Fw: [ANSWER]: Building anti-war unity for Jan 18, Feb 15 & beyond

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A.N.S.W.E.R." <answer.general@action-mail.org>
To: <answer.general@action-mail.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2003 5:24 AM
Subject: [ANSWER]: Building anti-war unity for Jan 18, Feb 15 & beyond


> BUILDING ANTI-WAR UNITY
> FOR JANUARY 18, FEBRUARY 15 & BEYOND
> 
> There is growing momentum for solidarity in the anti-war 
> movement in the United States and around the world.  There 
> have been two important calls for coordinated global mass 
> action: one on January 18 that is anchored in the U.S. 
> anti-war movement and another on February 15 that is 
> anchored in the European movement.  Below is a statement 
> from Elias Rashmawi, a leading figure in the recently held 
> world anti-war conference in Cairo, Egypt and a member of 
> the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee.
> 
> The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, at a press conference on 
> Wednesday, January 8 in Washington DC, announced an Action 
> Plan to follow up the January 18 National Mobilizations in 
> Washington DC and San Francisco. As resistance builds in 
> the United States, it is manifesting itself through a 
> combination of grassroots anti-war actions of all types 
> and of national mass mobilizations.
> 
> To that end, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition calls for a Week 
> of Anti-War Resistance promoting a whole variety of 
> activities between February 13 and February 21.
> 
> WEEK OF ANTI-WAR RESISTANCE
> FEBRUARY 13 - 21
> 
> FEBRUARY 13: Teach-ins, forums, and youth and student 
> action on the 12th anniversary of the deliberate 
> destruction of the Amariyah Bomb Shelter. On this day in 
> 1991, the U.S. unleashed an unprecedented massive assault, 
> a pinpoint attack by two precision missiles launched from 
> a stealth bomber against an air raid shelter. Hundreds and 
> hundreds of young people, mainly children, and some of 
> their mothers, were incinerated in this calculated effort 
> to terrorize the Iraqi people in the Gulf War.
> 
> FEBRUARY 14: New York City Teach-in from 9 am to 4 pm on 
> Building an anti-war movement that connects the struggle 
> against war on Iraq with the fight for social and economic 
> justice and civil rights at home, followed by an Indoor 
> Rally from 7 to 10 pm on Linking the struggle against 
> corporate globalization, war, militarism and racism.
> 
> FEBRUARY 15: The European movement, which initiated the 
> call for this day of actions, has sent requests to U.S. 
> peace groups, including A.N.S.W.E.R., to call for actions 
> in the United States. United for Peace has initiated a 
> mass mobilization in New York City, which we support, and 
> we also encourage and support regional and local actions 
> in solidarity with actions that day in Europe and around 
> the world.
> 
> FEBRUARY 16- 20: Local picket lines, rallies, teach-ins, 
> collection of signatures in the People's Anti-War 
> Referendum (www.VoteNoWar.org)
> 
> FEBRUARY 21: Take to the streets to fight war and racism 
> on the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. 
> Coordinated Day of Resistance, including student anti-war 
> walk-outs from hundreds of high schools and colleges, and 
> other acts of non-compliance. Youth and students have 
> marked this important anniversary with militant protests 
> on a range of issues for the last thirty-five years. 
> Malcolm X embodies the spirit of struggle against 
> militarism and the racist establishment. Honor his life 
> and legacy the right way: Resist! Youth and Student 
> A.N.S.W.E.R. will be providing leaflets, posters, stickers 
> and other resources for the February 21 actions.
> 
> -------------------------------------
> 
> ALL OUT ON JANUARY 18
> Join the International Campaign Against US Aggression on 
> Iraq
> 
> By Elias A. Rashmawi
> -Vice President, The International Campaign Against US 
> Aggression on Iraq
> -Member, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Steering Committee
> -Free Palestine Alliance - USA
> 
> The world has called for it.  The movement in the US is 
> ALL for it.  And thousands and thousands are on their way 
> ... It is time to be part of history ... To take a stand!
