Barry Weisleder & Ahmed Nimer, Toronto
As the reports are collated, it has become clear that millions of people worldwide joined the March 20 protests against the occupation of Iraq.
Doug Nesbitt of the British Stop the War Coalition has collated estimates of crowd numbers from around the globe (available at ), concluding that around 2 million protested.
While the massive 1 million strong protest in Rome, and nearly 300,000 in various US cities, accounts for much of this, Nesbitt reports on significant protests in Asia, including a total of 120,000 protesting in Japan, 2000 in Ankara, 1000 in Manila, 700 in Kashmir and thousands in Pakistan.
In Canada, tens of thousands participated in 58 locations. Up to 20,000 marched in Vancouver, British Columbia, 8000 to 10,000 in both Toronto and Montreal, about 1000 in Edmonton, Alberta, and hundreds in each of a number of smaller centres, including 500-1000 in Ottawa, and 200 in London, Ontario.
In addition to a march and rally, supporters of the Edmonton Coalition Against War and Racism conducted a "lobby-in" at the office of deputy prime minister Anne McLellan's office to demand the return of refugee-rights activist Mohamed Cherfi and to stay the deportation of student Fahim Kayani.
The strong attendance in Toronto marked a pick-up in anti-war mobilisation in the city, with a diverse crowd loudly voicing its opposition to the continuing occupation of Iraq, despite being drenched by intermittent, cold rain.
The rally was also organised around demanding an end to the occupation of Palestine and Canadian troops out of Afghanistan. Palestinian solidarity groups were prominant, as well as groups organising against anti-immigrant attacks and deportations. A vibrant student feeder-march was organized by the cross-campus Students Against War and Racism. Trade union banners from the Steelworkers Union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Communications and Paperworkers Union were also present.
Comic relief was provided by 15 pro-war demonstrators carrying US and Israeli flags, organised by the Young Conservatives and Zionist student groups.
In East Timor, around 100 people marched through the capital, Dili, on March 20. The action was organised by the Timorese Solidarity Committee Against the Occupation of Iraq. The committee consisted of 13 different organisations, ranging from progressive artists to journalists. Local activist organisations such as La'o Hamutuk, the Sahe Institute for Liberation, the Socialist Labour Union of Timor and the HAK Association were also represented.
Accompanied by drums, singing and dancing, and several large and colourful banners painted by the East Timor Art School, Arte Moris (Live Art), protesters marched to the US embassy. Rally participants reported that Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri observed the march from the front verandah of his house.
In front of the embassy, protesters stopped and heard from activists Nuno Rodrigues from the Sahe Institute for Liberation, Aderito de Jesus Soares and protest organiser Tomas Freitas from La'o Hamutuk. Freitas said that the Iraq war was a grab for oil resources and not about weapons of mass destruction.
Before disbanding, protesters handed a statement from the organising committee to US embassy officials. The statement, which argued "Imperialism never brings liberation", pointed out that the US administration actively supported the Suharto dictatorship during its 24-year occupation of East Timor.
The committee demanded the immediate withdrawal of US and coalition troops and an international tribunal to try the masterminds of the Iraq invasion. Protest organiser Tomas Freitas told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that, after the rally, the US Ambassador publicly defended his country's actions, whilst Timorese PM Alkatiri expressed hope that the Iraqi people would regain their sovereignty as soon as possible.
[The next event organised by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the
War is a teach-in on the topic "Canada and the US War Machine" to be held on April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Steelworkers' Hall, 25 Cecil Street. More information is available at .]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 31, 2004.
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