NORTHAMPTON — Every Saturday since the early 1990s, local activists have gathered in front of the Hampshire County Courthouse to call for an end to the wars the United States is fighting.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, marked the 17th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States, the United Kingdom, and several of its allies.
Members of the local organization the Resistance Center, which holds the weekly vigils on the corner of King Street and Main Street, encourage passers-by to inform themselves about the bloody conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other nations.
Anne Moore, who has attended the vigils since she moved to Northampton five years ago, said they are an important piece of her life.
“It’s an important reminder of all the negative effects of war and the hope for finding ways to get to a more peaceful coexistence with everyone around the world,” Moore said.
Since the United States invaded Afghanistan, there have been an estimated 217,000 Afghans killed as a direct result of the fighting, with 2,372 U.S. military deaths and 20,320 service members being wounded.
“The war is very harmful to everybody,” Moore said. “With all the money they are pouring into the military, it could be better used right here at home. We have so many military bases around the world — what are we doing, plopping ourselves in all these other countries in a such a negative way?”
Longtime activists and vigil attendees Ruth and Bruce Hawkins have taken to the streets of Northampton every Saturday since the early 1990s to protest the injustices against Iraq.
The vigils in front of the courthouse began in response to the sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United States and United Nations, and the Hawkinses have spoken up against the actions the country has taken in the Middle East ever since.
“It’s old men sending young men and women to war,” Bruce Hawkins said. “The Resistance Center is one of the few organizations that is still focusing on militarism. Politicians use distractions from the real problems.”
Sid Moss, of Northampton, has attended the vigils for the past five years.
“Not only have we lost trillions of dollars, we’ve lost a lot of men and women in the war,” Moss said.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com