> 
> This is an urgent call to ask for your active role in the 
> January 18 national/international mobilization in 
> Washington, DC and San Francisco.  On that day, the eyes 
> of the world will be on the United States!
> 
> At the eve of the pending obliteration of Iraq, this is 
> the time to show our collective resolve, unity of action, 
> and rejection of war ...
> 
> On that day, people across the globe will send a clear 
> message for peace, and hope that the people of the United 
> States are equal to the monumental task of halting war. 
>  This is a position we in the US cannot abrogate, a moral 
> duty we must undertake, and an historic responsibility 
> that is primarily ours.
> 
> To that end, and to expand the essential efforts of peace, 
> a crucial international conference with more than 400 
> delegates from around the world was held in Cairo, Egypt, 
> on December 18-19, 2002, to launch an international 
> movement to stop war and support self-determination for 
> the Iraqi and the Palestinian people.  The conference 
> adopted the call of the ANSWER Coalition and called for 
> January 18, 2003, as the first international day of action 
> against the war to be anchored on that day in the United 
> States.  It also adopted February 15 as the subsequent 
> international day of mobilization to be anchored then in 
> Europe.
> 
> A steering committee for the international campaign was 
> established, headed by former president of Algeria, the 
> legendary Ahmed Ben Bella, and two vice presidents, Elias 
> Rashmawi of the ANSWER Coalition and the Free Palestine 
> Alliance in the United States and John Rees of the Stop 
> the War Coalition in Britain.  Participants of the 
> conference included delegates from at least 20 countries, 
> many Egyptian parliamentarians and prominent political 
> leaders, activists, writers and artists from around the 
> world.  British Member of Parliament George Galloway along 
> with Dr. Hans von Sponeck and Denis Halliday, the two 
> former United Nations ranking officials who resigned their 
> UN posts in protest of the Iraq sanctions, and former US 
> attorney general Ramsey Clark, were among hundreds of the 
> distinguished conveners.
> 
> In the words of President Ben Bella, "the people of the 
> United States hold the primary responsibility of halting 
> their own government's rapid advance to war, and in 
> securing peace in place of destruction."  The 85-year old 
> historic leader of Algerian independence from France, and 
> one of the primary legends of the decolonization era, 
> emphasized that the world expects the people of the United 
> States to once more take a moral and courageous stand as 
> they have before against the devastation of Vietnam.
> 
> There is no doubt that January 18 will again enter 
> history.  On that day and as we in the US commemorate the 
> legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Egyptians will 
> remember the very same day in 1977 as they took to the 
> streets across the country reclaiming their nation from 
> the devastation of austerity measures imposed by the IMF. 
>  This is also the time when the first destruction on Iraq 
> was unleashed some 12 years ago, killing so far at least 
> 1.5 million Iraqis between the bullets of missiles and the 
> bullets of imposed disease and starvation.
> 
>  From Egypt to the United States and to every nation 
> around the world, we are resolved to make this coming 
> January 18 a historic day of solidarity and peace.  As 
> thousands and thousands prepare to march on Washington and 
> San Francisco, we echo the call of the International 
> Campaign Against US Aggression on Iraq and urge all to 
> join hands so as to link with all those standing for 
> justice globally.
> 
> January 18 may well be our last national/international 
> unified stand before destruction is unleashed, since the 
> Bush Administration has indicated January 28 as the day of 
> decision.
> 
> Peace and justice are nonetheless viable, but only if we 
> take a stand!
> 
> This is a duty the rests squarely on the shoulders of the 
> people of the United States ... and history will certainly 
> record this stand for generations to come.
> 
> Even in the United States itself, war has significantly 
> escalated against the people of the Middle East.  In a 
> prelude to prison camps that evoke the memory of the 
> internment of Japanese-Americans, and as a test case to 
> widespread wholesale arrests, the US has begun a hateful 
> and racist policy of selective "registration" and mass 
> detention of men based on their ethnic background alone. 
