Antiwar Activists Will Protest At Milwaukee Army Reserve Post

Antiwar activists across the country are planning protests to coincide with the federal tax filing deadline on April 15. Milwaukee protesters will also hold a protest on Saturday afternoon at the city’s Army Reserve post.

Some protesters plan to get arrested for trespassing on the military base. Michael Komba of the pacifist Catholic Worker center Casa Maria says the focus of this year’s protest is the amount of tax dollars spent on the U.S. military’s drone warfare program that has caused the death of many civilians in Yemen and Afghanistan. Komba says the goal is to encourage people to withhold the portion of their tax dollars that are spent on drones.

“Focusing on, say, victims of war is a great use of money,” said Komba. “Or focusing on helping the poor here or helping the homeless – just redistributing your money to some agency or fund where it can be better used than by the U.S. government using it to kill people.“

Backers of the drone warfare say it actually reduces civilian casualties.

Antiwar groups estimate 57 percent of federal discretionary spending this year will go to cover current and past wars, including support for veterans.