The Actual Libyan Resistance

[Roger]

It seems that the struggle of the Libyan people against Nato backed rebels has entered a new phase. The people of Benghazi have risen up heroically against NATO and the rebel stooges in the so-called headquarters of the "revolution" in western Libya.  Not content with torturing and killing their own commander, 100s of Libyans, including children from the Wallabi tribe were massacred by these corrupt and criminal elements . But the phase seems now to have turned into a peoples war against the invaders because reports suggest these Libyan tried to challenge the so-called National Transitional Council through political demonstrationss but they were gunned down by NATOs helicopter gunships and their rebel stooges. The facts will emerge from other sources but what is clear is that the people know they are engaged in a life and death struggle for the future of their country and its people and Africa. According to Mathaba reports the people are facing Qatari forces and tanks as well as some French. Although same reports say the French are fleeing in the ships in the harbour.   It is very significant I think because ever since the Anglo US invaded Korea in spite of their technology and weapons of mass destruction and the millions of people they have killed they have always in the end been defeated by a united and determined people in peoples war in Korea, Vietnam and will be again in Iraq and Afghanistan and now Libya.  It will be a very decisive lesson for the people of the world because in spite of the Libyan government and people having no sophisticated weapons it will show up this lesson in stark relief and how much more diminished and defeated will be these criminal imperialist powers with their weapons of mass destruction that they hope to contiue to intimidate the world.   The reports say there are no big media reporters in Benghazi so what they are writing bears little relation to situation. Even these reports admit that the rebels are in dissaray and question Hague, Obama and other leaders judgement in continuing to intervene in Libya.

[Roger]

Libyan masses' resistance to U.S.-NATO war intensifies

By Derek Ford
August 2, 2011 May be reprinted with credit to LiberationNews.org
http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/libyan-masses-resistance-to.html

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.


Libyan government arms the masses


The Gaddafi government has distributed 1.2 million weapons and provided combat training to civilian volunteers, many of them women, in preparation for the possibility of a ground invasion by NATO forces. One volunteer, Azia Abu al-Qasem, a 43-year-old mother of eight, told the Washington Post that although she had never fired a weapon, she is ready to defend her country. “The colonialists came to us. We didn’t come to them,” she said. (Washington Post, July 1)

The colonial nature of the war has been crystal clear for some time. Intervening in March, as the rebels were on the verge of defeat, NATO stated that the objective of the massive bombing campaign was to “protect civilians.” The imperialist forces soon admitted that the goal was in fact regime change, to overthrow the sovereign government of Libya.

Their arrogance led them to believe that they could topple Gaddafi quickly. The war, however, has been at a stalemate for months. The mass mobilization of the Libyan population was not anticipated.

Recently, NATO member-states recognized the rebel National Transition Council as the sole legitimate government in Libya. On July 27, Britain announced the expulsion of all remaining Libyan diplomats, invited the TNC to run the embassy there and unfroze €91 million ($131 million) in Libyan assets to fund the TNC.

The imperialists are not achieving their objectives. As a result, they are changing their position. Britain, France and the U.S. have recently stated that if Gaddafi steps down from power they will “allow” him to stay in the country. The idea that these countries, the former colonizers of Africa, want to dictate who will lead an African country and where African leaders can live removes any doubt that this is a colonial war.

In the face of this war, the people of Libya are continuing to demonstrate an extraordinary and enduring unity in defense of their country. Progressive forces in the U.S. must follow suit and unequivocally demand an immediate end to the imperialist sanctions and bombing of Libya.