ACTION REPORTS:Yugoslavia & Iraq (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 11:05:34 -0700
From: Anti-Intervention Network <ain@oz.net>
To: jmusselm_rpa@indiana.edu
Subject: ACTION REPORTS:Yugoslavia & Iraq

Dear AIN Members & Friends,

Anybody who thinks "there's nothing going on" is looking in the wrong
places! Protest is busting out all over on many fronts, especially
Yugoslavia and Iraq. Let's keep up the momentum and raise our voices so
loud that we CAN'T be ignored. These wars against our sisters and brothers
in the Balkans and Iraq do NOT have a popular mandate from the people of
the world. Read on...

PROTESTS AGAINST U.S./NATO INTERVENTION IN YUGOSLAVIA
info from http://protest.net/links.html

*       Almost five thousand people attended a great rock concert for peace
in the Balkans in Sofia Saturday evening, expressing solidarity with tens of
thousands of young people in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad, Pristina, Pancevo and
other Yugoslav towns that have been exposed to a brutal aggression by the
United States and NATO for a month now.
*       Anti-NATO demonstrations were held in front of the White House in
Washington, with protesters carrying a coffin symbolizing the burial of the
Western militray alliance. Several thousand demonstrators, cordonned off by
a large number of policemen, protested all afternoon.
*       Tens of thousands of people protested yesterday in several main
Italian cities, including Naples, the headquarters of Nato's southern
command.
*       On Saturday, April 24 thousands of people protested in Toronto in
front of the US consulate, after which the protest moved to the British
consulate. The speeches mainly dealt with the solidarity of our people in
Yugoslavia as well as the solidarity of all anti-NATO protesters in the
world. The protest was peaceful and concluded with a walk back to the US
consulate.
*       Thousands of students participated (April 20th) in Spain in a
national day of action against the bombing of Yugoslavia. The protest was
called by the Students Union (Sindicato de Estudiantes). Thousands of
students participated in meetings in the schools to discuss a resolution
drafted by the Students Union opposing NATO's intervention against
Yugoslavia.
*       On 3rd April 100,000 people marched in a demonstration in Rome
against the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. A week later another
demonstration of over 50,000 took place. There is a lot of opposition to the
NATO bombing among the workers and youth in Italy in spite of the
government's support. There was a demonstration about 3,000 strong at the
Aviano air base in Northern Italy. This is one of the bases the NATO
warplanes are using. The demonstration was brutally attacked by the police
who waded into the demonstrators with truncheons and fired tear-gas
cannisters. There is widespread opposition to the bombing among the
students, but even more important have been the developments in the labour
movement. Demonstrations against the war in Yugoslavia throughout April have
made protest of this war known in Italy. 100,000 of its citizens come
together to reject the war in the Balkans. The demonstrations have occured
throughout Italy: Brindisi, Taranto, Milan, Piacenza, Bari, San Piero a
Grado, Aviano, and of course Rome. Many of these demonstrations have taken
place outside U.S. or NATO bases. The largest of these demonstrations to
date occured in Rome on April the third. Other forms of protest have
included short work stoppages and concerts. With the diversification and
promulgation of the anti-war movement in Italy it seems that while the
bombing continues in Yugoslavia so too will the protests.
*       In Antwerp, the biggest harbour-city of Belgium a peaceful protest
against the NATO agression that was anounced for friday, 23 April, Judge
declared illegal.
*       About 2,000 people protested in Toronto on Friday, April 23.
As usual, the crowd gathered in front of the US consulate at 7:00 p.m. where
a number of speeches were made mainly denouncing the terrorist attack on
RTS. The crowd then marched about 3 km to the Liberal Party headquarters.
The Liberals are the ruling party in Canada who sent Canadian airman, and
will send ground troops, if required, to attack Yugoslavia. All this without
even a vote in the Canadian parliament. The protesters slowly walked back to
the US consulate and the protest ended at about 11:00 p.m. This week the
protests were taken on the road to: CBC-TV, Toronto Star newspaper, CITY-TV,
Italian consulate and the Liberal Party headquarters.
Next protest is Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and the "walk" is to the British
consulate.
*       Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in over 150 German cities
during the Easter holiday. Ten thousand took to the streets in Berlin under
the slogan "No To War Politics". During protest in Frankfurt by 6,000 people
the US flag was burned outside the US Consulate.Among the demonstrators were
two Vietnam veterans who issued a call to U.S. troops to desert from the
military and refuse to take part in a war that makes victims of
rank-and-file soldiers.
*       The Brussels demonstration was forbidden by the Mayor of Brussels. A
group of Belgians succeeded in a quite unusual way to protest against brutal
NATO aggression on Yugoslavia and bombardments of civilians, despite a ban
imposed by authorities in Brussels on public meetings from the beginning of
the NATO air assaults. In a protest held under the slogan "Against
aggression on Yugoslavia," the group of Belgians chained themselves to the
wire fence around the U.S. embassy and chanted slogans against NATO and its
savage assaults on the civilian population. About two hundred Belgians
protested in the centre of Brussels against NATO aggression.

