Anti-War demonstrations news coverage (1 Viewer)

[pete]

[BBC] Anti-war protesters take to the streets

Saturday, 18 January, 2003, 11:06 GMT
Anti-war protesters take to the streets
Mass rallies are taking place around the world to show opposition to any war against Iraq.

" I hope that President Bush, who is acting like a cowboy, will recognise that an era of western films is over "
Tomoharu Yamauchi,
Tokyo protester

The first demonstrations took place in Japan and Pakistan. Others are set to follow in cities across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

One of the biggest protests is planned for Washington - the home of the Bush administration, which has been threatening war against Baghdad if it does not disarm.

The United States has described Thursday's discovery of empty chemical warheads in Iraq as "troubling and serious".


But officials appeared to be withholding any new demands for war until after weapons inspectors make their formal report to the United Nations on 27 January.

Other members of the UN Security Council have warned against jumping to conclusions. The Council passed a resolution in November ordering Iraq to prove it had no weapons of mass destruction.

The chief inspectors - Hans Blix and Mohammad ElBaradei - are due in Baghdad on Sunday for two days of talks before completing their submission to the UN.

Anti-US anger

Several thousand people gathered for a peace concert in Japan's capital, Tokyo, at the start of a day of rallies around Japan and the world.

Tomoharu Yamauchi, 45, a city coffee shop owner, told the AFP news agency he was marching to express his anger over US President George W Bush's aggressive stance.

"I hope that President Bush, who is acting like a cowboy, will recognise that the era of western films is over," he said.

"We have to stop (the US) from killing people."

In Pakistan, hundreds of people including many uniformed schoolchildren gathered in the capital, Islamabad, to protest for peace.

They planned to form a human chain to the town of Rawalpindi, 10 kilometres (six miles) away.

Demonstrators told the BBC they represented Pakistan's silent majority. They were protesting as much against local radicals and their hate-filled rallies as against any US belligerence.

'Pre-emptive peace'

Other anti-war demonstrations are planned in Egypt, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

In the US, organisers hope to build up a level of public opposition similar to that against the Vietnam War 30 years ago.

They say the American peace movement is being energised by the departure of more US troops to the Gulf and the scheduled inspectors' report to the UN, which could serve as a trigger for war.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a Washington lawyer and protest organiser, said: "Bush has said he intends to launch a pre-emptive war, and now he's facing the most formidable obstacle, which is a pre-emptive anti-war movement."

The Washington demonstration is set to start at Capitol Hill. Activists say they will march to a nearby navy base to demand the right to inspect US weapons of mass destruction.

Hollywood stars are expected both in Washington and in San Francisco, where a crowd of up to 50,000 people is being predicted for the City Hall rally.

Inspections protest

In Iraq itself, weapons inspectors faced their own demonstration - by the Iraqi journalists' union which is headed by Saddam Hussein's son, Uday.

Journalists shouted "Down, down Bush" on the second day of protest against the teams sent to verify Iraq's declaration that it has no banned weapons.

Rallies were staged on Friday to coincide with the 12th anniversary of the start of the Gulf War, when a US-led coalition ended Iraq's occupation of Kuwait.

On Thursday, inspectors seized empty chemical warheads at the Ukhaider military storage facility south of Baghdad. They are being tested to determine if they ever contained banned chemicals.

Iraq said the weapons had been declared to the UN, but that was challenged by the US.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "The fact that Iraq is in possession of undeclared chemical warheads, which the United Nations says are in excellent condition, is troubling and serious."

US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a German newspaper he believed that, by the end of this month, it would be clear that Iraq was not co-operating with the weapons inspectors.

Other permanent members of the UN Security Council, notably France and Russia, have said inspectors should be given time to complete their work in Iraq.

 

[pete]

[RTE] Anti-war rally at Shannon Airport today

Anti-war rally at Shannon Airport today

January 18, 2003

(12:13) A big rally is due to get under way at Shannon this afternoon to protest against the use of the airport by US military planes refuelling there as they make their way to the Middle East for a possible war against Iraq.

