[Peace-discuss] Blame whom?

[C. G. Estabrook]

[I'm (avoiding) writing a review of the new (and interesting) Canadian
play at Urbana's Station Theatre, so I'm looking at some Canadian accounts
of the one-year anniversary of the assault on Iraq.  Some interesting
takes, as follows.  --CGE]

	Antiwar protesters take to streets
	Hundreds of thousands march around world
	by EIlis Quinn
	The Canadian Press
	March 21, 2004

VANCOUVER -- More than 15,000 demonstrators crowded together on a small
Vancouver beach Saturday to listen to left-wing activist Dr. Noam Chomsky
speak out against the presence of American troops in Iraq.

The demonstration was one of several across Canada and around the world to
commemorate the first anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and
call for the removal of troops from the Middle East country.

"The important thing for us is that it's a struggle that we can determine
the outcome, it's outrageous to leave it to the people of Iraq to fight
this battle," Chomsky said.

The American author noted last year's global demonstrations to oppose the
war represented the first time in history that millions of people spoke
out before a war started. He said he believed the military presence in
Iraq could end if activists continue to stage demonstrations.

In other Canadians cities, including Edmonton, crowds of several hundred
to a thousand people gathered.

Eileen Young, 60, attended the protest in Montreal with her son Ryan, 32.

What we are seeing is American imperialism under the guise of (fighting)
terrorism," she said. "Things are just getting worse for ordinary people."

In Toronto, more than 1,000 people turned out for a rally;  in Ottawa,
about 300. Protests were also held in Regina, Winnipeg and Calgary.

In the United States, protests were held in 250 cities by United for Peace
and Justice.

"It is time to bring our children home and declare this war was
unnecessary," Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a New York City activist told a rally
in Manhattan.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg estimated the crowd at about 30,000 but organizers
said later that number had grown to more than 100,000.

Thousands marched through central London -- some waving placards calling
Bush the World's No. 1 Terrorist -- and organizers said up to 300,000
people turned out in Rome.

Hundreds of people gathered in Middle Eastern capitals to denounce the
war, including Turkey and Egypt.

Some 150,000 people demonstrated in Barcelona, Spain, officials reported.
The new Socialist government repeated its intention Saturday to withdraw
Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq, unless the United Nations takes charge.

Rallies also took place in Belgium, Norway, Germany, Greece, the
Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Finland,
Ukraine, Denmark, Jordan, Bahrain, India, Australia, South Korea,
Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand and South Africa.

As many as 30,000 people turned out in Tokyo to protest Japan's
involvement in the war, organizers there said. The country has sent 1,000
personnel to Iraq, its largest foreign deployment since the Second World
War.

***

	Thousands across Canada mark Iraq
	invasion anniversary with rallies
	by EILIS QUINN

VANCOUVER (CP) -- More than 15,000 demonstrators crowded together on a
small Vancouver beach Saturday to listen to left-wing activist Dr. Noam
Chomsky speak out against the American occupation of Iraq.

The demonstration was one of several across Canada and around the world to
commemorate the first anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"The important thing for us is that it's a struggle that we can determine
the outcome, it's outrageous to leave it to the people of Iraq to fight
this battle," Chomsky said.

The American author noted last year's global demonstrations to oppose the
war was the first time in history millions of people spoke out before a
war started. He said he believed the occupation could end if activists
continue to stage demonstrations.

Activist Jan Foster, 28 credited the large turnout to the presence of the
well-known author.

"Vancouver has always been a hotbed for activism and I think Dr. Chomsky
has a voice that needs to be heard. I'm thrilled to get the chance to hear
him," Foster said.

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton also addressed the rally, organized by the
StopWar Coalition.

Layton suggested Paul Martin is too cosy with the United States.

"Within three weeks of Canada's decision (last year) not to participate in
the war, a candidate for the Liberal party, now our prime minister, said
we may have offended (President) George Bush and in order to be back in
the good books, we should begin discussions immediately."

In Montreal, hundreds of people marched Saturday to mark the anniversary.

"We have to show we haven't forgotten the massacre that happened in Iraq,"
said Jafar Kadir, 76. "The war in Iraq was a crime."

Protesters marched through the streets waving flags and banners and
chanting slogans like, "Bush, Blair war criminals."

Fayeiz Chergui, 50, held a sign with a skull and crossbones superimposed
over an American flag.

"I carry this because I am against American politics,"  Chergui said. "It
is a government of pirates, they are criminals."

Eileen Young, 60, attended the protest with her son Ryan, 32.

"What we are seeing is American imperialism under the guise of (fighting)
terrorism," she said. "Things are just getting worse for ordinary people."

Anti-war demonstrations in Montreal were some of the largest in the days
leading up to the war.

Saturday's demonstration was much smaller but marchers said the turnout
was not disappointing.

"The war has already happened so it's hard to get people out," Kadir said.
"But someday, these marches are going to be able to prevent invasions like
Iraq.

"Governments can no longer continue to ignore the people."

Canada opted not to join what Bush called the "coalition of the willing."

Gary Townsend said he didn't go to previous anti-war demonstrations, but
changed his mind Saturday because of the number of terror attacks since
the war.

