IMC Ontario

Iraq's Fight Is Our Fight: Peace - Not War!

The Imperialists promised liberation and democracy but instead brought occupying forces and terror to Iraq. The Iraqi people, violently opposed to the brutal terrorist attacks against them and the continued occupation of their land have joined together against the genocide with one voice and with one common goal to - to fight the colonial invaders.

The Global Ruling Class is aware that the upsurge in violence against U.S.-led forces in Iraq represents the "most serious" threat the coalition has faced since the end of the war." In response, The Pentagon is reacting with a murderous iron fist. Other "coalition" countries, feeling the wrath of millions around the globe, petrified of losing their parasitic place in government, are rethinking their involvement.

In Canada, Paul Martin is selling out the working class and preparing a war budget, which sacrifices our childrens' future to support and align Canadians with the American Invaders. We cannot let that happen. The protests against Star Wars and militaristic imperialism must grow in numbers and resolve.

Poor working class youth have been tossed into Iraq as cannon fodder for American Capital and are being killed and maimed daily. - including journalists whose comrades refuse to be silent. If they don't "shut-up" they will be shot, is the message we get from that bastion of undemocracy - the white house.

Then there are the spokespeople for Imperialism who refer to the Iraqi freedom fighters as 'anti-Iraqi forces' as if "to suggest that the US, British, Spanish, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Italian, Japanese, South Korean and Polish troops represent Iraq but the Iraqis who resist the occupation are anti-Iraqi."

The UN capitulated to American imperialism and approved the occupation and lifted the sanctions against Iraq, which will allow the US to plunder the nation's wealth. The U.N's role in aiding crimes against humanity is well-documented. Who could ever agree to allow this international body of the ruling class and their corporate parasites to settle an imperialist war in Iraq?

While the number of injured and dead civilians has passed 10,000, occupying forces are not meeting a welcoming crowd as their leaders promised, but instead face intense resistance, and anti-American demonstrations. In response, American forces have killed demonstrators. Around the world resistance continues. March 20, 2004 saw International Protests against occupation. In New York City over 100,000 took to the streets to say no to the occupation. Rome saw Two million on the streets, chanting "Berlusconi, you’re next". Tony Blair's lead in the polls is dwindling, as is John Major's of Australia. Even in the United States the anti-war movement is causing George Bush supporters to desert his sinking ship like rats.

And, across the globe, emergency actions continue to grow to force an end to the ruling class lies and terrorism. The number of people that expose Bush and Blair's lies continue to grow and continue to be exposed.

The occupation in Iraq, Avian Flu, Mad Cow Disease and SARs propaganda dominate the airwaves providing a smokescreen for the neo-imperialist wars on democracy and workers rights globally.

Brutal state repression continues in Argentina, Afghanistan and against the Maori in New Zealand. While the initial invasion of Iraq took place, the media remained silent about police storming the Baxter protest camps in Australia with machine guns. The United States plans for the invasion of Syria have been put on hold as a revolutionary movement that unites Sunni's and Shiites against the Bush-Blair coalition rages in the streets of Iraq.

The global peace movement is gaining strength every day, as millions across the world continue to demonstrate and strike against this act of barbarism. March 20, 2004 brought people onto the streets throughout the world for a second time in a year to oppose Bush and Blair's occupation.

LAST YEAR: 2003

On March 30, 2003 - more than 100,000 protested in Jakarta, 30,000 workers protested the war in S. Korea, and in Beijing, two dozen students said "no" to war. This follows a week where 200,000 thronged central Athens. 500,000 protested in London. The demonstration was the second biggest ever organised in Britain, planned in under a week and built with 3 days notice from the outbreak of war. It was a complete repudiation of Blair's war. Thousands upon thousands continue to protest in the belly of the beast with 1300 protestors arrested in San Francisco. A new strategy of resistance is confusing police and youth are at the forefront.

As well in Canada, Before the war started, Dockworkers in Saint John, New Brunswick, on the Atlantic Coast, members of the International Longshoremen's Association, voted to halt military goods headed to the Gulf.

In the Arab world, demonstrators saw the power of the peace movement and are taking up the chant "this is what democracy looks like."

The United States Government stated that their next target was Syria - the pro-globalization movement for peace kept up resistance.

The call from Canada's organizing groups was for a mass convergence at American consulates, embassies and in our home-towns in pre-determined locations, every Saturday until the war ends.

The war against Iraq has never ended; although Bush and Blair, and global imperialist corporate interests lusting over lucrative contracts in Iraq, wish it were.

THE WORLD UNITES FOR PEACE - 2003

"Nothing like this has ever happened before." Quote from a demonstrator in Toronto, February 15, 2003. Never have the 6 billion people of earth organized themselves, then gathered throughout the world, and with one voice, for over two months in strategically planned rallies and resistance against the G8's war plans said "NO TO WAR, Yes to PEACE and democracy". According to the London Guardian Unlimited at least thirty million representatives, on 7 continents, in more than 630 different locations, joined together representing the 6 Billion residents of planet earth.

Relive the day through 180 photos from around the world.

Brussels Organizers No Longer Believe in "Security"

After the successful January 18 and 19 peaceful demonstrations in Brussels that saw the illegal arrest of Karim Hassoun, the security responsible for the AEL, organizers have decided to stop organising security services within our demonstrations, We will demonstrate without security service for three coming demonstrations,including that of 15 February, 2003.

The Cost of War

It is not possible to assess the humanitarian consequences of this war: health and environmental costs, lost lives, destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, hunger, homelessness, hunger, mass unemployment and military occupation by foreign armies. Children are often the worst victims of war. In Afghanistan, half of all children under 18 still feel the effects of malnutrition from the last war waged by the government of the USA. Their infrastructure has still not been rebuilt.

And yet today, under the pretext of being Peace Keepers, Jean Cretien has sent Canadian soldiers into the Middle East.

The Canadian war budget for 2002-2003 is $12.73 Billion; In the most recent budget, health care was given a measly $17.3 Million over three years - far too little to make up for the deep cuts during the last decade.

Enough is enough! Jobs not bombs. Health Care not ships in the Persian Gulf. Homes - not weapons of mass destruction.

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