Keep Up the Protests (and don’t forget to smile!)

1999-05-02

Jan Slakov

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 10:54:39 -0700
From: Sid Shniad <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Quick Political Scholastic Aptitude Test (QPSAT)

Quick Political Scholastic Aptitude Test (QPSAT)

This test consists of one (1) multiple-choice question.

Here's a list of the countries that the U.S. has bombed since the end of
World War II, compiled by historian William Blum:

  China 1945-46
  Korea 1950-53
  China 1950-53
  Guatemala 1954
  Indonesia 1958
  Cuba 1959-60
  Guatemala 1960
  Congo 1964
  Peru 1965
  Laos 1964-73
  Vietnam 1961-73
  Cambodia 1969-70
  Guatemala 1967-69
  Grenada 1983
  Libya 1986
  El Salvador 1980s
  Nicaragua 1980s
  Panama 1989
  Iraq 1991-99
  Sudan 1998
  Afghanistan 1998
  Yugoslavia 1999

In how many of these instances did a democratic government, respectful of
human rights, occur as a direct result?  Choose one of the following:

  (a) 0
  (b) zero
  (c) none
  (d) not a one
  (e) a whole number between -1 and +1
*****************************************************************************
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 23:13:22 EDT
From: Refuse & Resist <•••@••.•••>
Subject: ACTION REPORTS:Yugoslavia & Iraq
X-Comment: Refuse & Resist! Announcement List.  See
http://www.calyx.net/~refuse for more about R&R!

[note: this is forwarded from the Anti-Intervention Network]

Dear AIN Members & Friends,

Anybody who thinks "there's nothing going on" is looking in the wrong
places! Protest is busting out all over on many fronts, especially
Yugoslavia and Iraq. Let's keep up the momentum and raise our voices so
loud that we CAN'T be ignored. These wars against our sisters and brothers
in the Balkans and Iraq do NOT have a popular mandate from the people of
the world. Read on...

PROTESTS AGAINST U.S./NATO INTERVENTION IN YUGOSLAVIA
info from http://protest.net/links.html

*       Almost five thousand people attended a great rock concert for peace
in the Balkans in Sofia Saturday evening, expressing solidarity with tens of
thousands of young people in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad, Pristina, Pancevo and
other Yugoslav towns that have been exposed to a brutal aggression by the
United States and NATO for a month now.
*       Anti-NATO demonstrations were held in front of the White House in
Washington, with protesters carrying a coffin symbolizing the burial of the
Western militray alliance. Several thousand demonstrators, cordonned off by
a large number of policemen, protested all afternoon.
*       Tens of thousands of people protested yesterday in several main
Italian cities, including Naples, the headquarters of Nato's southern
command.
*       On Saturday, April 24 thousands of people protested in Toronto in
front of the US consulate, after which the protest moved to the British
consulate. The speeches mainly dealt with the solidarity of our people in
Yugoslavia as well as the solidarity of all anti-NATO protesters in the
world. The protest was peaceful and concluded with a walk back to the US
consulate.
*       Thousands of students participated (April 20th) in Spain in a
national day of action against the bombing of Yugoslavia. The protest was
called by the Students Union (Sindicato de Estudiantes). Thousands of
students participated in meetings in the schools to discuss a resolution
drafted by the Students Union opposing NATO's intervention against
Yugoslavia.
*       On 3rd April 100,000 people marched in a demonstration in Rome
against the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. A week later another
demonstration of over 50,000 took place. There is a lot of opposition to the
NATO bombing among the workers and youth in Italy in spite of the
government's support. There was a demonstration about 3,000 strong at the
Aviano air base in Northern Italy. This is one of the bases the NATO
warplanes are using. The demonstration was brutally attacked by the police
who waded into the demonstrators with truncheons and fired tear-gas
cannisters. There is widespread opposition to the bombing among the
students, but even more important have been the developments in the labour
movement. Demonstrations against the war in Yugoslavia throughout April have
made protest of this war known in Italy. 100,000 of its citizens come
together to reject the war in the Balkans. The demonstrations have occured
throughout Italy: Brindisi, Taranto, Milan, Piacenza, Bari, San Piero a
Grado, Aviano, and of course Rome. Many of these demonstrations have taken
place outside U.S. or NATO bases. The largest of these demonstrations to
date occured in Rome on April the third. Other forms of protest have
included short work stoppages and concerts. With the diversification and
promulgation of the anti-war movement in Italy it seems that while the
bombing continues in Yugoslavia so too will the protests.
*       In Antwerp, the biggest harbour-city of Belgium a peaceful protest
against the NATO agression that was anounced for friday, 23 April, Judge
declared illegal.
*       About 2,000 people protested in Toronto on Friday, April 23.
As usual, the crowd gathered in front of the US consulate at 7:00 p.m. where
a number of speeches were made mainly denouncing the terrorist attack on
RTS. The crowd then marched about 3 km to the Liberal Party headquarters.
The Liberals are the ruling party in Canada who sent Canadian airman, and
will send ground troops, if required, to attack Yugoslavia. All this without
even a vote in the Canadian parliament. The protesters slowly walked back to
the US consulate and the protest ended at about 11:00 p.m. This week the
protests were taken on the road to: CBC-TV, Toronto Star newspaper, CITY-TV,
Italian consulate and the Liberal Party headquarters.
Next protest is Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and the "walk" is to the British
consulate.
*       Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in over 150 German cities
during the Easter holiday. Ten thousand took to the streets in Berlin under
the slogan "No To War Politics". During protest in Frankfurt by 6,000 people
the US flag was burned outside the US Consulate.Among the demonstrators were
two Vietnam veterans who issued a call to U.S. troops to desert from the
military and refuse to take part in a war that makes victims of
rank-and-file soldiers.
*       The Brussels demonstration was forbidden by the Mayor of Brussels. A
group of Belgians succeeded in a quite unusual way to protest against brutal
NATO aggression on Yugoslavia and bombardments of civilians, despite a ban
imposed by authorities in Brussels on public meetings from the beginning of
the NATO air assaults. In a protest held under the slogan "Against
aggression on Yugoslavia," the group of Belgians chained themselves to the
wire fence around the U.S. embassy and chanted slogans against NATO and its
savage assaults on the civilian population. About two hundred Belgians
protested in the centre of Brussels against NATO aggression.

