by Barry Weisleder
Anti-war unity in action got a major boost from a gathering of over 800 peace and social justice activists, held July 23-25 in Albany, New York. The United National Antiwar Conference was the largest of its kind since 2001. It had the backing of thirty national organizations across the United States, including the National Assembly Against U.S. Wars and Occupations, US Labor Against the War, Arab American Union Members' Council, Black Agenda Report, Code Pink, International Action Center, Iraq Veterans Against the War, National Lawyers' Guild and Progressive Democrats of America. People came from as far away as California and Texas. Several activists from Canada attended too, including a War Resisters' Canada rep., leaders of the NDP Socialist Caucus, and six members of Socialist Action/Ligue pour l'Action socialiste from Toronto and Montreal.
The UNAC heard from dozens of high profile speakers, including a video-recorded message from best-selling author and professor of linguistics Noam Chomsky, an audio message from world-renown political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on death row, and written greetings from the unjustly jailed (and recently re-sentenced to 10 years) civil liberties lawyer Lynne Stewart. The proceedings were live video-streamed via the inter net by The Sanctuary for Independent Media, which received thousands of hits during the weekend.
Following extensive discussion, with debate and voting on scores of amendments and additional proposals, the UNAC adopted a plan of action for the year ahead. The plan includes a wide range of activities, culminating in mass demonstrations in New York and San Francisco on April 9, 2011 in support of the following demands: “Bring the troops and military dollars home now!” and “Money for human needs -- for jobs, education, housing, pensions, health care, and the environment -- not war!”
Disillusionment with Barack Obama and visceral anger over the deepening and widening war in Asia drove many activists to the conference. But the spirit of unity against the war machine was not devoid of controversy. How many issues and causes should the movement seek to encompass and express?
Most think that the time has come to place Palestine at the forefront, despite resistance by some labour leaders. Thus, UNAC agreed to incorporate demands on the U.S. government to end all U.S. aid to Israel, denounced the occupation of Palestine, and approved the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, along with challenges to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the murderous attacks on the Freedom Flotilla.
On the subject of Iran, the conference rejected by a wide margin a call for sanctions, taking the view that the enemy is at home (U.S. imperialism) and that it is up to the people of Iran to determine issues of democratic governance and nuclear power development in that country.
Stimulating, intense and animated discussions at over 30 work shops filled the weekend. The hottest topics included: “Is a two-state solution Possible or Desirable (in Israel-Palestine)?" and “The Rise of Right Wing Populism and the Tea Party: Do We Need a Right-Left (anti-war) Coalition?” Over a hundred people attended each of those sessions.
Close to sixty joined a panel discussion on Foreign Policy and the Economic Crisis, which included a presentation by this writer on Canada's war in Afghanistan. Another forty or so witnessed a debate on “Electoral and Legislative Strategies against Militarism, War and Empire”, which featured left-Democrats, Greens, and the Socialist Action candidate for US Congress in Connecticut, Christopher Hutchinson.
Following the nearly unanimous adoption of the Action Plan, the UNAC voted to establish a Continuations Committee “to help coordinate and implement the decisions”, consisting of one rep and one alternate from each of the UNAC co-sponsoring groups that choose to participate. Jerry Gordon, who served as conference secretary, agreed to continue in that capacity, subject to future decisions on structure and personnel. A fund raising rally collected over $8,500 to continue the work of the gathering, announced the rally chair Jeff Mackler.
At the adjournment of the conference, about two hundred participants marched to the New York State Capitol building to demand freedom for Muslim political prisoners in America, for Mumia Abu-Jamal and Lynne Stewart, and for an end to the U.S. wars of occupation abroad.
The demonstration then walked for about a mile into Albany's Black and Muslim communities, ending at Masjid As-Salam. The local mosque was the scene of a police raid about two years ago that led to the arrest and jailing of two congregation members falsely accused of 'terrorism' despite the absence of any disclosed evidence or of any illegal materials on site. The rally inside the mosque denounced the unjust incarceration of dozens of Muslims being held at Fort Dix, New Jersey and of hundreds more across the U.S. held under the provisions of the infamous Patriot Act -- scapegoats in the 'war on terrorism' being waged by Washington.
