------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Jan. 23, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
MID-JANUARY ANTI-WAR ACTIONS IN 28 COUNTRIES By John Catalinotto Mobilizing against the U.S. war drive is gaining momentum around the world. Thousands protested in Rabat, Morocco, on Jan. 12. That same day in Germany there's a traditional remembrance for Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two communist leaders who opposed World War I. This year's commemoration included a protest march of 10,000 in Berlin. Its main slogans were directed against U.S. plans to invade Iraq. As of Jan. 14, demonstrations have been scheduled in at least 29 countries in solidarity with the call from the International ANSWER coalition--Act Now to Stop War & End Racism--for mid-January actions. International protests will target Pentagon bases, and in some cases activists will attempt to carry out inspections of the facilities for U.S. weapons of mass destruction. This is true in Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Korea and Spain. Demonstrations will also take place in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bah rain, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sweden Switzerland and Belgium. Polls show between 70 and 85 percent of the population in Asia, Europe and Latin America oppose the war against Iraq. This popular pressure is so strong that even capitalist governments in Europe, North America and Japan--seeing no gain for their own interests from a U.S.-British assault on Iraq--have urged a slowing down of the U.S. war. SOUTH ASIA, LATIN AMERICA In Pakistan, a coalition of secular, democratic and pro-socialist parties will demonstrate on Jan. 18 in Lahore in front of the U.S. Consulate. In India, the All-Indian Anti-Imperialist Forum (AIAIF), based in Calcutta, is organizing protests that day. In Argentina, the Mothers of the Plazo del Mayo have called for a Jan. 16 demonstration against the war on Iraq. They will march from the Plaza Italia to the U.S. Embassy. Many other organizations in Argentina also are backing the anti-war action, including one in C�rdoba. In Ecuador, and throughout the Andes, organizers vow to find ways to express opposition to U.S. war policies in actions outside the U.S. Embassy and United Nations Headquarters in Quito. In Mexico, a Jan. 18 demonstration will bring together people from both sides of the border at the International Bridge connecting El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, with participation from Chihuahua. The same day a protest will take place in Mexico City. A protest is planned at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City on Jan. 17. In Vieques, Puerto Rico, groups fighting to oust the Navy from using their island as a bombing range have added their names as supporters of Jan. 18-19 actions. In Indonesia, the organization The Utopian of Bandung, West Java, pledged actions on Jan. 18. Anti-war groups in Canada plan demonstrations across the country on Jan. 18-19, with local actions in almost 30 cities--from Vancouver and Winnipeg to Toronto, Montreal and St. John. See www.canesi.org/Engl/agir.html for details. EUROPE JAN. 18 TO FEB. 15 A national demonstration will take place in Paris on Jan. 18, in addition to protests in some provincial cities. In Brussels, Belgium, the Stop USA--United States of Aggression-- Coalition has called a Jan. 19 action under the slogans of "No war," "No sanctions" and "Stop the bombardment." Demands also support the struggle of the Palestinian people. At least three actions are planned in Spain for Jan. 18-19, including a protest march to the Torrejon airbase near Madrid to "Stop the war on Iraq before it starts." In Italy, there are calls for demonstrations in Florence, Perugia and at Camp Ederle near Vicenza in northern Italy. In Britain, a regional demonstration is planned in Yorkshire, and a weekend of protest and civil disobedience in London at the Northwood Military Base. Netherlands organizations announced a protest in Leiden on Jan. 18 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a demonstration for peace, civil rights and anti-racism. There will also be actions in Rotterdam and at Volkel military airbase in the south. There, peace inspectors will look for weapons of mass destruction--U.S. nuclear warheads are reportedly hidden there. In Germany, actions are slated in Gera, Bonn, Frankfurt and Berlin, and a group in Heidelberg will demonstrate at the U.S. military headquarters. In Sweden, the protest is set for Gothenburg. The next step in Europe will be massive national demonstrations in many countries on Feb. 15. n - 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] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ 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]>