Coachloads of protesters from Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford are among the hundreds set to join members of political parties in a march from the town centre to terminal buildings.

Since Christmas, protesters have been occupying a peace camp outside the airport, arguing that the country's neutrality is being breached.

Similar anti-war protests are being held in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. One of the biggest protests is planned for Washington.

 

[pete]

Shannon night before the demo - Tim Hourigan

Shannon night before the demo
by Tim Hourigan - one man on this big round rock Sat, Jan 18 2003, 2:14am
the warm up was bigger than some previous demos
Airport eerily quiet, hardly anyone in it at all. Airport police set up a check point on the main road. A US MILITARY HERCULES landed It parked near cargo terminal. Ryanair landed 5 minutes later, went to usual stand close to the Herc. We announced this in the terminal. I called the cops. Ryanair passengers were visibly shocked, as they left the terminal, the words "apalling" and "disgrace" were used to describe the presence of the Hercules. then ATA landed. then lots of peace activists started arriving up from the camp. Then the troops got back on their plane (much earlier than planned) AND THEN IT LEFT.

That's right.
The night before the demo and there was a big bunch of people at the peace camp. some of the demos have seen smaller crowds than was standing at the peace camp.

I went up to the airport with Ed and John Gormley.
There was hardly a soul there.
We went for food in the airport hotel, and met Reuters in there. We got their number and told them we'd ring them if we saw anything.
We had just come out of the door and the first thing I hear is a Hercules taxiing in.
I couldn't see it but I could hear it.
It parked on the apron between the cargo and passenger terminals. It's still there (02:13)
It has US military markings but its too dark to make out much of them.

We went back to the peace camp and told everyone.
We called Reuters, they were there in 5 minutes.
John Gormley went with me, Ed and two journalists to the terminal. One was good old Eammon C.

The ever-vigilant airport police had set up a checkpoint, but were busy trying to stop people on foot so we drove by.

Just before we went into the terminal we did an interview with a young woman in the car park

I asked her if she had just come off Ryanair.
She said she had.
I asked her if she knew that the ryanair plane was parked next to a US Hercules.
She asked if I was pulling her leg.
I assured her I wasn't.
She was very surprised.

We went inside, viewing gallery was locked.
I phoned the cops.
Airport police came over to us.
I said "It's okay, we've already phoned the police to come and inspect the military plane which just landed".

A lot of people looked up in disbelief.
One airport worker told me that he had no problem with it.
I told him I had a problem with it, and maybe other people would too if they knew.
"hands up here how many people knew that there is a US military plane parked over there near the Ryanair jet?"

No hands went up.
Some people got up.
Some people left.
As they went, they said that they thought it was appalling and a disgrace what was going on.

The airport police were not sure what to do with themselves.

Ed spotted ATA arriving.
We went to the side car park for a look.
More people were walking up from the camp
Then the cops arrived.
They asked John Gormley to sit into the squad car.
They drove up a bit and explained that they would be passing the query to immigration.
As another bunch arrived into the carpark, we saw the troops heading back to their plane, rather briskly.
The plane was there less than an hour, much shorter than it takes to fuel.
The troops were leaving early.
They left because they knew their welcome had expired.

I'm not even going to finish this.
come see for yourself.

http://indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=24486&start=0

 

[pete]

Large war protest expected at Shannon
online.ie 18 Jan 2003



Hundreds of anti-war protesters are expected to show up at Shannon airport this afternoon to voice their opposition to war with Iraq.

The protesters will be joined by TDs and Senators from a number of left wing parties.

The Irish Anti-War movement says it expects around 1,500 people to attend the rally - six buses have been laid on to ferry passengers from Dublin alone.

And significant numbers from Cork, Waterford and Limerick are expected to attend.

The rally is said to be two-fold, protestors will be voicing opposition to any war on Iraq, but they will also be calling on the US government to put a stop to it's use of Shannon airport as a stop-over facility.