The following report is from Ron Jacobs, a member of the Network in
Burlington, Vermont. (rjacobs@zoo.uvm.edu) Way to go!!!

ANTIWARRIORS OCCUPY BERNIE SANDERS OFFICE

April 26, 1999, a rally and march were held in Burlington, Vermont, USA
against the U.S. war on Yugoslavia.  Approximately 100 people attended the
45 minute rally at the University of Vermont campus  and then marched down
Main Street.  The destination of the march were the local offices of
Vermont three congressional members: Senators Leahy (Dem.) and Jeffords
(Rep.), and Rep. Bernie Sanders. The purpose of these visits was to present
petitions calling for "an immediate end to the bombing, a return to the
negotiating table and no introduction of NATO ground forces to the
conflict".  These 1,000 signatures on these petitions were collected in a
little over two weeks time.

At Senator Leahy's office, a small delegation of demonstrators went into
the office, presented the petitions and were served cookies.  At Senator
Jeffords' office, the delegation that went inside asked for and received a
conference call with Mr. Jeffords' foreign policy advisor in Washington,
D.C.

>From there, we headed to Bernie Sanders' office at the top of
Burlington's downtown pedestrian mall (Church Street).  Once we arrived at
the office building , the remaining protestors (approximately 30 in all)
headed inside and up the stairs to Sanders' office.  We were met by his
staff who presented us with a written statement by Mr. Sanders concerning
his support of the bombing.  Those present read the statement and then
asked a member of the staff if we could hold a conference call with Bernie
and give him a chance to justify his position.  We were told this was not
possible because Sanders was on a plane to Washington, D.C. and he did not
own a cell phone.  So we sat down and informed the staff that we would wait
until we could speak with Sanders.

Seattle musician Jim Page happens to be in Burlington this week and he had
accompanied us on the march.  While we sat in the office, he played guitar
and sang songs in between discussions about the war, the killings in
Littleton, CO., the arrogance of liberals in power and numerous other
subjects took place.  As time passed, it became clear that Bernie had no
intention of talking to us.  After conversations out of our earshot, the
primary staffperson informed us that we could meet with Bernie next Tuesday
if we made an appointment.  This suggestion was rejected out of hand; the
reasoning being that hundreds more would die in the interim.  Time ticked on.

Around 5:30 PM, we were asked again if we wanted to accept the meeting
with Bernie next Tuesday.  We agreed to the meeting but also insisted on
speaking with Sanders that day.  Furthermore, we affirmed that we would not
leave the office until we spoke with Bernie that evening.  We were than
told that our choice was to either leave then and meet with Sanders next
week or stay until we were removed and not meet with the congressmen at
all.

At 6:00 PM or so, we were asked once again if we would assent to this
arrangement.  Once again we said no.  At 6:45 PM, Burlington police
officers began arresting those protestors who refused to leave when asked.
This was done at the request of Congressman Sanders and his staff.  The
arrests were conducted in an orderly fashion and all were released later in
the evening.

This was the first time Sanders office had ever been occupied.  One has to
wonder if it will be the last, given his continual drift rightward.  (For
those who live in Vermont-There will be a Vermont town meeting on the war
with Sanders in Montpelier, VT. on Monday, May 3, 1999 at the Pavilion.
The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Please come and bring your friends.)

PROTESTS AGAINST THE SANCTIONS/WAR ON IRAQ

*NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION*
April 27 was the national day of action on sanctions! Hundreds of community
activists across the United States challenged the sanctions by attempting
to mail aspirins, bandages, lead pencils, school notebooks, and chlorine
bleach to Iraq via the U.S. Postal Service (which is banned from mailing
anything of value to Iraq).

*WEEK OF ACTIONS*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (excerpted for length)
Contacts: Rania Masri (919) 272-8685 or (919) 848-4738 Will Younans (734)
827-1077

OVER 100 CAMPUSES JOIN FORCES FOR "NATIONAL DAYS OF STUDENT ACTION" AGAINST
THE U.S. SANCTIONS AND BOMBING WAR ON IRAQ

Students  and  faculty members on over 100 campuses throughout the US
have dedicated the week of April 25 through May 1 to taking action aimed at
lifting the UN imposed sanctions and stopping the US and allied bombing of
Iraq.

Students throughout the country are participating in marches, rallies,
vigils, teach-ins, circulating petitions and otherwise joining forces to
pressure the US government to end its support for sanctions upon Iraq that
organizers of the activities say have caused the deaths of 1.2 million Iraqi
people.

Rania Masri, another national coordinator, and a student at North Carolina
State University, states "Our reasons for promoting in the Days of Action
are two fold.  We aim to arm ourselves and our fellow students with the
facts about the deadly impact of U.S. policy toward Iraq.  Once so informed,
we will act to organize into an effective force toward ending the U.S. war
on the Iraqi people."

A list of every student action during this week can be found at
http://iraqaction.org/days.html or
http://iraqaction.org/call2action2.html