'No' to occupation!
2 million protest in 60 countries around the world
By John Catalinotto
The worldwide anti-war movement is alive,
combative and in ever deeper solidarity with the resistance of
the Iraqi people. Despite the Pentagon's victory on the
military front, nearly 2 million people in 60 countries on six
continents demonstrated April 12 that this movement would keep
up the political battle to free Iraq from colonial
domination.
Main slogans in most areas shifted to demanding an end to
the U.S.-British occupation of Iraq, and called attention to
the war crimes of the imperialist aggressors and the suffering
of the Iraqi people.
In some parts of the world--notably in South
Asia--demonstrations were at least as big as they had been when
they were aimed at stopping U.S.-British aggression against
Iraq.
In Dacca, Bangladesh, for example--the largest protest held
in the region April 12--some reports estimated the march to be
as large as 300,000. Protesters shouted "Down with U.S.
imperialism," "America get out of Iraq," and "Heroic people of
Iraq go ahead, we are with you."
At Sea World in Jakarta, Indonesia, protesters unfurled an
anti-war banner underwater. Five thousand marched in Yogjakarta
April 13.
The Sri Lanka Islamic Students Move ment (SLISM) and other
groups organized anti-war protests of 3,000 in Colombo and a
total of another 20,000 in three cities of the country's
eastern pro vince on April 11. In Colombo, students and young
people formed a human chain in front of the Maradana mosque
near the city center.
Anti-war protests also took place in Kalmune, Sammanthurai
and Akkarai pattu, where demonstations of 7,000, 8,000 and
5,000 took place, respectively. Protesters held hand-written
placards and chanted slogans including: "Bush and Blair swim in
Iraqi blood" and "Today it is Iraq, tomorrow it will be North
Korea, Iran or Syria."
In Calcutta, India, on April 11, about 1,000 disabled people
held up traffic for over an hour. "We are against the war in
Iraq as it will make thousands of people disabled. We know how
much this hurts," said one man in a wheelchair. The entire
protest, numbering in the thousands--including about 1,200
cars, some bearing white flags--blocked roads and honked their
horns for over an hour.
In New Delhi, thousands of protestors from secular Indian
organizations marched to the U.S. Information Services office
April 12, denouncing the "U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and the
suppression of Iraqi people and their nation."
G.N. Saibaba, secretary of the All India Peoples Resistance
Forum (AIPRF), accused U.S. and British forces of trying to
establish their long-term rule in Iraq by encouraging
lawlessness and trying to divide Iraqis along communal and
sectarian lines.
The protesters in New Delhi and the northern Indian states
of Punjab and Haryana wore "No War" shirts. Their banners read
"American invaders get out of Iraq" and "Boycott U.S.
products."
In India and Pakistan, and in Manila in the Philippines,
demonstrators burned effigies of President George W. Bush.
Militant demonstrators clashed with police in Seoul, South
Korea, and Taipei, Taiwan. South Koreans also protested at what
they called a U.S. plot to start a war with North Korea
following the aggression against Iraq.
Hundreds of Kenyans took to the streets of Nairobi on April
11, carrying placards condemning Bush and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair and shouting: "Down, down USA, Bush is a
terrorist."
London: no occupation, no war
In London, 200,000 anti-war protesters marched past the
Houses of Parliament holding aloft an effigy of Blair. Chanting
slogans and waving banners under a bright blue sky, the
protesters shouted: "No justice? No peace! Troops out of the
Middle East." Placards read "No occupation, no war."
Hundreds of thousands of people pro tested in both Barcelona
and Madrid, with up to a half-million in all demonstrating
throughout the Spanish state. In neighboring Portugal, 3,000
people formed a human chain through central Lisbon and then
rallied at the U.S. embassy.
Up to a half-million people demonstrated against war and
occupation in Rome on April 12 despite the corporate and
government media boycott, disruption of train service and
pouring rain that didn't let up until that morning. At the same
time, activists targeted Esso gas stations throughout Italy,
shutting down eight of them.
In France, 100,000 people demonstrated in 80 cities; 20,000
rallied at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; 800 pro tested at
the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus. There were smaller
demonstrations also held in Austria, the Nether lands, Belgium,
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Poland, and Russia,
where tens of thousands had demonstrated earlier in the
week.
The largest Latin American demonstration was in Mexico City,
where children lead 50,000 marchers from the Monu ment to the
Revolution to the Zocalo. The demonstration included leaders of
political parties and labor unions.
A separate march by the Zapatistas led 6,000 from the Zocalo
to the U.S. Embassy. The Zapatistas did not want to march with
senators who had voted against Indigenous rights. There were
also 10 other anti-war marches in the country.
There were also protests reported in Argentina, Uruguay,
Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela on April 11,
12 or 13.
A massive peace concert was held in Toronto and
demonstrations took place in dozens of other cities across
Canada.
About 1,000 anti-war demonstrators marched through Auckland,
New Zea land, protesting biased media coverage of the war. In
Australia, 10,000 marched in Syd ney and 5,000 in Melbourne on
April 13.
Reprinted from the April 24, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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