Activists will assemble in Shannon town centre at 2 O'Clock. From there they will march to the 'Peace Camp' at the airport and on to the terminal building.

They will then be addressed by TDs Joe Higgins and Jan O'Sullivan and MEP Patricia McKenna.

 

[pete]

Protests as Iraq war fears grow
11.50AM GMT, 18 Jan 2003
Antiwar protests are set to take place on both sides of the Atlantic.

Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in America and Europe to voice their concern about military action against Iraq.

Americans opposed a possible war will gather for mass demonstrations - as UN arms inspectors prepare to return to Baghdad for talks on the Gulf nation's disarmament.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest in the streets of Washington and San Francisco, and will plead for the White House to back down and let inspections run their course,

Organisers claim the rallies will be the largest showing of US antiwar sentiment since President George W. Bush started making his case for attacking Iraq last year.

In the Republic of Ireland, demonstrations are planned at Shannon airport - a base for US jets to refuel.

Coachloads of protesters from Dublin, Galway, Cork and Waterford are among the hundreds set to join members of political parties in a march from the town centre to the airport buildings.

Organiser Richard Boyd Barrett, of the Irish Antiwar Movement, said the Irish government was out of tune with the views of ordinary people on the issue of planes stopping at Shannon.

"The whole country is focused on what we want," he said.

"Now we want the Government to listen, we want an end to the use of Shannon by the US military and for the Government to come out and oppose this war."

And in London, Britain's military headquarters will also be targeted by protestors, who are set to gather outside the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the British Armed Forces.

Activists are also intending to breach the Official Secrets Act by photographing and sketching the Northwood army base in north-west London.

As the command post for British rapid deployment forces, the base would play a key role in directing British forces in any attack on Iraq.

The protests come as Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix prepares to fly to Baghdad in an attempt to persuade Saddam Hussein finally to come clean about his weapons of mass destruction.

And it follows the claims from US Secretary of State Colin Powell that by the end of January there would be "a persuasive case" Iraq was not cooperating with UN inspectors.

Many countries believe that another UN resolution is needed to justify a war against Iraq, but Mr Powell claimed otherwise.

"We have always made clear that the US will act without a second resolution if we are of the firm opinion that Iraq still has weapons of mass destruction or wants to produce new ones," he told a German newspaper.

"If you are looking for proof of weapons of mass destruction, I can show you pictures," Powell added.

(some of their own ones, i presume)


http://www.itv.com/news/403645.html

 

[pete]

ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATIONS

Hundreds of thousands of people are taking part in anti-war demonstrations in Britain and the US and across the world as the prospect of military action against Iraq moves closer.

Protesters will gather outside the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the British Armed Forces in north west London to voice their opposition.

Activists are intending to breach the Official Secrets Act by photographing and sketching the Northwood base which would play a key role in directing British forces in any attack on Iraq.

Former Labour leftwinger Tony Benn, who was taking part in the protests, warned that there is "massive" opposition to war in Britain.

"You cannot take a nation to war unless it is united," he said.

In America, mass demonstrations are planned in Washington and San Francisco. Organisers said it will be the largest showing of US anti-war sentiment since President Bush began to make his case for attacking Baghdad last year.

The protests come as the UN's chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix heads to Baghdad, where he will insist on greater openess from the Iraqi authorities.

"We need more accurate co-operation for their sake and for the sake of peace," he said.

There are signs of growing impatience in Washington. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he believed there would be a "persuasive case" by the end of the month that Iraq was not co-operating.

He said: "We believe by the end of the month, it will be convincingly proven that Iraq is not cooperating."

In Ireland, there are concerns that the build up to any conflict is threatening its traditional neutrality.

American military planes carrying troops and weapons on route to the Gulf are allowed to refuel at Shannon Airport, where protesters are planning to stage a protest.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-12228224,00.html

 

[pete]

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Protesters opposed to war on Iraq gathered for mass demonstrations around the world on Saturday as U.N. arms chiefs traveled to Baghdad to tell its leaders cooperation was the only way to avoid armed conflict.

