From: Communist Party of Canada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 01:25:10 -0500 To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: People's Voice acticles -- December 1-31, 2001 PEOPLE�S VOICE ON-LINE Issue of December 1 - 31, 2001 ARTICLES FROM THE COMMUNIST PRESS IN CANADA (The following articles are from the December 1-31/2001 issue of People�s Voice, Canada�s leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers -- $25 US per year; other overseas readers -- $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People�s Voice, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, Canada, V5L 3J1.) INDEX 1) THOUSANDS RALLY FOR PEACE ACROSS CANADA 2) "NO PASARAN" TO FASCISM! Lead Editorial 3) 3,000 DEMONSTRATORS CHALLENGE IMF, WORLD BANK AND G20 IN OTTAWA *********** 1) THOUSANDS RALLY FOR PEACE ACROSS CANADA DESPITE SOME confusion arising from the Taliban's surrender of Kabul a few days earlier, some 15,000 people took part in the Cross-Canada Day of Non-Violent Action for Global Peace and Justice on Nov. 17. The events were initiated by the September 11th Peace Coalition, an umbrella group of major Canadian organizations with a proven track record of working for peace and disarmament. In cities and towns from coast to coast, activists against war and racism continue to speak out for peace, even as Canadian military forces assist the United States and Britain in their brutal war in Afghanistan. By late November, many civilian casualties were still being reported as the US-led "coalition" prepared a major battle to take Kandahar, the final urban stronghold of the Taliban. No matter what the outcome, it is clear that the Afghan people face a long, hard winter, with millions short of food, medical supplies, and decent housing. There are also deep fears about the future government of Afghanistan. The US and its allies are still bickering about the composition of a future government. The Northern Alliance, a fractious coalition of reactionary fundamentalist forces, remains in control of Kabul, while other cities are ruled by local warlords or religious leaders. These forces bitterly oppose any genuine equality for women, and rights for the poor peasants and urban working class of the country. Finally, a wider expansion of the war still looms. Spokespersons for the Bush regime in Washington keep raising the option of launching strikes against Iraq, clamouring to "finish the job" of toppling Saddam Hussein. Dozens of other countries remain on Washington's "hit list" of states which supposedly support terrorism. Unless this war is soon halted by the world-wide actions of the peace movement, the danger will grow of a conflict enormously larger than the tragedy of September 11th. This is no time to sit back and watch. We urge all readers of People's Voice to keep building the movements against war and racism in all parts of Canada! Here are some reports on the Nov. 17 actions. TORONTO About 3,000 demonstrators marched past the US Consulate on their way to City Hall, stopping briefly to show their anger against the dirty war on Afghanistan. A massive display of police in full riot gear did nothing to dampen spirits, but made participants more determined to make their voices heard over traffic and past extended police barriers. Speakers at both Queen's Park, and City Hall where the demonstration ended, exposed one reason for this NATO war: US oil interests in the region. Pointing out that Afghanistan is a potential route for pipelines to deliver oil and gas to the US, many speakers noted that the US hopes to install a "friendly government" in Afghanistan -- one that will protect US interests in the region, starting with the pipelines to be built by the US oil companies. Everyone from speakers to protesters ridiculed US propaganda about Bin Laden and the Al Queda network, noting both were "made-in-the-USA". Calling on Canada to get out of the dirty war, demonstrators also demanded the government drop Bill C-36, the so-called "anti-terrorism legislation." Many picket signs and speakers identified the legislation as a "war on dissent" in Canada, having little -- if anything -- to do with terrorism. "There are already very powerful federal and provincial laws in place that are more than adequate to deal with terrorism," Communist Party organizer Liz Rowley said. "This legislation is aimed at Canadians, and its real target is civil, democratic and labour rights. That's why opposition to this war and this legislation should be at the top of everybody's agenda -- labour in the first place. The military industrial complex is targeting civilians here, too." VANCOUVER Estimated at about 5,000 by organizers, the Nov. 17 rally in Vancouver was the largest in the country. Starting from the traditional "Peace Walk" gathering point at the south end of the Burrard Street Bridge, demonstrators marched under clear skies into the city's downtown core. At the Vancouver Art Gallery, the crowd heard from a wide range of anti-war speakers, including CUPE President Judy Darcy, whose union was about to open its national convention at the nearby trade and convention centre. Initiated by End the Arms Race, the Vancouver event was backed by a broad coalition of peace, labour, anti-globalization, immigrant, and youth movements. Much of the postering to publicize the rally was done by members of Mobilization Against War and Racism, which was formed within days of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ST. CATHARINES A successful demonstration was held in St. Catharines on Nov. 17, organized by the Niagara Coalition Against War and Racism (NCAWR), with about 100 people taking part. The march began at Montebello Park in downtown St. Catharines, with speaker John Mayer, a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy from Brock University, who questioned the semantics of President George W. Bush's war against terrorism. The protesters were then addressed by Lloyd