Los Angeles protest demands:
'Hands off Iraq, bring the troops home!'
By Ian Thompson
Los Angeles
With banners, placards and candles in hand,
more than 400 protesters massed at the busiest street corner in
Hollywood Dec. 13 to demonstrate against the U.S.-led
occupation of Iraq. They demanded that the Bush administration
pull all troops out and bring them home now.
The spirited demonstration and rally was sponsored by the
Los Angeles chapter of the International ANSWER coalition and
endorsed by many immigrant and community groups.
Under banners reading, "End Occupation," "Palestine Will Be
Free" and "Workers Need Health Care, Not War," protesters
shouted in unison, "U.S. out of Iraq!" and "Bring the troops
home now!" Passing motorists honked in support.
Expressions of solidarity with the occupied and oppressed
peoples of the world dominated the demonstration. Volunteers
armed with petitions and pens collected many signatures from
protesters and passersby in support of ANSWER's national "Bring
the Troops Home Now!" campaign.
John Parker, a coordinator of the ANSWER coalition in Los
Angeles, kicked off the rally by pledging solidarity with the
Iraqi people, who are suffering under the brutal U.S.
occupation of their country. Parker pointed out how the Iraqi
struggle against U.S. imperialism is similar to the struggle of
70,000 striking and locked-out grocery workers in Southern
California against big corporations.
"The same people who get rich off of this war and plunder in
Iraq are attempting to take away health care from immigrants
and families right here in the U.S.," Parker said. "We can't
allow them to do that. We must support self-determination for
the Iraqi people and support the striking grocery workers in
their fight against the greedy supermarkets to maintain health
care and decent wages. Their fights are our fights."
Parker also mentioned the food and toy drive initiated by
the Community Action Project to Support Labor, aimed at helping
the striking grocery workers and their families during the
holidays. ANSWER launched CAPSL in October. Parker urged
protesters to donate food and toys, and to build broader
support for the workers in their own communities.
"By doing what we can to support these workers, we are
showing them that we are on their side, that we want them to
win," he said. "And they will win!"
Many boxes of food and toys were collected from the
crowd.
Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of Latino Movement USA,
expressed solidarity with the occupied people of Iraq from the
huge Latino/a and immigrant communities of Los Angeles. "We
immigrants in this country do not support the occupation of
Iraq," said Gutierrez. "Our involvement in this movement to end
the occupation and bring the troops home is deepening each day.
Together, united, we will prevail."
Also speaking was Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices in
the Wilderness, who has traveled to Iraq many times. Kelly
described the unjust suffering Iraq has faced under genocidal
United States/United Nations sanctions and stressed that the
occupation must end now.
Support for the Palestinian people's just struggle against
Israel's decades-long occupation was also an integral part of
the demonstration.
Yael Korin of Women in Black harshly condemned the U.S.
devastation of Iraq and Washington's support of Israel's racist
occupation of Palestine. She called for people to support the
Palestinians' right of return to their homeland, calling Israel
a failed colonial project.
A speech by Arturo Garcia of BAYAN International USA,
linking the struggle of Iraqis under U.S. occupation to the
struggle in the Philippines against U.S. military intervention,
prompted the crowd to chant loudly, "International
solidarity!"
Other speakers included Jim Lafferty, executive director of
the National Lawyers Guild-LA and local steering committee
member of ANSWER, and Margaret Prescod of Global Women's
Strike. All speakers demanded an immediate end to the
occupation of Iraq and that the soldiers be brought home
now.
Adding to the electric atmosphere were moving cultural
performances by Korean drummers--members of the Korean American
organization Mindullae--and indigenous Aztec dancers. Rapper
Will B also performed several politically charged songs for the
crowd. These artists are well known in Los Angeles for their
energetic performances at anti-war and social justice
rallies.
The rally proved that the anti-war and anti-occupation
movement in Los Angeles remains strong and vibrant, and that
community support for the striking and locked-out grocery
workers is stronger than ever. The people of Los Angeles, along
with people all over the world, want self-determination and
justice for Iraq, Palestine, the Philippines and
everywhere.
Reprinted from the Dec. 25, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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Email: ww@workers.org
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