In the streets and even halls of government
U.S.-British aggression under attack
By John
Catalinotto
The U.S. and British bombing of targets near Baghdad on
Feb. 16 has aroused world-wide condemnation.
Governments--including those of usual U.S. allies--criticized
the bombings and mass demonstrations protested U.S.
aggression against the Iraqi people. Demonstrations called by
the International Action Center took place in many U.S.
cities protesting the raid.
The French imperialist government questioned the purpose
of the attack. Even Turkey, a NATO member and U.S. client
state, noted that no U.S. planes had left from bases in
Turkey and complained it hadn't been consulted. NATO members
Germany, Spain and Italy made critical statements.
Russia, China, Cuba and many Arab nations denounced the
attack. The Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee on
Feb. 19 advised President Vladimir Putin to unilaterally lift
sanctions on Iraq.
Egypt, which had backed the U.S.-led "coalition" in the
1991 war on Iraq, denounced the attack.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said the raid was "a
serious negative step that we cannot accept, nor understand
its reasons, which run counter to Iraq's safety and
sovereignty." Vietnam and Yemen were among the governments to
condemn or criticize the air strikes. Vietnam joined those
defying the air embargo on Iraq to send a planeload of
medical and other humanitarian goods to Baghdad.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Baghdad itself in the
days following the raid, chanting, "Yes to Jihad," or holy
war, "no to submission." There were also mass demonstrations
in Palestine and in Egypt.
The Russian Center for Cooperation with Iraq in Moscow
issued a statement condemning "the superpower's desire to
demolish the whole fabric of Iraqi society, to destroy its
ancient monuments and thus its culture, to murder its people
in the greatest numbers and to send the nation in
disarray."
The Socialist Unity Center of India held a massive
procession Feb. 19 in Calcutta with effigies and banners,
denouncing the bombing. The march started from Raja Subodh
Mallick Square on Lenin Sarani and marched to the American
Center, raising slogans against imperialist barbarity toward
sovereign Iraq. The demonstrators burnt an effigy of George
Bush in front of the American Center as a mark of their
protest.
In Britain many Labor Party members of parliament spoke
out against the Labor government's role in the attack. A
24-hour, all-week vigil is set to begin Feb. 22 in
London.
In the United States
Less than five hours after the bombs hit near Baghdad,
over 100 people came out to protest at Powell and Market in
downtown San Francisco. This location has seen scores
of actions over the last 10 years protesting aggression
against Iraq. Many came without notification, knowing that
the International Action Center would mobilize there as it
has every time in the past.
Even the corporate media, including Spanish-language
stations, knew where to go. Laura Marquez, a reporter from
ABC affiliate Channel 7 in San Francisco, came to the IAC
office with a camera crew soon after the bombs began to fall
and told organizers, "As soon as the bombing started, I knew
where to come."
The next morning, demonstrators stood before the Westwood
Federal Building in Los Angeles, holding signs and
banners, and chanting "No bombing! No sanctions! No blood for
oil!"
Anti-war and anti-capitalist activists held a protest the
morning after the bombing in downtown Buffalo, N.Y.,
opposite the Army Recruiting Station. Despite a temperature
of 15deg. F and high winds, they held a banner demanding "No
more blood for big oil profits."
A protest in downtown Baltimore was held Feb. 19 by
the All Peoples Congress, Baltimore Emergency Response
Network and the International Action Center to demand the
U.S. stop the bombing. It condemned Bush and the Pentagon.
One of the most popular signs for those passing by on foot
was "Fight racism, not the Iraqi people."
Metro Detroit Against Sanctions called out over 100
people on Feb. 19 to protest the bombing. A spirited picket
line carried signs and chanted at the busy Woodward
Avenue/Warren Avenue intersection, bringing their message to
rush-hour commuters driving by.
InNew York on Feb. 19, as some 200 people marched
around the U.S. Army Recruiting Booth in Times Square, a news
marquee on the side of a nearby building reported on
worldwide protests against the U.S.-British bombing,
including the New York protest. The action drew much more
than the usual media attention, with CNN reporting it every
half hour. The IAC national office was inundated with media
calls the following day.
In Washington on Feb. 19, the IAC and the DC
Coalition to Stop the U.S. War on Iraq demonstrated in front
of the White House. In Richmond, Va., the same day, people
called out by Little Flower Catholic Worker organization or
brought by the Richmond Anti-Globalization Network and the
Richmond Action Center/ IAC, among others, protested the
bombing. There were similar protests inPhiladelphia
and a dozen other cities by Feb. 20, according to IAC
spokesperson Sara Flounders.
IAC organizers in Washington, New York, Buffalo, N.Y.,
Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Richmond, Va.,
contributed to this report.
This article is copyright under a Creative
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