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IAC leader assesses Chicago march

Published May 23, 2012 8:58 PM

Workers World asked Sara Flounders, a national coordinator of the International Action Center and member of the Steering Committee of the United National Anti-war Coalition, for her ­assessment of the May 20 ­demonstration in Chicago.


Alison Bodine of Movement
Against War and Occupation,
Vancouver, Canada.
WW photo: Bryan G. Pfeifer

First, I want to congratulate the organizers, CANG8, for a well-organized, powerful, united mass rally with a focused message against NATO, NATO’s wars, growing repression and the disastrous cuts in every U.S. social program. May 20 was, despite all the threats and violence baiting, the largest antiwar demonstration in years.

The march looked tremendous! The important participation of the veterans and the image of returning their medals, combined with the contingent against political repression that united with Palestinian and Philippine activists, the many signs of “No war on Iran,” “Troops out of Afghanistan,” “Stop drone attacks,” the signs for Bradley Manning and against cutbacks and racism, along with union participation — it all showed a powerful level of developing unity with the struggle here and around the world.

These are images that NATO generals and the whole corporate and military establishment want to totally bury.

This whole week of activity has taken the movement to a new level and nationally helped the young Occupy movement understand NATO as an enemy of humanity.

We shouldn’t be surprised at the corporate media’s focus on the fabricated “violence of the demonstrators.” They have to hide any understanding of NATO as a criminal conspiracy, committed to violence, corporate domination and human degradation.

But the overwhelming numbers of police, the threatening equipment and tactics of the state’s repressive apparatus, combined with the level of police violence in Chicago, were so outrageous that they fully exposed the violence of NATO, more clearly than words and signs could ever do.

It’s clear once again that NATO rules through fear. In this period of unsolvable capitalist crisis, this is their only weapon. The police, the city officials, the compliant media did everything to terrorize the population of Chicago and the region from even coming downtown on Sunday. All of this was meant to undermine support for the demonstration — and to demonize and criminalize our youth as the supposed source of violence. That makes the turnout an even greater accomplishment.

We should take note of the police interference in internet, global positioning system and text messaging throughout the day. U.S. officials denounce and lecture other countries around the world when they do this, but in the face of one demonstration, they have done the same.

When returning home, we can’t forget the youth rounded up in Chicago who now face outrageous charges of terrorism, conspiracy, enormous bails and possibly long trials. The anti-war movement must make the police-state tactics a national issue.