15.02.03 What was all that about then? The Rise & Demise of the Anti-War Movement
Ciaron O'Reilly Pitstop Ploughshares/ Catholic Worker | 15.02.2008 11:34 | Anti-militarism | History | Iraq
Today, the war escalates in Iraq & Afghanistan and expands into Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, northern Pakistan and maybe soon Iran. Irish complicity is as deep as ever as Shannon Airport remains the major pitstop for U.S. troops getting from North America to the theatres of war.
The once anti-war Green Party has morphed into an Irish government betraying Irish neutrality and facilitating U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile the anti-war movement that was taken for a ride by the mainstream opposition parties, the authorirtarian left and moderate NGO's has all but disappeared from the streets.
On Feb 15th. 03 I was sharing a Limerick prison cell with a young seminarian, Damien Moran, where we watching the Sky live feed from London of 1-2 million folks marching in the streets aginst the war. Meanwhile 150,000+ were marching in Ireland. Our co-defendants Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop & Karen Fallon were in the women's section of Limerick Prison. We had helped to pull off the most disruptive action to U.S. military deployment
http://www.peaceontrial.com/ (a bit like winning the Eurovision.. .there wasn't a lot of NVDA competition from a timid, soon to evaporate, anti-war movement)..causing one U.S. war plane to turn around and return to Texas unable to contribute to the war effort. Also in response to our action, 4 U.S. companies, transporting U.S. troops to war, abandoned Ireland as a secure place to refuel. Although we we were in an Irish prison for this nonviolent resistance to war, any mention of it was censored by the Feb 15th. Dublin rally organisers.
An interesting article on the demise of the anti-war movement appears in today's The Guardian G2 section cover titled "15.02.03 Millions Marched Did it Change Anything?". Inside the zine it is entitiled "The Day Politics Stopped Working" by John Harte stimulates reflection on waht led to the demise of a massive anti-war movement during an unpopular war that escalates and expands...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq
Where to now for the anti war movement (to be honest remnant!) in brief.....
1) We have to make the massive passive anti-war opinion visible. People who are serious about opposing the war should make that opinion visible for an hour a week with a sign in the street. See link.....
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85865
2) If 1% of those who marched against this war had gone in tho serious nonviolent resistance in the spirit of Gandhi and King...resisted until jailed...we could have stopped this war.
If the other 99% who had marched against this war had done serious proactive solidarity with the movement's imprisoned resisters ...helped feed the cat, paid the rent, dealt with the hysterical parents..... we would have have a mass movement still active and visible.
Such solidarity is contrary to what happened in Ireland, at the time, when the Feb 15 Dublin rally organisers blanked the imprisoned anti-war resisters and did little as they went to trials etc. Why?..... because a lot of the anti-war leadership were not serous about resisitng Irish complicity in the war, they saw the war as a marketing/ media profile opportunity. Noting more, nothing less!
3) We need to support those who are presently before the courts, in prisons and brigs for nonviolently resisting this war.
I've been living in London for 3 months now and have seen no mention of the Raytheon 9. 3 of the 9 are SWP members. The SWP pretty much run the "Stop the War Coalition" and are well placed to promote this trial. Why the silence? Is it an anti-Irish prejudice? Is it an anti-NVDA party policy. Dunno? Go figure?
A few weeks ago there was a "Stop the War Coalition" demo in Stoke Newington. I made up a sign "Disable the War Machine! Free the Raytheon 9! http://www.raytheon9.org/ " I stood there for two hours not one SWP member asked me about the 9....these are 3 of there party members looking at years in jail, go figure?
Anyways there are folks resisting the war. I'd encourage you to make contact with them
Raytheon 9 - Disabling Raytheon Equipment in Derry During the Bombing of Lebanon
http://www.raytheon9.org/
Anti-Torture Training Resisters Arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona
http://www.tortureontrial.org/
Pine Gap 4 - Citizens' Inspection of U.S. N.S.A. Base in Alice Springs, Australia
http://www.pinegap6.org/
U.S. Military Resisters
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/
Related Link http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq
Related Link: http://www.peaceontrial.com
The once anti-war Green Party has morphed into an Irish government betraying Irish neutrality and facilitating U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile the anti-war movement that was taken for a ride by the mainstream opposition parties, the authorirtarian left and moderate NGO's has all but disappeared from the streets.