The following report is from Ron Jacobs, a member of the Network in
Burlington, Vermont. (•••@••.•••) Way to go!!!

ANTIWARRIORS OCCUPY BERNIE SANDERS OFFICE

April 26, 1999, a rally and march were held in Burlington, Vermont, USA
against the U.S. war on Yugoslavia.  Approximately 100 people attended the
45 minute rally at the University of Vermont campus  and then marched down
Main Street.  The destination of the march were the local offices of
Vermont three congressional members: Senators Leahy (Dem.) and Jeffords
(Rep.), and Rep. Bernie Sanders. The purpose of these visits was to present
petitions calling for "an immediate end to the bombing, a return to the
negotiating table and no introduction of NATO ground forces to the
conflict".  These 1,000 signatures on these petitions were collected in a
little over two weeks time.

At Senator Leahy's office, a small delegation of demonstrators went into
the office, presented the petitions and were served cookies.  At Senator
Jeffords' office, the delegation that went inside asked for and received a
conference call with Mr. Jeffords' foreign policy advisor in Washington,
D.C.

>From there, we headed to Bernie Sanders' office at the top of
Burlington's downtown pedestrian mall (Church Street).  Once we arrived at
the office building , the remaining protestors (approximately 30 in all)
headed inside and up the stairs to Sanders' office.  We were met by his
staff who presented us with a written statement by Mr. Sanders concerning
his support of the bombing.  Those present read the statement and then
asked a member of the staff if we could hold a conference call with Bernie
and give him a chance to justify his position.  We were told this was not
possible because Sanders was on a plane to Washington, D.C. and he did not
own a cell phone.  So we sat down and informed the staff that we would wait
until we could speak with Sanders.

Seattle musician Jim Page happens to be in Burlington this week and he had
accompanied us on the march.  While we sat in the office, he played guitar
and sang songs in between discussions about the war, the killings in
Littleton, CO., the arrogance of liberals in power and numerous other
subjects took place.  As time passed, it became clear that Bernie had no
intention of talking to us.  After conversations out of our earshot, the
primary staffperson informed us that we could meet with Bernie next Tuesday
if we made an appointment.  This suggestion was rejected out of hand; the
reasoning being that hundreds more would die in the interim.  Time ticked on.