With Washington massing troops and equipment in the Gulf and Iraq declaring itself mobilized for battle, thousands of demonstrators in the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Syria, Russia, Italy, Yemen, Ireland, Cyprus and Pakistan took to the streets to say "no" to war.

"There's been too much capital invested in this war for it not to happen. But we're making our position clear, we're saying 'no'. There are people speaking out on this all over the world now, and we're part of it," said Adam Conway, 24, an activist living at a peace camp near Shannon Airport in Ireland.

President Bush has said he will lead a "coalition of the willing" to force Iraq to give up its alleged weapons of mass destruction if Baghdad does not cooperate with U.N. arms inspectors.

Secretary of State Colin Powell told a German daily that Washington believed by the end of January there would be "a persuasive case" Iraq was not cooperating.

The White House has also seized on the discovery of empty chemical warheads in Iraq as evidence of noncompliance, calling the weapons cache "serious and troubling," though U.N. weapons chief Hans Blix played down the significance of the find.

Pleading for the White House to back down and let inspections run their course, tens of thousands of people were expected to protest in Washington and San Francisco on Saturday in the largest anti-war demonstrations since Bush began making a case against Iraq last year.

"Bush has said that he intends to launch a pre-emptive war, and now he's facing the most formidable obstacle, which is a pre-emptive anti-war movement," said Washington lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, who is helping to organize the protests.

...


ANTI-WAR MOBILISATION

With the clock ticking on a possible war with Iraq, those opposed to an attack have mobilized with a new sense of urgency.

In Britain, Washington's staunchest ally against Iraq, demonstrations were planned in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.

Egyptian demonstrators planned a second day of protests in Cairo calling on their government to prevent U.S. and British warships from using the Suez Canal.

Thousands of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo to protest a possible war in Iraq and in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, a few thousand people formed a human chain to condemn any U.S.-led attack.

In France, where President Jacques Chirac said a unilateral attack by Washington on Iraq would violate international law, left-wing parties, trade unions and peace groups planned to hold demonstrations in Paris and several provincial cities.

And in Cyprus, anti-war demonstrators were gathering signatures.

"We believe a war will take place. The U.N. inspectors are Bush and (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair's fig leaf for an attack and let's not kid ourselves, their main interests are Iraq's oil reserves," Phaedonas Vassiliades told Reuters.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20030118_31.html

 

[pete]

US told to seek Irish permission to transit munitions

London, Jan 18, IRNA -- US civilian planes using Shannon airport
have been warned by the Irish government that they must seek prior
permission to transit munitions in preparations for a war against
Iraq.
The Department of Transport has written to all civilian airlines
using the airport on the west coast of Ireland advising them
ministerial permission must be sought to land or use Irish airspace
if arms are being carried, the Irish Independent reported Saturday.
The warning comes amid mounting controversy over the use of
Shannon by the US military as part of its buildup for a war against
Iraq.
Anti-war campaigners have set up a women's peace camp at the
entrance to the airport in protest. Over 1,000 demonstrators were
expected to join a rally at Shannon on Saturday expressing support
for the anti-war campaign.
More than 1,000 American troops were reported to have passed
through the trans-Atlantic transit airport in eight planes on
Wednesday.
But Foreign Minister Brian Cowen confirmed earlier this week
only one application had been made so far this year by civilian
aircraft seeking permission to land at Shannon carrying weapons.
In a statement on Monday, Cowen also said that foreign military
aircraft require permission from his ministry to overfly or land in
Ireland.
He emphasized that his government had no intention of altering
regulations at present, but said that in the event of military action
against Iraq being sanctioned by the Security Council, the situation
would be reviewed.
HC/LS
End

http://www.irna.com/en/head/030118145704.ehe.shtml
(Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran)

 

[pete]

Huge crowd expected for Shannon Airport protest

by Keith Kelly
HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend a national protest at Shannon Airport today (Saturday) to demand an end to the use of the airport by the US military.