Oliver, retired high school teacher, WW2 veteran, and leader in the local UNICEF organization, Lloyd spoke of the horrors that he went through, and the First World War experiences of his father, a life time peace activist. Lloyd is still active in the peace movement at 81 years old. The march then wove through the downtown for an hour, stopping near the Cenotaph on the main street of St. Catharines. Members of the NCAWR spoke on the effects this war has on globalization. A comment made by one speaker was "It appears the bombing in Afghanistan is preconstruction for the corridor, to allow easy access to the oil and other precious natural resources in Central Asia." Along the route support came from passing motorists and pedestrians. This was very encouraging with the honking of horns, yells and waves. It was unanimous within the coalition that the event exceeded expectations. This set in motion plans for future events, such as leafletting the local Farmers Market on Nov. 24 on the dangers of Bill C-36. On Nov. 30, NCAWR will hold a fundraiser at the hall where it all began, Niagara Arts Company, featuring an art show and live local entertainment. A public forum on Bill C-36 is set for Dec. 9, location to be finalized, and peace vigils will also be organized. WOLFVILLE, NOVA SCOTIA About 150 people were out in Wolfville for the Nov. 17 rally, mostly young people and students in this Annapolis Valley town, home to Acadia University. Members of the local club of the Communist Party were active in all aspects of the mobilization, which actually drew a larger turnout than a rally the same day in Halifax. There was also good newspaper and TV coverage. Representatives of ten organizations each spoke briefly, and the crowd made lots of noise, carrying banners reading "Stop the War Now!" and "Peace Through Social Justice!" MONTREAL The Nov. 17 protest drew about 3500 people in Montreal, somewhat less than organizers had expected, in part due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict with the city's Santa Claus parade. Speakers included Viviane Barbot, president of the Quebec Women's Federation; Monique Richard, president of the Centrale des Syndicats du Qu�bec (CSQ); Marc Laviolette, president of the CSN labour federation; Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal; Francine Nemeh, executive director of AQOCI (international co-operative association); Paul Klopstock, president of Artists for Peace; Patrice Masse for the youth and student movement; and Bill Sloan for the Union of Progressive Forces, Quebec's coalition of left political parties. SALMON ARM, BC In this Okanagan town, there was a march of about 150 people for the Nov. 17 mobilization against the war, organized by the local Council of Canadians and Physicians for Global Responsibility, with participation of other groups including the Communist Party and People's Voice readers. A local physician spoke, detailing the history of US and CIA intervention in Afghanistan, and noting that bin Laden and the mujahadeen had been supported by the US. ************* 2) "NO PASARAN" TO FASCISM! Lead Editorial RECENT DEVELOPMENTS in Canada and other capitalist countries lead many people to ask: have we entered a period of fascist rule? What forms of struggle should we use? Even before the latest crackdown, an alarming pattern was emerging in North America, including: attempts to restrict electoral rights (undemocratic amendments to the Elections Act in Canada, Bush's theft of last year's presidential election); a sharp increase in police brutality against demonstrators; the growth of ultra-right and racist movements; the concentration of media ownership by a handful of corporations; moves to empower transnational capital at the expense of working people and national sovereignty; and not least, a massive assault on social programs and the rights of workers, women, and immigrants. Now, using September 11th as a pretext, the ruling classes of Canada and other imperialist countries are giving police, prosecutors and the state apparatus sweeping, arbitrary powers to jail or deport "suspects," force "confessions," monitor communications, seize the assets of individuals and groups, etc. None of these measures is likely to prevent future terrorist attacks on North American soil. But they do give governments far greater powers against those who protest the terrorism carried out by our own governments and military forces, such as the bombing of civilians in Afghanistan. Widespread objections forced some minor changes to Ottawa's Bill C-36, but the general strategy remains. Does this all add up to fascism? Not yet, in the opinion of People's Voice and the Communist Party. In our view, what exists in Canada today is one form of rule by the capitalist class. Our "bourgeois democracy" includes the hard-won rights to engage in electoral politics, to publish newspapers and use other forms of freedom of expression, to organize trade unions, etc. Fascism, if one uses the classic Marxist definition presented by Georgi Dimitrov in 1935, is "the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic, most imperialist elements of finance capital." Despite the latest attacks on democracy and civil rights, opponents of the war in Canada (and even in the United States where the racist, "patriotic" war fever is more widespread) still have many legal ways to mobilize resistance. Mainstream newspapers, for example, continue to print many protest letters, reflecting the fact that millions of people object strongly to the so-called "war on terrorism." Despite confusion arising from the surrender of Kabul by the Taliban a few days earlier, over 15,000 people took part in anti-war protests across Canada on November 17. Growing numbers of unions and other organizations are calling for an end to the bombing and objecting to the attacks on civil rights. But although fascism has not yet replaced bourgeois democracy, there is no sharp dividing line between