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ACTION ALERT
* UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
www.unitedforpeace.org |
212-868-5545 | Click
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United for
Peace and Justice is horrified by the senseless death and destruction
caused by the bombings in London on July 7, 2005. Our hearts go out to the
people who have lost loved ones and those who have been wounded, as well
as the countless people whose lives have been forever shaken by these
events. UFPJ opposes terrorism - acts of violence against innocent
civilians - in all its forms: bombs on public transportation in London,
planes flying into buildings in New York City, or the armies of the United
States and Great Britain waging war on the people of
Iraq.
As we write
this statement, there is no certainty as to who who is responsible for the
London bombings. UFPJ hopes that as those who committed criminal acts are
brought to justice there is no rush to judgment or assumption of guilt. It
is in these moments that smear campaigns against individuals and whole
communities can easily take hold, often shaped by and feeding racist
stereotypes. We must counter those who will claim that the bombings
reflect the supposedly violent nature of Muslims or the religion of Islam.
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair's comments that this was an attack on our values
and way of life echoed much of the language George W. Bush used to justify
his war on Iraq. We were told by the Bush Administration that our nation
had to go to war in Iraq in order to fight terrorism, to make us and the
world safer. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, none of us
is more secure since the Bush Administration launched its so-called war on
terror. The war on Iraq and the military occupation of that nation has
certainly not made the Iraqi people any safer, nor has it lessened the
risk of future terror attacks elsewhere around the world. Instead of
feeding the cycle of killing it is time for a new direction in our
policies. It is time for the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan,
time to end U.S. support for Israel's occupation of Palestinian
territories, time to stop supporting repressive regimes in the Middle East
and other places, and time to remove U.S. military bases from oil-rich
countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Just as we mourn the loss of life in
London, we mourn the daily loss of life in Iraq. We use this occasion to
re-commit ourselves to doing all that we can to end the war in Iraq,
including building a massive anti-war march in Washington, DC on Sept.
24th. We will also be vigilant in ensuring that this new round of violence
is not used by the Blair and Bush administrations as an excuse either for
new military attacks in foreign lands or for domestic policies that
scapegoat Muslims, immigrants and people of color.
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE
AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
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