Pip Hinman
On the eve of what Washington tells us will be a hand-over of Iraq to the Iraqis on June 30, activists across Australia are preparing to protest. 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly spoke to a range of activists about why.
The "handover" to a US-appointed interim Iraqi government is a fraud that will "change nothing" according to Renfrey Clarke of the South Australian Peace Network. "The White House insists that the US keeps control of military and security matters. More than 130,000 US troops, and thousands more from allies such as Australia, will remain in Iraq", Clarke told GLW.
"Not only that, the interim government will not have the power to draft or enforce any significant new legislation. For instance, it will not be able to change the US-sponsored privatisation laws, under which 100% of any industry — except oil — can be sold-off to foreign companies."
A permanent constitution is not expected to be in force until 2007. By then, Clarke argued, Washington's hawks hope to have cemented a new status quo in Iraq with permanent US military bases, domination of the local economy by global corporations and a government locked into pro-US foreign policies.
Anna Samson from Sydney's Stop the War Coalition told GLW that the news leaks of the torture, the mass jailings and other horrific acts made it clear that Australian troops were not helping to liberate Iraq.
She said that while there are no allegations of Australian troops being directly involved in the prisoner abuse, Australian SAS troops, operating with soldiers from Britain and the US, have been involved in capturing Iraqis and turning them over to the US and British occupation troops.
"If this was done with even a shred of knowledge that these people may be maltreated, the Australian government can no longer justify its role in Iraq as one of 'liberator'."
The Stop the War Coalition has called a rally in Sydney for June 30. Speakers will include former Liberal Party federal president John Valder, Palestinian delegation head Ali Kazak, social justice campaigner Sister Susan Connelly, Greens Senator Kerry Nettle and Andrew Ferguson from the Construction, Mining and Energy Union.
Raul Bassi, a national co-convenor of the Socialist Alliance, is involved in one of Sydney's western suburbs peace groups. He pointed out that most Iraqis want the occupation to end. "It's up to us to make that a reality", he said.
"Many people are angry, but not so many are convinced that they can force Howard back on this. Now, growing revulsion at the torture, the treatment of [Guantanamo Bay prisoners] David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib and the lies means that we have a chance to turn this around."
The Canterbury-Bankstown peace group and the Western Suburbs Peace Group are approaching local councils to support the June 30 rally. The new Greens-dominated Marrickville council decided at its last meeting to support June 30, as well as a local rally on June 5 organised by the Marrickville Peace Group.
In Perth, Tariq Ali will be the keynote speaker at a public meeting organised by the WA Peace Network, UWA and Unions WA and he will also address a lunchtime rally on June 30 organised by the NoWar Alliance.
Unions are being approached to publicise and support the June 30 protests, and in some cities local peace groups and Socialist Alliance branches are letter-boxing and mass leafleting rallies and other public gatherings.
The Hobart Peace Coalition's Kamala Emanuel reports that the group has plans to organise a puppet show on June 30, an apt comment on the incoming interim Iraqi government.
[For details of the protests, and how to get involved in the peace movement, see the ad on the next page.]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, June 9, 2004.
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