"US Values Trade Routes More than Human Life" Cry Demonstrators in San Jose

The United States is responding militarily to save global commerce in the straits near Yemen instead of employing a diplomatic approach. Following January 11 and 12 strikes by the US and the UK in the Red Sea, protesters in the San Francisco Bay Area responded immediately.

On January 13 in San Jose, a demonstrator's sign read "The USA values trade routes more than human life." About 80 people gathered on short notice in the city hall plaza where they heard speeches, shouted chants, and interviewed with television news. "Until two days ago, many Americans had never even heard of Yemen, despite the fact that it has been facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world for the last nine years," one speaker said.

A war began in early 2014 after rebel group the Houtis took over the Yemen capital of Sanna. Since then hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have been killed as a Saudi-led coalition became engaged in the attempt to overcome them.