Anti-War Movement: No Racist War

Anti-War News

Calif. Town Rebels Against Patriot Act  5/17/03 Guardian, UK: "More than 100 cities and one state have passed resolutions condemning the USA Patriot Act, saying it gives the federal government too much snooping power. But in this liberal fold of Northern California's Redwood Curtain, a simple denouncement just doesn't go far enough. To cooperate with the act, the City Council says, is criminal. Starting this month, a new city ordinance would impose a fine of $57 on any city department head who voluntarily complies with investigations or arrests under the aegis of the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism bill passed after Sept. 11."

Roddy Stinson: 'Avoid wearing of uniform' general warns local soldiers  4/18/03 San Antonio Express News: "Because of recent instances of harassment of uniformed personnel, Porr, the commanding general at Fort Sam Houston, felt compelled to warn the men and women who serve under him to use caution when traveling, shopping and dining in San Antonio. "Two separate incidents against military personnel have occurred," Porr reported. "In the first incident, two males on the city's Northeast Side made threatening gestures and pounded on the car window of a drill sergeant and his spouse while they were on their way home. "The second incident involved two sailors, in uniform, who were accosted by several males who said, 'You'd better not go to war,' as they departed a River Walk restaurant." "

Hundreds of U.S. Soldiers Emerge as Conscientious Objectors  4/16/03 Common Dreams

Anti-war protesters march across Europe  4/13/03 ABC, Australia

Peace protesters rally in cities across Canada  4/12/03 CTV

Anti-War Groups Fear Loss of Momentum  4/11/03 AP

Chicago and Police Face Suit Over Jailing of War Protesters  4/10/03 NYT

Contain and Isolate - The New York Times and the Peace Movement  4/9/03 Counterpunch

Anti-War Rally Eyes Troubles at Home - Harlemites March  4/9/03 Village Voice: "Last Saturday, demonstrators in Harlem braved hand-numbing cold and rain to raise their voices against the war. Organized by the Black Solidarity Against the War Coalition, the crowd was comprised largely of people of color, and their placards and chants stopped local residents in their tracks. It was the most successful demonstration in the city to date to organize blacks and Latinos against the war."

My Oscar 'backlash' 'Stupid White Men' back at #1, 'Bowling' breaks new records  4/9/03 Working For Change: "Take the Dixie Chicks. I'm sure you've all heard by now that, because their lead singer mentioned how she was ashamed that Bush was from her home state of Texas, their record sales have "plummeted" and country stations are boycotting their music. The truth is that their sales are NOT down. This week, after all the attacks, their album is still at #1 on the Billboard country charts and, according to Entertainment Weekly, on the pop charts during all the brouhaha, they ROSE from #6 to #4. In the New York Times, Frank Rich reports that he tried to find a ticket to ANY of the Dixie Chicks' upcoming concerts but he couldn't because they were all sold out."

Oprah Agonistes  4/8/03 City Pages: "The most amazing segment came midway through, when Oprah lent her seal of approval to a lengthy and fairly devastating bit of Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine--the scene in which shot after shot and caption after caption recount bloody U.S.-sponsored coups and dictators while Louis Armstrong croons "What a Wonderful World." Now first, you rarely see this sort of thing on American television, and when you do it is always followed by a litany of credentialed hacks telling you what hogwash it is. But after the clip, and Moore's own pointed comments about our bloody empire, no one tried to deny the veracity of the claims."

Iraq war shows up divide between white and black in US  4/7/03 Sydney Morning Herald: "For some blacks, there's an additional complication in all this - what National Public Radio's Tavis Smiley calls the "tricky conversation" regarding Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, blacks who are among the Bush administration's most visible players in the war. The polls demonstrate that, among black Americans, much anti-war sentiment is directed toward the President - and that the enmity is widely held. "Bush is more of an immediate threat to me," says Quintel Harcum, a 21-year-old philosophy student at Lincoln University, one of America's oldest black universities, tucked into southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. "He's against affirmative action." "

Bringing the War Home  4/4/03 Alternet: "Thirty-six years ago, on April 4, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King stood in the pulpit of New York's Riverside Church and delivered his first major address against the Vietnam War. "The Americans are forcing their friends into becoming their enemies," King said. "It is curious that Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of freedom, democracy and revolution, but the image of militarism and defeat." "

A CALL TO APRIL 4TH BLACK SOLIDARITY AGAINST THE WAR WE SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE  4/4/03 Black Against War: "The entire Black community must speak with one voice, and demonstrate the power of Black people united. We are calling for Black Solidarity Against the War!"

MP urges troops to disobey orders  4/1/03 Evening Standard, UK: "Anti-war Labour MP George Galloway has defended an interview in which he branded Tony Blair and George Bush as "wolves" for committing the "crime" of military action against Iraq."

Kucinich Takes to The House Floor To Call For An End to The War  4/1/03 House.gov: "Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), who leads opposition to the War in Iraq within the House, today, issued the following statement on the House floor: “Stop the war now. As Baghdad will be encircled, this is the time to get the UN back in to inspect Baghdad and the rest of Iraq for biological and chemical weapons. Our troops should not have to be the ones who will find out, in combat, whether Iraq has such weapons. Why put our troops at greater risk? We could get the United Nations inspectors back in."

Neocons like Goldberg, Reiland are imperialists  3/31/03 Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Five Guidelines for Our Organizing  3/31/03 Znet: "There is a very positive development happening in the anti-war movement. That is, people are actively trying to connect the war abroad with the struggles for power, resources, and freedom right here in our own neighborhoods. In the Boston area, members of United for Justice with Peace, local activists working to stop the state budget cuts, and progressive city councilors are holding informal meetings to develop strategies for how we can work together in order to mutually benefit and enlarge each other's efforts. Neighborhood-based peace groups are forging institutional links with grassroots tenant and immigrant organizations. Our most recent major peace rally featured labor, youth, and representatives from organizations doing a range of peace and justice work."

Tens of thousands rally in Boston for peace  3/30/03 Boston Globe

Bay of Pigs Meets Black Hawk Down  3/30/03 Consortium News: "Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, George W. Bush has “lost” the war in Iraq. The only question now is how big a price America will pay, both in terms of battlefield casualties and political hatred swelling around the world…. In one telling, though little-noticed passage in Bob Woodward’s Bush at War, Bush asks Gen. Tommy Franks for his opinion, only to have Franks defer to Rumsfeld. “Sir, I think exactly what my secretary thinks, what he’s ever thought, what he will ever think, or whatever he thought he might think,” said Franks, who is now commander of U.S. forces fighting in Iraq." Another one of Rummy's Stepford Wives.

Fresh wave of anger spreads worldwide - Human chain stretches from Munster to Osnabruck in Germany as hundreds block Rhine-Main US air base  3/30/03 Independent, UK: "Rallies, marches and vigils were staged in Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Greece, Bangladesh, South Africa and South Korea while Germany saw more than 100,000 take part in the largest of the weekend's demonstrations. In the most ambitious of yesterday's protests, around 30,000 peace activists formed a 31-mile human chain between the cities of Osnabruck and Munster, while 6,000 people surrounded the US military HQ and released blue balloons printed with the white dove of peace."

'There will be a legacy of hatred for the West if the Iraqis continue to suffer from the war we started' - ex UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook  3/30/03 Independent, UK: "Robin Cook last night launched a searing attack on the US and British governments for their prosecution of what he called a "bloody and unjust war". It is the first time since the start of the conflict that a leading British political figure has called for hostilities to be ended with Saddam Hussein still in power. Mr Cook's call for an immediate withdrawal from the war zone is a warning to Tony Blair of the immense political problems ahead if – as is now feared – the conflict drags on and the coalition forces are obliged to lay siege to Baghdad."

New web site on Military Families Speak Out  3/30/03 Military Families Speak Out: "Military Families Speak Out is an organization of people who are opposed to war in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military. We were formed in November of 2002 and have contacts with military families throughout the United States, and in other countries around the world."

TROOPS WHO WON'T FIGHT SENT HOME  3/30/03 Sunday Mirror, UK: "A PAIR of British soldiers in the Gulf face up to two years' jail after refusing to fight. The duo - believed to be a private and an air technician - told officers they would not take part in a war in which innocent civilians were killed. The two men from 16 Air Assault Brigade - heavily involved in the battles in the south of Iraq - are believed to have been sent back to their barracks in Colchester, Essex. A third serviceman faces court martial after refusing to travel to the Gulf. Others are believed to have refused on religious grounds."

No let-up in anti-war protests  3/29/03 BBC: "Protesters across the world are taking to the streets this weekend to demand an end to the US-led war on Iraq."

Military families unite in protest  3/29/03 New York Journal News: "Young is the regional representative for Military Families Speak Out, a national organization of people who have family members in the military but who are against the war. The group, which claims about 300 families coast-to-coast, offers mutual support, shares information via e-mail and says it provides an important voice that's not often heard."

