WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
Anti-war support for Iraqi resistance strong
By Berta Joubert-Ceci and John Catalinotto Porto
Alegre, Brazil Of the 150,000 to 200,000 people who attended this
year's World Social Forum, which took place here in Brazil from Jan. 26 to Jan.
31, some 95 percent in one way or another showed their solidarity with the
struggle of the Iraqi resistance to push the U.S. occupation out of
Iraq.
Porto Alegre, Brazil, Jan. 27.
Photo:
Vermelho
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The assembly of social movements endorsed the call for
demonstrations March 19-20 with the common slogan: "Troops out of Iraq now! No
more wars!" Groups were urged to hold actions in their own countries. By
far the overwhelming majority of this year's participants were from Brazil.
There were many young people, especially young women. Since the rules were
changed to allow people to register as individuals, there were tens of thousands
who were not themselves members of organizations or political activists. This
gave a different character to this fifth World Social Forum. Among the
bigger public political events at the WSF were appearances in a local sports
arena on two different days by Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez. Both drew big, enthusiastic crowds, and
Chávez especially stole the hearts of those at the forum, with the crowd
overflowing outside the arena. Support for the Iraqi struggle showed not
only in organized meetings and demonstrations, but also in the reaction to
leaflets. The International Action Center had prepared an appeal to the WSF to
(1) support demonstrations March 19 worldwide, (2) extend political support to
the Iraqi resistance, and (3) call for the United States to end the occupation
immediately and unconditionally. Wherever this leaflet was distributed, it
met an overwhelmingly positive response. This was also true at a demonstration
on Jan. 30, the day of the Iraqi elections. People along the route cheered the
calls for solidarity with the resistance. Naturally in such a vast
happening as the WSF, there is no way a few people could see and report on
everyone's attitude. The IAC delegation was mostly concentrated in those areas
of the WSF concerned with either anti-occupation actions or struggles in
solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela, in support of the workers' struggles
throughout Latin America and the world, and against Plan
Colombia. Worldwide support for Iraqi
struggle Nevertheless, even a sample of the events gave a
picture. On Jan. 26, the opening day of the forum, according to the local
press, 200,000 people marched through downtown Porto Alegre. Many of the banners
brought atten tion to the occupation of Iraq, calling for its end or for
solidarity with the resistance. An important meeting took place on Jan.
27. CEBRAPAZ, a recently formed Brazilian anti-war organization supported by the
Communist Party of Brazil, held a meeting of 1,000 people with speakers from all
over the world on this important issue. While not the only question under
discussion, the occupation of Iraq was central. Nearly all the speakers saluted
the heroic struggle by the resistance, all to cheers from the
audience. Those organizations that had called the demonstration on Feb.
15, 2003, when 10 million people came out all over the world in an attempt to
stop the war on Iraq, also met during the WSF. People raised a number of
proposals, but the central one was to hold demonstrations worldwide on March
19-20 to end the occupation of Iraq. The groups represented included the
British Stop the War Coalition, the anti-war movement in Italy and anti-war
networks in Mexico. From the United States both the International Action Center
and United for Peace and Justice were present. A survey showed that groups
in 25 countries from all continents had already set plans for protest on that
day. This action was then proposed to the entire WSF for approval. On Jan.
30, the day of the so-called election in occupied Iraq, an ad-hoc alliance of
Brazilian groups, Iraqi spokespeople and some European and U.S. groups held a
march of about 500 people in the WSF area--which extended for about two
miles--in solidarity with the Iraqi resistance. This too got cheers and thumbs
up along the way. The main speakers at this action were Iraqis Sami Alaa
of the Iraq Patriotic Alliance and Shaik Jawad al-Khalesi, a renowned Muslim
scholar and the leader of a multi-party coalition boycotting the elections in
Iraq. Both denounced the elections as illegal and only serving to justify the
occupation. Al-Khalesi had been taking part in many of the individual
forums and seminars held around the WSF on Iraq, along with other Iraqis who
oppose the occupation. The only objection to a call for "immediate withdrawal"
of troops or of support for the resistance came from people from North America
or Europe who were connected to pacifist or openly social-democratic
organizations. The 'South' supports action From the oppressed
countries, which at this forum meant mainly Brazil and the rest of Latin
America, there was nearly 100-percent support for the Iraqi resistance and for
the demonstrations of March 19-20. For example, at an important meeting of
union leaders from the World Fed eration of Trade Unions, there was support for
the IAC call for March 19 actions. Ubiraci Oliveira, the vice president of the
General Confederation of Brazilian Workers, said he endorsed the March 19
actions and that his unions would discuss holding a march in Sao Paolo on that
date. With Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Vene zuela, South Africa, India, Sri
Lanka, Thai land, South Korea, Turkey, Philippines, Iraq and Palestine among the
list of countries with groups supporting March 19-20 actions, it seemed likely
that this series of protests would get a higher percentage of support from the
countries that were colonies-- from what is called the "South"-- than was true
on Feb. 15 and March 15, 2003. The other countries where groups are
already organizing are the United States, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Japan,
Britain, Macedonia, Cyprus, Australia, Hungary, Poland, Canada, Austria, Spain,
New Zealand and the Netherlands. Whatever happens on that day, there was a
general consensus among the more revolutionary forces at the WSF that the Iraqi
resistance had not only tied down the Pentagon in Iraq, stopping further
invasions, but had encouraged further struggle throughout the world. The Iraqis
have shown that it was possible to prevent a victory for U.S. imperialism--and
it is up to the rest of the world to help them drive the United States all the
way out of Iraq. Joubert-Ceci and Catalinotto attended the WSF
representing the International Action Center.
Reprinted from the Feb. 10, 2005, issue of Workers World
newspaper
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