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The
Anti-War Storm Grows
The
past few weeks saw George W. Bush and Tony Blair unrelenting in their threats to
Iraq, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo echoing Bush's line that Iraq must disarm or be
disarmed, and Blas Ople bullying Iraqi diplomats. But the world did not take
these sitting down. On Feb. 13, 14, and 15 people around the world went out to
the streets to register their opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq. And the storm
of protests has been steadily growing.
By
Alexander Martin Remollino
Bulatlat.com
 
Left
photo shows Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo and Crispin Beltran and other mass
leaders in the frontline of the anti-war march to the U.S. embassy on Roxas
Boulevard, Manila Feb. 14. On Feb. 15, in Melbourne, Australia (right photo) and
other cities abroad, hundreds of thousands anti-war protesters became part of
the growing global movement against Bush’s war preparations.
Katipunan Road
On Feb. 13, about 500 students from the Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam
College, and the University of the Philippines (UP) formed a human chain along
Katipunan Road.
Ateneans comprised the bulk of the human chain--contrary to what people who had
previously heard of the event expected. According to Raymond Palatino, chair of
the National Union of Students of the Philippines, who was on Katipunan Road
that day, the Ateneans attentively listened to the speeches and chanted
anti-imperialist slogans--in Filipino--with great passion.
The last time Ateneans were known to chant anti-imperialist slogans with such
passion was during the Marcos years, when they counted among their ranks such
names as Eman Lacaba and Edgar Jopson.
Manila
The next day Manila became the scene of what has been described as the sequel to
the anti-war prayer rally led by Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr. last Jan.
31 and the largest protest action it had ever seen in recent times.
A huge crowd gathered in front of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and braved
the heat of the noon sun before proceeding to the historic Plaza Miranda. The
crowd marched to Plaza Miranda at about 1:20 p.m., where it would stay until 4
p.m. before proceeding to the U.S. embassy.
ANTI-WAR
MOBILIZATION. Grade schoolers paint their faces with anti-war slogans during the
‘March for Peace: Resist U.S. War on Iraq’ rally in Plaza Miranda, Manila on
Valentine’s Day. Similar anti-war mobilizations took place in other cities
throughout the country.
Photo by Aubrey SC Makilan
Rally organizers estimated the crowd at 5,000--two thousand more than the 3,000
estimate by the broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer for the Jan. 31
rally. However, the newspapers estimated the crowd at 6,000--a clear departure
from the usually more conservative crowd estimates by newspapers. The rally was
too big to be downplayed.
As was the case last Jan. 31, people with divergent political shades
participated in the rally. Schools such as UP and the Polytechnic University of
the Philippines had their own contingents--which included numerous elements
other than their share of activist students, teachers, and workers. The rally
was also attended by the broad alliances Artists 4 Peace, Prescriptions for
Peace, and Moro-Christian Peoples’ Alliance. The presence of House Minority
Leader Carlos Padilla, a member of the newly formed alliance Legislators Against
War, was the clearest sign that the rally could not be dismissed by the
establishment as solely a leftist activity.
While the Manila rally of Feb. 14 focused on the war on Iraq, it was also a
demonstration against militarization and the war in Mindanao. Padilla received
loud cheers as he criticized the military attacks on Pikit, North Cotabato--where
tens of thousands of people have been holed up in evacuation centers--and the
government budget which allots more money to the military than to basic social
services. The case was the same for folk musician Pol Galang, who performed a
song calling for an end to the wars in Iraq and Mindanao. It was obvious that
there was widespread perception of the Pikit attacks as extension of Bush's
so-called war on terror.
The bystanders' reaction to the passing crowd was highly sympathetic. Along España
Street children were shouting, "Bush is a terrorist!" Along Quiapo the
people on the sidewalks were saying, "Gloria is worthless. Gloria is a U.S.
puppet." On the way to the U.S. embassy a man on a motorcycle smiled and
said, "Fight GMA and I'll join you."
Negros
The
protests were not confined in Manila. In Bacolod City, tens of thousands of
people joined the nationally-coordinated anti-U.S. war protest.
Fr.