Antiwar Effort Emphasizes Civility Over Confrontation  3/29/03 NYT

Turks shower U.S. soldiers with eggs, stones  3/29/03 Reuters: Impromtu antiwar demo - "Turkish villagers showered U.S. soldiers with eggs and stones on Saturday when they arrived to recover pieces of a Tomahawk cruise missile which came down in eastern Turkey on Friday. Scores of people in Urfa province set upon four jeeps carrying some 10 American soldiers, breaking windows and shouting slogans against the U.S.-led war in neighbouring Iraq, Anatolian news agency reported."

Bush's defence adviser quits in row over conflict of interest  3/28/03 Guardian, UK: "Richard Perle, a chief architect of the war on Iraq, resigned yesterday as chairman of the influential defence policy board following allegations that he faced a serious conflict of interest over his corporate connections. The US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday accepted his resignation but asked him to remain on the board… Last week, the Guardian revealed that a British company linked to Mr Perle and dealing with secret intelligence is among the few UK commercial organisations that stand to profit from the Iraq war. The Cambridge-based Autonomy Corporation, with Mr Perle's help, has been selling advanced computer eavesdropping systems to intelligence agencies around the world. Mr Perle is a director of Autonomy with an option on 75,000 of the company's shares. He advises the company on market opportunities but said he had no input into specific procurement decisions by US agencies."

'Die-ins' target war and news media  3/28/03 North Jersey News: "Media experts said what Fox did Thursday morning was not shocking - Fox was openly hawkish about the war long before it began. But, they said, the display - tagged with the Fox News logo — threw journalistic objectivity out the window and also ridiculed the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. "Fox tries to position itself as 'the real American network,'" said Michael Hoyt, executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. "But real Americans believe in democracy and freedom of speech. I think what they did was cynical and bush league." "

Code Pink disrupts Perle  3/27/03 IndyMedia: "It was an effective protest - Perle was clearly uncomfortable. And this Pletka AEI [American Enterprise Institute] hack really lost her cool. With five or ten more people these folks would really be rattled."

Commentary: Neither clean nor swift By Arnaud de Borchgrave  3/27/03 UPI: "A country the size of France or California can never be declared safe and secure. After France surrendered to the Nazis in June 1940, underground resistance quickly got organized and kept hitting the Germans for the next four years where they least expected it. Iraq is the reverse, with the local Nazis going underground, but the capabilities of a hostile resistance remain the same… Arab editorials, from Marrakech to Muscat collected daily by Foreign Broadcast Information Services, a branch of the CIA reflect a revival of colonial fears. The war on Iraq strikes most Americans as a brand new phase of history. But for most Arabs, from university professors to cab drivers, it is seen as yet another return of western colonial armies that have regularly marched through the region for the last two centuries." Arnaud de Borchgrave is a pro-war former CIA officer who writes for the Rev. Moon's publications, UPI and the Washington Times.

Prospective sources of information -- sans cheerleading -- regarding the U.S.invasion of Iraq and world response  3/27/03 Working For Change

Peace Groups Expand The Fight - They Aim to End This War, Prevent Another  3/26/03 Washington Post

Massive March To Stop War On Iraq  3/25/03 Black World Today: "Representative Charles Rangel, who has had the courage to vote against this war from the start, pointed out that this demonstration wasn't against the military, but was a chance for those who oppose the war to support each other. "I think so many people are patriotic and oppose the war and love our troops," he said. "This lets them know they are not alone." "

Ethnic Communities Respond to War on Iraq  3/25/03 Pacific News

Probe Sought of Pentagon Adviser Perle  3/25/03 Reuters: "A senior U.S. Democrat has called for an investigation of Richard Perle, an architect of the war on Iraq, for possible conflicts of interest in his roles as corporate adviser and Pentagon consultant. Rep. John Conyers, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, asked the Pentagon's inspector general to probe Perle's work as a paid adviser to bankrupt telecommunications company Global Crossing Ltd. and his guidance on investment opportunities resulting from the Iraq conflict. "I am aware of several potential conflicts that warrant your immediate review," Conyers said on Monday in a letter to the Defense Department's inspector general, Joseph Schmitz. The letter was made available on Tuesday. "Mr. Perle is considered a 'special government employee' and is subject to government ethics prohibition -- both regulatory and criminal -- on using public office for private gain," Conyers' letter said."

Peace Activists Planning to Disrupt Manhattan  3/25/03 Village Voice

For Blacks, the War Is Another Divide  3/25/03 Washington Post: "African Americans Oppose the Conflict More Than Whites Do, Polling Finds"

Will Middle America Board the Peace Train?  3/24/03 Alternet: "It was the emergence of this manifesto prescribing preemptive military action, one year after 9/11, that spurred Gulf War veterans Charles Sheehan-Miles, Erik Gustafson, Erin Cole and Dan Fahey to form Veterans For Common Sense (www.veteransforcommonsense.org), a primary organizer of the teach-in at American University. Two weeks ago VCS sent a letter to President Bush objecting to the war. It was signed by more than 1,000 veterans, among them two vice-admirals, a brigadier general and a handful of colonels."

Africans continue Iraq protests  3/24/03 BBC

Zoe Pilger: Generation Apathy has woken up  3/24/03 Independent

Why I Resigned From the U.S. Foreign Service By John Brown  3/24/03 Moscow Times

Poll Shows Most Blacks Still Oppose War  3/24/03 New California Media: "Black faces may not be showing up at anti-war protests in the same numbers as whites, but a new poll shows that African Americans are more opposed to a U.S. war with Iraq than any other major ethnic group in the United States. The new survey mirrors several Gallup polls in recent months that also noted while most whites are backing the Bush administration on the issue of war, most Blacks are not in favor of those policies. The Pew Research Center Survey found 44 percent of African Americans support military action, compared to 73 percent of white Americans and 67 percent of Latinos."

Afghanistan sees its first war protest  3/23/03 AP: "There's been a rare display of public anger in Afghanistan over the war in Iraq. About one-thousand people protested in eastern Afghanistan today. One military official says it was peaceful."

Italian anti-war protesters rally around US base in Sicily  3/23/03 IRNA: "Several thousand anti-war demonstrators rallied outside a US base in Sicily on Sunday in a series of protests in Italy against US-led war in Iraq."

Around Globe, Protest Marches - In N.Y., 200,000 Take to Streets  3/23/03 Washington Post: the pro-war Post has 200,000, other media has 100,000, but the line was 4 miles long - "Nearly 200,000 antiwar demonstrators took to the streets of Manhattan today, protesting the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq even as bombs rained down on Baghdad again. Smaller demonstrations took place across the nation, from thousands marching in San Francisco -- where 2,200 have been arrested in recent days -- to several hundred protesters snaking through downtown Washington, chanting "No blood for oil!" In New York, there were a smattering of pro-war demonstrators, numbering a few dozen. In Louisville, about 400 military wives, leather-clad bikers, veterans and others massed and declared solidarity with U.S. soldiers. In downtown Chicago, a cluster of pro- and antiwar demonstrators faced off outside the Federal Building. Chants of "Killer! Killer!" were met by the response: "Idiot! Idiot!" There were demonstrations around the globe. About 100,000 demonstrators marched through downtown London, a far smaller number than the 1 million who trooped there for a "Stop the War" rally in February. Polls in Britain have shown that, although support for Prime Minister Tony Blair is rising, about half the population opposes the war. Elsewhere in Europe, about 100,000 marched in Madrid and 40,000 turned out in Berlin. There were rallies in Paris, Rome, Helsinki, Brussels and Lisbon."

Protests and vigils denounce the war  3/22/03 AP

Thousands across Canada protest war in Iraq  3/22/03 CBC: "Tens of thousands of chanting, banner-waving Canadians took to the streets across the country Saturday to protest the war on Iraq and, in several cities, expressed their displeasure by burning the American flag. The biggest demonstration took place in Montreal where crowd estimates were pegged at more than 200,000, similar in size to the one staged last weekend prior to the start of the U.S. campaign to oust dictator Saddam Hussein and amongst the largest worldwide Saturday."

"I'd Like to Report a Revolution" - The Battle In San Francisco  3/22/03 Counterpunch

Thousands join anti-war demos  3/22/03 Guardian, UK: "As demonstrators were making their way along Oxford Street our officers came under fire from bottles and other debris from some of the demonstrators," said a spokeswoman. "As such it was necessary for us to put a cordon in place in order to contain the crowd and try to prevent further objects being thrown." Protest groups say that over 100,000 people turned out to demonstrate in London, though the Metropolitan police have not confirmed that number."

