Members of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) condemned the attempt of the United States to push for air strikes in Syria, in a  piket-protest at Plaza Ferguson in front of US Embassy in Manila.

The group said that the air strikes only serve US interests in the region and are not because of genuine humanitarian concerns.

“We have seen precedents of what happens when the US decides to ‘help out’ nations or when it tries to bring ‘peace and justice’ to other countries,” said LFS spokesperson Isabelle Baguisi.

The group said that the attempts to intervene in Syria are more in line with interests of the US in oil reserves and in increasing military presence in the region. It said that air strikes will punish civilians more than anyone else for it kills indiscriminately and does extensive damages.

“Let us remember Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. These countries have not become free and peaceful; they have become US-controlled and highly militarized. Unrest still reigns. When the US intervenes, it intervenes to protect and further economic and political interests in a region, and not to ensure justice or peace.”

The LFS also pointed to the lack of international support for the attack on Syria, saying that people and organizations all over the world are protesting against the US and its wars of plunder.

The group added that international solidarity against US bases and military forces abroad is mounting and that the call to reject all forms of US aggression and intervention is gaining momentum.

“Seeing how the US is using its military presence all over the world to undermine sovereign states, the Filipino people must be in solidarity with the call to reject increased US military presence in the Philippines and in other countries. Following this, we must reject all attempts to increase US military presence in our country and all efforts to turn us into a mere US military base,” concluded Baguisi.