The so-far modest, but real revival and re-convergence of elements of the U.S. anti-war movement also pose a challenge to the movement across the Canadian state. After a two-year hiatus, and in the wake of the revelations by WikiLeaks of the sheer ugliness and poisonous nature of the Afghan quagmire, it is time to mobilize anti-war opinion, the majority opinion in Canada, back onto the streets. Best to begin now, with educational events in the Fall, and an international day of anti-war action on April 9.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thousands march in Toronto for civil liberties
The mass movement for an independent public enquiry into G20 Summit policing continues. And so does the war over numbers. CBC claimed one thousand rallied and marched from Queen's Park on Saturday, July 10. The Toronto Star reported 1,200 took to the streets (College, Spadina, Queen, Peter and Front Streets), with a concluding rally beside the CBC building, right across from the Metro Convention Centre, scene of the G20 elite gabfest two weeks earlier. Protest rally chair Judy Rebick congratulated the crowd which she said was "over 5,000 strong".
This reporter's guess is that about 3,000 attended -- which is more than enough to show that there is still plenty of energy behind the demand for public accountability, the dropping of charges and the release of the dozen or so political prisoners still held in detention, of the initial 1000-plus arrested.
Proof of the still-mounting public pressure are the three enquiries underway. Unfortunately, none of them is full, open and independent. The Toronto Police Services Commission, which includes the police chief, along with appointed city councillors and civilians, will be narrow and controlled by the establishment. (Toronto City Council voted unanimously last week to commend the cops 'for a job well done', with a few cowardly social democrats abstaining or absent.) The Ontario Ombudsperson promises to enquire only into the additional police powers secretly granted by the Ontario Liberal Cabinet prior to the G20 Summit. And the Toronto Police are conducting their own investigation -- need we say more?
The labour organizations that endorsed the "July 10 Day of Action for Civil Liberties", including the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Steelworkers' Toronto Area Council, and the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, should initiate a truly full, open and independent enquiry -- one that would get to the bottom of the wasteful expenditures on 'security' and the arbitrary and excessive use of force by police, as well as expose the anti-human, anti-nature agenda of the G20 political and corporate elites.
Once again, the sound system deployed at Queen's Park made it difficult for anyone, other than those close to the Ontario Legislature front steps, to hear the speakers. But the crowd that coursed through Toronto's downtown, under brilliant sunshine, was lively and boisterous. They chanted "Whose streets? Our streets!", "This is what democracy looks like", "No more police over-time. No more police state", "No justice, no peace", and "Wasted, wasted. One billion dollars".
Union flags and banners bobbed in the demonstration alongside anti-war, community and socialist banners. Giant white letters were carried by ten individuals to spell out "G20 ENQUIRY". Huge walking puppets caricatured Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Horns, drums, and megaphones kept up a steady cadence of demands. Marchers noticed the intense heat only when we paused. One pause lasted fifteen minutes or more as hundreds of protesters sat down at the intersection of Queen and Spadina. There, on June 27, police kettled 300 innocent people during a driving rainstorm, arresting scores of them just to show who's boss.
Socialist Action has been involved in all the pre- and post-summit protests, and once again had a prominent presence at Queen's Park on July 10. Our colourful literature display drew a stream of public interest. People signed up for more information. SA members greeted rally participants with leaflets, press and buttons. Over $140 was received in sales, mostly of buttons and booklets, due to the fact that the latest edition of SA newspaper sold out a week earlier.
A dozen SA members attracted dozens more participants to the SA contingent during the two-hour walk-a-thon. SA youth and supporters carried their own handmade signs that read: Resign Chief BLiar ! For a FULL, independent, public enquiry ! Repeal the Public Works Protection Act ! Smash G20 agenda of Social Cuts ! Money for Jobs and Education, not war and police repression ! Fight for Socialism !
The NDP Socialist Caucus marched with its banner held high. Supporters distributed copies of the SC tabloid "Turn Left". What a contrast to most NDP politicians who wrung their hands over petty property damage for a fortnight, and now echo the cry for civil liberties and police accountability.
What's next?
There will be a Civil Liberties Day of Action, Music Fest and Rally, on Saturday, July 17, 1:30 p.m. at Queen's Park, South Lawn, Toronto.
Spread the word. Bring your friends and co-workers. This struggle is far from over.
This reporter's guess is that about 3,000 attended -- which is more than enough to show that there is still plenty of energy behind the demand for public accountability, the dropping of charges and the release of the dozen or so political prisoners still held in detention, of the initial 1000-plus arrested.