Resolution Opposed by Wary 11  3/22/03 LA Times: "House Democrats, including five from California, vote against expressing support for U.S. troops and Bush. Some saw it as a trap."

Peace movement will last, activists say  3/22/03 The Olympian, Washington

Washington, DC: Antiwar Protesters Spar With Police  3/22/03 Washington Post: "Unlike antiwar marches in Washington in recent weeks, in which organizers have largely worked with authorities to map out march routes, moments of the demonstrations took place in defiance of a heavy federal and local police presence. Shortly after noon at 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, marchers brushed aside barricades to gain access into Lafayette Square across from the White House, which has been closed to demonstrations larger than 25 people following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Later, as a several hundred marchers left the square to head up 14th Street, the chanting protesters circled back on themselves and ducked into alleys near Logan Circle to escape a police escort… Today's demonstration was the latest in a series of antiwar gatherings in Washington, organized by a variety of peace groups, that have led to roughly 100 arrests since Monday for acts of civil disobedience. The rally and march were just a few of the antiwar demonstrations around the country, from New York City to San Francisco."

Sparing the public the horrors of war  3/22/03 Yellow Times: "Arab TV networks, notably Abu Dhabi TV, Al-Jazeerah, and Al-Arabiya have shown scores of Iraqi civilians -- women and children -- as they are brought into hospitals and triage units for treatment. In the early hours of the aerial assault, the casualties were light. However as the hours turned into days, the pictures of Iraqi wounded became more disturbing, more grotesque. None of these images were shown on U.S. networks. Not CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CBS, NBC, etc. The question is why? The answer: support for the war may drop markedly."

Seattle: Anti-war activists block freeway  3/21/03 Bellingham Herald, WA

They have reached too far - Bush's road leads to ruin for himself and his Pirates  3/21/03 Black Comentator: "We are all assembled, the world's people, awaiting the Pirates' lunge at history. The Bush men have made sure we pay rapt attention to their Big Bang, their epochal Event, after which the nature of things will have changed unalterably to their advantage - they think. The Bush men are certain of our collective response, convinced that once we have witnessed The Mother of All War Shows, humanity will react according to plan, and submit."

Nigeria: Police ban demonstrations, protests nationwide: To avert backlash of US/Iraqi war  3/21/03 Daily Times, Nigeria

Anti-war protests sweep globe  3/21/03 Guardian, UK: "In the UK, many anti-war protesters took to the streets on bikes to express their opposition to the coalition assault. The protest caused traffic problems in cities including London and Sheffield and followed the wave of demonstrations across the UK yesterday."

From the streets of San Francisco to the cities of Bangladesh, millions unite to voice their protests  3/21/03 Independent, UK: "Demonstrations against the war in Iraq erupted on every continent yesterday. Millions of people opposed to the United States-led military invasion abandoned their work or studies and took to the streets. Most protests were peaceful although a handful became violent, usually when police in riot gear sought to keep marchers away from American embassies and consulates. In some Muslim countries, the protests gave renewed vigour to Islamist political parties that are using the war as a recruiting tool."

US Anti-War Protests Flare, More Than 1,000 Arrests  3/21/03 Washington Post: "Police arrested more than 1,000 people in San Francisco on Thursday -- the most demonstrators taken into custody on a single day in the city in 22 years -- as tens of thousands protested across America against the U.S. war in Iraq."

Baltimore Marine Dies In Chopper Crash - Victim's Father Has Strong Words For Bush  3/21/03 WBAL, Baltimore: "It's sad that this war is going on and that we have to lose so many people over nothing. I can't bring my brother back, but I really miss him," one of the soldier's sisters said."

Thank you, President Bush  3/21/03 Znet: "Thank you for adopting your current position and thus ensuring that, at the plenary session, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin’s anti-war speech was greeted with applause – something, as far as I know, that has only happened once before in the history of the UN, following a speech by Nelson Mandela… Now that there seems no way of silencing the drums of war, I would like to say, as an ancient European king said to an invader: ‘May your morning be a beautiful one, may the sun shine on your soldiers’ armour, for in the afternoon, I will defeat you.’ "

Antiwar activists hold protests and vigils in Washington, other cities  3/20/03 AP

More than 100,000 people participate in Greek anti-war protests, tens of thousands in Italy  3/20/03 AP: "Tens of thousands of protesters marched on American embassies in world capitals Thursday to protest U.S.-led attacks on Iraq. Demonstrators and police clashed in Egypt and the Philippines. In Cairo, the Egyptian capital, riot police used water cannons to keep about 1,000 stone-throwing demonstrators, mainly students from the American University in Cairo, from reaching the U.S. Embassy."

MPD Arrest Group For Civil Disobedience At Truax Field  3/20/03 Channel 3000, Madison, WI

Protesters close Drive  3/20/03 Chicago Sun Times: "Protesters snarled downtown streets and shut down traffic on part of Lake Shore Drive after a demonstration outside the federal courthouse Thursday night. Late rush-hour traffic northbound on the Drive was stopped for blocks as demonstrators surged through police lines… On Chicago streets, police outnumbered protesters much of the day, but about 2,000 people filled Federal Plaza downtown for a late-afternoon rally that spilled onto nearby streets, blocking traffic toward the end of rush hour."

Council leader backs civil disobedience  3/20/03 Inside Scotland: "THE leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, Danny McCafferty, says he would support civil disobedience protests against war on Iraq. Councillor McCafferty, who is standing as an Independent candidate in the Scottish Parliamentary elections for the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency, said people have the right to protest against the “unacceptable& #x201D;."

National Guard in at Oscars, Will Smith Out  3/20/03 Washington Post: "Smith, star of "Men in Black," was scheduled to present an award at the show. He withdrew before the U.S. bombing campaign in Iraq got underway in earnest on Thursday. "He felt uncomfortable in attending and respectfully asked to be excused. There's no agenda, there's no speeches. He just didn't feel personally comfortable in going because of the world situation," said his publicist, Stan Rosenfield. Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, who is nominated for a best foreign language film Oscar for "The Man Without a Past," said he would stay home in a protest against the war in Iraq. Artists United to Win Without War -- a group of more than 130 celebrities who have campaigned against war -- has produced a special peace pin for the event. Artists including Dustin Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Jim Carrey, Ben Affleck, Michael Moore and Kirsten Dunst have agreed to wear it on awards night."

If the War Starts, the Next Business Day We Call for Mass, Nonviolent Direct Action in Downtown San Francisco. No Business as Usual! Meet 7am at Justin Herman Plaza in SF.  3/19/03 Act Against the War: "Our goals are to nonviolently transform downtown San Francisco from profiteering and war to life and resistance. We will create an open, welcoming and inspiring space that gives voice to the anti-war movement as an assertion of real democracy. This includes nonviolently shutting down key intersections, government offices, and certain corporate offices which will stand to reap outrageous financial profits from the devastation of Iraq and the Iraqi people. We are asking people to form affinity groups."

African Peoples Against The War On Iraq & The Iraqi People - International Black Coalition for Peace and Justice  3/19/03 AfroCubaWeb: "A Community Rally for Peace and Justice, Saturday, 29 March 2003, 11:00 am, Leimert Park in Los Angeles, CA - Congresswoman Maxine Waters, 35th District, Dr. Maulana Karenga, and many others. Planning Meetings held every Tuesday and Friday @ 6:30 pm, African American Cultural Center"

As War On Iraq Begins, Peace Activists Persevere  3/19/03 Alternet

Antiwar camp has plans of its own  3/19/03 MSNBC

Two Arrested In Antiwar Protest  3/19/03 San Diego Channel

Top White House anti-terror boss resigns  3/19/03 UPI: ""Hardly a surprise," said one former intelligence official. "We have sacrificed a war on terror for a war with Iraq. I don't blame Randy at all. This just reflects the widespread thought that the war on terror is being set aside for the war with Iraq at the expense of our military and intel resources and the relationships with our allies.""

Operation Dire Distress, Washington, 3/22-3/24, San Francisco, 3/22  3/19/03 Veterans Against the Iraq War: "All military veterans, active-duty GI's, reservists, and family members are encouraged to attend. Veterans should wear their medals, ribbons, parts of their uniforms, etc., and all participants need to bring American flags, banners, and protest signs."

With War Imminent, Veterans Are Angry  3/19/03 Veterans Against the Iraq War: "Many veterans who fought in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War are furious that the Bush administration is hell bent on destroying the hard work of peacemaking in its bullheaded stumbling to war in Iraq. About to take their message to the streets of Washington, read what they are saying."

