MEDIA RELEASE *** MEDIA RELEASE *** MEDIA RELEASE
January 23, 2003
Anti-war sentiment rises as Howard sends troops off to war
Anti-war protesters confronted Prime Minister John Howard as he
farewelled HMAS Kanimbla from Sydney today, bound for the Gulf,
carrying an unknown number of Australian troops into a potential war
with Iraq.
"We absolutely condemn the dispatch of Australian military forces to
the Gulf in the face of massive public opposition, and without any
parliamentary debate," said former Senator Bruce Childs, a spokesperson
for Sydney's Walk Against The War Coalition.
Anti-war sentiment in Australia is rising along with the rest of the
world. The recent ACNielson poll published in the Sydney Morning Herald
showed that just 6% of Australians supported Australian involvement in
a war on Iraq without UN endorsement, and 62% believed that Australia
should only be involved in a war backed by the UN. 30% opposed any
Australian involvement.
Figures in the UK and US also show the rise of anti-war sentiment, as
do the huge rallies around the world on January 18. The New York Times
editorial on January 20 described the Washington protest - (estimates
vary from 200,000 to 500,000) - as the largest since the Vietnam era.
Europe-wide and US-wide protests will take place on February 15. In
Australia, peace activists are planning mass rallies on the weekend of
February 15-16. In Sydney, the Walk Against the War Coalition has
called a rally for Sunday, February 16 starting at 12 noon at Hyde Park
North.
Keynote speakers will include John Pilger, renowned author and
filmmaker, and Senator Bob Brown from the Australian Greens. Leaders of
the ALP and the Democrats as well as community leaders representing a
wide cross section of opposition to the war have been invited to
address the protest.
The Coalition believes that the weekend of global action will send a
strong signal to governments not to attack Iraq. According to Bruce Childs:
"The main message we want to get across to the Howard government is
that a majority of people do not believe a war on Iraq is justified. It
would cause untold suffering, as numerous UN reports have shown, and it
would ignite something far more dangerous. "It is being sold as a 'war
against terrorism'. But the evidence is that the oil interests that
dominate the Bush Administration want regime change in Iraq to
rearrange the oil power balance in their corporate and national
interests," said Bruce Childs.
The Walk Against the War Coalition organised the successful
25,000-strong rally last November in Sydney. It represents some 58
peace, community, trade union, medical, church and solidarity groups.
For more information, contact:
Bruce Childs 9386 1240,
Nick Everett 0409 762 081
Hannah Middleton 0418 668 098
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