Around 5:30 PM, we were asked again if we wanted to accept the meeting
with Bernie next Tuesday.  We agreed to the meeting but also insisted on
speaking with Sanders that day.  Furthermore, we affirmed that we would not
leave the office until we spoke with Bernie that evening.  We were than
told that our choice was to either leave then and meet with Sanders next
week or stay until we were removed and not meet with the congressmen at
all.

At 6:00 PM or so, we were asked once again if we would assent to this
arrangement.  Once again we said no.  At 6:45 PM, Burlington police
officers began arresting those protestors who refused to leave when asked.
This was done at the request of Congressman Sanders and his staff.  The
arrests were conducted in an orderly fashion and all were released later in
the evening.

This was the first time Sanders office had ever been occupied.  One has to
wonder if it will be the last, given his continual drift rightward.  (For
those who live in Vermont-There will be a Vermont town meeting on the war
with Sanders in Montpelier, VT. on Monday, May 3, 1999 at the Pavilion.
The meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Please come and bring your friends.)

PROTESTS AGAINST THE SANCTIONS/WAR ON IRAQ

*NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION*
April 27 was the national day of action on sanctions! Hundreds of community
activists across the United States challenged the sanctions by attempting
to mail aspirins, bandages, lead pencils, school notebooks, and chlorine
bleach to Iraq via the U.S. Postal Service (which is banned from mailing
anything of value to Iraq).

*WEEK OF ACTIONS*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (excerpted for length)
Contacts: Rania Masri (919) 272-8685 or (919) 848-4738 Will Younans (734)
827-1077

OVER 100 CAMPUSES JOIN FORCES FOR "NATIONAL DAYS OF STUDENT ACTION" AGAINST
THE U.S. SANCTIONS AND BOMBING WAR ON IRAQ

Students  and  faculty members on over 100 campuses throughout the US
have dedicated the week of April 25 through May 1 to taking action aimed at
lifting the UN imposed sanctions and stopping the US and allied bombing of
Iraq.

Students throughout the country are participating in marches, rallies,
vigils, teach-ins, circulating petitions and otherwise joining forces to
pressure the US government to end its support for sanctions upon Iraq that
organizers of the activities say have caused the deaths of 1.2 million Iraqi
people.

Rania Masri, another national coordinator, and a student at North Carolina
State University, states "Our reasons for promoting in the Days of Action
are two fold.  We aim to arm ourselves and our fellow students with the
facts about the deadly impact of U.S. policy toward Iraq.  Once so informed,
we will act to organize into an effective force toward ending the U.S. war
on the Iraqi people."

A list of every student action during this week can be found at
http://iraqaction.org/days.html or
http://iraqaction.org/call2action2.html


_________________________________

NOTE: to contact Refuse & Resist! by email, send to <•••@••.•••>

**********************************************************************
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 15:41:50 -0700
From: Sid Shniad <•••@••.•••>
Subject: May Day demonstration against the war Leiden (the Netherlands)

Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 
From: Herman de Tollenaere <•••@••.•••>
Subject: 1 May against the war Leiden (the Netherlands)

May Day demonstration against the war Leiden (the Netherlands)

Saturdag 1 may 15 h.00 Hooglandse Kerkgracht (bridge across Oude Rijn) Leiden 

various speakers/Arab music

STOP the Balkan war!

demonstration to Resistance Monument near Windmill de Valk. There, we will
be silent for one minute, in respect for all victims of the Balkan war.
Please bring flowers

organized by: Anti Oorlogscomité Leiden
PO box 2228, 2301 CE Leiden, The Netherlands. Phone +71-5173019/5225180

*****************************************************************************
Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 02:44:11 +1000
From: ROAL <•••@••.•••>
 (by way of Lynette Dumble <•••@••.•••>)
Subject: [GSN] Letters from Seville - Mireya WiB

Dear Jan and friends, 
FYI from Women in Black, Spain - a small window into the untold suffering 
inflicted by NATO's war in the name of "humanitarianism" - with warm 
regards, Lynette.
-------------------
Dear friends,
>From Spain, we send you two letters; the first one (written 12 days
ago!) in English and the second one in Spanish (we will send you the
translation in a few days).
Here, in Spain, we will try to hand "An Appeal to governments members of
NATO" to the Foreign Office personnaly the 7th May.  We would like to
know if there would be possible a coordinated action of this kind in
some of the NATO countries. Please, answers before Tuesday. We plan
additionaly to hand an statement asking to stop ethning cleasing to the
Yugoslav Embassy, in order to keep the line of neither/nor.
Best wishes,
Yolanda R.

