The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the
Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, January 22nd, 2003.
Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Sydney. 2010 Australia.
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People power can stop war
Half a million people demonstrated in Washington last weekend. Two
hundred thousand in San Francisco. Placards read: "No Blood for Oil",
"Regime change starts at Home", "Would Jesus Have Bombed Them?" One
protestor said, "It's really important for us to show Europe and the
rest of the world that we oppose this so they may have the courage to
say 'no'".
The city councils of more than 36 American cities have declared their
opposition to a pre-emptive strike against Iraq as the "Cities for
Peace" movement sweeps the nation.
Peace activist, Ron Solomon who helped steer a resolution against the
war through the Baltimore City Council said, "Here in Maryland, we have
800,000 people who lack health insurance. The Bush administration can
find billions for war on Iraq but our cities are in a deep fiscal crisis
without funds for programs that help people."
This is the other America. This is the America for peace and sanity and
against the warmongering of the Bush administration. "Today's
demonstrations shattered the myth of consensus for war", said a
spokesperson for the Partnership for Civil Justice, one of the thousands
of organisations affiliated to ANSWER (the Act Now to Stop War and End
Racism coalition) which coordinated the demonstrations.
The snowballing opposition to war in the US has been strengthened with
the involvement of trade union organisations. Labor Against the War has
been formed, made up of representatives of local unions, central labour
councils and labour peace groupings as well as individual labour leaders
from across the country.
The Secretary of a Teamsters local, Jerry Zero, informed delegates to
the formative meeting of the new organisation the result of a recent
poll taken among the membership of the Teamsters Union. "Half our
members think George Bush is a liar and the other half don't think you
can believe a word he says", said Jerry Zero.
A poll conducted by Time magazine asking "Why does the US want to attack
Iraq?" showed a very high level of understanding by the American people.
Eighty-four per cent of those polled believed its aim was to "Get Iraq's
oil". Only 3.1 per cent said it was "To disarm Saddam" and only 4.7 per
cent thought it was "To make the world a safer place". There were 12,607
responses to the poll.
Another poll conducted by the Miami Herald found that 68 per cent favour
achieving US goals without going to war while only 34 per cent favour
"quick military action".
The demonstrations in the US were part of internationally coordinated
actions in cities in no less than 30 other countries.
Demonstrators for peace and against war marched in the cities of the
Netherlands, in Ireland, India, Canada, and France where up to 20,000
marched in Paris.
They took to the streets in Moscow, Hong Kong, in Turkey, Italy, Syria,
Japan, Austria, Lebanon, Egypt, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Protestors in Cairo called on the Egyptian Government to prevent US and
British warships from using the Suez Canal en route to a possible attack
on Iraq.
In New Zealand the Green Party's Keith Locke told 500 demonstrators that
"pressure from around the world can halt this war".
Putting their lives on the line, dozens of British volunteers and at
least one Australian are travelling to Iraq to act as human shields
protecting strategic sites.
The convoy is being organised by a former US marine, Kenneth Nichols,
who served in the first Gulf War and won a combat medal but is now a
vociferous opponent of another Gulf conflict. His experience of war left
him disillusioned with American foreign policy.
Never before has such Never before has such worldwide opposition to war
swept the world in internationally coordinated actions.
Opposition to war swept the world in internationally coordinated actions.
Peace organisations throughout the world, including in Australia, are
now gearing up for the next round of demonstrations to take place over
the weekend of February 15-16.
Using threats and bribery, the US Government is attempting to force a
decision endorsing war through the United Nations Security Council by
the end of January. Its timetable for war is now reaching a critical
point. But war is not justified. It is against the Charter of the UN, it
would be a violation of international law and is immoral.
It is the human shield presented by the millions of ordinary people
around the world that now stands in the way of the raging beast of
warmongering US imperialism.
ACT FOR PEACE
In the event of war being launched by the US and its few allies, actions
will take place in all capital cities on that day or the next.
A statement by the Australian Peace Committee, Friends of the Earth,
Ozpeace and Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament
(CICD) said, "Australian Government military action will take place
without the consent, without the support of, and against the will of
most Australians..
"The United Nations inspectors in Iraq have announced that they can find
nothing. It is quite clear that the Bush administration has wanted to go
to war with Iraq all along, whether or not they actually have weapons of
mass destruction.
"There is no excuse for war with Iraq. The ALP must immediately take a
strong and principled stand with no ifs or buts, against military action."
The vast majority of Australians oppose war as has been revealed by a
number of public opinion polls.
The Howard Government must not involve Australia in any war on Iraq, a
war that would result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent
Iraqi men, women and children.
In a statement CPA President, Dr Hannah Middleton and General Secretary
Peter Symon called for intense activity so that the February
demonstrations in Australian cities and towns present a wall of
opposition to the war plans of the US, British and Australian Governments.
"In addition to the main city-based peace organisations, local and
community peace organisations need to be built. We call upon trade
unions to throw their weight into the movement for peace now. Peace is
union business.
"We call on the Australian Government to bring all Australian military,
naval and airforce units home immediately.
"We demand that the Australian Government stop US forces from turning
Australian territory into a bombing range for US aircraft.
"We protest the fact that the US is treating Australian ports as though
they are part of its territory and Australia its colony.
"We demand that the use of Pine Gap as a spy centre and an integrated
part of the US war machine be ended.
"The US and British leaders need war now. They must be stopped. You can
help. Act Now! The people of the world demand peace", concluded the
Party leaders' statement.
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