oppose further arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in compliance with U.S. laws, including Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act, prohibiting arms transfers to governments responsible for gross violations of human rights.

→ Call on Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Lift the Blockade and Fully Open Airports and Seaports. Call on President Biden to insist he use his leverage with Saudi Arabia to press for the unconditional and immediate lifting of the devastating blockade.

→ Support the People of Yemen. Call for the expansion of humanitarian aid for the people of Yemen. 

→ Assemble a Congressional Hearing to Examine the U.S. Role in the War in Yemen. Despite nearly eight years of active participation of the U.S. in this war, the U.S. Congress has never held a hearing to examine exactly what the U.S. role has been,  accountability for U.S. military and civilian officials for their role in violations of the laws of war, and U.S.  responsibility to contribute to reparations and reconstruction for the war in Yemen. 

→ Call for the Removal of Brett McGurk from his position. McGurk is the National Security Council’s Middle East & North Africa coordinator. McGurk has been a driving force for failed United States’ military interventions in the Middle East over the last four administrations, resulting in major catastrophes. He has championed support for the Saudi/UAE war in Yemen and expanded arms sales to their governments, despite the opposition of many other senior officials in the National Security Council and State Department, and President Biden’s commitment to end it. He has also supported the extension of dangerous new U.S. security guarantees to these authoritarian governments.

We ask individuals and organizations across the states to protest at the district offices of their members of Congress on Wednesday, March 1st with the above demands.