Iraq-pillagers continue to be targetted

Thanks to the Coalition Provisional Authority's Order 39 the occupation of Iraq has coincided with a mass selling-off of Iraq's public assets. Here in the UK there has been an ongoing campaign opposing this process; a process which amounts in international law to the illegal pillage of Iraq.

Windrush Communications are corporate pirates!

Past Actions and Current News

This week four activists had charges pressed against them for an action in December against Windrush Communications Ltd. The four were charged with `aggravated trespass.' [action photos | action reports 1, 2]. The activists were seeking to provide Windrush Communications with a legal briefing outlining how Windrush's role in organising the Iraq Procurement Conferences is (and continues to be) illegal; when the people in the Windrush offices refused to receive the briefing, the building was occupied.

The Iraq Procurement Conferences are contract-signing events where company and corporation executives get together with other officials to organise the privatisation of Iraq. This is the blurb on their web site: "Iraq Procurement is a global initiative focused on realising the enormous trade and investment potential of Iraq. Now established as the premier business summit for Iraq, the project brings together the key business leaders and decision makers devoted to the future development of the country."

One such conference was held in London last April, another has since been held in Jordan. The London conference was targetted by activists [feature | short report]. In the end though the Crown Prosecution Service dropped all charges against activists protesting the event.

In this case, as in the more recent one, the charges against activists were for `aggravated trespass.' Now in order for aggravated trespass to be proved the prosecution must show that activists were disrupting lawful business. That disruption took place cannot be in doubt, which only leaves the lawful part! Activists maintain that the activity they were disrupting was anything but lawful.

How are these companies acting unlawfully?

We all recall the day that George W. Bush officially declared the war over. On that day the UK, US and other forces became an occupying power in the eyes of international law. This meant that their activity was constrained by the 1907 Hague Regulations.

The implications of the `occupation' status of Iraq are significant. Naomi Klein has said that occupying countries are bound by what she termed the 'house sitters rule', "housesitters, i.e. the occupiers, are allowed to eat the food in the fridge but are not entitled to sell the house and its contents and turn it into condinmiums." More information on this, including on the important concept of usufruct is given in this Guardian article.

The CPA are selling Iraq drenched in the flesh and blood of the its people, creating a capitalist free trade zone which is a Republican dream. Privatisation of Iraqi assets was illegal under the prewar constitution. In the Hague 1907 guidelines and the Geneva conventions, occupying Powers are forbidden to violate the country of occupation's constitution. The Privatisation of Iraq counts as pillage and article 47 of the Hague regulations to which both Britian and the US are signatories to, states : Pillage is formally forbidden.

Upcoming Actions

A week of action has been called against the corporate plunder of Iraq. From 1 to 6 April, activists will target Windrush Communications and other groups seeking to exploit Iraq's resources at the expense of its sovereignty.

Meetings to plan for the week of action are to be held every monday from 28th Februrary at 7.30pm. The meeting on the 28th will be at RampART, 15/17 RampART Street, E1. In addition the International Day of Action against the War on Terror is on the 19th of March for which actions are also planned.

More information can be found by checking out the Corporate Pirates website, by emailing stopthepillage@yahoo.co.uk (ask to join the email list for the week of action!) or by calling 07810 867476.

A leaflet outlining details of the week of action can be found as .pdf or .html. Some subversive Windrush images are also available: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

nickleberry

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Bloody Plunder

25.02.2005 13:46

The people of Iraq are paying the blood price for a global economic system that is fuelled by stealing the world’s resources from the poor and disadvantaged and handing them over to multinationals. Decisions of life and death are not just made by soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq, they are made here, in the UK, in secret by corporations who make decisions that will determine who will survive, who will prosper and who will profit in a future Iraq. The occupation of Iraq will continue even if troops left tomorrow, as it is being embedded in the economic restructuring of the country’s economy.

It is vital the Anti-War, Anti-Globalisation and Green Movements in the UK come together and expose the corporate plunder of Iraq that is being facilitated by British Corporations and expose the reality of the economic reasons why we went to war. We owe it to the people of Iraq.

Here is a link to the lastest issue of corporate watch that with more info about Windrush Communications

http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/newsletter/issue22/issue22_part1.htm

The week of action will kick off with a Pro Privatisation party at 11am April fools day outside the offices of Windrush Communications in Old st London. come join us for the party!

contact the email

stopthepillage@yahoo.co.uk for more info.

Yasmin
mail e-mail: stopthepillage@yahoo.co.uk

Stuff from the states

25.02.2005 15:03

www.indybay.org/news/2004/02/1671294.php

Lovely Banner

25.02.2005 21:17

I love the banner shown in the photo above!

Brian B

pilligery

26.02.2005 00:33

the bush-blair world domination lets us know its in power. wwII the allies helped the former axis rebuild. the people became prosperous. since then the "winners" have raped the losers, robbed the resources, sold the contracts to their own "blind"-trust companies, and sent the bills to the tax-payers. now the politicians get richer the poor starve and have to swollow the polution.

karl roenfanz ( rosey )
mail e-mail: k_rosey48@hotmail.com

Satyagraha and Empire

27.02.2005 04:54

Ha! When the Iraqis get their Gandhi, it is game over!

Collin Baber
mail e-mail: roach747@yahoo.com
Homepage: http://depthomelandinsecurity.blogspot.com

Iraq: Order 81

27.02.2005 14:18

Iraq Order 81, destruction of Iraqi agriculture to the benefit of Big Business, part of the continued corporate looting of Iraq.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/01/304431.html

Keith

The reconstruction mockery

16.03.2005 20:50

I just wish the wider population could realise this is not a humanitarian mission going on in Iraq, the foundations of 'freedom' are still extremely shaky. The new guys forming the government are the same on the ground before the invasion. Families, open minded people like you and me are being targeted, intimidated, kidnapped by criminals and corrupt leaders and this will continue thanks to this puppet govenment (in Iraq I mean.)

To discuss post war investment at this stage to me at best is complete fantasy because the situation is so insecure and will result in a population divided, alienated and resentful of the entire reconstruction project. Transparency International's report on corruption in Iraq provides a glimpse into the future claiming its process for awarding contracts was secretive and open to only a few large companies. The government has a United States veto in built as you will know if you read Naomi Klein's analysis in the Guardian this week.

These corporate idealists have been given the green light for white collar crime free for all that will cause intense deprivation to the people they claim to help.
'Your love gives me quite a thrill/ But your love won't pay my bills...'

James Gordon
mail e-mail: azagthoth667@yahoo.co.uk

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