George Bush is throwing sand in our eyes. Folks in other countries have created organizations and political parties to fight for a decent way of life. Bush has put those groups on the State Department's 'terrorist list.' He is calling that the good 'the evil.' He is trying to exploit Americans' fears about attacks on civilians to justify sending guns and money to some of the world's most repressive regimes.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following greeting from Freedom Road Socialist Organization to demonstrators at the Republican National Convention.
Minneapolis, MN – March 27, more than 60 protest continued sanctions and bombing attacks on Iraq. Since the crisis in December, the US has bombed over 60 times, and sanctions have killed tens of thousands of civilians. For about an hour, protesters handed out leaflets and carried signs and banners at this Uptown picket line. Ending with a short rally, speakers denounced the almost daily bombing of Iraq, and the ever-growing death toll caused by US/UN sanctions. They also called on the anti-war movement to mobilize to stop the war on Yugoslavia.
- The Iraq Peace Action Coalition (IPAC) has plans for a public protest of U.S. policy in Iraq. The protest will mark the 9-year anniversary of the imposition of economic sanctions against Iraq.
Minneapolis, MN - The Iraq Peace Action Coalition (IPAC) has announced a picket line and bannering to show opposition to U.S. policy towards Iraq. The protest will be held on February 11, at 4:30 p.m., at the Federal Courts Building in downtown Minneapolis.
Opposition to Bush’s war plans is growing. Momentum has continued to build since Oct. 26, when 200,000 people demonstrated in Washington D.C. against the war threats on Iraq. Up to mid-October, there were at least 400 major demonstrations. Since then, the anti-war movement has been expanding and actions are taking place on a daily basis.
Minneapolis, MN - In May, Trish Kanous, of the Minneapolis-St. Paul based Anti-War Committee, joined other passengers and got on an Iraqi airplane. For most of us, flying is no act of courage. This was different. The United States and British governments have decided that vast areas of Iraqi airspace, about half the country, are 'no fly zones,' where it's open season on Iraqi airplanes. The jetliner flew through the zone and landed safely.
On February 15, millions of the people of the world stood up against the imperial might of the United States government, to say no to war with Iraq. In the largest day of protest ever, the people’s movements have done what so many governments have been unable to do – scare the U.S. war machine. People in over 2,000 cities worldwide came out. Over a quarter of a million people in the U.S. alone stood up against the war.
- On March 25, over 250 protesters gathered at the Federal Office Building in downtown Minneapolis at 7 a.m. for the Anti-War Committee’s rally against the war on Iraq. Protesters then marched through downtown streets to the federal courts building. As they approached the Federal Building, activists peeled off from the march to cover entrances, preventing people and cars from entering the building. While the outside entrances were blocked, activists who were masquerading as visitors did a die-in, blocking the metal detectors inside the building. The march continued to the front plaza, where a legal rally was held in solidarity with the demonstrators doing civil disobedience and with the people of Iraq. 67 protesters were arrested. Police held some for 12 hours.
The assault on Iraq began with a failed sneak attack. Minutes before bombers cruised over, sirens blasted a warning to the sleeping people of Baghdad. It was 5:30 a.m. on March 20. The full strength of the world’s largest military began a war of terror, which they called ‘shock and awe.’
U.S General Tommy Franks, the commander of U.S. and British forces during the war on Iraq, has been named in a war crimes case, filed in a Belgian court. Belgian law allows cases to be brought before its courts in response to violations of International Humanitarian Law.
Minneapolis, MN - The Bush administration pretends that the U.S. efforts to occupy Iraq are going smoothly. Bush acts like his 'peace plan' for the Middle East is popular. Meanwhile, activists here are continuing to organize against the U.S. efforts to occupy the Middle East.
In the face of growing resistance, the U.S. is unable to consolidate its occupation of Iraq. Efforts to quickly assemble a puppet regime have failed. As we go to press, dozens of attacks are taking place on U.S. and British forces on a daily basis. The number of Americans killed and wounded is surpassing the causalities of the 1991 Gulf War. The Pentagon is weighing the issue of sending additional troops, while former Defense Department officials are speaking of a guerrilla war that will last for years.
In the face of a growing Iraqi resistance movement, the plans of the Bush administration to consolidate the occupation of Iraq are crumbling. The Pentagon acknowledges that attacks on the occupation forces are growing in scale and intensity. U.S. attempts to gain more military and financial support, within and outside of the United Nations, have by and large failed. So have efforts to create a viable Iraqi puppet government. The Governing Council, made up of U.S. appointees, has little legitimacy in the eyes of the Iraqi people or in the region as a whole.
Millions of people in cities around the world hit the streets March 20 to protest the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Massive demonstrations took place in London, Brussels, Seoul, Tokyo and thousands of other cities and towns in 45 countries. Demonstrations took place in more that 250 cities across the United States. Many of these demonstrations also demanded an end to the U.S./Israeli occupation of Palestine and an end to the occupation of Afghanistan.