Workers World Aug. 17, 2000: Hundreds in San Francisco protest decade of U.S./UN sanctions

Email this article

------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Aug. 17, 2000 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------

SAN FRANCISCO

Hundreds protest decade of U.S./UN sanctions

By Saul Kanowitz

San Francisco

On the 10th anniversary of U.S./United Nations sanctions, solidarity with the Iraqi people was heard in the streets of San Francisco Aug. 5. Five hundred protesters marched from Dolores Park to UN Plaza to demand the lifting of sanctions.
Led by a large banner that read "End the sanctions against Iraq," marchers chanted, "No blood for oil, end the sanctions now!" Some protesters carried coffins to symbolize the 150 children under age 5 who died that day--and every day--because of the U.S./UN-imposed sanctions.
The sanctions have banned Iraq from importing a single foot of pipe to rebuild the water treatment system destroyed by U.S. bombs during the 1991 Gulf War, according to Richard Becker of the International Action Center.
Becker told the crowd, "The idea of de-linking [economic and military] sanctions is a gift that some in our movement want to give to our enemies. Because what they turn around and say is 'Oh yes, food and medicine is okay. But we can't allow pipe into the country because it can be used to make big guns.'
"That is part of the reason why Iraq's water treatment and sewage system is in ruins. And it is the ruin of the water treatment and sewage treatment systems that is mainly responsible for the deaths of 5,000 children every month," Becker said.
More than 1.5 million Iraqi women, men and children have died as a result of the sanctions.
The IAC, which has campaigned relentlessly for the last 10 years against sanctions, has issued a powerful statement, "De-Linking Sanctions: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," explaining the disastrous effects of adopting a demand that sanctions be reshaped instead of immediately terminated. It can be found on the Web at www. iacenter.org/delink.htm.
"The anti-sanctions movement has always had a clear, simple demand: end the U.S./United Nations sanctions against Iraq," says the IAC statement. "The Iraqis are clearly the victims of sanctions--not to speak of almost daily bombing raids. The Pentagon and its British allies are clearly the aggressors and the perpetrators of mur derous violence against the Iraqi people.
"Those who want to stop the Iraqi's suffering must direct their demand at the aggressor and say: 'Stop the sanctions--stop the bombing.'"
The march was organized by the Coalition to End Sanctions Against Iraq, a group that includes American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the IAC, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Middle East Children's Alliance and others.
Speakers called on the crowd to continue organizing against the sanctions. Everyone was urged to be in Los Angeles on Aug. 15 for a 5 p.m. rally against sanctions at the Staples Center, site of the Democratic National Convention.
The Aug. 15 rally will take advantage of the convention's worldwide media attention to raise the demand, "Save the Iraqi children, end the sanctions against Iraq."
For more information, contact the IAC in San Francisco at (415) 821-6545 or the Save the Iraqi Children Coalition in Los Angeles at (213) 387-9220.

This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)

HOME :: U.S. NEWS :: WORLD NEWS :: EDITORIALS :: SUBSCRIBE :: DONATE