Proof of the still-mounting public pressure are the three enquiries underway. Unfortunately, none of them is full, open and independent. The Toronto Police Services Commission, which includes the police chief, along with appointed city councillors and civilians, will be narrow and controlled by the establishment. (Toronto City Council voted unanimously last week to commend the cops 'for a job well done', with a few cowardly social democrats abstaining or absent.) The Ontario Ombudsperson promises to enquire only into the additional police powers secretly granted by the Ontario Liberal Cabinet prior to the G20 Summit. And the Toronto Police are conducting their own investigation -- need we say more?
The labour organizations that endorsed the "July 10 Day of Action for Civil Liberties", including the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Steelworkers' Toronto Area Council, and the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, should initiate a truly full, open and independent enquiry -- one that would get to the bottom of the wasteful expenditures on 'security' and the arbitrary and excessive use of force by police, as well as expose the anti-human, anti-nature agenda of the G20 political and corporate elites.
Once again, the sound system deployed at Queen's Park made it difficult for anyone, other than those close to the Ontario Legislature front steps, to hear the speakers. But the crowd that coursed through Toronto's downtown, under brilliant sunshine, was lively and boisterous. They chanted "Whose streets? Our streets!", "This is what democracy looks like", "No more police over-time. No more police state", "No justice, no peace", and "Wasted, wasted. One billion dollars".
Union flags and banners bobbed in the demonstration alongside anti-war, community and socialist banners. Giant white letters were carried by ten individuals to spell out "G20 ENQUIRY". Huge walking puppets caricatured Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Horns, drums, and megaphones kept up a steady cadence of demands. Marchers noticed the intense heat only when we paused. One pause lasted fifteen minutes or more as hundreds of protesters sat down at the intersection of Queen and Spadina. There, on June 27, police kettled 300 innocent people during a driving rainstorm, arresting scores of them just to show who's boss.
Socialist Action has been involved in all the pre- and post-summit protests, and once again had a prominent presence at Queen's Park on July 10. Our colourful literature display drew a stream of public interest. People signed up for more information. SA members greeted rally participants with leaflets, press and buttons. Over $140 was received in sales, mostly of buttons and booklets, due to the fact that the latest edition of SA newspaper sold out a week earlier.
A dozen SA members attracted dozens more participants to the SA contingent during the two-hour walk-a-thon. SA youth and supporters carried their own handmade signs that read: Resign Chief BLiar ! For a FULL, independent, public enquiry ! Repeal the Public Works Protection Act ! Smash G20 agenda of Social Cuts ! Money for Jobs and Education, not war and police repression ! Fight for Socialism !
The NDP Socialist Caucus marched with its banner held high. Supporters distributed copies of the SC tabloid "Turn Left". What a contrast to most NDP politicians who wrung their hands over petty property damage for a fortnight, and now echo the cry for civil liberties and police accountability.
What's next?
There will be a Civil Liberties Day of Action, Music Fest and Rally, on Saturday, July 17, 1:30 p.m. at Queen's Park, South Lawn, Toronto.
Spread the word. Bring your friends and co-workers. This struggle is far from over.
System change, not climate change!
Socialism or barbarism!
This statement is issued jointly by Socialist Action/Ligue pour l'Action socialiste (Canadian state), Socialist Action USA, and Socialist Unity League (LUS)Mexico.
If it was just a big photo op for the world's top twenty capitalist politicians, with an obscene $1 billion plus 'security' price tag, that would be bad enough. But the G20 Summit in Toronto, June 26 27, is part of an ongoing campaign of the global ruling rich to destroy a century of working class rights and benefits, while continuing to despoil the environment.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which serves as a kind of secretariat for the G20, openly advocates: increase the age of retirement; defund medical treatments; freeze public sector wages; introduce means testing for all social programmes; cut back agricultural supports for farmers; increase value added taxes; hike gasoline taxes and introduce a carbon tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
Clearly such measures do not address catastrophic poverty or life threatening climate change. They would force the world's working masses to pay for the system crises not of our making. Recall that deficits and debt went through the roof when governments decided to bail out big banks and giant companies. Capital engineered a credit balloon, designed literally to paper over the central contradictions of capitalism: the relentless competition for profit and the overproduction of useless and wasteful commodities.
Capitalist politicians scowl at even the most modest reforms, like cutting the military, or putting energy company mega-profits to work for conservation and green energy alternatives, or taxing the rich to support public health care, education, good nutrition, public transportation and decent, affordable housing.