In Shock and Awe  3/19/03 Village Voice: "With President Bush issuing ultimatums, many activists are turning to civil disobedience. On Monday, Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire and 44 others were arrested for blocking access to the U.S. mission to the United Nations. The protest was part of a nonviolent campaign called by United for Peace and Justice and the Iraq Pledge of Resistance (peacepledge.org), which included 54 arrests outside the Capitol and another 40 outside the British consulate in San Francisco. On Friday, the former president of the Pacific Stock Exchange was arrested with 79 others after a sit-down in San Francisco that snarled rush hour traffic for hours; the next day 157 were caught during a breakaway march downtown. War could bring yet bigger disruptions. In San Francisco, the anarchist-oriented Direct Action to Stop the War (actagainstthewar.org) has posted a "menu" of strategies to "shut down" that city if the U.S. launches an invasion—everything from traffic slowdowns and bike brigades to lockdowns at the offices of defense contractors and oil companies. While that kind of militancy has been slow to jell in New York, frustration is building. "In the last 24 hours, I've had 50 people contact me who say they are willing to be arrested—and most of them are people who say they've never been arrested before," says Brad Simpson, who is helping organize civil disobedience trainings with the War Resisters League. For weeks there's been a call for protesters to assemble in Times Square at 5 p.m. if war begins. Over the weekend, organizers from 25 peace groups made plans for feeder marches to converge there. There was also talk of traffic blockades and sit-ins at congressional offices."

Arrests in Anti-War Protests Across the U.S.  3/19/03 Washington Post: "Police asked the protesters to disperse and about two dozen refused. They knelt on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House with life-size photos of Iraqi women and children. Earlier, a group of women staged a mock funeral procession to Congress. Clad in pink shirts smeared with fake blood, carrying maimed plastic babies, the group was also leading the procession to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's house."

Don’t Tread on Them: Exploring the Anti-War Right  3/19/03 Weekly Dig, Boston: "However, after the Second World War, the GOP received an influx of disenchanted ex-New Dealers and New Leftists who retained the Trotskyist ideal of using military might to create a global economic and political order – trading Marxism or social democracy for state capitalism. “[Neoconservatism] has made [the conservative movement] more globalist, less Middle American, probably less racist …and much more aggressive in foreign policy," says Scott McConnell, executive editor of The American Conservative. “Most of the major conservative journals are wholly or partially neocon …[President] Bush has completely staffed his administration with neocons, especially in foreign policy." While McConnell, a former neoconservative, recognizes the branch’s more progressive contributions to racial issues, he considers its penchant for military intervention “unhinged." "

Llamados a la desobediencia civil en EE.EU., en protesta contra la guerra  3/18/03 Aporrea: "Hoy continuaron las acciones de desobediencia civil que ayer culminaron con unos 200 arrestos en Washington, Nueva York y San Francisco, entre otras ciudades (entre los detenidos estaba la premio Nobel de la Paz Mairead Corrigan Maguire). Esta noche en Nueva York se realizó una manifestación de emergencia contra la guerra en Union Square, con aproximadamente mil participantes, entre ellos estudiantes, algunos líderes comunitarios latinos y religiosos. En la capital están programados actos de desobediencia civil empezando este miércoles para coincidir con el término del ultimátum a Saddam Hussein."

Something is Terribly Wrong in America by CYNTHIA McKINNEY  3/18/03 Counterpunch: "Dick Cheney's Halliburton Company which, by the way, just announced that it had a radioactive device stolen in Africa, not only has an unprecedented 10-year, unlimited contract to feed and supply US troops, but it also has a $33 million contract to build the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. And now we learn that Halliburton will also repair Iraqi oil fields in case of damage in the war. In addition, The Guardian newspaper informs us that Halliburton still pays the Vice President up to $1 million each year in deferred salary payments. Meanwhile, back on the Chickenhawk farm, we learn from the most recent New Yorker magazine that Richard Perle incorporated the Trireme Partners company after September 11 and now stands to gain financially from a war in Iraq."

Why I Had to Leave Blair's Cabinet - This Will be a War Without Support at Home or Agreement Abroad - by ROBIN COOK  3/18/03 Counterpunch: "I have resigned from the cabinet because I believe that a fundamental principle of Labour's foreign policy has been violated. If we believe in an international community based on binding rules and institutions, we cannot simply set them aside when they produce results that are inconvenient to us."

Legal Basis for an Invasion Open to Interpretation  3/18/03 LA Times: "Many experts in international law question the legal basis for war, since the United Nations did not authorize the use of force to oust Saddam Hussein, either in 1990 or last fall."

Flowers in the Dark Winter of War  3/17/03 Alternet: "Yet, you don't hear about it. All you hear is the White House pounding the war drums, the political yak-show hosts frothing for war, and the Democratic leaders in congress meekly mouthing their support. The people, however, mostly are not swallowing it. When I say "the people," I don't just mean just the campus groups and peace organizations. Now they've been joined by the president of the AFL-CIO and several hundred thousand union members who are stoutly patriotic... and just as stoutly opposed to Bush's war. They are joined by the Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, evangelical Christians, Catholic Bishops, and other church groups that are agressively organizing againsts George's Iraq Attack. They are joined by Mothers Against War, a mushrooming grassroots group that began in a living room in Massachussets. They are joined by a veterans group led by vets who were in the last war against Saddam, when George the Elder was president. They are joined by corporate leaders who oppose the madness. They are joined by Black Voices for Peace, which has launched a poor people's peace movement, just as Martin Luther King, Jr. did back in '68."

ROLLING START - The Idiot Prince Will Have His War - by Stan Goff  3/17/03 From the Wilderness: "After Iraq, there will certainly be increased asymmetric warfare, "terrorism," if you will, directed at Americans, American institutions, American targets. And when the rest of the world recognizes how thinly spread the US military is, thinly spread physically, but also economically because it is not a sustainable institution in its current incarnation, rebellions will occur. They have already started. Then the response of the weakening US will be to lash out, often with totally unforeseeable consequences, just as the consequences of this impending invasion are unforeseeable… We will keep our eyes on the fact that the system itself is failing and this adventure is a symptom of that failure, and continue to work for the political destruction of our current regime as a tactical necessity. The perfect storm is coming. It's in the genetic code of the system right now and inevitable. And while we don't know how it will look, we have to keep our eyes on the prize - emancipation from the whole system, and let that be our lodestar. Never quit. Never. We are in the stream of history, and we have been given a grave and momentous responsibility. Every day we delayed them was a victory."

200,000 protesters head for White House  3/16/03 Independent, UK: "The White House protest was expected to draw more than 200,000 people from about 100 cities across the United States. The largest protests outside the US were held in Paris, Athens and Tokyo. There were smaller demonstrations in other capitals, such as Moscow, Cairo and Christchurch, New Zealand, and low key protests in the UK as well. In Paris, more than 50,000 protesters, underlining popular support for President Chirac's threat to veto a UN-backed war, converged on the Place de la Nation and held up a vast US flag daubed with a Nazi swastika and the words "killers and criminals". Smaller demonstrations were staged in Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse, while in Athens, about 20,000 marched on the American embassy, carrying banners which read "No to the barbarism of the war". In Britain, about 3,500 people demonstrated in York, thought to be the city's largest ever protest, with another 10,000 in Leeds, 3,500 in Exeter and 2,000 in Newcastle. In Bournemouth, about 1,000 demonstrators rallied in a town centre park, while in Portsmouth, about 500 people blockaded the naval base."

Demonstrations in Spain and Around the World Against an Iraq War  3/16/03 NYT: "Angered at their government's unwavering support for United States policy on Iraq, Spaniards took to the streets here today, one of hundreds of antiwar demonstrations around the world. For the second time in a month, crowds of demonstrators jammed the center of Madrid, waving antiwar placards and chanting insults against President Bush and one of his strongest allies, Prime Minister José María Aznar of Spain. "We are marching against the law of the jungle that the United States and its acolytes old and new want to impose on the world," José Saramago, the Portuguese writer and Nobel laureate, told the crowd, estimated by news organizations at about half a million, gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol. Another demonstration was held in Barcelona, where the police said 300,000 people demonstrated, some of them forming a three-mile human chain."

200 students at St. Paul junior high stage antiwar rally  3/15/03 St. Paul Star Tribune: "Nick Huelster, 14, thought from 10 to 30 students might walk out of class Friday at Highland Park Junior High School in St. Paul to participate in a peace rally that he had helped organize. "Wow, look how many people we have so far," said Leigh Resner, 14, a co-organizer, as she stood on the stage and watched students, some waving "No war" signs, pour into the school auditorium. More than 200 students attended the one-hour rally, and many of them went to the microphones to speak. The school has 840 students. The rally, strictly speaking, violated school rules. Principal Theresa Battle allowed the rally during class time, but announced that students who participated would be given a detention notice and have to stay after school for 45 minutes next week, sitting quietly in the cafeteria and doing homework. Detention notices were handed out during the rally."

