The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper of the
Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, March 26, 2003.
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1. The world says NO!
Since the massive bombardment of Iraq commenced on Thursday last week,
millions of people around the world have taken to the streets to stop
the war. Never before have so many people from so many countries united
in such strong opposition to a war. In total disregard of the will of
the people, and in total disregard for the thousands or possibly
hundreds of thousands of innocent victims, the US and British
Governments with their Australian lackey in tow, went ahead with their
murderous, illegal and morally unjustifiable war on the people of Iraq.
In Australia hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets
in mass actions.
Anti-war marches in Perth climaxed last Saturday with 20,000 people
rallying and marching through the city streets. On the day the war began
6000 protested in Forrest Place and marched to the UN Consulate,
blocking St George's Terrace.
More than 2000 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
members downed tools and joined the action. Unions WA Assistant
Secretary Dave Robinson called on the union movement to maintain the
pressure and drive the Howard Government from office.
Maritime Union of Australia State Secretary Wally Prichard said: "Bush
says he has Saddam in his sights. We have Howard in our sights. We will
have regime change."
Greens MLC Dee Margetts said the Greens had walked out of Parliament at
the news of the war. "The strategy of Bush, Blair and Howard will
backfire", she said.
Other speakers in Perth came from the Uniting Church and the No War
Alliance.
In Sydney 70,000 to 100,000 people marched from Belmore Park to The
Domain on the Sunday to deliver another powerful message to the Howard
Government to "Stop the War on Iraq, Bring the Troops Home" and
"Howard's War - Bloody Outrage"
As in other centres, there was a wide cross-section of the community,
with trade union, church, ethnic, student, political and other groups
participating. Many of the recently formed local peace groups took part
as well as families and other individuals and even a few pets.
Thousands of unionists rallied and marched against the war in Melbourne
on Friday, March 21. The union anti-war rally, organised by the
Victorian Trades Hall Council, demanded an end to the war in Iraq and
called on the Howard Government to bring the troops home.
The Victorian Trades Hall Council is calling on union members to attend
the up-coming anti-war actions, including a day of action against the
war on Thursday, March 27, and a rally on Saturday March 29 at the State
Library.
There are meetings of the Workers Against War on Wednesday nights at
6.30pm at the VTHC.
Seasoned peace advocates and a growing core of new activists have had a
hectic week in Adelaide including marches, rallies and candlelit vigils
in several public parks and beaches.
Five hundred people gathered on the steps of parliament house on the day
the aggression was announced and a thousand gathered there again at 5pm
on the day of the first bombing and the invasion.
Then on Sunday over 15,000 people crowded into Victoria Square before
marching on the State Parliament. FA18 fighter jets "entertaining"
spectators at the Clipsal 500 car race on the other side of the city
added some rather frightening background shrieks to the event.
Mike Khazam of the NOWAR coalition that organised the rally surely
echoed the upbeat mood of the people with his comments: "Do not despair.
Do not be despondent. We won't stop and we won't forgive our government!"
Yasmine Ahmed of the Islamic Foundation emphasised the potential
political power of movements like the one that has sprung up in
opposition to the war in Iraq. "The Vietnam War was stopped in the
streets and we'll make sure this one will be, too."
In Brisbane at the commencement of the attack on Iraq more than 6000
people, with a good trade union presence, gathered in King George's
Square and on Saturday another 6000-plus crowd protested.
There were protests also when the war began and with follow up actions
on the weekend in Darwin, Hobart, Geelong, Wollongong, Newcastle and in
cities and country towns around the country.
The actions continue as The Guardian goes to press. The Books not Bombs
coalition against war have organised another national student strike for
this Wednesday, March 26. Palm Sunday, April 13, is shaping up to be
another big day of Australia-wide actions.
International
In Germany, more than 80,000 school children, many with their faces
painted with "No War" and peace signs, protested in the capital Berlin
and the cities of Stuttgart, Cologne, Munich and Hanover.
More than 60,000 people took the streets in Austria with 30,000 marching
through Vienna.
Swiss police attacked protesters who marched on the US diplomatic
mission in Geneva. Spanish police in riot gear fired rubber bullets at
protesters gathered in central Madrid in protest at Prime Minister Jose
Maria Aznar's support for the US attack on Iraq.
Anti-war demonstrations took place in more than 30 other cities across
France.
In Britain, around one million rallied around the country demanding an
end to the bloodshed in Iraq. Police used force against students on a
sit-down strike in Parliament Square.
In New York City, 300,000 people of all ages and from all walks of life
protested, with other actions taking place in cities across the USA.
Protests are continuing in San Francisco in the face of violent attacks
and arrests by police.
More than 100,000 people, many of them high school and university
students, marched on the US Embassy in Athens on the weekend, in the
first of two mass demonstrations organised by labour activists, students
and teacher unions.
In Bangladesh there was a nationwide strike against the US war. People
from all sections of society came onto the streets to voice their
opposition to the war. The capital, Dhaka, came to a standstill.
There was a mass protest march on the US Embassy in New Delhi. Thousands
of workers, teachers, artists, and people from all walks of life in
India joined the protest. Though blocked by a police cordon, 22
protestors slipped behind police lines and chained themselves to the
highly fortified Embassy fence.
All speakers condemned the deadly bombardment and demanded that the
Indian Government also condemn the attack.
In Afghanistan around 1000 people took to the streets to protests
against the war, chanting slogans against the US and its supporters.
There were also protests in Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Japan
(against US bases), Ireland, Pakistan, Indonesia, The Netherlands
(80,000), Malaysia, across the Middle East and elsewhere.
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