From Korea to Germany
Protests tell Bush: Don't attack Iraq
By John Catalinotto
The huge anti-war protests in the U.S. on Oct. 26 organized
by the ANSWER coalition have added momentum to the worldwide
movement against a U.S. attack on Iraq.
In South Korea on the same day, student, peace, socialist,
religious and civic groups converged at Insadong plaza in
downtown Seoul, according to the online news service Base21.
"The spirited rally loudly expressed their displeasure at the
United States' plans to attack Iraq as well as send a clear
warning to the next South Korean president, to be decided in
December, that the South Korean people will oppose any efforts
by their government to support the U.S. in the next stage of
their 'war on terrorism,'" wrote media activist Terry Park.
A number of colorful banners were displayed, including
portraits of President George W. Bush, National Security
Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld, dubbed the "Axis of Evil." A Palestinian flag and a
pink triangle waved in the crowd.
Protesters later marched to nearby Jong-myo Park. Members of
the radical student group All Together promised, "This is only
the beginning of our struggle. We will create a mass movement
against any imperialist war." One marcher said, "Many Korean
people are worried that the U.S. will attack North Korea after
Iraq. Clinton almost attacked in 1994, so it could happen
again."
Ritter: Bombing could begin soon, movement must organize
quickly
In Berlin, Germany, former Marine captain and current
anti-war activist Scott Ritter told a conference on Nov. 1-2
that the Pentagon will have all the military elements ready to
begin bombing Iraq by early December and to invade two or three
weeks later. Ritter, whose participation in UN inspections
convinced him that Iraq is not harboring "weapons of mass
destruction," said he expected that the Iraqis would be unable
to resist the U.S. military onslaught and that many civilians
would suffer, should the war begin.
This former hawk who remains a Republican said the war could
still be stopped if the U.S. remains isolated and the anti-war
movement mobilized.
Ritter's message to the German public was to "make an effort
to pressure the German government to stick to its 'no' to an
Iraq war" and to "support the anti-war movement in the United
States." The war could be stopped, he insisted, but the
movement had better organize quickly.
Dr. Hans-Christof von Sponeck, former director of the UN
humanitarian aid program for Iraq, accused the U.S. and Britain
of lying about the existence of a program for weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq. Von Sponeck said he was sorry the
conference had to concentrate on stopping a new war instead of
on stopping the murderous sanctions against the Iraqi people. A
"no to the war" should go together with a "stop the embargo,"
said von Sponeck.
Others at the conference included the Iraqi ambassador to
London, Dr. Mudhafar A. Amin; Dr. Jan Oberg of the
Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research in
Sweden; Barbara Lochbihler of Amnesty International and
spokespeople from the German peace movement. The conference
came a week after demonstrations in Germany of tens of
thousands on Oct. 26 in coordination with the U.S. anti-war
movement.
Civil disobedience in Britain
Thousands of people took part in over 150 different protests
throughout Britain as part of the Stop the War Coalition's
Halloween Day of Action on Oct. 31. It was the first
mobilization there for massive civil disobedience.
The largest action was in London, where 5,000 people
gathered in Parliament Square at 6 p.m. to block traffic in
Whitehall--the area housing government ministries. Following
speeches from Tony Benn, Tariq Ali and Lindsey German,
protesters left the square to join up with Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament activists outside Downing Street, the prime
minister's residence, for low-key civil disobedience.
Also, dozens of protests took place at universities and
colleges, including occupations at Cambridge University,
Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton and Leeds. In Sheffield 500
students occupied a faculty building sponsored by Boeing. In
Bristol, 700 people joined a vigil followed by a march to an
army base, while in Cardiff protesters occupied the Welsh
Assembly, halting proceedings.
Andrew Murray, chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said:
"The Day of Action was a fantastic demonstration of the British
people's opposition to the planned war. But it's only a taste
of what will happen if Tony Blair supports a U.S.-led military
attack against Iraq."
Following the success of the protests, the Stop the War
Coalition announced a conference on Dec. 7 as well as another
large-scale march through London on Feb. 15. The coalition is
also preparing for protests throughout the country, should
military action begin against Iraq.
India: 'Down with warmonger USA'
As part of the international actions on Oct. 26, the
All-India Anti-Imperialist Front in Bangalore, Karnataka State,
organized a protest at Mysore Bank Circle, where demonstrators
burned a joint effigy of George W. Bush and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair. They shouted, "No war, we demand world
peace," and "Down with warmonger USA."
In Chennai, Tamilnadu State, on the same day, demonstrators
from the local unit of AIAIF, including women and children,
raised slogans against U.S. war plans. A similar action took
place in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh State, at the Osmania
Medical College. Speakers warned that war in any part of the
globe hurts the unity of the workers of the world. They
appealed to the people to develop a movement to pressure the
Indian government, led by the right-wing BJP party, to withdraw
from joint military exercises with the U.S.
Reprinted from the Nov. 14, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
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