Student anti-war conference links war at home, abroad

More than 70 people, mostly students, participated in the founding conference of Connecticut Students Against the War on April 25 at Wesleyan University.

Many groups endorsed the conference. They include Iraq Vets Against the War, Youth for Socialist Action, Food Not Bombs, the ANSWER Coalition, the National Lawyers Guild, International Socialist Organization, and FIST—Fight Imperialism, Stand Together.

Panels were held on the occupation of Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the occupation of Palestine and the crisis in Gaza, the economic crisis, and U.S. military and economic interventions. Breakout discussions at each panel formulated proposals to present to the broader group and to be voted on as part of the CTSAW program.

At the economic crisis panel, Jaimeson Champion of the youth group FIST gave an overview of the capitalist crisis and explained how crisis is built into the capitalist system. Peter Goselin of People’s Bailout Connecticut spoke about the need for struggle, for people to defend their right to a home and jobs, and about Fred Goldstein’s book “Low-Wage Capitalism.”

The dozen participants in the economic crisis panel proposed that CTSAW raise demands for a massive jobs program, housing for all, free education and job training, health care for all and access to media.

The conference was a success and showed that the students involved understood the linkage of imperialist war to the war being waged against workers and the oppressed at home.