On Feb 15th. 03 I was sharing a Limerick prison cell with a young seminarian, Damien Moran, where we watching the Sky live feed from London of 1-2 million folks marching in the streets aginst the war. Meanwhile 150,000+ were marching in Ireland. Our co-defendants Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop & Karen Fallon were in the women's section of Limerick Prison. We had helped to pull off the most disruptive action to U.S. military deployment
http://www.peaceontrial.com/ (a bit like winning the Eurovision.. .there wasn't a lot of NVDA competition from a timid, soon to evaporate, anti-war movement)..causing one U.S. war plane to turn around and return to Texas unable to contribute to the war effort. Also in response to our action, 4 U.S. companies, transporting U.S. troops to war, abandoned Ireland as a secure place to refuel. Although we we were in an Irish prison for this nonviolent resistance to war, any mention of it was censored by the Feb 15th. Dublin rally organisers. An interesting article on the demise of the anti-war movement appears in today's The Guardian G2 section cover titled "15.02.03 Millions Marched Did it Change Anything?". Inside the zine it is entitiled "The Day Politics Stopped Working" by John Harte stimulates reflection on waht led to the demise of a massive anti-war movement during an unpopular war that escalates and expands...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq Where to now for the anti war movement (to be honest remnant!) in brief.....
1) We have to make the massive passive anti-war opinion visible. People who are serious about opposing the war should make that opinion visible for an hour a week with a sign in the street. See link.....
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85865 2) If 1% of those who marched against this war had gone in tho serious nonviolent resistance in the spirit of Gandhi and King...resisted until jailed...we could have stopped this war.
If the other 99% who had marched against this war had done serious proactive solidarity with the movement's imprisoned resisters ...helped feed the cat, paid the rent, dealt with the hysterical parents..... we would have have a mass movement still active and visible.
Such solidarity is contrary to what happened in Ireland, at the time, when the Feb 15 Dublin rally organisers blanked the imprisoned anti-war resisters and did little as they went to trials etc. Why?..... because a lot of the anti-war leadership were not serous about resisitng Irish complicity in the war, they saw the war as a marketing/ media profile opportunity. Noting more, nothing less!
3) We need to support those who are presently before the courts, in prisons and brigs for nonviolently resisting this war.
I've been living in London for 3 months now and have seen no mention of the Raytheon 9. 3 of the 9 are SWP members. The SWP pretty much run the "Stop the War Coalition" and are well placed to promote this trial. Why the silence? Is it an anti-Irish prejudice? Is it an anti-NVDA party policy. Dunno? Go figure?
A few weeks ago there was a "Stop the War Coalition" demo in Stoke Newington. I made up a sign "Disable the War Machine! Free the Raytheon 9!
http://www.raytheon9.org/ " I stood there for two hours not one SWP member asked me about the 9....these are 3 of there party members looking at years in jail, go figure? Anyways there are folks resisting the war. I'd encourage you to make contact with them
Raytheon 9 - Disabling Raytheon Equipment in Derry During the Bombing of Lebanon
http://www.raytheon9.org/ Anti-Torture Training Resisters Arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona
http://www.tortureontrial.org/ Pine Gap 4 - Citizens' Inspection of U.S. N.S.A. Base in Alice Springs, Australia
http://www.pinegap6.org/ U.S. Military Resisters
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/ Related Link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq Related Link:
http://www.peaceontrial.com
Ciaron O'Reilly Pitstop Ploughshares/ Catholic Worker
Homepage:
http://www.peaceontrial.com
Comments
Hide the following comment
SWP only do what they're allowed by the State
15.02.2008 12:42
The real reason may be that the SWP is actually a state front - if you were running a murderous government, you'd love to have a large numbers of the people who oppose you wandering around with placards and shouting slogans, rather than actually doing anything that actually challenged you.
Since the SWP have an "anti-lifestyle" analysis, it also means that they are fantastically easy to infiltrate, because they eat in McDonalds, don't sleep with each other much, rarely live in shared houses with each other and generally act like yer actual a-political clone (except slightly when shouting slogans or marching of course). Lots of them seem to have public sector jobs too!
If you want change - don't look to the SWP for it. Oh, and Alex C is a millionaire!
Tony Cliff