"Enough is enough," said Townsend, 52. "It's just one thing after another.
This whole war (on terror) is bogus."

The March 11 attacks on Madrid commuters that killed 202 people and
wounded 1,800 were also on many protesters' minds.

Some protesters said they were glad then-prime minister Jean Chretien sat
the war out. However, they worried about the decisions the Martin
government might make.

Julie Garceau, 21, marched with a sign reading Martin, No Dollars to Army,
Dollars to Healthcare and Education.

"I was never a big fan of Chretien, but he made the right decision,"
Garceau said. "But with Martin, I have my fears."

In Toronto, more 1,000 people turned out for the demonstration in spite of
steady rain.

Protesters waved banners urging everything from an end to the war in Iraq
to lower student tuition fees and better rights for workers as they
listened to speakers in front of city hall before moving on to a march
past the U.S. consulate.

Retiree William Kennedy said he and a few friends turned out to try to
give civilians a voice in the military conflict.

"We keep talking here about the American (military) dead, it's
unfortunate, we don't want to see anybody killed, but that's part of (the)
job in the military," he said.  "Civilians weren't involved in (taking
that risk), they were just bombed."

Kennedy also spoke out against the policies of the U.S.  government.

"The Bush government in particular seems to be in the policy of creating
anybody that disagrees with them as terrorists.  I'm not a terrorist and I
disagree with them."

In Ottawa, about 300 people gathered on Parliament Hill during a light
snowfall to march through the downtown streets.

The orderly crowd was dotted with Palestinian flags and signs reading Wage
Peace, Media Lies and What does America really care about?

Helmut Kuhn of Ottawa, who said he had opposed the war from the beginning,
carried a placard with the words End U.S.  occupation of Iraq.

"We should not resort to war to try to solve the world's problems," Kuhn
said. "That just creates more problems."

"The U.S. should have followed the lead of the United Nations and spared
the world, spared the Iraqis what they're going through now."

There were also demonstrations across the Prairies, the largest in
Edmonton, where about 1,000 people marched in temperatures that hovered
around freezing.

"War is never the answer, so I'm part of the funeral for democracy," said
protester Lily Scott, who huddled against the cold in a furry black coat
and had black tears painted on her cheeks.

Marches or protests were also held in Winnipeg and Regina.  In Calgary,
only about 50 people came out.

***

	Iraq war's anniversary leads to global protests
	CTV.ca News Staff
	Updated: Sun. Mar. 21 2004 8:39 AM ET

Anti-war protesters marked the first anniversary of the war in Iraq on
Saturday by taking to the streets en masse in cities across Canada and
around the world.

More than 15,000 turned out in Vancouver to listen to Noam Chomsky, a
leading U.S. dissident intellectual, speak out against the U.S.-led
occupation of Iraq.

"The important thing for us is that it's a struggle that we can determine
the outcome, it's outrageous to leave it to the people of Iraq to fight
this battle," he said.

About 1,000 people turned out to a similar demonstration in Toronto. There
were hundreds at one in Montreal, and an estimated 300 in Ottawa. Moncton
and Halifax also had demonstrations.

In the lead-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, one anti-war
demonstration in Toronto, which has a population of 2.5 million, had drawn
80,000 people.

Chomsky told the Vancouver crowd that the Iraq war marked the first time
in history that people mobilized against a war before it even started.

"In the case of Canada, we didn't go to war because for three consecutive
weekends there were protests," said Syd Lacombe of the Canadian Peace
Alliance.

World protests

Early in the day, rallies were held in Sydney, Australia, Seoul, South
Korea and Tokyo, Japan, where 30,000 people gathered.

Japan has sent a force of 1,000 to Iraq, the country's biggest deployment
since the Second World War.

Demonstrators clashed with riot police outside the U.S Embassy in the
Philippines, but there were no injuries.

In London, tens of thousands marched through the centre of the city
carrying signs calling U.S. President George Bush the "World's No. 1
Terrorist." And two Greenpeace demonstrators scaled the Big Ben clock
tower and unfurled a small banner that read "Time for Truth."

Elsewhere in Europe, about 250,000 protesters jammed the streets of Rome
to voice their opposition to the war. There are some 3,000 Italian troops
in Iraq.

In Spain, where a recent terrorist attack in Madrid killed 202 people,
150,000 people demonstrated in Barcelona.

Protests were held in cities across the United States, where the group
United for Peace and Justice organized rallies. In New York, several
thousand people demonstrated against the war.

Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John
Howard were the favourite targets of the protesters, some of whom demanded
that coalition troops be removed from Iraq.

Fighting back, Bush used his weekly radio address to try and boost support
for the occupation of Iraq. He said the war had been "good for the Iraqi
people, good for America and good for the world."

Bush also pressed his allies not to abandon the U.S.-led campaign, saying
"helping Iraq emerge as a free nation is a global responsibility."

Douglas Ross, a terrorism expert, said he still supports the war, even if
the reason for starting it -- Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction
-- haven't been found yet.

"The Americans are treating this issue seriously because they are so
fearful that they would be the number-one target, and that of course is
correct."

Based on a report by CTV's Sarah Galashan

***