>  This manifestation of the self-serving "war on terror" is 
> indeed terrorizing entire communities throughout.  It is a 
> policy that is yanking away bothers, sons, fathers, and 
> husbands from their families for no other reason but their 
> national origin.  Holding criminal an entire people is 
> well under way in the United States.  It is being 
> normalized and set into law.
> 
> But there is more.  The campaign of destruction on 
> Palestine has also escalated with active US diplomatic, 
> political, financial, and military support and 
> participation.  With an attack on Iraq, Israel will 
> undoubtedly carry out its planned mass expulsion; 
> wholesale destruction of towns and refugee camps; and a 
> higher rate of individual and collective assassinations. 
>  Unless challenged globally, Palestinian mass transfer is 
> imminent.  Palestine, a primary hurdle to global 
> domination is indeed in the crosshairs of imperial 
> designs.
> 
> An Empire has emerged!  It is waging a global war to 
> redefine the boundaries of nation-states, appropriate 
> wealth and resources, install governments, and re-shape 
> policies throughout.  It was Afghanistan some months ago. 
>  It is Iraq today.  There are Korea, Columbia, the 
> Philippines, and Palestine.  The examples are too many -- 
> Yet, who is next and where?
> 
> With every step of imposed destruction, our world is 
> brought closer to a global disaster and the people of the 
> US are pitted against the international community.
> 
> A collective answer to the drumbeat of war is a must -- we 
> no longer have a choice, or the luxury of time!
> 
> Busses, carpools, and delegations in the thousands are 
> being organized for Washington and San Francisco at 
> hundreds of organizing centers nationwide from coast to 
> coast.  The movement in its entirety is united.  Join, as 
> we collectively make history and take a step for justice 
> and peace!
> 
> Information on how to help and be part of this historic 
> march can be found on the ANSWER website: 
> http://www.internationalanswer.org.  Visit today and 
> organize!
> 
> Time is of the essence!
> 
> For your immediate reference, I have also attached below a 
> copy of the Cairo Declaration for your review and 
> consideration.  I urge your immediate support.  To 
> indicate your endorsement of the Declaration, please write 
> to: rashmawi@sbcglobal.net
> 
> In solidarity,
> Elias A. Rashmawi
> 
> ------------------- Appendix -------------------
> 
> THE CAIRO DECLARATION
> Against U.S. Hegemony and War on Iraq
> and In Solidarity with Palestine
> 
> The international meeting organized by the Egyptian 
> Popular Campaign to Confront U.S Aggression was convened 
> in Cairo on December 18 and 19 to launch the International 
> Campaign.
> 
> We, the participants reaffirm our resolve to stand in 
> solidarity with the people of Iraq and Palestine, 
> recognizing that war and aggression against them is but 
> part of a U.S. project of global domination and 
> subjugation. Solidarity with Iraq and Palestine is 
> integral to the internationalist struggle against 
> neo-liberal globalization. The Cairo meeting is not an 
> isolated event, but an extension of a protracted 
> international struggle against imperialism, from Seattle 
> and Genoa to Lisbon and Florence, to Cordoba and Cairo.
> 
> The U.S. provides unlimited support, and even 
> justification, to the Zionist perpetrators of genocidal 
> crimes against the Palestinian people. The suffering of 
> the Iraqi people under a regime of genocidal sanctions 
> lasting over a decade, and the aggressive militarism which 
> they face today is but a logical outcome of the structures 
> of power asymmetry of the existing world order:
> 
> * The U.S. monopolizes political, economic and military 
> power within the framework of capitalist globalization, to 
> the detriment of the lives of the majority of the world's 
> people
> 
> * The U.S. imposes control through naked aggression and 
> militarized globalization in pursuit of its rulers' 
> interests, all while reinstating the characteristic direct 
> occupation of classical colonialism
> 
> * The U.S. global strategy, which was formulated prior to 
> September 11 2001, aims to maintain the existing uni-polar 
> world order, and to prevent the emergence of forces that 
> would shift the balance of power towards multi-polarity. 
