Audience listens keenly
Mick Napier addresses conference.
Ghada (right) listens intently.
Egyptian riot police outside main building.
Eileen and Pete fly the Edinburgh STW flag!
Making fun of the great Dr K - disgraceful!
Dr Hassan al Zergani, an aide to Moqtada Al Sadr, with Paul.
PART TWO
The third International Cairo Conference took place from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th March at the journalists syndicate building in the city centre. Up to 1,000 took part in a series of plenaries, workshops and forums. There were also a number of films shown in the small 50-seater cinema in the building.
Mick Napier of Scottish Palestine solidarity spoke saying that Zionism will ultimately be defeated. He said that we had a duty to demoralise the Zionist leadership. He reminded the audience of the two Fallujahs – one in Palestine one in Iraq. He spoke of the 200 atom bombs under the control of Ariel Sharon. Comparing the situation with the old South African regime he said that when the writing was on the wall for Apartheid the whites abandoned it.
Richard White of the Irish peace process spoke of the failure of the two-state solution in Ireland. Any solution based on ethnic division was doomed to failure. He spoke of the conference between Bush and Blair in Belfast. He said that at least part of the road to Jerusalem was through Baghdad and that victory for the Iraqi resistance would be a victory for the Palestinians.
A number of Egyptian speakers spoke and I tried to record the English translation but it was difficult, as there was interference on the sound. However some points made included the right of return of the Palestinian people to their homeland.
A workshop `Supporting the democratic demands of the Arab people against the Greater Middle East project and political oppression in the region`. A speaker made the point that people are human beings and not commodities.
Another speaker said that any further imperialist attack son the Middle East would be fiercely resisted.
John Rees of the (British) Stop the War coalition spoke, congratulating the organisers and said that the conference was bigger than the previous two. The Egyptian authorities had tried to stop this and previous ones but failed. He said that the conference was a victory for the anti-war movement. He said we should end the conference should end on a spirit of unity and we should remember there is more that unites us than divides us.
Another speaker called for a boycott of Israel at all levels. When hundreds of people were massacred in Fallujah there was barely a protest in Italy but when an Italian security man was killed hundreds of thousand took to the streets.
The third Cairo Conference called for support and solidarity with the Iraqi, Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and the need to actively organise all forms of political material and moral support of the resistance.
The conference also rejects all US and Zionist plans for the region and calls for unity among opposition groups. There was a call for the expansion and deepening of the International movement against war, colonialism, Zionism and Globalisation.
George Galloway said that it looked like Libya had joined the Wetsern camp. Another speaker made them point that the anti-war movement was still there. She thanked the anti-war movement and the organisers.
A number of films were shown on Saturday evening including one called `Siege of Fallujah` which was absolutely packed. There is a saying in the Middle East that “We are all Fallujans now.” Danny Schechter’s new film `WMD weapons of mass deception` was also shown to an interested audience.
Sunday saw a small protest of about 100 or so on the steps of the journalist syndicate with chants against the war and occupation of Iraq and Palestine. Outside the main building there were chants of `Down with Bush, Down with Blair` and `Free, free Palestine` There were rows and rows of helmeted riot police and in fact at many Egyptian demonstrations the police outnumber the protesters. However an Egyptian journalist I spoke to said this was probably the biggest demo he had seen.
There was a (discreet) meeting in a different part of Cairo whose details shall remain confidential. One British speaker warned that we were up against a very strong adversary in the Neo-cons. It was a hard struggle but it was one we could win. The importance of the protest against the G8 in Gleneagles, Scotland was emphasised. A speaker from Globalise Resistance reminded those present of the various events in Scotland in July such as the `Make Poverty History` day and the Faslane blockade. Faslane, 30 miles from Glasgow, is where Britain’s weapons of mass destruction (nuclear Trident submarines) are kept.
The evening saw the close of the conference with traditional Egyptian music and dancing
Seven labelled photos are attached.
Word Count 778 words
e-mail:
