JUNE 5 PROTESTS
People's power vs. the Pentagon
By Deirdre Griswold
People's power. That's what has disrupted the
plans of the neo-cons in the White House and Pentagon, who
thought they could make the conquest of Iraq just a first
campaign in an endless war for imperialist world
domination.
The Iraqi people have astounded the
Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz-Rice clique, and all those in
positions of power who have fallen in line behind them, with
their heroic capacity to resist colonial rule.
This has vindicated the worldwide anti-war movement, which
said from the start that this war and occupation was not about
improving the lives of the Iraqi people but was an imperialist
grab for resources and strategic position in the Middle
East.
It appears now that everything is falling apart for Bush and
Co. But without the con tinued pressure of the movement, and
the continued resistance in Iraq, they can still continue their
occupation in a new form.
The administration is frantically trying to set up a puppet
regime in Iraq by June 30 that would "invite" U.S. forces to
stay. Most of the Democratic critics of Bush are calling for
more troops, not withdrawal. Another big push is needed to end
the occupation and get the troops out.
On June 5, the next round of mass demonstrations in the U.S.
will take place in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los
Angeles. Called by the ANSWER Coalition--Act Now to Stop War
& End Racism--these protests come at a crucial time and
will have maximum political impact.
The demonstration in Washington will march from the White
House to the Pentagon, which is shaken by the revelations of
torture, humiliation and other abuse of prisoners in its jails
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo.
A recent statement from ANSWER says, "There has never been a
more urgent time than now to join together and let the whole
world know that George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and other high
officials who have carried out unspeakable war crimes, crimes
against humanity and crimes against peace do not speak for us,
the people.
"The world, and especially the people of the Middle East,
are seething over the daily experiences and exposés of
torture and humiliation imposed by U.S. military forces on
Iraqi prisoners. It is not enough to demand the firing of
Donald Rumsfeld. He is, of course, a criminal who should be
held accountable. But the war itself is a crime. Tens of
thousands of men, women and children in Iraq have been killed,
their lives destroyed, their homes broken into, their loved
ones taken prisoner. ...
"U.S. soldiers, too, used as cannon fodder by Bush and the
top brass, are being killed and maimed in growing numbers.
"On June 5, we will solemnly stand with the people of the
world who reject the torture and humiliation of Iraqis, both in
the dark dungeons like Abu Ghraib, and in the daily
humiliations that are endured by Iraqi society at the hands of
foreign occupiers. On June 5, we will stand with all of those
families and communities who are demanding that U.S. soldiers
be brought home from Iraq immediately. On June 5, we will be
marching from the White House to the Pentagon and demanding
that the $300 million spent each day for death and destruction
in Iraq be used to fund education, housing, healthcare and
jobs."
The original ANSWER call for the demon stration also
demanded "an end to the colonial occupation of Palestine, and
to support the Palestinian people's right to
self-determination, including their right to return to their
homeland," pointing out that June 5, 1967, was the opening of
the war in which Israel annexed the West Bank, Gaza Strip and
Golan Heights.
Haitian groups opposed to the occupation of their country
after the U.S. kidnapping of their president, Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, will also be in Washington that day and will join the
march to the Penta gon. The ANSWER call stands "in solidarity
with the Haitian people who are living under foreign military
occupation following the February 28/29 U.S.-coup against the
democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
President Aristide must be returned to office and U.S., French
and other occupation forces must withdraw."
This demonstration against U.S. war and occupation also
addresses Washing ton's threats against Venezuela and Cuba, as
well as Korea and the Philippines.
In all these struggles, as inside the U.S. itself, what is
at stake is the fight for people's needs versus the greed of
huge corporations that profit from war and exploitation.
Information about the protests is available at the ANSWER
web site, internationalanswer.org, or at the following
organizing centers: Washington, D.C., (202) 544-3389; New York,
(212) 633-6646; San Francisco, (415) 821-6545; Los Angeles,
(213) 487-2368.
Reprinted from the May 20, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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