ALL OUT MARCH 20: END THE OCCUPATION! BRING THE TROOPS HOME
NOW!
Int'l anti-war protests planned
By John Catalinotto
A year after the biggest worldwide anti-war
demonstrations ever, activists are again gearing up for an
international day of struggle. It is set for March 20, the
first anniversary of the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq.
Protests against the occupation of Iraq are expected in
hundreds of cities on every continent.
The weekend of Feb. 13-15, anti-war organizations in Japan,
Mexico, Australia and Spain also held actions. Some wanted to
mark the anniversary of the demonstrations held last year on
Feb. 15. That was when 10 million to 15 million people
protested worldwide in an attempt to stop the impending
imperialist attack on Iraq.
On Feb. 13 this year, 20 labor unions representing land, sea
and air transport workers and longshore workers sponsored a
Tokyo rally to protest the deployment of almost 1,000 Japanese
troops to Iraq. Some 12,000 workers took part in the
demonstration. The deployment is an especially sensitive issue
in Japan, as this is the first open military intervention by
Japanese troops since World War II.
According to a report from the Com mittee in Solidarity with
the Arab Cause in Spain, on Feb. 15 more than 100,000 people
protested in Madrid. There were 20,000 in Valencia and 10,000
in Barcelona. They demonstrated against the occupation, for the
withdrawal of Spanish troops and in support of the Iraqi
people's rights of sovereignty and self-determination. Spain
has national elections coming up in mid-March, and the
Socialist Party opponents of the current Aznar government have
promised to end the intervention.
In Mexico City, a demonstration was held Feb. 15 in front of
the U.S. Embassy . Protests took place in other cities in
Mexico, as well. The demands were: "No to the U.S. imperialist
war. No to the re-election of Bush. Get the invading troops out
of Iraq. Support for the independence of Iraq, of all the
oppressed people of the world and of Mexico."
More than 1,000 people attended an anti-war meeting in
Sydney, Australia, Feb. 15, with hundreds more turned away by
police. Documentary filmmaker John Pilger and former Australian
senior intelligence officer Andrew Wilkie--who quit the Office
of National Assessments in protest against the government
sending Australian troops to Iraq--addressed the crowd.
These demonstrations only begin to show the breadth and
depth of feeling against the occupation of Iraq. Many more
protests are planned for March 20. Some important international
gatherings have endorsed the call for an international day of
action. These include the European and World Social Forums, a
conference in Havana against the so-called Free Trade Area of
the Americas, the International League of Peoples' Struggle and
the Mumbai Resistance.
Scheduled March 20 protests
In Britain and other imperialist countries that have sent
troops to Iraq at U.S. bidding, the local ruling classes hope
that by aligning with U.S. imperialism they can get a share of
the plunder of Iraq and play a role in Washington's empire.
But this military intervention has aroused opposition at
home to these policies that endanger the young and threaten to
divert resources to the military. Protests on March 20 will
demand an end to the occupation and withdrawal of troops. In
some cases, these protests will express solidarity with the
resistance in Iraq. And many also call for an end to Israel's
occupation of Palestine.
In countries where there is more widespread Internet access
and more use of the web to organize demonstrations, it is
easier to find the earliest publicized calls for March 20
demonstrations. However, more protests are expected to be
reported from those who organize through word-of-mouth,
leaflets and mosques.
Demonstrations are already scheduled for March 20 in Tokyo;
for six provincial capitals in Australia--Sydney, Melbourne,
Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra; and in Wellington, New
Zealand.
In Turkey, according to an organizer in the Global Peace and
Justice Coalition there, simultaneous demonstrations will take
place March 20 in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and
Trabzon.
Demonstrations are reportedly also being planned in Damascus
and Aleppo, Syria; Ramallah and Gaza, Palestine; Baghdad, Iraq;
Amman, Jordan; Cairo, Egypt; Casa blanca, Morocco; Algiers,
Alger ia; Sana, Yemen; Teheran, Iran; Karachi, Pakistan; Khar
toum, Sudan; Dakar, Senegal; and Johannesburg, South
Africa.
In Europe, there will be national demonstrations in London,
Eng land; Rome, Italy; Amsterdam, Nether lands; Copenhagen, Den
mark and Budapest, Hungary. Reg ional actions are scheduled in
Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Tromsø and Stavanger in Norway;
and in many Spanish cities. All the above European countries
have troops in Iraq.
Protests are planned in all major Canadian cities.
There will also be national demonstrations in Brussels, Bel
gium, and Helsinki, Finland, and regional actions throughout
Ger many and France.
Reprinted from the Feb. 26, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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