Irish Anti-War update

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday September 18, 2002 16:18 by Aoife Ni Fhearghail - Irish Anti-War Movement info at irishantiwar dot org Inchicore 087 7955013

help needed for S28 demo

volunteers needed to poster, leaflet, make banners etc.

“Don’t attack Iraq” national demonstration Saturday 28th September

HELP NEEDED

WEAPONS INSPECTORS – IRAQ CALLS BUSH’S BLUFF

66% say US has no justification to wage war on Iraq …

66% of those who responded so far to today’s ireland.com poll say the US has no justification to wage war on Iraq. This follows yesterday’s offer by Iraq to the unconditional return of UN weapons inspectors (removed 4 years ago by the then UN chief weapons inspector Richard Butler).

Following yesterday’s offer by Iraq to complete arrangements for the inspectors return, Iraqi officials & UN weapons inspectors will meet up in Vienna in 10 days. UNSCOM (UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission) inspectors will be on the ground in days and will begin monitoring Iraqi sites within the next few weeks. France, Russia & China have all welcomed the latest developments which may mean the Security Council will not sanction an immediate attack on Iraq – but sadly this does not mean that all war bets are off.

Their war cries have been too loud and too voracious to backtrack now. Possibly they will demand Iraq (and Iraq only) complies with all previous UN Resolutions, possibly they will seek a new Resolution with a time limit for compliance or they may yet “go it alone”.

Whichever action they choose war preparations are still underway. The New York Times reported yesterday that the Pentagon wants to base four to six B-2 bombers in the tiny Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia (whose Ilos indigenous population was kicked out in the 1970s when the island was turned into a military base). Basing the US bombers at the Indian Ocean site would cut in half the distance they would fly to reach Iraq.

Whatever Bush & Blair decide to do, they are not pulling back from this war and there are no signs that Brian Cowen or Bertie Ahern have withdrawn their support for bombing Iraq. Tell the Irish government we want no war on Iraq by turning September 28th into a major anti-war demonstration.

BUILD THE NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION ON SEPTEMBER 28th

POSTERING

Today Wednesday meeting at the front gates of Trinity at 5pm and again at 6pm

Saturday 11am meeting at the front gates of Trinity

Contact Aoife on 087 7955013 if you’re available to put up posters anytime over the next week

LEAFLETING

We have thousands of leaflets to advertise S28 and need volunteers to get these out over the next week.

Street stall this Saturday on Grafton St – probably at 2pm – anyone available contact Aoife on 087 7955013

Volunteers needed for Dart Station leafleting and leafleting in the colleges all next week – contact Aoife on 087 7955013 if you can help out anytime

BANNERS

We also need people to make banners for the anti-war march – Globalise Resistance are meeting up this evening (Wednesday) at 7pm in 32 Rueben Ave, Rialto to make banners for S28 and other events – anti-war activists are welcome to come along – contact Joe on 087 9032281 – bring paint, brushes, old sheets etc.

Otherwise – email back if you would like to meet up in Dublin early next week and I’ll try to coordinate a time & venue that suits as many people as possible

Make sure your local anti-war group or community group is bringing a banner to the demo

South Dublin anti-war activists meeting up this Saturday at 3pm in Smyth’s Pub, George’s St., Dun Laoghaire to set up a local anti-war group. The meeting will begin with a video showing of “Not in our Name” – Tariq Ali’s excellent account of the war in Afghanistan and the war on terrorism. To get involved contact Richard Boyd Barrett on 087 6329511.