We oppose NATO and its transformation into a global military alliance designed to engage in aggressive invasions and pre-emptive wars—since 1999, NATO has waged wars in four countries on three continents.

The Bush administration transformed NATO the day after 9/11, leading to the use of NATO’s military forces against any threat of terrorist attacks.

There is abundant evidence of NATO’s collaboration with US CIA renditions (illegal detainee transfer operations) across Europe. And NATO retains hundreds of nuclear weapons in military facilities across Europe, an end-run around the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which forbids the transfer of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear countries.

The City of Chicago projects spending $55 million to host the NATO meeting on May 20 while defunding schools, community mental health clinics, public libraries and public transportation. The Secret Service has its own extensive shopping list including barriers and walls to separate the people from the visiting heads of state. Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city council have passed new restrictions on civil liberties to chill opposition to NATO and resistance to city cuts of essential services.

We support the marches, rallies, and peoples’ assembly in opposition to NATO and war scheduled in mid-May in Chicago.

signed:

Mumia Abu-Jamal

Anthony Arnove

Vijay Prashad

Angela Davis

Noam Chomsky

Michael Ratner

Rashid Khalidi

Tom Morello

Barbara Ransby

Jesse Jackson Sr. 

Bernardine Dohrn

Bill Ayers

Medea Benjamin