Tens of Thousands around Australia say no to war
National weekend of Action against a War on Iraq
Nov 30. - Dec 1. Round up
Tens of thousands of people across the county joined marches and rallies
against Australian involvement in an attack on Iraq. Protests happened
in every capital city and some regional towns.
On Saturday, in Sydney, 20,000 joined the Walk against the War from Town
Hall Square to the Domain. Actors Judy Davis and John Howard joined
famous journalist John Pilger in condemning the drive to war.
"What has Iraq done to Australia apart from buying a great deal of our
wheat ?" Howard asked. "What is our fight with the Iraqi people? What is
our fight with Iraqi children? We are partly responsible for the deaths
of half a million Iraqi children because we are part of the blockade of
that country that is denying them medicines and equipment."
Davis told the crowd war was the ultimate failure in communication, but
the West has long believed it had the edge on civility. She said the
majority of Australians remained unconvinced by the Howard government
and did not want their country responsible for any further misery and
death in Iraq. "I don't believe the current fear-mongering campaign run
by the government and the media will succeed," Davis said. "I believe
the majority of Australians are indeed peaceful, tolerant people, that
the stigmatising of Islamic Australians appalls us, that John Howard's
vision of the future is utterly alien to our beliefs." Australians were
being told a war would be against the Iraqi regime and not the Iraqi
people. Davis challenged the Prime Minister to revise his views on
refugees and justify his government's treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers.
"Is it possible they're still being told to go home - have we fallen
into such a moral abyss?" she said. The Labor Party also came in for
some flak, Davis calling on politicians within its ranks to be
courageous, show moral courage and to stop wasting their energy
second-guessing the public and relying on opinion polls. Davis said the
problem with Australia's politicians was that they believed Australia no
longer had the freedom to act independently. They believed Australia's
economic survival depended on "a full commitment to the American world
vision", Davis said. "But we will not slide into the moral abyss, with
blood on our hands," she said. "Mr Howard, you haven't presented us with
a single compelling reason for the further slaughter of innocent people.
"We do not support your war in Iraq."
Author and filmmaker John Pilger said that the Australian Government is
"extremist" in its pro-US stance on Iraq. Mr Pilger told the crowd
their stance marked them as moderates. But he said the Government's
enforcement of sanctions against Iraq and its willingness to join a war
against Baghdad make them extremists. "They have to be extreme to
attack, unprovoked, a country that offers no threat to Australia, with
whom Australia trades," he said. "A whole people held hostage to a
medieval embargo, as well as to their own dictator." The rally was also
addressed by Australian Council of Trade Unions leader Sharran Burrows,
The Auxillary Catholic Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Pat Power,
Sheikh Taj Aldin Al Hilali, Rawan Abdul Nabi, Dr. Susan Wareham of MAPW,
and performer Jenny Morris No war contingents traveled from Newcastle
and Wollongong to join the march.
In Hobart despite a rainy day over 400 joined the Rally at Franklin
Square and marched In Tasmania, more than 400 people demonstrated their
opposition to a US-led attack on Iraq, the fourth demonstration of its
kind in the past three months. Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown
addressed the crowd, calling on world leaders to remember the lessons
learnt during World War II and strive for peace. "How much better if
instead of war they remembered back that half century and brought in a
Marshall Plan, not for reconstructing Europe but reconstructing our
planet to bring fairness, education, opportunity, food, shelter to the
dispossessed millions of people who are our brothers and sisters on this
planet," he said.
In Adelaide almost two thousand joined a march. The protest was twice
the size of a rally held earlier this month and included grandparents,
children and families. Professor Ian Maddocks, founder of Medical
Association for Prevention of the War, said he was frightened about the
health consequences of a military attack, in light of what happened
during the 1991 Gulf War.
"From the point of view of the Americans, in particular, there were
relatively few casualties and everything went very nicely indeed," he said.
"But as far as the Iraq people were concerned, there were over 100,000
military casualties and there were almost as many civilian casualties
immediately after that war. "It's very important we try to get before
our leaders the realities of this war."
Canberra saw over 600 people join the noon rally at the US Embassy and
marched to the Prime Ministers residence at the Lodge. Local organiser
and spokesman for ACT Network Opposing War, Dr Rick Kuhn, told the crowd
not to expect war until January because United States President George
W. Bush would hate to jeopardise the Christmas shopping profits. He said
it was impossible to justify the death and bloodshed that would be
triggered by the invasion of Iraq. The war would be funded by ordinary
Australians and Americans through increased taxes or cuts to social
services. It was also creating an atmosphere of fear and paranoia and
turning Australia into a police state.
"This Government is trying to create a paranoid atmosphere in Australia
.. . . terrorism is being used as a basis for dividing us up, making us
distrustful and depriving us of our civil liberties," Dr Kuhn said.
Other speakers included federal Labor backbencher Harry Quick, ACT
Greens MLA Kerrie Tucker, and leaders of indigenous, religious and union
groups.
Ms Tucker said of the 21 countries the US had bombed since World War II,
none had achieved a stable, democratic government or a situation where
human rights were now observed. There was no evidence to suggest bombing
a country achieved what the Howard or Bush Administrations claimed to be
striving for. She suggested Australia adopt the European Union's
response, which involved prevention of conflict through peaceful means.
In Launceston many people joined the annual Christmas Parade wearing
white armbands as part of a peace float with anti-war slogans. In the
country's centre, almost two hundred Alice Springs residents held a
protest, Later in the day a candlelight vigil was held gates of US Pine
Gap spy base. Rallies were also held in Ipswich, Taree, and Lismore.
On Sunday, the streets of the centre of Melbourne came to a stand still
as 15,000 people joined a march from the State Library to the Treasury
Gardens. Federal Labor MP Harry Quick said US leaders were hypocrites
and war would mean the death of thousands of innocent Iraqis.
"Why should we follow blindly the US, a nation that has torn up more
international treaties and disregarded more UN conventions than the rest
of the world has done in the past 20 years?"
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle said that if the US was serious about bring
change it would back the equivalent of an anti-apratheid movment for
democracy rather than bombing Baghad, "only the Iraqi people can bring
democracy to Iraq.", she said. Textile Clothing and Footwear Union
spokeswoman Michelle O'Neil accused the US of wanting the war to try to
control the Middle East and its oil. "This is about people who have a
right to a safe life, about people who have a right to a country that is
not invaded when they have not taken action against the US," she said.
The rally was also addressed by Randa Abdel Fatah, lawyer and Palestian
activist, Bilal Clelland, Islamic Council, Jacob Grech, Leigh Hubbard
Victorian trades Hall Council, Secretary, Vanessa Haiman Socialist
Alliance, and entertained by the Bloody Marys and Peter Coombe.
Hundreds joined the Brisbane Candlelight Gathering at King George
Square. Democrats Senator John Cherry told the crowd "The Government has
failed despite all the rhetoric and all the visits to Washington -
failed to win over the public, and I think public attitudes are
hardening against war in Iraq. Not just in Australia, but in the United
States and Europe as well," he said.
Over 200 joined the Darwin march to the Rapid Creek Market. A peace
pinic was held in Perth and a rally and march is planned for Dec 8 at 12
noon, Stirling Gardens.
(This report was compiled from online news reports and reports from
organisers around the country. If people have more information and
reports please email: [EMAIL PROTECTED])
Victorian Peace Network
www.vicpeace.org Tel : 61 (0) 3 9659 3582
..
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