The protest, which is being organised by the Irish Anti War Movement, are hoping more than 1,000 people will come out and support the protest.

"The level of interest and support for the protest is incredible. Despite the long distances involved for many people we are getting whole families with young kids, pensioners, school students and many others phoning up every few minutes to book places on the buses or to enquire about the details of the protest," says Richard Boyd Barrett, the chairperson of the IAWM.

The organisers had originally planned to put on two or three buses from Dublin to go to the protest but now say they expect five or six buses from Dublin to travel.

Buses will also be travelling from, Cork, Galway and Waterford to the protest, while hundreds of people are expected to make their own way to Shannon in cars and on public transport, with significant numbers expected to turn out from Limerick, Shannon and the surrounding areas.

"The opinion polls and the widespread public opposition to the war on Iraq show clearly that the government is completely out of step with the views of the majority of people in Ireland on this issue.

"The government must end its craven support of the US war drive and come out clearly and publicly against US plans to attack Iraq. "The best way to do this is to order the US military out of Shannon. This would have a huge political impact in the US and give a huge boost to the growing opposition to the war in the US itself," Mr Boyd Barrett says.

Speakers at the protest, which will assemble in Shannon town centre at 1.30pm before moving to Shannon Airport, will include MEP Patricia McKenna, deputies Jan O'Sullivan and Joe Higgins and representatives of IAWM and other peace groups.

http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=3561&category=Daily-Sat

 

[pete]

Crowds swell for Shannon protest
18/01/2003 - 12:17:29 pm

Hundreds of people are to converge on Shannon airport this afternoon to protest against it's use by US military aircraft.

The Irish Anti-War movement estimates that up to 2,000 people will join them in marching from Shannon town centre to the airport terminal via the peace camp at 2 O'Clock.

Spokesperson Richard Boyd-Barrett says ''We are also going to be handing in a giant post-card to the US troops, which we hope the airport authorities will hand over to them, asking them to leave the country.US soldiers are not welcome in this country while the US is planning to attack Iraq.''

Green party Chairman John Gormley will be joining the protest. He says ''There is a lot of deception taking place and clearly Irish neutrality is a thing of the past...basically Shannon airport is being used as a domestic military airport, yet it is also a civilian airport...clearly the two of these are not compatible.''

http://breaking.examiner.ie/2003/01/18/story84750.html

 

[pete]

First anti-war marches hit Europe's streets in protest weekend
As the first protestors took to the streets of Europe on Saturday local time, to demonstrate against a looming US-led war on Iraq thousands more people were gearing up across the continent for a weekend of protest action.

Demonstrators have already been on the streets in Austria, Russia, as well as Japan, while thousand-strong gatherings were expected to take place in Britain, Ireland and Italy.

In Moscow several hundred communist activists wielding banners of Lenin and Stalin and waving red flags demonstrated outside the US embassy against the threat of war.

The militants, who arrived to the sound of revolutionary songs broadcast by loud-speakers from a lorry, brandished placards denouncing the United States as a "terrorist" and "world policeman" and US President George W Bush as "Hitler" and his policies "fascist".

One of the organisers, Sergei Mitropolsky, said he expected up to 3,000 people to take part in all.

In Vienna around 1,000 people gathered for a demonstration on Friday night local time, one of the organisers of the protest, the "Anti-Imperalist Coordination", said.

The demonstrators, mostly students or schoolchildren, went from the university in the city centre to the nearby US embassy where they burned a US flag and chanted "Stop the War".

Meanwhile, demonstrators across Europe were girding up on Saturday local time, for a weekend of action with massive rallies expected in Britain, the key supporter of the United States' stance on Iraq.

Thousands of demonstrators were expected at silent candle-lit protests in London's Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square, due to take place Saturday at 6:00 pm (18:00 GMT), organisers said.

A British protest group, Voices in the Wilderness, which opposes sanctions against Iraq, was also planning to demonstrate outside the British armed forces headquarters in northwest London.

