ACROSS U.S.
Bombing of Iraq draws angry protests
By John
Catalinotto
Demonstrators marched in New York, San Francisco,
Minneapolis, St. Louis, Ann Arbor, Mich., and other cities
March 11 to protest the ongoing U.S.-British bombing of
Iraq.
The International Action Center, founded by former U.S.
Attorney General Ramsey Clark, initiated the protests. The IAC
has been leading a nationwide movement against the United
States/United Nations economic sanctions on Iraq since
1991.
According to UN statistics, more than 1.6 million Iraqis
have died as a consequence of malnutrition and disease related
to economic sanctions over the last eight years.
IAC co-director Brian Becker said in a March 11 news
release:
"Since the U.S. began the massive bombing in so-called
Operation Desert Fox (Dec. 16-19), thousands of people have
died, hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, rice and grain
warehouses have been obliterated, domestic oil facilities
damaged, and residential housing has been hit.
"This bombing is a violation of U.S. and international law,
and is an act of imperialist aggression against a Third World
country. The Washington establishment wants only client regimes
in this oil-rich region."
Becker said the bombing is part of a concerted
U.S.-sponsored strategy to destabilize and overthrow the Iraqi
government.
"In order to counteract the large and angry protests that
swept the Middle East during the December bombing, and which
found an expression in the cities inside the United States,"
said Becker, "the Clinton administration has opted for a change
in tactics. Instead of dropping 1,000 bombs in four days, which
makes front-page headlines, the Pentagon drops a few bombs each
day."
Becker noted that Washington spends billions of dollars
destroying health care and other civilian facilities in Iraq
but says it can't afford health-care services for 43 million
uninsured working-class people in the United States.
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