> The U.S. administration has exploited the tragic events of 
> September 11, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, to 
> implement the pre-existing strategy.
> 
> Attention to this global context helps explain current 
> world developments:
> 
> FIRST: Capitalist Globalization and U.S. Hegemony
> 
> * prioritize the interest of monopolistic capitalist 
> circles above those of the people, including Europeans and 
> U.S. citizens.
> 
> * integrate the economies of different countries into a 
> single global capitalist economic system under conditions 
> which undermine social development and adversely affect 
> the situation of women, child health, education, and 
> social services for the elderly. In addition, unemployment 
> and poverty increase.
> 
> * generalize the culture of consumerism and individualism, 
> to the detriment of a sense of collective responsibility, 
> whether towards the thousands of infant and child deaths 
> in Iraq resulting from polluted water, malnutrition and 
> deficiencies in medical supplies, or towards the victims 
> of AIDS, malnutrition and famines around the world. Among 
> millions of people standards of living have deteriorated 
> while unemployment and poverty have become widespread. 
> Globalization has resulted in the marginalization of 
> entire peoples who could no longer acquire the basic 
> necessities to sustain life.
> 
> SECOND: In the absence of democracy, and with widespread 
> corruption and oppression constituting significant 
> obstacles along the path of the Arab peoples' movement 
> towards economic, social, and intellectual progress, 
> adverse consequences are further aggravated within the 
> framework of the existing world order of neo-liberal 
> globalization.
> 
> * Admission to restrictions on democratic development in 
> Iraq in no way constitutes acceptance of U.S. 
> justifications for continuation of sanctions, and now 
> preparations for war. Without disregarding long-standing 
> restrictions on democratic development in Iraqi society - 
> as is the case in all Arab societies - it is evident that 
> the U.S.-imposed sanctions have had a devastating effect 
> on Iraq's development. Whereas Iraq had once enjoyed a 
> relatively positive profile according to certain human 
> development indicators, its people now suffer severely as 
> a result of the sanctions regime. Iraq has witnessed a 
> significant rise in child mortality rates, the spread of 
> several diseases, reduction of opportunities in education, 
> and a marked deterioration of the standard of living. As 
> human suffering increases it generates a sense of 
> defeatism.
> 
> * The Palestinian people are suffering as a result of the 
> loss of their land and continued Zionist aggression, which 
> the U.S. supports militarily, economically, and 
> politically, making its administration a de facto 
> accomplice in the crimes committed against the Palestinian 
> people. The U.S. protects Israel from condemnation in 
> international forums under the pretext of combating 
> terrorism, and it asserts additional false claims, such as 
> when it equates the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian 
> people to resist occupation, liberate their land, and 
> return to their homes, on the one hand, with terrorism 
> that we all abhor, on the other.
> 
> * The policies of Structural Adjustment associated with 
> neo-liberal globalization have precipitated global crises 
> manifest in a widening wealth gap, increase in poverty and 
> unemployment, and general deterioration of standards of 
> living.
> 
> * U.S. military presence in the Arab region, and its 
> dictates to governments of sovereign nations of the region 
> has compounded the suffering of the Arab people. 
> Interference in the internal affairs of these nations now 
> extends to demands of educational reform, and insistence 
> on "democratization". Ironically this is occurring at a 
> time when civil liberties in the U.S. are clearly under 
> siege, especially with regard to Arab and Muslim 
> Americans, along with other minorities. The U.S. 
> administration also violates international law by its 
> inhumane treatment of the POWs in Guantanamo. Also evident 
> is the wealth gap in the U.S., which is the widest among 
> the industrial nations of the world.
> 
> * Far from secretly, the US intends to partition Arab 
> countries into smaller entities on ethnic or religious 
> basis. This would enable Israel to become the dominant 
> regional power within the framework of the Middle East 
> Project, to the peril of an Arab project of equitable 
> development and regional unity.
