clarifying derry protest plans

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday March 17, 2003 12:14 by eamonn mccann - derry anti war coalition eamonderry at aol dot com

noise derry demo mooted

Derry Anti-War Coalition has called for an angry, loud protest against any attack on Iraq, rather than the "silent vigil" apparently planned elsewhere

Derry Anti-War Coalition has called for an angry, loud protest against any attack on Iraq, rather than the "silent vigil" apparently planned elsewhere.

In a letter distributed to the DAWC e-mail list following a number of queries, Eamonn McCann, who has chaired the recent meetings of the Derry coalition, has set out what was agreed by the DAWC and added his own observations.

The letters reads:

Dear Charlie,

I think the important thing for us is to ensure that the lunchtime protests against the launch of war---as was agreed at the last DAWC meeting---should be a roar of anger, rather than a vigil of silent regret.

There should be sharp condemnation of the imperialist nature of the assault. We should bring whistles, rattles, dust-bin lids, megaphones, and make a lot of loud noise.

Those in other areas who prefer a silent vigil will, of course, as they are perfectly entitled to do, follow their own agenda. We shouldn't become involved in any argy-bargy about this. It's a diversion. Time is short.

Personally, I have some difficulty understanding the political reasoning whereby gathering in silence is accounted more appropriate than raising our voices high. Bush, Blair and supporters of war locally would surely be well-pleased if the first expressions of opposition took a passive form.

But the anti-war movement in the North, as elsewhere, has been built from the bottom up. Its strength lies in its diversity and spontaneity, combined with its single unifying vision of a better world brought about by its peoples’ struggles for justice. Different ideas and approaches are inevitable and should be welcomed. But we also need to be clear about what’s planned at particular times and in particular areas.

The lunchtime after war is launched, the DAWC wants people to walk out from work or school and assemble in the city centre. It is important that this happens on a mass scale. An employer or school authority can take retalitory action if a few walk out. But if a big proportion acts together, they’ll be less able and much less likely to hit back. There’s safety in numbers.

All who are opposed to the war----workers, students or whatever---should be making the case for a walkout now to those around them.

We must begin this week to look to the longer term. The invasion of Iraq is a crucial step by the western rulers towards the construction of a new world order, in which a US-dominated “coalition of the willing” will make all key decisions, leaving bodies such as the UN to mop up afterwards, and the mass of the people with no option but to accept what the US ruling elite decides.

This raises profound questions about the nature of democracy, the meaning, if any, of phrases such as “the international community”, the relationship between economic globalisation and military dominance, and much else. The strategies we adopt for the future depend on our approach to these questions.

In the meantime, the message to all anti-war supporters for the lunchtime after an attack is launched must be---get out, get your mates out, and let’s all shout out loud!

Eamonn McCann