Letter from Sevilla/Mireya Women in Black (18 04 99)
traducción: Paula/W in B Sevilla (25 04 98)
Dear Friends,

More than a week has gone by with no news, lots of activity, trying to
keep up with everyone by means of an ice-cold screen that
can't transmit what we really need to know - direct news from our
friends.  So many people that we would love to have just a sign
from, people we want to caress with the tenderness of our words, know
how they are living through these endless days and nights.
Friends from Kosova, Belgrade, Panchevo, Montenegro and others from the
communities thrown together and separated, bridges
that were destroyed years ago and again now, Vojvodina ... <snip> We are trying 
to build bridges between those who manage to get away from
the bombs, through communiqués that you send us, bridges to associations
here who have opened their eyes to the huge 
delusion.  But, as you know, it is not easy to get this published.
Through conferences, group meetings, protests, we are trying to
create links of communication among our civilian population, from women
to women, from young to young, trade union to trade
union, human rights to human rights, university professors, jurists,
etc.

Having taken into account that our communiqué (that of the 17) at least
in Andalucía, Sebastian is going to send it as the Defensor
of the People...

Human Rights are preparing a 20-page bulletin.  On Saturday we were
choosing themes and communiqués, letters, it will be
distributed to all 100 communication media in Andalucía and to all the
members.

<snip>
Seville, you telling me about each of our friends, our
sisters ...  On the 6th of April we had another unitary protest,
organized after holy week by various Peace groups.  On Wednesday
the 7th we had ours where we always invite all groups and individuals to
participate.  Panels with counter-information, posters, 
murals, a fishing net with the names and places of Women in Black and
friends of our meetings: affection, solidarity, love, etc.  Net
in Spanish means on the one hand the fishing net and on the other the
network of relationships between people, so our Sofía comes
along with a long fishing net every Wednesday where we clip on names,
words and places with clothes pegs - women for peace.  It
is an important point of meeting for us where we talk about what other
women are doing in places like Italy ...  After each meeting
we paint some words on the path in front of the town hall but the next
day it is always cleaned away, although we come back
stronger every Wednesday!

The CNN come to our protests.  They interviewed me one day.  I'm being
interviewed and invited to participate in Faculty and
Institutional debates.  On Sunday llth IU (United Left) staged a protest
against NATO.  Sebastian and I were there to talk with 
them.<snip>

On Sunday the 9th of May, in Rota, Andalucía, there will be a march
against the base, against NATO, against the war; a march of
Iberian character as even some Portuguese will participate too.  A
multitude of associations are organizing it.  We are among the
participants and we will try to communicate messages from women, make a
space for that ... On Thursday I particpated in a 'round
table' talk at the Architecture Faculty.  Imagine, three in favour of
'the inevitable necessity of the intervention' and three against ...
there I spoke strongly about civilian networks and the effect of the
bombs etc. <snip>

For the 24th of May I propose that we all have an idea in common ...the
Net from Jerusalem to Seville passing through Santiago,
New York and Rome etc.  ....  We propose two
symbolic acts, one can be carried out on the same day depending on the
places or divided between Monday and Wednesday.

1.  At a public square we will repeat the circle and rituals that was
performed in 1998 at the meeting, with as many women as
possible, remembering the links that we women create among women from
different cultures and places, creating a net of
communication and of Peace.  A network of communication against bombs.
Creating a network of civilian voices against the horror
of bombs.  For this we need to make posters too contrasting our
information with the official lines.  (See also proposals/appeals that
we wrote in a communiqué on the 29th of March: participation of women in
the peace negotiations).
2.  Bridges: always bridges.  Occupy somehow a bridge as a symbol od
communication (civilian negotiation and power) in contrast
with bombs and military aggression.  Unite the two riverbanks; unite
necessities.

