Operation infinite protest

>> The many words, chants, signs and general hullaballoo at the Anti-War-Hysteria and Racism march

by CRAIG SEGAL

As Prime Minister Jean Chrétien talks with U.S. President George W. Bush about Canada's commitment to the U.S. "war on terrorism," people around the world are fighting, marching and screaming for peace. Organizers say over 1,000 people marched in last Sunday's demo against war-hysteria and racism in Montreal. Protesters met at Concordia Sunday afternoon and walked to the U.S. consulate and then to the federal Complexe Guy-Favreau on René-Lévesque. Here is what they had to say.



Welcome to the rest of the world, America. You never thought this would happen to you in your own homes and offices. It's your industries who make the bomber jets, you who train our soldiers to torture people, beef up our repressive regimes and then call our freedom fighters "terrorists." Our brothers and sisters have been dying of starvation from your embargoes for decades, did you know that? America, I want to charge you with harbouring and supporting terrorists. There are 602 white supremacist groups in the United States, hundreds are armed. Besides of course your military, air force and navy. Instead of slamming borders shut, deporting refugees and ending the era of carry-on baggage, don't you know that the best way to prevent terrorism is to stop shitting all over other countries?

--exerpts from a poem read by Gitanjali Lena, an activist, outside the American Consulate



Fear and anger felt by people all over the world has forced us to take a collective breath and say "STOP!" The time has passed when people are naïvely led to war as sheep.

--Abraham Weizfeld, member of the Coalition Against War-hysteria & Racism, in their press release for the march



I've been incredibly angry with the U.S. government and the propaganda in the media. These demonstrations have to start early on. Our generation's going to be badly affected by this. I don't want to be this angry, but I don't think there's any other way I can be.

--Antoinette Karuna, 19, Concordia Communications student



It's ironic because the people who went to work [at the World Trade Centre September 11] at 7 a.m. were there to ask for investment advice in companies on the other side of the world. Usually when this kind of thing happens to those countries they think of how it affects their investment. But for once it happened in the building of American investors, who usually make their money on the deaths of others.

--Nesrine, McGill student



In Iraq, the American sanctions kill 6,000 children every month. That's the equivalent of one World Trade Centre attack every month in Iraq. There has been no minute of silence for those deaths.

--Raymond Legault, member of Voices of Conscience, a local group opposed to the sanctions against Iraq, in a speech in front of Concordia



What we need to do is ask the unpopular questions. When George Bush and Jean Chrétien talk about annihilating racism, they should look in the mirror. Instead of asking who did it, we must ask, "Why did it happen?" Now more than ever we need to be public. Now more than ever we need to be assertive. Now more than ever we need to take to the streets. All we are saying is not, "Give peace a chance." All we are saying is, "We want peace--with justice."

--Activist Jaggi Singh, speaking in front of Concordia



We have to question ourselves. Violence never stopped in the whole 20th Century. There have only been two days of total peace. War has been brought back to the Americans. All these wars have always had an economic flavour. For world peace we need egalitarianism, a total end to class warfare.

--Marc Goudreault, 22, member of the International Socialists





I think it's very impressive that more and more people are protesting. I think there is a strength in numbers and hopefully the voice of peace and justice will reach the minds of those who have forgotten and are speaking the voice of anger and revenge. I still believe in the power of words. Let's have a debate.

--Dipti Gupta, president of Teesri Duniya Theatre



We're definitely aware that in war it's civilians who get killed. U.S. attacks will just provoke even further war and retaliation. We're also very concerned that as Canadians we should stand against war-mongering. I feel that the popular sentiment is against war.

--Delores Chew, member of the South Asian Women's Community Centre



It's only going to make us less secure in the end. We need two things: more security on planes, and to stop the siege on Iraq and to get troops out of the West Bank and Gaza. It's pure greed that is keeping them there. To benefit a few individuals who own corporations, the security of all the rest of us is compromised.

--Richard, holding a sign saying, "U.S. Troops out of Saudi Arabia. Enough people have died. No more!"



People need to be educated that it's the criminals who need to be condemned, not people of a specific faith. The main reason we're here is to let the government know that Canadians don't want to participate and jump on the American bandwagon because two wrongs don't make a right.

--Farah Malik, student/researcher



We believe that it's not simply an act of terrorists. It's the Third World that's expressing its feelings against imperialist forces. It's 100 years since they started a war and they continue the war. It's a war to impose the American hegemony.

--Patrice Legendre, reporter for Red Flag, and member of a local revolutionary Communist party



When we ask for peace, we are not asking for a return to September 10. We are asking for the destruction of this exploitative system that has subjugated the people.

--Samer Elatrash, of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, Concordia



We must mourn all the people who die in the Third World, not just the Americans. Millions of Afghanis have already lost their work and their children. Afghanistan is very poor, and [the US] want to attack Afghanistan and make more suffering.

--Qaderi Abdulhadi, 31, Afghani student, CÉGEP St-Laurent



I'm seeing that our youth have a way to express their opinions. That is the proper way--to use words instead of weapons. We have to be sure of who [attacked the U.S.] before we accuse people.

--RCMP Constable André Szivti, keeping an eye on the U.S. consulate from van



I think it's good that people voice their opinions. But these guys have all these signs popping up. The U.S. is faced with a catch-22. If they don't do anything they get shit on. And if they go to war they get shit on too. It's something that's got to be done. It's a dirty job and someone's got to do it. Sometimes you have to use force to do certain things. They only mobilized 20,000 guys, max. That in itself is proof that this isn't going to be a big television war like everybody thinks. The American way of life is possible because people like me and those before me laid down their lives to protect freedom. I just hope it doesn't happen up here because Canada's a great place. I think at times like these people should support their government.

--Justin W., a U.S. army reservist on 24-hour alert watching the demo from the sidelines :

Anti-War Info

-- The next anti-war hysteria march is this Saturday, Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m., beginning at Guy and de Maisonneuve, near Concordia. Contacts: 931-2377, solidarite923@yahoo.com

-- Forum Against War and Racist Backlash (presentations and discussions): this Sunday, Sept. 30, 3-5:30 p.m. Atwater Library, 1200 Atwater. Organized by the South Asia Research and Resource Centre, the South Asian Women's Community Centre and Teesri Duniya Theatre. Contacts: 982-6606, ext. 2248, ceras@alternatives.ca

-- Anti-Racist Action hotline and security squad: 573-STOP

-- Web Sites: www.nonviolence.org, http://montreal.indymedia.org

-- Petition: www.flora.org/coat/appeal