> 
> The suffering of the Arab people and U.S. unwavering 
> support of the system of apartheid imposed on the 
> Palestinian people, will undoubtedly fuel conflict and 
> lead to the escalation of violence in one of the most 
> sensitive areas of the world. Such danger can easily 
> extend to neighboring Europe, Asia and Africa. Continued 
> preparation for war on Iraq in spite of its acceptance of 
> a UN resolution of aggressive inspection of its armament, 
> as well as civilian industries, signals a predetermined 
> intent to control the Arab region, its oil and indeed the 
> entire world supply of oil.
> 
> THIRD: For all these reasons we declare our total 
> opposition to war on Iraq and our resolve to continue the 
> struggle against U.S. policies of global domination. We 
> strongly believe in the urgency of mobilizing against 
> these policies. All democratic forces in the world that 
> are for genuine Peace and Justice must join together 
> within the framework of an international campaign against 
> neo-liberal, US-centric globalization and promote an 
> alternate globalism based on Equity and Justice. This 
> would mean better utilization of the world's resources and 
> protection of the environment. Together the people of the 
> world are quite able to combat aggression and all forms of 
> injustice, prejudice and racism, and make a better world 
> possible.
> 
> The Cairo conference against war on Iraq and in solidarity 
> with Palestine represents the launching of an 
> international popular movement that creates effective 
> mechanisms for confronting policies of aggression. The 
> participation of international activists who are prominent 
> for their struggles for Human Dignity, Rights and Justice, 
> as well as intellectuals, authors, unionists, human rights 
> workers, journalists and artists- from Egypt and the rest 
> of the Arab World, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, 
> and the United States- will no doubt accelerate this noble 
> endeavor in spite of the numerous obstacles that we have 
> to confront.
> 
> FOURTH: It is important that this international popular 
> initiative of solidarity with Iraq and Palestine proceed 
> according to an Action Plan which includes clearly defined 
> priorities:
> 
> 1. Condemnation of U.S. military presence on Arab land 
> along with pressuring the Arab governments that allow U.S 
> military bases on their territory to close them down, and 
> not to provide air, naval, or land facilities
> 
> 2. Develop cooperation among popular organizations of the 
> South to reinforce solidarity in confronting the policies 
> and practices of neo-liberal globalization and U.S. 
> hegemony
> 
> 3. Work towards cooperation with the international 
> anti-globalization movement of the North and South, and 
> participation in activities and meetings organized by this 
> movement
> 
> 4. Promote the unity of democratic forces and popular 
> organizations in different parts of the world, and form 
> solidarity committees which oppose war on Iraq, and the 
> genocidal crimes faced by Palestinians, supporting their 
> right to resistance and struggle for liberation
> 
> 5. Under the banner "Together against globalization and 
> U.S Hegemony" add Iraq and Palestine to the agendas of 
> international progressive meetings, particularly the next 
> Social Forum at Porte Allegre
> 
> 6. Invite Arab and international human rights 
> organizations to evaluate humanitarian conditions in Iraq 
> and disseminate their findings worldwide
> 
> 7. Prepare to send human shields to Iraq
> 
> 8. Introduce the boycott of U.S. and Israeli commodities 
> in solidarity campaigns in support of Iraq and Palestine, 
> with emphasis on the right of return for Palestinians
> 
> 9. Elect a Steering Committee to follow up on the 
> implementation of the Cairo Declaration, and coordination 
> among organizations which commit to its principles, and 
> enhance awareness through appropriate actions ranging from 
> the preparation of posters to organizing marches and 
> demonstrations in solidarity with Iraq and Palestine
> 
> -------------------------------------
> 
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> A.N.S.W.E.R.
> Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
> 
> For more information about the January 18 National March 
> on Washington DC & joint action in San Francisco, go to 
> http://www.internationalanswer.org
> 
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