Vast protests in Spain oppose war  3/14/03 Toronto Star: "Millions of workers staged anti-war protests today in Spain, but Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar stood firmly by the United States' plans to attack Iraq."

'Illegal war' could mean soldiers face prosecution  3/12/03 Independent, UK: "But potential sentences of life imprisonment for soldiers acting on the orders of the Prime Minister will have concentrated the minds of the Government's law officers. Peter Carter QC, chairman of the Bar's human rights committee, said British commanders would have to "adapt a very different attitude to their American colleagues so they can justify every military act of attrition against every target." He said it could cause real difficulties in joint actions between the forces. Mr Solley says British troops will feel "vulnerable" to war crimes charges. "No one thought when they were planning the ICC it would have to consider the consequences of a unilateral invasion by America and Britain of another country." "

War protests hit the stage of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction  3/11/03 AP: "Guitarist Mick Jones of the Clash saluted an old friend he went to school with, who he said was in Baghdad, ready to serve as a human shield in case of war."

Annan targets U.S. stance  3/11/03 CNN: "U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said an attack on Iraq would be a violation of the U.N. Charter if it does not have the support of the Security Council."

Studio audience protests while PM makes case for attack  3/11/03 Independent, UK: "Members of the audience who had lost friends or relatives in the Bali or 11 September bombings appealed to the premier not to put other families through the same horrors. Hannabeth Luke, whose boyfriend was killed in the Bali bombing, said war with Iraq could provoke fresh terrorist attacks on the West."

Missouri County GOP Chairman Resigns Over War  3/10/03 AntiWar: "I have questioned both the motives for military action at this time, and the ever-changing, illogical justifications presented to us in what has to be one of the greatest media propaganda blitzes ever force-fed a populace. Any time ground troops are deployed, serious questions must be asked and real answers demanded. The jingoistic rhetoric we are receiving does not constitute legitimate answers."

‘Liberating’ the Mideast: Why Do We Never Learn?  3/10/03 Arab News: by the ever eloquent Robert Fisk - "And always, Western invasions were accompanied by declarations that the Americans or the French or just the West in general had nothing against the Arabs, only against the beast-figure who was chosen as the target of our military action. So what happened to all these fine words? The Crusades were a catastrophe for Christian-Muslim relations. Napoleon left Egypt in humiliation. Britain dropped gas on the recalcitrant Kurds of Iraq before discovering Iraq was ungovernable. Arabs, then Jews, drove the British from Palestine and Jerusalem. The French fought years of insurrection in Syria. In Lebanon, the Americans scuttled away in 1984, along with the French."

Indonesians stage mass prayer against war in Iraq  3/10/03 Stuff, SA: "Officials with the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's leading Islamic group and organiser of the prayers, estimated 700,000-800,000 poured into a military parade ground in Surabaya for the event, which broke up peacefully at midday. A military official estimated the crowd at 700,000."

With Passion and a Dash of Pink, Women Protest War  3/9/03 NYT: "Andrea Buffa, an organizer of the march, said that among those arrested were several well-known writers, including Alice Walker, Terry Tempest Williams, Maxine Hong Kingston and Susan Griffin, as well as Amy Goodman, a host on Pacifica Radio. The protest was linked to International Women's Day, an annual commemoration of women's rights, and was one of many events held today around the nation and world to denounce the prospect of a war in Iraq."

Peace Action  3/9/03 peace-action.org

Authors arrested in war protest at White House  3/9/03 Reuters: "Acclaimed authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston were among a group of 23 women arrested in front of the White House on Saturday as they protested against what they called a misguided march toward war, protest organizers said. "They were in front of the White House, registering their discontent with the war and the war plans and were arrested by Park Police simply for standing in front of the White House and saying 'no' to war," said Gopal Dayaneni, a spokesman for the anti-war group CodePink which organized the rally."

Code Pink, Women in Black say no to war Females protest from Union Square to D.C.  3/9/03 SF Chronicle

Sentiment Against War Is Voiced Across World  3/8/03 NYT: "For his part Mr. Berlusconi seemed to be softening his stance, calling war a last resort in response to huge antiwar demonstrations in Italy last month. Polls now show that 70 percent of Italians are against any war without United Nations approval."

Activists Plan Strong Anti-War Strategy  3/8/03 Washington Post: "Protest sit-ins, especially at federal buildings, defense recruiting offices and military bases, have been mapped out for dozens of cities in the first day or two of any war, anti-war organizers say. Some also foresee widespread walkouts at schools and workplaces. A smaller number talk of blocking roads and bridges… "Once war happens, there will be civil disobedience. It's bringing to a higher level what people have been doing," said coordinator Bal Pinguel at the American Friends Service Committee, an arm of the pacifist Quaker church."

ALL OUT MARCH 15! EMERGENCY ANTI-WAR CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE HOUSE  3/7/03 International ANSWER

Emergency Appeal to the U.N.  3/7/03 MoveOn.org: AfroCubaWeb has learned that UN member states are interested in getting such expressions of antiwar sentiment to bolster their positions.

Stop the War with Iraq  3/7/03 stopthewarwithiraq.org: "We're using the most advanced grassroots technology on the planet to support a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi situation. Each time the page loads, a uniquely written letter -- unlike any other from anyone else who's been here -- is created. Do as much or as little as you like (see instructions at right). When you're finished, preview your letter and send. Your letter will be e-mailed to all members of the Security Council."

A U.N. Resolution for Peace?  3/6/03 Alternet: "If the U.S. attacks Iraq without support of the U.N. Security Council, the world is not powerless to stop it. Employing a legal procedure called "Uniting for Peace," the U.N. General Assembly can demand an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. This alternative is neither utopian nor impractical. It has been employed ten times in the past at the behest of the United States."

U.S. Students Protest Possible Iraq War  3/6/03 AP: "It could not be determined Wednesday night how many students participated across the nation, and the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition had no immediate estimate. The group said earlier that tens of thousands of students at more than 350 high schools, colleges and universities had pledged to join."

Mexican-American Anti-War Movement Gaining Momentum  3/6/03 Aztlan: "It appears that the Mexican-American anti-war movement has finally gotten off the ground with its first significant anti-war march and rally scheduled for Sunday March 9 in East Los Angeles. The Mexican-American and other Latino communities are concerned that the loss of lives in a war against Iraq and other Islamic countries will weigh heavy on our families as this occurred during the racist Vietnam War. The organizers of the demonstration are urging that instead of wasting time, resources and young lives on an obviously unjust war, that the US government focus on the urgent needs of the neglected Mexican-American community and construct and repair public schools and build much needed medical clinics in our communities… The Sunday march will commence at 10:00 AM at Atlantic Park located at 570 S. Atlantic Blvd and end in a rally at Rubén Salazar Park (formerly Laguna Park) situated at 3864 Whittier Blvd in East Los Angeles. Ruben Salazar Park is the location where an anti-Vietnam War rally was brutally repressed by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs on August 29, 1970 (see http://www.aztlan.net/default3.htm ) . During the rally, the LA County Sheriffs launched a vicious attack against the anti-war demonstrators killing four civilians including the popular Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar. The name of Laguna Park was later changed to Ruben Salazar Park. The march and rally is supported by a variety of Mexican-American groups. Among these are the National Human Right Coalition, Centro CSO, La Raza Anti-War Coalition, Latinos Against the War on Iraq, National Chicano Moratorium Coalition, Impacto 2000, Answer L.A., SEIU Local 660, Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 11, MECHA UCLA & Roosevelt High School and many other groups."

Time for Sanctions Against the Bush Administration - Boycott America?  3/6/03 Counterpunch

Some military reservists will risk jail to resist Iraq duty  3/6/03 South Florida Sun Sentinel: "National Guard reservist Bryan Alarcon said "no" when his sergeant called looking for volunteers to go to Turkey as part of the U.S. military ramp-up to war. If he's ordered to go, Alarcon says, he'll refuse -- even if his decision lands him in jail. The 25-year-old West Palm Beach resident is among a small group of military personnel who have joined another fight -- the one building locally and across the country against war."

UK: Anti-war MPs start campaign  3/5/03 Telegraph: "Alan Simpson, Labour MP for Nottingham South, said the campaign was intended to stem the "haemorrhage" of party members deserting Labour because of Tony Blair's pro-war stance."

March 5th National Student Strike  3/4/03 United for Peace & Justice: "The National Youth and Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC) calls upon students on campuses across the United States to join us in a one-day student strike on March 5th, 2003. As students and youth, our futures will be shaped by the actions that the Bush administration takes today."

