- Sarbjit Johal and Menaha Kandasamy
O VER 200,000 people took part in the demonstration against Bush’s visit to London on Thursday November 20. The media reported it as the largest weekday demonstration Britain has ever seen. This sea of people with slogans demanding ‘Bush and Blair have to go’ and ‘Bush Blair butchers – fight UK/US imperialism’, brought the city to a standstill.
The air was full of noise with people whistling loudly, shouting slogans, singing protest songs and playing instruments. This ‘well behaved’ demonstration was too much for Tony Blair who left Downing St by the back door after his meeting with a nervous and tense looking Bush. Despite the biggest and costliest ever security operation seen in London, the Bush entourage had cancelled all outdoor engagements planned for his London visit, including a meeting with families of British September 11 victims. Perhaps only the acceptance of their earlier demand that any US secret service men who ‘accidentally’ shot protestors would be granted immunity in the British courts would have reassured Bush’s advisers that it was safe to venture out. In fact, as a speaker at the rally said, ‘we have placed George Bush under house arrest’.
Police roadblocks and the long route did not stop more and more people from joining the march as it moved closer to the rally. The voices of protest became louder as people shouted: ‘No Peace, No Justice’, ‘UK and US out of the Middle East’, and ‘Down with imperialism!… What do we want? Peoples Power, when do we want it? Now!’. Women from the ‘Global strike for women started the slogan: ‘Women of Palestine’ we are with you…..’. Marchers dressed in orange representing the prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay wore placards stating: `Justice the Bush way: no charges, no evidence, no representation, no rights, no status, no reprieve, no hope, Stop the torture, End illegal detentions’.
The three hour long march ended with a rally at Trafalgar Square where the American flag was set alight. Then, in an ironic parody of the US-staged toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue, a giant, missile wielding ‘statue’ of Bush was pulled to the ground with ropes and trampled on by demonstrators. As night fell, more protestors were still pouring into the square. The message was loud and clear…George Bush number one terrorist….your days are numbered!
THE US ANTI-WAR movement is now emerging after a short slump since April 2003, when the last major anti-war event was organised. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, a significant section of the anti-war movement was under the illusion that they, the people, lived in a democracy and that all the protests will stop the war. The imperialist ruling class, especially the section in power, was quite nonchalant, they said, you go ahead and protest and we will kill and occupy. Well, now, the resistance in Iraq has shaken them and sharper divisions have emerged among the ruling classes on ‘how best to manage Iraq’. The anti-war forces have now regrouped themselves and have re-emerged with a clearer vision and action plan. The result was the October 25th rally and march in Washington jointly organised by the two largest anti-war umbrella groups International ANSWER and United for Peace and Justice (UJP).
On October 25th, the capital of USA reverberated with anti-war chants and slogans of approximately 100,000 people. The streets, minutes from the White House, were filled with people carrying peace signs and singing peace songs. The speeches focused on the human cost of the war on Iraqi civilians and American soldiers. Speakers from several mass organizations appealed to the people to impeach Bush for war crimes. They also said that the US is giving an additional $ 87 billion for the war when the government has made massive cuts to health, education and social services. This is on top of the billions already spent on the war and the $ 400 billion annual budget of the war machine.
People, who had travelled from 145 cities, carried signs “Bring the troops home now,” “No War for Empire,” “Impeach Bush,” and “Bush Lies, People Die.” The demonstration also protested the signing of the Patriot’s Act that was signed about two years ago. 150 Vietnam war veterans and military family members joined the protesters. Several large labour unions and coalitions such as New York City Labor Against War had also endorsed the march and actively organised for it. The rank and file of several large unions are spearheading the movement. The Workers World party and other socialist organisations have been very active in organising for the movement. ANSWER is now organizing “bring the troops home now committees” in universities, unions, churches, and communities. It has announced that it will organise more marches next year. The people have realized that as the imperialist war machine is not stopping in the short run they have to build a movement for the long run too.