------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Feb. 14, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
MUNICH PROTEST AT NAT0 SUMMIT By John Catalinotto Demonstrators in Germany at the beginning of February charged the elite civilian and military officials attending NATO's Munich Security Conference with planning the next war. The U.S. speakers to the conference proved these charges were true. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, well- known hawk and Cold Warrior, declared that "the best defense is a good offense" as he pushed his plans for aggressive moves in the Middle East. Sen. John McCain, also part of the U.S. delegation, declared Iraq the "next front after Afghanistan," in case anyone failed to get the message. With their war plans so out in the open, the so-called Western democracies are relying more and more on state repression to stifle even the most legal and non-violent protest. That could be seen Feb. 2 not only in New York, where the World Economic Forum was meeting, but also in Munich. In both cases, however, demonstrators challenged the ban on protest and brought their message to the public at large. Altogether 7,000 anti-war activists demonstrated Feb. 1 and 2 against the Munich Security Conference, despite the mayor's edict forbidding gatherings in the entire city. While even the police had to admit the marches were peaceful, by Feb. 3 about 850 demonstrators had been arrested or taken into custody by the cops. Those arrested included two spokespeople of the anti-NATO coalition, Hans-Georg Eberl and Claus Schreer. On the evening of Feb. 1, about 3,000 demonstrators attended the coalition's public news conference. Some participants sang out anti-NATO slogans. When the crowd did not disperse after ordered to, police units surrounded demonstrators and unlucky passers-by and grabbed up 300 people. The next day, despite the powerful mobilization of police, thousands more people demonstrated in downtown Munich. Among them were anti-globalization activists from Austria and Italy. Thousands broke through the police lines and a daylong sparring with the police began. A political discussion among the demonstrators was taking place inside the Munich Trade Union Hall. The police surrounded it. According to German unionists, this was the first time since 1933, when the Nazis came to power, that police had surrounded this union hall. After two hours the police pulled back. German politicians also joined the aggressive stance of the U.S. representatives. The Christian Social Union's right- wing candidate for German chancellor called for a clear increase in the state of defense. "We Europeans dare not rely only on the U.S. We must do much more ourselves for our own security and for world peace." Social Democratic Defense Minister Rudolph Scharping called for a decision in Parliament to put aside the rules restricting the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) from making foreign interventions and instead give the federal government more leeway in this area. While the European statements at and about the NATO conference are all in terms of aiding their imperialist U.S. ally, there was an obvious frustration that Washington was calling all the shots. The anti-NATO actions of the European demonstrators was in clear solidarity with the anti-war stance of the demonstrators at the World Economic Forum in New York against both U.S. and West European militarism. [From reports in the German daily newspaper Junge Welt of Feb. 3 and releases from the German Communist Party.] - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