So Bush Wants Civil Disobedience?  3/3/03 Alternet: "Well, all week in Italy, activists have been blocking dozens of trains carrying U.S. weapons and personnel on their way to a military base near Pisa, while Italian dockworkers are refusing to load arms shipments. Last weekend, two U.S. military bases were blockaded in Germany, as was the U.S. consulate in Montreal, and the air base at RAF Fairford in Gloucester, England. This coming Saturday, thousands of Irish activists are expected to show up at Shannon airport, which, despite Irish claims of neutrality, is being used by the U.S. military to refuel its planes en route to Iraq. In Chicago last week, more than 100 high-school students demonstrated outside the headquarters of Leo Burnett, the advertising firm that designed the U.S. military's hip, youth-targeted Army of One campaign. The students claim that in underfunded Latino and African-American high schools, the army recruiters far outnumber the college scouts. The most ambitious plan has come from San Francisco, where a coalition of antiwar groups is calling for an emergency non-violent "counterstrike" the day after the war starts: "Don't go to work or school. Call in sick, walk out: We will impose real economic, social and political costs and stop business as usual until the war stops."

Organizers of Antiwar Movement Plan to Go Beyond Protests  3/3/03 Washington Post: "LONDON, March 2 -- The people who helped organize the largest worldwide peace demonstration in history last month say they are not through yet. More than 120 activists from 28 countries emerged from an all-day strategy session here this weekend with plans not just to protest a prospective U.S.-led war against Iraq but to prevent it from happening. They want to intensify political pressure on the Bush administration's closest allies -- the leaders of Britain, Italy and Spain -- and force them to withdraw their support, leaving the United States, if it chooses to fight, to go it alone. And they intend to further disrupt war plans with acts of civil disobedience against U.S. military bases, supply depots and transports throughout Europe. Finally, if war breaks out, they say, they will demonstrate in towns and cities around the world on the evening of the first day, and hold a worldwide rally on the following Saturday that they hope will rival or surpass their efforts of Feb. 15."

March 15 - EMERGENCY CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE HOUSE to STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ  2/28/03 International ANSWER: "The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and other organizations are calling for an Emergency National Anti-War Convergence to TAKE IT TO THE WHITE HOUSE on Saturday, March 15. There will be a parallel activities in San Francisco (gather at 11 am at Civic Center Plaza) and Los Angeles (gather 12 noon at Olympic and Broadway, march to Downtown Federal Building)."

Domino Effect - Bush's European Allies Could Battle Populace Next  2/28/03 Pacific News: "In America, one can frequently hear people voicing support for the president even if one disagrees with him, or failed to vote for him. He stays in office for four years unless impeached, and impeachment, as the nation learned during the Clinton administration, is an extremely difficult process. By contrast, in a parliamentary system, the prime minister can be removed on a vote of no confidence, and his term is never absolutely fixed. The Bush administration counts Britain, Spain, and Turkey as part of its coalition. However, the simple fact is that however supportive the prime ministers of those nations are, the people are solidly set against the war."

Dial "P" for Peace  2/26/03 Alternet: "At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the telephones, faxes and email in-boxes of every Senator in Washington D.C. will start ringing, printing and beeping with messages from around the country in support of peace. The "Virtual March," organized by MoveOn.org and Win Without War, hopes to demonstrate to members of Congress the staggering levels of grassroots support for the inspections process."

War rebels challenge Blair - Frantic efforts to win support for vote in Commons  2/26/03 Guardian: "Tony Blair tonight faces the most dangerous challenge to his authority during his six-year premiership as opponents of his "rush to war" policy on Iraq organise frantically to muster the Commons votes that may slow his momentum. Last night backbench critics in all parties claimed to have at least 160 MPs prepared to vote against the government or abstain after today's debate, despite Mr Blair's plea yesterday for them to unite behind the declared will of the UN."

E-mail and gray hair: Anti-war campaign has a new look  2/26/03 IHT

'Virtual' War Protest Ties Up Senate Phones  2/26/03 Yahoo: "Hundreds of thousands of opponents of war against Iraq called and faxed U.S. leaders on Wednesday in a "virtual march on Washington," jamming the White House switchboard and many congressional telephone lines for several hours."

A Human Tragedy In The Making  2/25/03 AfroCubaWeb: by Alberto Jones, on the pending Iraq War.

War not popular with blacks  2/25/03 AP: "A Pew Research Center poll found that 44 percent of blacks support a war with Iraq, the lowest level of any group surveyed. Overall, 66 percent of Americans said they favored military force, with support at 73 percent among whites and 67 percent among Hispanics. The February survey of 1,254 adults had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, and slightly larger for the subgroups."

The Weekend the World Said No to War - Notes on the Numbers  2/25/03 Counterpunch: "The international antiwar movement has developed rapidly, thanks in large part to the internet. An unprecedented degree of global cooperation has become possible, and in pulling off the near-simultaneous manifestations of popular opposition to an Iraq attack, the informally organized planetary antiwar community has achieved a major feat. This may, indeed, be a turning point in human history."

We don't want to die, but we know we are risking our lives, say human shields  2/24/03 Independent, UK: "Before their departure, the latest group declared that they were reconciled to die in their protests against the looming war. The group of 25, including Britons, will join international volunteers who they claim already number 15,000. In the next 48 hours this contingent will begin to take up their positions in strategic locations where they might become targets of British and American warplanes."

Anti-war protesters invade RAF base  2/24/03 Times, UK: "ELEVEN anti-war protesters were arrested yesterday after invading RAF Fairford, which houses US pilots and bombers. Police said that a peaceful protest of 450 people had begun with a walk from the town centre to the base, but that a few had been intent on getting in… A protest leader, Dave Cockcroft, said that dozens of people had gone through the gates after pulling them open in what he called nonviolent direct action. “There may be many direct actions in the next few weeks,” he said."

Anti-war protesters block U.S. base in Germany  2/23/03 AP: "About 2,000 mainly young demonstrators rallied in front of the main gate to the base, a key transit point for U.S. military traffic to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, listening to speeches and scrawling anti-war slogans on the road in coloured chalk." A promise of things to come?

Grammy stars free to sing out on war  2/22/03 NY Daily News: "Despite a report that CBS executives had considered blocking politically outspoken rockers, the network said last night it would not pull the plug on anyone protesting a war against Iraq. The Drudge Report, an Internet news site, quoted an anonymous CBS chieftain as saying the network would cut the microphone of any rocker who engaged in antiwar rhetoric. But CBS quickly moved to squelch the story."

LA City Council Votes On Anti-War Resolution  2/21/03 NBC: "The council voted nine-to-four Friday in favor of the resolution. Supporters of the measure gave impassioned speeches that received cheers from hundreds of peace activists who packed the council's downtown chambers. Mayor James Hahn signed the resolution."

Hungary: Marchers oppose war  2/20/03 Budapest Sun: "Around 30,000 demonstrators walked from Liszt Ferenc tér to Heroes’ Square in Budapest as part of Saturday’s worldwide day of protest against a war with Iraq, with another smaller group, the Peace Chain, marching elsewhere in the city."

The Army's Empire Skeptics  2/19/03 The Nation: "Nation interviews with dozens of active-duty and retired officers, as well as reviews of recent military studies and articles, found that there is, nonetheless, a marked lack of enthusiasm in some segments of the officer corps not just for the Iraq mission but for its greater implications for the military as well as the society it defends."

Millions worldwide rally for peace  2/17/03 Guardian: "Up to 30 million people demonstrated worldwide, including around 6 million in Europe, according to figures from organisers and police, although most conceded there were too many people in too many places to count."

New protests planned in bid to bring Britain to a standstill  2/17/03 Guardian: "Anti-war coalition leaders, emboldened by the massive turnout at peace rallies in London and around the world, are planning to try to shut Britain down should Tony Blair defy public opinion and go to war without a UN resolution. "We want people to walk out of their offices, strike, sit down, occupy buildings, demonstrate, take direct action and do whatever they think fit the moment war starts," said Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition yesterday."

Sources: Due to massive global opposition, U.S., Britain to soften new Iraq resolution  2/16/03 Al Bawaba: "Diplomats told AP the final product may be a softer text that does not explicitly call for war. Before Friday's Security Council meeting, U.S. and British diplomats said they had been preparing a toughly worded resolution that would give them U.N. backing for military action. British diplomats had said then that any resolution would have to include an authorization of force. They described working versions of the draft as short, simply worded texts that found Iraq in "material breach" of its obligations and reiterated that Saddam now faces "serious consequences" as a result. But the measured reports by inspectors, in addition to massive global opposition to war came as a blow to their plans, AP added. The two allies had hoped to push through a new resolution quickly, and there had even been talk of a Saturday council meeting to introduce it. But their plans were put on hold Friday after staunch opposition — led by France, Russia and China — drew rare applause inside the council chamber."

Report From New York  2/16/03 Alternet: "Some cops expressed private dissatisfaction with the city's decision not to grant the permit, saying it made their jobs much harder: a single, legal march would have been easier to control. John Mage, who has been active in the National Lawyers Guild for decades, said the city was unlikely to make this blunder again. "Trust me," he laughed, "next time they'll be allowed to march."