A spokesman for the group said the demonstrators would be armed with telescopes and cameras and planned to take pictures of the site, in knowing contravention of British law.

In Ireland, a thousand people were expected to take part in a demonstration at Shannon airport in protest at its possible use as a refuelling base for US aircraft in the event of war.

The authorities in Italy were also expecting thousands of people to march through the southern city of Naples Saturday in protest against the possibility of conflict.

The demonstration, organised by the anti-globalisation movement, was due to get underway in the early afternoon and reach the port city's historic centre at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT).

In France anti-war groups issued appeals to protestors to come out onto the streets, while the opposition Socialist Party (PS) said it planned to distribute 500,000 copies of a pacifist petition.

In Germany protests by young members of the ruling Socialist Party (SPD) were expected Saturday, while the radical anti-globalisation group Attac was to meet in the northern town of Goettingen over the weekend.

On Sunday Spanish demonstrators were expected to march on the military base of Torrejon, which could be used by the United States in the event of a war with Iraq.

Hordes of demonstrators had already marched Saturday in Japan, in rallies aimed at heading off a war on Iraq.

More than 4,000 people gathered in Japan's capital Tokyo in the biggest of about 10 rallies held across the nation.

A group called World Peace Now, which organised the Tokyo rally, said 4,000 to 5,000 began the march through the city's glitzy Ginza shopping district .

http://www.abc.net.au/news/justin/nat/newsnat-19jan2003-1.htm
ABC (Australia)

 

[pete]

John Gormley joins protestors in Shannon
18/01/2003 - 14:45:21

Green Party TD John Gormley has joined anti-war protestors in Shannon town.

He says the Government respected the wishes of the majority of the people and said no to America.

Mr Gormley says they wanted the Dail to reconvene to discuss this matter because it actually hasn't been debated by way of parliamentary question or by way of parliamentary motion.

"It will be putting the Government under pressure and already I think that they understand now that they are out of touch with public opinion because the latest survey shows the majority of Irish people are opposed to going to war with Iraq even with a UN mandate," he said.

The protestors are expected to march to the airport shortly before 3pm this afternoon.

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=59846914&p=598476zx

 

[pete]

1,500 at Shannon anti-war rally

January 18, 2003

(18:54) An estimated 1,500 people attended today's anti war march and rally at Shannon airport to protest at the use of the airport by US military aircraft and troops.

Anti war groups claim facilitating the US army in this way makes Ireland complicit in any war against Iraq, and could make the airport a target for terrorists.

The march was attend by a number of TDs, Senators and MEPs. The rally was addressed by Labours Michael D Higgins, and MEP Patricia McKenna, who said the Irish Government was breaking its own laws by allowing the US to use Shannon airport to refuel their military aircraft and to allow US troops to land there.

But supporters of the Government said the protesters were sending the wrong message and could undermine the legitimacy of Ireland's peace efforts at the UN.

There was a strong garda and airport secuity presence at the airport. Gardaí accompanied marchers as far as the airport terminal building, but only passengers and staff were allowed inside the airport.

The march and rally was orderly for the most part, but just as it was breaking up a number of protesters tried to break through Garda security at one of the cargo buildings located away from the terminal building.

Gardaí spoke to the protesters and took their names and addresses, but no arrests were made.

The Shannon protest coincided with worldwide demonstrations, opposing war with Iraq.

Rallies began in Japan and were followed by protests in Pakistan, the Middle East and Russia.

One of the biggest protests was in Washington where thousands of demonstrators are calling on the White House to back down and let UN weapons inspections run their course.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0118/9news/9news56_1a.ram

 

[dubh in seattle]

anti-war demos in seattle

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/104864_march18.shtml
the local mainstream coverage is lame(no suprise), but the city has protesters with placards on just about every corner today-- my studio client and I have rescheduled our session so we can go. I'm looking forward to adding my voice to the protests at Shannon-- Feb. 15th Pete? Well done to all of you brave enough to stand up to the bullying u.s. breach of Irish neutrality.