From anti-war to anti-occupation
2003-04-11 08:36
Washington - Far from celebrating the presumed quick end to the war in Iraq, US peace activists say they are outraged at the prospect of a lengthy military occupation there and are gearing up for more protests.
Massive rallies had been planned across the United States and in major cities around the world this weekend to call for an end to the US-led war.
Now organisers say the rallying cry of those protests will be an end to the impending occupation of Iraq by coalition forces.
"It's more urgent and more important than ever that there be a mobilisation," said Sara Flounders, co-director of the New York-based International Action Centre who is helping to organise the demonstration.
She insisted that despite the fast-changing events in Iraq, this weekend's world-wide protest "is absolutely going forward - if anything with greater determination and greater clarity.
"Only now the focus is, 'No' to colonial occupation," said Flounders.
The weekend's protests are organised by the Answer coalition, a confederation of anti-war and social action groups that was a key organiser of many of the massive demonstrations held in the weeks before the start of the war.
Flounders said protests are planned in San Francisco, Washington and several other US cities and in some 40 countries including Britain, Italy, Japan and Korea.
The protesters, however, represent a minority view.
According to a new opinion poll by the Pew Research Centre, 76 percent of Americans believe the United States made the right decision when it went to war with Iraq to bring down the government of Saddam Hussein and rid Baghdad of its suspected weapons of mass destruction.
Fifty-one percent said it would be necessary to kill or capture Saddam Hussein in order to be able to declare victory.
But peace activists remain undaunted. Some said they will continue to protest lest Iraq be just a first US conquest, to be followed by other states whose governments Washington disapproves of.
Other organisers say they are pushing for the United Nations to take the lead in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.
Medea Benjamin of the San Francisco-based Global Exchange group said protests will lambaste US-led efforts "to privatise humanitarian aid instead of using more traditional channels like the Red Cross and NGOs, or non-governmental organisations.
"We would like to see the UN take charge of the transition, which would strengthen the rule of law, not the rule of force," she said, adding that, "if the Iraqi people are to have a chance for...a better life, he US model "is not going to lead them there."
Organisers in California plan a teach-in on Friday at Stanford University north of San Francisco, a rally and march in the city on Saturday, and a demonstration at oil giant Chevron's northern California base on Monday.
On Sunday, several San Franciso area yoga studios will offer "Yoga for Peace" classes, with proceeds to benefit British aid group Oxfam.
The Education for Peace in Iraq Centre (Epic) this week launched another online petition drives calling on their supporters to flood Congress with e-mail urging legislators to keep Iraq humanitarian and reconstruction money away from the US military.
"The State Department, in partnership with the UN and our allies, is the appropriate authority for US funds related to post-war Iraq," Epic told supporters.
Anti-occupation activists have attacked the man picked to head an interim government in Iraq, retired three-star US general Jay Garner, under fire for his links to the defence industry and strong support of Israel.
Garner, 64, has directed several major Defence Department programs including the Patriot anti-missile system, and is a personal friend of US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld.
But peace activists said none of his credentials qualify him to set up a peaceful Iraqi interim government.