Thousands in San Francisco join protests against war in Iraq  2/16/03 AP: "A steady stream of chanting, sign-waving protesters filled 12 large city blocks stretching from the waterfront to City Hall. Police estimated the crowd at 150,000 people. Organizers claimed 250,000. After the demonstration, a splinter group of a few hundred people, some of them wearing bandanas across their faces, marched to the city's posh Union Square shopping area, where they squared off with police officers. Demonstrators climbed atop a cable car, linked hands in front of police lines and pelted officers with rocks, food and other objects… "Part of the reason I stayed so long is because I feel like we were more threatened if we left as individuals then if we stayed and consciously broke the law as civil disobedients as a group," said Haynes, 28, shaking and holding her pink bandanna. "We feel dissent is really under fire in this country."

Millions march against war - From Athens to New York, a global call for US restraint  2/16/03 Boston Globe: "Organizers estimated that the New York demonstrators numbered 400,000, but Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly estimated the crowd at 100,000." From the NY Police who conspired to throttle the march.

Anti-War Demonstrators Overwhelm NYC Rally  2/16/03 Intervention Magazine: "In fact, the sheer number of demonstrators -- which the organizers place at 400,000 and the New York Times does not disagree with this number -- overwhelmed both the Mayor’s and the Judge’s plans. The walk from the assemble points to the rally "invalidated" their plan to pin up the demonstrators in a single rally point of control. This gridlock of humanity meant that many would never get to the rally, their highlight would be the walk to the rally they never reached. Those who persevered and actually made it to 1st Avenue and the rally site, would be as far as an entire mile from the speakers' podium. Thousands just called it a day, a good day demonstrating opposition to a war in Iraq and demonstrasting opposition to a government that has become too restrictive if not an outright control freak… Also different was the composition of the crowd. In October, there was an abundance of middle-age protestors giving the rally a feel of an anti-Vietnam War protest. Yesterday the young were out in full force, swamping the number of middle-age, giving the future of antiwar protests an optimism. But it was that middle class predominance that really set this demonstration apart from the earlier one… While Fox's coverage remained the same -- distorted, hostile, and ideologically pro-war -- CNN was significantly better, and MSNBC was notably worse. The evening news of the major networks highlighted the demonstrations, again a marked improvement over the past. In all, television news coverage was a mix bag, but an improvement. Essentially, the demonstrations against the war are becoming too large and are too frequent for the media honchos to ignore them entirely. With more and more of the participants from the middle class, it's increasingly difficult for media to dismiss the protests as simply fringe happenings. As for the major newspapers, before the demonstration ended the New York Times website had a large photo with a lengthy article, and the Times' important Sunday print edition had plastered acoss the font page three photographs and a feature article. No burrying this one, at last. The same is true for TheWashingtonPost.com, whose own ombudsman severely criticized the paper's coverage last month in DC. This time the website has the headline: Several Million Anti-War Activists Rally Worldwide, with a feature describing demonstrations around the world."

The great unheard finally speak out  2/16/03 Observer, UK: "It is odd to think that these are the sloths who could not be prised from their armchairs when elections rolled round and who hit the remote at the first flicker of any BBC political coverage that wasn't Have I Got News For You. These people, in New Labour's analysis, were the inert of the Earth. And here they are, out in their hundreds of thousands, quoting Hans Blix verbatim and defying a Prime Minister who longed to galvanise them and must now regret becoming the Frankenstein of the protesting classes. Political leaders hate crowds. Mass meetings have been supplanted by leaks and soundbites. In the fractious build-up to war, lonely societies are encouraged to become more solipsistic. A fearful population, hiding behind its anthrax-proofed windows, is also tractable. There is nothing threatening to government about citizens bickering over the last roll of duct tape in Wal-Mart. British marchers have spurned isolation for solidarity, and fear for fury. Their momentum came almost from nowhere. Unlike the Jubilee-trippers, the Soham mobsters and even the Countryside Alliance, they bore no social or political barcode."

Millions give dramatic rebuff to US war plans  2/16/03 Yahoo: "The unprecedented wave of demonstrations, involving eight million to 11.5 million people, according to various estimates, further clouded US war plans a day after they suffered a diplomatic setback at the United Nations. Significantly, some of the biggest rallies were held in countries which have strongly supported the pledge by US President George W. Bush to use force if necessary to strip Iraq of suspected weapons of mass destruction."

Groundswell of dissent encircles the globe - From Auckland to Amsterdam, from Rio to Rome, millions of citizens poured on to the streets to make their voices heard  2/15/03 Independent, UK: "The worldwide tidal wave of protest began in New Zealand and rolled around the globe, gathering, as it went, momentum, enthusiasm and a sense of being part of a universal movement. The largest turnout was in Rome, where organisers claimed an attendance of three million. By the end of the weekend, demonstrations will have been held in more than 600 places from Auckland to Iceland, and San Francisco to South Korea. In Auckland, marchers cheered as a plane flew overhead trailing a giant banner which read: "No War, Peace Now". In Australia, where 150,000 had demonstrated in Melbourne the day before, 16,000 activists marched in Canberra, 10,000 in Perth, and 15,000 in Newcastle, north of Sydney. There were further marches in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, East Timor, Pakistan, Taipei, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. Some of those involved were experienced veterans of protest, but many were taking their first uncertain steps on a protest march." Thank you, United States.

Police fire tear gas, rubber bullet at Colorado Springs war protest  2/15/03 Rocky Mountain News: "Arms said one person who picked up a tear gas canister and threw it toward police was hit with a .40-caliber rubberized bullet and subdued with a stun gun. Arms had initially denied reports that anyone was hit by a rubber bullets."

Millions Join World Protests Against Iraq War  2/15/03 Washington Post: "The largest outcry against war occurred in the European countries whose leaders have vocally supported Bush's position at the United Nations. A million people marched the streets of Rome, 1.3 million paraded in Barcelona, two million in Madrid, and in New York, officials estimated the turnout there at 250,000. At least half a million marched in London, creating a major headache for Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's closest ally." These numbers from this pro-war newspaper are way low.

Poll Finds Most in U.S. Support Delaying a War  2/14/03 NYT: "With major decisions of war and peace still pending, 59 percent of Americans said they believed the president should give the United Nations more time. Sixty-three percent said Washington should not act without the support of its allies, and 56 percent said Mr. Bush should wait for United Nations approval."

U.S. anti-war movement based in the mainstream  2/14/03 San Diego Union Tribune: "Whether they are pacifists or former military commanders, poets or high-powered executives, Psychologists for Social Responsibility or Mothers Acting Up, today's anti-war movement appears to run through mainstream America. "It's become religious groups and labor unions, local politicians, Republicans and businessmen," said Todd Gitlin, a Columbia University sociologist and author who studies social movements. "I think these groups have stepped forward in part to give the anti-war movement legitimacy." The breadth of the movement may well be on display tomorrow during a day of protest in cities around the globe, including San Diego. Nobel laureates, Pentagon consultants, corporate chiefs, academics and former military officials, along with more traditional protesters, have joined forces and released statements opposing a unilateral attack on Iraq. A group of Republicans and business leaders recently signed a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal titled "Republican Dissent on Iraq." Retired Vice Adm. Jack Shanahan of Florida was among the signers."

Aziz's welcome fuels US anger against Europe  2/14/03 Times, UK: "In suit and tie rather than his trademark military uniform, Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, flew into Rome yesterday amid a deepening rift between Washington and the Vatican. His five-day visit to Rome and Assisi has infuriated the Bush Administration and worsened the United States’s strained relations with Europe. The Bush Administration has complained vigorously to the Vatican that the Pope, who receives Mr Aziz today, has sent an envoy to Baghdad but not to the US. America has sent a conservative Catholic scholar, Michael Novak, to persuade the Vatican that it was pursuing a “just” war."

A Global Antiwar Movement  2/13/03 Alternet: "In 316 cities in 60 countries – Cairo, Bangkok, Beirut, Jakarta, Prague, Budapest, Tokyo, Moscow, London, Cape Town, Kigali in Rwanda, Madrid, Warsaw, Kiev, Lisbon, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, New York, Sydney, Barcelona, to name but a few – more than a million people are expected to march and rally against an American invasion of Iraq. Even McMurdo Station in Antarctica will hold a protest against the war. Such a global outpouring against the threat of war is unprecedented. Without the Internet, of course, such a global protest would be unimaginable. But the Internet is only the messenger. Clearly, there is strong opposition here and abroad to an American invasion of Iraq."