It also seems important to us to find an opportunity to "employ fiscal
objection" against military spending in NATO countries, just as
we suggested in our first letter on the 29th of March for the net.
Deserting military taxes to support desertors and war refugees.
There is alot to be said about this civilian restistence strategy as
women (what defense do we want?)... It seems important to
distribute this initiative or method of resistance against spending on
this day that was co-ordinated by women in Europe at the
beginning of the 80s to end the missile bases.
<snip>

Let's see if there are more ideas for this 24th May which will be
celbrated in this time of the terrible reality of real war.  Another
thing,  to organize talks on the situation, alternatives with women,
inviting antimilitary women from other groups and also from NGOs
to create a collective debate.  We could also use the documentary film
on Women in Black in Belgrade.  In Seville we have a copy
on professional tape which can be copied for everyone without damaging
the original.  You can obtain this paying 2.500pts on
delivery for Spain.  From outside Spain give us a call.  It lasts 90
minutes and it is in English and German.

Another idea is to eventually organize a solidarity party and send the
money raised to Women in Black in Belgrade.

<snip>
*******************************************************************
Mother's Day is an excellent time for protests/vigils and making the links.
Here is something I (Jan) wrote for the local media. It may be of help for
others...

        If You Want Peace, Prepare for Peace

While many people are outraged by the way Kosovan Albanians have been
treated and want to do SOMETHING, the something that is being done now
(bombing) is only making things worse and must be stopped.

While some government leaders have done their best to paint this NATO
bombing campaign as a humanitartian mission, people must listen to their
common sense (and even the evidence available in the mass media) and realize
that we could be spending our money and resources on useful help for those
suffering from violence, rather than on this bombing campaign (which could
become a bloody and terrible ground war between many nations if we do not
succeed in stopping it).

Let's consider some statistics:

The money being spent on humanitarian relief for the Kosovan 
refugees is a tiny fraction of that being spent on the bombing. 
NATO's bombs have created a crisis in one of the poorest areas of 
Europe.

* The cost of one of the US's B-2 "Stealth" bombers is £1.5 billion. 
That is the same as the entire gross domestic product of Albania.

* The US has 21 B-2 bombers.  The money used to produce them 
could meet the basic health and nutritional requirements of the 
starving across the world for TWO years. That would save the lives 
of the 30,000 children under the age of five who die EVERY DAY 
because of malnutrition and easily treatable diseases.

* Every cruise missile fired costs $1 million. Experts estimate NATO 
dropped at least 120 cruise missiles in the first week of bombing 
alone. The cost of EACH ONE could provide the seeds and tools for 
50,000 poor peasants in the "Third World" to grow their own food for 
a year.

Perhaps the bombing and media blitz will not have been totally useless
though, for it is focussing many people's attention on the problems in
Kosovo and we are finding out about the many groups and people whose
non-violent work for peace in that region went unoticed before.

The US government's record in the region (refusing to disarm the Yugoslav
army when they had the opportunity to do so, stymying efforts to bring war
criminals such as Slobodan Milosovitch to trial, etc.) has been very
unhelpful to say the least. But other countries, mainly those working
through the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) have
been making more genuine efforts for peace.

A group of former Nobel laureates, including Mikhail Gorbachov, Betty Williams, 
Frederik de Klerk, Rigoberta Menchu, Simon Peres, David Trimble and 
Joseph  Rotblat has expressed its willingness to travel to the region and
help bring an end to this war.

These are the efforts we ought to be supporting, not the bombing war.

Those people who want to concentrate their thoughts and prayers on peace are
invited to a vigil for peace on May 8 at noon in front of the Digby library.
The day before Mother's Day is an especially important date for a peace
vigil as Mother's Day was initially begun as a day for peace efforts. Julia
Ward Howe wrote, on that occasion over 125 years ago: 

"Our husbands shall not come to us reeking with carnage... Our sons
shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them
of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of
those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs".

Let us hope that all citizens will be so tender of their children and the
earth's fragile web of life that they will work to bring peace by peaceful
means instead of supporting the fiction of a "humanitarian" war.

                             - 30 -
NOTE: There will also be a vigil Sat. MAy 1 by the Annapolis Royal Town Hall
at noon.

Thank you, Jan Slakov, Box 35, Weymouth, NS B0W 3T0 (837-4980)