these two forms of capitalist rule. The entire Arab community in Canada, for example, has already been deprived of most legal protections "guaranteed" under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The powers being seized by our government could well be used to launch a virtual coup against free speech and democracy; after all, we are told, this "war" calls for indefinite "emergency measures". This terrifying possibility can still be prevented, though not by retreating underground or resorting to futile small-scale acts of protest. The opposite course is necessary. As the quagmire we have been pulled into becomes increasingly evident, it will become possible to mobilize much larger numbers of Canadians against war and racism, and to demand peace and democracy. This is a time for those of us on the left to be bold and forceful in building this struggle, in communities large and small, in our workplaces and schools, and on the electoral front wherever possible. Fascism can and must be blocked! No pasaran! ************ 3) 3,000 DEMONSTRATORS CHALLENGE IMF, WORLD BANK AND G20 IN OTTAWA By Stuart Ryan POLITICAL ORGANIZERS from Ottawa took up the challenge, organizing three successful days of rallies, teach-ins, snake marches and demonstrations to oppose the policies of the G-20 Finance Ministers, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, all of whom met here from November 16 to 18. Demonstrators demanded that the meetings of these organizations, which determine the financial policies that affect 80% of the economic activity of the planet, be open to the public. They called on the international finance organizations to cancel all impoverished nations' debts, and to end all IMF and WB policies that jeopardize people's access to clean water, health care, education and the right to organize. Targeted were the infamous SAPs, the Structural Adjustment Policies that restructure Third World economies to serve as exporter of resources and cheap labour for transnational corporations, and which privatize public services so that these same companies can gobble them up. Global Democracy Ottawa, the successor organization to the Anti-FTAA coalition in Canada's capital city, took on the task of coordinating the various demonstrations and teach-ins. It convened spokescouncil meetings, which planned the various actions of the weekend. One of its goals was that the various types of actions did not interfere with the conduct of the others. On just three weeks notice, it provided housing, food, medical and legal services for the many demonstrators who came from Montreal, Toronto, the United States, and from countries as far away as Nigeria and the Philippines. Despite police intimidation tactics designed to provoke a riot, the demonstrations, while celebratory and boisterous, were relatively peaceful. The demonstrators included environmentalists, trade unionists, church groups, and students. Participants ranged from the very young to the Raging Grannies. Anti-war activists and civil rights activists expressed their opposition to the federal anti-terrorism Bill C-36 and the war in Afghanistan. Police took advantage of the fact that a McDonalds restaurant windows were broken during Friday's anarchist Snake March to disrupt a peaceful, legal vigil at the Human Rights Monument. During speeches the police arrested one person and fired a percussion grenade that briefly scattered the marchers. Organizers brought the marchers together, but decided to abandon the Vigil and march arm-in-arm through the streets until they reached the University of Ottawa. On Saturday, the riot police went on the offensive. They stepped into the start of the legal march to target young people, alleged members of the anarchist Black Bloc, for arrest and beatings. Police dogs attacked demonstrators before they could get out of the rallying point on Lebreton Flats. Demonstrators who gathered at the University of Ottawa had their march rout blocked by riot police who demanded that the demonstrators submit to a search before they could proceed. These tactics failed to intimidate the marchers. The Pagans, an American group dedicated to non-violent direct action, used a Living River to step between the police and the Black Bloc and de-arrest the anarchists. In appreciation, the Black Bloc shouted, "The Pagans support the Bloc, the Block supports the Pagans." When the police Snatch Squads intervened a second time in the march to arrest people for the crime of wearing black hoods, the Pagan women sat down and refused to disperse. Eventually, the police retreated and the march was allowed to continue to the Supreme Court building. After a rally with many speakers, demonstrators headed to the perimeter, steel barricades set up by the riot cops to ensure no one got close to the G20 meetings. During skirmishes in the "red zone" (where there was a potential for arrest), police roughed up many people. Four demonstrators in the "green zone" were arrested for hopping the barricades and approaching the G20 Summit with their hands extended in a peace symbol. In total, some 50 people were arrested over the weekend, of which 43 were released without charge. Those arrested were denied the right to contact the Legal Collective established by the demonstration organizers. GDO Media coordinator Jamie Kneen commented, "It's worth noting that all of this is taking place before the new anti-terrorism legislation even takes effect. The `preventive' arrests, the profiling and targeting of anyone wearing black clothes, the systematic denial of people's Charter rights, the violence and abusive treatment -- you can just imagine what will happen when so-called security forces are given even greater powers." Many Ottawa popular organizations are calling for a public inquiry into the police tactics. Ottawa Lawyer Edward Greenspon told Ottawa CBC Radio that he is sure that the demonstrators' Charter rights were violated throughout the weekend.
