We’re Tired of Letters’: Protesters Demand Ro Khanna Take Action To End the War on Yemen

by Jacob Fowler 

Posted onFebruary 6, 2022

On Friday, February 4, a group of antiwar and human rights activists protested at Ro Khanna’s Santa Clara offices. The purpose of the protest was to call out Khanna’s inaction regarding the war on Yemen. He has refused to introduce legislation over the last four years, despite consistent and explicit demands by antiwar activists and Yemeni community members for a War Powers Resolution. Protesters have been to his office several times and spoken with members of his staff over the last six months, yet nothing has happened except for promises for more "dialogue" and assurance that Khanna and his staff are "eager to talk about constituents’ concerns".

In 2018, Khanna helped lead the campaign to get a War Powers Resolution passed through Congress, only to be vetoed by Trump. With Biden in office, Khanna has written some letters and introduced a weak amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (which got voted down), but he has refused to introduce a War Powers Resolution. Perhaps because Biden would likely veto it like his predecessor? Or because stopping the war on Yemen wasn’t actually a goal for Khanna, just political theater? Either option is distressing in its own right.

Protesters were keen to point out that Khanna has paid lip service to ending the war in Yemen for years, but since 2018 has done virtually nothing. One protester’s sign read, "Khanna, Yemen doesn’t want another ‘strongly worded’ letter". Others suggested that even his rhetoric has decreased lately. One attendee mentioned that Khanna hasn’t tweeted about a War Powers Resolution since Biden was elected.

Those of us in attendance had written a letter to deliver to Khanna, clearly outlining our demands of a War Powers Resolution, an end to the blockade, and an end to arms deals with the Saudis and the UAE. Upon hearing about our protest, some of Khanna’s staff got in contact with the organizers, attempting to persuade us not to enter the building. We were given at least three separate reasons why we could not enter and why no one could physically accept our demands: COVID protocols, other tenants in the building fearing for their safety, and instructions by Capitol police not to engage with protesters.

After this slew of excuses, we were told that the property manager of the building (not anyone associated with his staff) would meet us at 3:00 to receive the letter. She did not arrive until just before 4:00pm so when she arrived we had already went inside and slid the letter under Khanna’s door. We saw two other people. One called the property manager to report us, the other gave us a thumbs up.

The letter outlined that the war on Yemen seems to be escalating. A recent report by the United Nations Development Program projects that 377,000 people will be killed by direct and indirect fall-outs of the war in the beginning months of 2022, 70% of which will be children. Arms deals from the US have continued as well. In fact, on the morning of the protest, the State Department authorized another $23.7 million arm sale for fighter jets and anti-aircraft weapons for Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

In light of this escalation, Khanna’s empty rhetoric is becoming more and more inadequate. One speaker said, "If Khanna wants to continue calling himself a ‘progressive’ he needs to do something more than tweet. If he can’t even introduce simple legislation to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, then we need to strip him of that title immediately."

This is true for Khanna and for other "progressives" who refuse to take action. Some in attendance had seen the January 14th protest outside of AOC’s office in New York and saw this as a step in the right direction to raise the stakes nationally, and force these politicians to make a stand about the war on Yemen even if it’s not politically convenient.

It was politically convenient to oppose the war when Trump was in office. Knowing that Trump would veto any War Powers Resolution, it was easier for Khanna to take action. With Biden in office, who last year claimed there would be an end to US support for "offensive operations" in Yemen, it is much more difficult. Forcing Biden’s hand is probably not wise for anyone trying to climb the ranks of the political establishment.

Being vocal while in the opposition and doing nothing once they are in power has been the Democrats’ game for decades. If Khanna and AOC want to join the ranks of the Democratic establishment and play the same game, that’s their prerogative. But if they want to be considered antiwar or "progressive" then they need to actually do something. Our hope is that the consistent pressure applied by these protests across the nation will force the hand of these "progressive politicians" to actually put forward some legislation to take steps to end the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

Jacob Fowler is an antiwar activist with United Against War and Militarism in the SF Bay Area.

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2022/02/06/were-tired-of-letters-protesters-demand-ro-khanna-take-action-to-end-the-war-on-yemen/