Les anti-guerre vus par la presse américaine  2/13/03 Le Monde: "Le groupe TrueMajority, par exemple, cofondé par l'ancien fabriquant de glaces militant Ben & Jerry, a récemment dépensé 200 000 dollars pour placer sur des chaînes locales un spot de 30 secondes refusé par CNN." Ben & Jerry antiwar ad refused by CNN. Are they trying to outdo Murdoch's Fox?

Don't Fence Them In  2/12/03 Village Voice: ""People are very appreciative and glad that ANSWER was organizing those initial demos," says Cagan. "But many of us wanted another vehicle to allow even broader organizing and representation. We really wanted to be connected in a way that ANSWER doesn't quite give us space to do, and also to facilitate other efforts, like national education and lobbying campaigns. Although polls show opposition to the war is more widespread among people of color—64 percent of black voters are against it, according to a Zogby poll last week—the marches thus far have remained largely white. By contrast, New York's rally will be led off by representatives of the "world's many Ground Zeroes"—from the September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows to people from Hiroshima, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Colombia. There will be battalions of labor; elected officials from the 65 city councils that have passed anti-war resolutions; and large contingents of Palestinians, Latinos, African Americans, and Asians." During the Gulf War, the peace movement split in two because ANSWER refused to condemn Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. This time around, ANSWER and the newly formed United for Peace and Justice camps are endorsing each other's events. "There's a shared sense of urgency now," says David McReynolds, the 73-year-old stalwart of the War Resisters League. "People are saying that what Bush is doing is so extraordinarily dangerous, it's no time to be playing these politically correct or sectarian games."

Maine's House of Representatives Approves Iraq Resolution  2/11/03 AP: "After an emotional and lengthy debate, the state House approved a resolution Tuesday night urging President Bush to disarm Iraq through the United Nations and without military intervention. The resolution, amended twice to address the concerns of opponents who derided it as partisan, divisive and ineffectual, was approved 77-66 and sent to the Senate."

Our Right to March  2/11/03 United for Peace & Justice: "We have a permit from the NYPD to rally on First Avenue stretching north from 49th Street. This rally will be massive, powerful, peaceful, legal, and safe. But to our great shock and outrage, Federal Judge Barbara Jones has ruled that the NYPD can deny our right to hold a march as well. We will not let the NYPD and the Bush Administration silence our cry for peace."

Judge upholds New York police ban on anti-war march  2/11/03 World Socialist: state of siege declared in the Big Banana Republic.

Cleveland, Ohio: War-protest events  2/9/03 Cleveland Plain Dealer: numerous events in the heartland.

New York City Rally and March Permit Status  2/9/03 United for Peace & Justice: call for actions to secure Feb 15 permit in NY.

Students Protest Possible Iraq War  2/7/03 LA Times: "More than 200 students carrying "no blood for oil" signs marched down the steps of the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies magnet school in West Los Angeles on Thursday to protest preparations for war against Iraq."

THE FORTHCOMING IRAQ WAR AND HOW TO OPPOSE IT  2/7/03 Peter Dale Scott: "Above all we must not, in coping with powers that are hateful, become hateful ourselves. This may sound trite, but we must remember how immature hatefulness destroyed the US movement against the war in Vietnam. It may sound ineffective; but we must remember that peaceful and non-violent protest has in fact achieved a number of goals that once seemed improbable, from US disinvestment in South Africa (an important step towards the subsequent liberation of its people) to the independence of East Timor. The headlines about war should not depress us to the point that we lose touch with the many sources of goodness in this world. Instead we should mobilize to save them."

United for Peace & Justice  2/7/03 www.unitedforpeace.org: the web site for the New York and San Francisco demonstrations on Feb 15 and 16.

Dustin Hoffman blasts Bush's war plans  2/6/03 Ananova: "Hoffman accused the Bush administration of "manipulating the grief of the country" after the events of September 11. The president's real motives for going to war are power and oil, he said."

Update on Feb. 15 March & Rally  2/5/03 IndyMedia: "The reason we have not yet been able to provide a location for this event is simple: With less than two weeks left before Feb. 15, the City of New York has still not granted our request for a permit to march and rally."

“Left” apologists for US imperialism red-bait the anti-war movement  2/5/03 World Socialist: "The emergence of a broad-based movement of opposition to the Bush administration’s war against Iraq caught the American political and media establishment unawares. In the response of the various factions of the ruling elite there has been one common theme: the need to purge the anti-war movement of its left-wing elements and render it politically harmless."

Powell's Dubious Case  2/5/03 Znet: "U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the UN Security Council on February 5 wasn't likely to win over anyone not already on his side. He ignored the crucial fact that in the past several days (in Sunday's New York Times and in his February 4th briefing of UN journalists) Hans Blix denied key components of Powell's claims."

Scott Duke Harris: Anti-war movement marshals forces online  2/3/03 SiliconValley.com: "MoveOn, an advocacy hub based in Berkeley, is one of the more successful online groups when it comes to bridging the gap between the traditional and the new organizing efforts. MoveOn directors say its e-mail list, compiled after a person registers for free, has grown from 350,000 to 700,000 since August, when it began urging the Bush administration to exercise military restraint in confronting Iraq. Last fall, MoveOn hoped to raise $40,000 to pay for an anti-war appeal in the New York Times; members sent in nearly 10 times that amount… TrueMajority, a smaller Web-based group founded by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, also has made the new-world-to-old-world connection, raising money online to produce an anti-war TV ad. Whereas it might have been difficult in the Vietnam War era for one peace group to clearly differentiate itself from another, the Web makes it easier for organizations to spell out their missions. A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is known for its leftist agenda, for example. Antiwar.com is a Menlo Park-based operation with libertarian roots. Eric Garris, a Republican, founded Antiwar.com in 1995 ``to get away from the idea that the anti-war movement is only pacifist and leftist.'' The site claims to be attracting more than 400,000 separate visitors per month, including about a third from outside the United States."

Protesters climb aboard the peace train  2/2/03 Casper Star Tribune, Wyoming: in the heartland - "Molony waved a flag of protest at the rally in which the stars on Old Glory were replaced by 30 corporate symbols, like the McDonald's golden arches and the Playboy Bunny. Along Second Street other protesters waved flags, held banners that derided Bush and an Iraqi conflict, and held signs that urged passing motorists to honk for peace. Throughout the windy day at Veterans Park, a steady stream of those honks were heard."

Alerts

University of California Divestment from Israel Petition Website

Alojo! - acciones urgentes : bilingual - incluir su accion/post your activity

pax.protest.net for activities in your city, around the world - list yours here.

Demonstrations for Peace : War Resister's League's extensive listing of ongoing and punctual events in the US and Canada

Boycott Israeli Goods

Citizens for Legitimate Government - nice listing of anti-Bush protests

IndyMedia UK - lots of antiwar marches over here! Other IndyMedia sites across the US also list antiwar actions: arizona atlanta austin boston buffalo chicago cleveland hawaii houston la madison maine minneapolis/st. paul new jersey nyc new york capitol ohio valley philadelphia portland richmond rocky mountain san francisco bay seattle st louis urbana-champaign utah vermont dc

Stop US Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now = SUSTAIN

Weekly meetings of the Berkeley Stop the War Coalition See also their web site at www.berkeleystopthewar.org

Police photograph peace vigil crowd , Worcester Telegraph, Worcester MA, 10/11 - on orders from the FBI. Worcester Peace Works, which organized the vigil, responded with some interesting tactics: 1) attempted to get police ID, 2) publicized the J Edgar like event in the media and 3) wrote a letter to the police "asking for an apology and demanding that Worcester Peace Works be supplied with a list of groups that local, state or federal agencies have photographed or put under surveillance in Worcester since Sept. 11. It asks to be provided with a list of all agency personnel who have been provided with Worcester police photos, files and reports on Worcester Peace Works and for return of all photos, negatives and files of vigil participants. And it asks for police protocols on an officer's obligation to identify himself or herself when asked, and for a copy of the policy on the circumstances under which “groups engaged in free-speech activities are to be photographed by the Worcester Police Department." This elicited evasional behavior from said police department almost worthy of Bin Ladin himself.

Continuing Coverage -- The Hartford 18 - police riot brings shame to Hartford, activists persecuted.

See also our page on the Suppression of Dissent in the US

Civil Liberties

ACLU
Human rights now
National Lawyers Guild
The Emergency Campaign to Defend Dissent and Advance Civil Rights

PATRIOT Act - Analyses of Repressive Features

ACLU Legislative Analysis
Electronic Freedom Foundation

AntiWar News Archive : 9/01 - 10/01

Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes: "We have heard that a half million children have died [because of sanctions against Iraq]. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima and and you know, is the price worth it?"

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it." (May 1996)

Anti-War Movement: No Racist War

Contacting AfroCubaWeb

Copyright © 1997 AfroCubaWeb, S.A.