South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela died on this day in 2013 at the age of 95. Mandela is remembered as the man who helped lead South Africa out of the crimes and excesses of apartheid. Western mainstream media may portray him as a kindly grandfatherly figure who liked to dance and forgive his oppressors, but we remember him as an anti-imperialist until the end.
In this video, Mandela calls out the United States as a warmonger – a country that supports carnage, consistently breaks the rules and is more than willing to go to any lengths, even at the expense of fundamental human rights, to push its hegemonic agenda.
He lambasts the US for its invasion of Iraq and the war it initiated 21 years ago. This unnecessary military campaign resulted in the deaths of anywhere between one- and two-million men, women and children.
When former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked if US sanctions that claimed the lives of up to 500,000 Iraqi children were justified, she responded, ‘We think the price is worth it.’
Mandela was instrumental in tearing down South Africa’s oppressive apartheid regime, as well as speaking up for other oppressed peoples, such as the Palestinians. His commitment to the Palestinian cause was unwavering till the end. This commitment was on full display when he uttered these words: ‘But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.’
May he continue to rest in peace and power!
Video credit: Democracy Now
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