Ireneo Gordoncillo of the Promotion of Church People’s Response and Pilgrims
for Peace in Negros, said that Negrenses have to join the global protest because
the country’s economy, which is “heavily import-dependent, export-oriented,
debt-driven, and being floated by the billions of dollars of OFWs remittances,
will only be aggravated by U.S. war of aggression.”
The
prelates of the different dioceses in Negros led by Bp. Vicente Navarra, and
several Muslim groups in Bacolod City were among the main organizers of the huge
protest. Last Friday, Bishop Navarra also led protests called by various peace
advocates’ organizations in the diocese. In his pastoral letter, the bishop
repeatedly called for a stop to the U.S.-instigated war against Iraq, saying the
way of peace and respect for humanity is the way to solve the world’s
problems.
Various
associations of the families and relatives of 300,000 strong-Ilonggo OFWs
working in the Middle East, also joined the anti-war protests here, their
leaders vowing to be present in the entire anti-war campaign.
The
Civil Liberties Movement in Negros, an association of lawyers, judges and
prosecutors, para-legal practitioners, journalists, and academic people joined
the anti-war campaign in full force. Lawyer Rolando Villamor, one of its council
leaders said that “we reject the U.S.’ continued subversion of the
international law specifically the international covenants on the laws of war,
and its continued intimidation of the UN Security Council members through power
play, undermining the interests of the community of nations on matters of world
peace and security.”
The
Bacolod City Council on the other hand issued a resolution calling on the people
to resist the U.S. war on Iraq and push for the non-involvement of the
Philippine government in the war. The Council warned that the 100,000 families
and relatives of OFWs in the city alone will lose their survival income should
the US pursue its war on Iraq.
Across
the world
As of 2:45 p.m. last Feb. 15 (London Time), the anti-war rally was estimated at
750, 000. A later estimate pegged the crowd at 1.5 million.
It had started much earlier than expected. Railways around London were
"extremely busy," and extra services had to be put up to accommodate
the rallyists.
The London rally was a striking
portrait of broad unity. There were people from all age groups--from infants to
pensioners. The protesters came from all portions of the political spectrum;
organized by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,
and the Muslim Association of Great Britain, it was also participated in by such
organizations as Grenpeace, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SNP.
There were even a group of taxi drivers called Britons Versus Bush and an
assemblage of disk jockeys called Ravers Against the War. Among the protesters
was London Mayor Ken Livingstone.
In Dublin, 100,000 people turned up on the streets. The organizers had been
expecting only 20,000. Business leaders marched along with workers, students,
Muslims, and opposition politicians.
In New York City, half a million protesters braved the chilling weather and
attacks from the police.
In Italy, cinema icons Roberto Benigni and Nanni Moretti, as well as opposition
politicians and human rights groups, led more than a million through the streets
of Rome.
In Australia multitudes participated in anti-war demonstrations all over, with
the biggest in Melbourne--estimated at anywhere between 100,000 and 200,000 and
described as the biggest political demonstration in the city since the early
1970s.
In Kiev, the Ukraine, a two thousand-strong crowd composed of communists,
socialists, Kurds and pacifists participated in a Rock Against War protest.
In Mostar, Sarajevo, the first cross-community action in seven years was
witnessed. A hundred Muslims and Croats demonstrated together against a possible
war on Iraq.
At least 100,000 people, including three cabinet members, marched on Berlin. In
Athens several thousand protesters unfurled a gigantic banner which says,
"NATO, U.S. and EU equals War." Thousands more rallied in Bangkok.
Brussels, Jakarta, Paris, and Sweden each had a crowd estimate of 100,000.
Barcelona and Madrid each turned out one million. Montreal had 150,000
protesters.
Growing storm
The proponents of war on Iraq had been confronting the rising storm of protest
since October last year.
And the storm is gathering strength. Each anti-war protest turns out bigger than
the last one. People not normally expected to take part in political action have
increasingly been joining anti-war protests. Conflicting sectors have been
finding grounds for unity in the campaign against the war.
As millions of people flood the streets, the impending U.S. war on Iraq is, as The
Independent puts it, " a war no one wants." (With reports
from Karl G. Ombion) Bulatlat.com
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