The Conservative minority government in Ottawa, in its 'free market' zeal, campaigned internationally to block a special tax on financial speculation and 'excess' bank profits – a self serving tax touted by European powers and Washington as a hedge against the next big bank meltdown. At the same time, Ottawa sabotages maternal health by refusing to fund safe, legal abortions abroad (68,000 women die of botched abortions annually, and 5 million suffer infections and complications, mostly in poor countries).
Washington and Ottawa bear disproportionate guilt for the failure of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and for subverting the weak Kyoto Accord. They continue to dump surplus grains into Mexico, Haiti and other less developed countries. They drive poor farmers to desperation, and then exploit, harass and deport migrant workers.
The great fear of the world's ruling rich is “the Greek disease”, which the capitalists label 'overspending', but is actually a sterling example of working class solidarity against the bosses' agenda of impoverishment and disenfranchisement.
Socialists hail the fight back of workers across Europe. We embrace the current strike wave in China for decent wages and benefits. We salute the mass resistance to imperialist war and occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. We heartily endorse the declaration of the Cochabamba (Bolivia) Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which calls for an end to militarism, pillage of the planet for profit (capitalism), and denial of the rights of indigenous peoples. We identify with revolutionary Cuba, and with the revolt against neo-liberalism sweeping Venezuela and Latin America.
For a world where all can 'live well', workers and oppressed peoples must expropriate industry and plan the economy democratically, in concert with nature. Not a bank tax but nationalization of the banks and big business under workers' and community control is needed. Join us in the fight for a world without exploitation and war. It is urgent for everyone to choose: Economic democracy or corporate tyranny! EcoSocialism or extinction!
This statement is issued jointly by Socialist Action/Ligue pour l'Action socialiste (Canadian state), Socialist Action USA, and Socialist Unity League (LUS)Mexico.
If it was just a big photo op for the world's top twenty capitalist politicians, with an obscene $1 billion plus 'security' price tag, that would be bad enough. But the G20 Summit in Toronto, June 26 27, is part of an ongoing campaign of the global ruling rich to destroy a century of working class rights and benefits, while continuing to despoil the environment.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which serves as a kind of secretariat for the G20, openly advocates: increase the age of retirement; defund medical treatments; freeze public sector wages; introduce means testing for all social programmes; cut back agricultural supports for farmers; increase value added taxes; hike gasoline taxes and introduce a carbon tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
Clearly such measures do not address catastrophic poverty or life threatening climate change. They would force the world's working masses to pay for the system crises not of our making. Recall that deficits and debt went through the roof when governments decided to bail out big banks and giant companies. Capital engineered a credit balloon, designed literally to paper over the central contradictions of capitalism: the relentless competition for profit and the overproduction of useless and wasteful commodities.
Capitalist politicians scowl at even the most modest reforms, like cutting the military, or putting energy company mega-profits to work for conservation and green energy alternatives, or taxing the rich to support public health care, education, good nutrition, public transportation and decent, affordable housing.
The Conservative minority government in Ottawa, in its 'free market' zeal, campaigned internationally to block a special tax on financial speculation and 'excess' bank profits – a self serving tax touted by European powers and Washington as a hedge against the next big bank meltdown. At the same time, Ottawa sabotages maternal health by refusing to fund safe, legal abortions abroad (68,000 women die of botched abortions annually, and 5 million suffer infections and complications, mostly in poor countries).
Washington and Ottawa bear disproportionate guilt for the failure of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and for subverting the weak Kyoto Accord. They continue to dump surplus grains into Mexico, Haiti and other less developed countries. They drive poor farmers to desperation, and then exploit, harass and deport migrant workers.
The great fear of the world's ruling rich is “the Greek disease”, which the capitalists label 'overspending', but is actually a sterling example of working class solidarity against the bosses' agenda of impoverishment and disenfranchisement.
Socialists hail the fight back of workers across Europe. We embrace the current strike wave in China for decent wages and benefits. We salute the mass resistance to imperialist war and occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. We heartily endorse the declaration of the Cochabamba (Bolivia) Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which calls for an end to militarism, pillage of the planet for profit (capitalism), and denial of the rights of indigenous peoples. We identify with revolutionary Cuba, and with the revolt against neo-liberalism sweeping Venezuela and Latin America.
For a world where all can 'live well', workers and oppressed peoples must expropriate industry and plan the economy democratically, in concert with nature. Not a bank tax but nationalization of the banks and big business under workers' and community control is needed. Join us in the fight for a world without exploitation and war. It is urgent for everyone to choose: Economic democracy or corporate tyranny! EcoSocialism or extinction!
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