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Letter to the US peace movement in support of the actions on 24th of September * Open letter to Bush, from Prof. Lieven De Cauter * See the video clip of this action |
(All photo's on this page by Thomas Payot, Huito, Keltum & Han. Copyright www.indymedia.be)
Letter to the US peace movement in support of the actions on 24th of September
Dear friends in the USA,
We would like to congratulate you for the initiative of the march in Washington on September 24.
Your actions are not only crucial for peace in Iraq, not only essential for social justice in your own country, but necessary for all the people in the world who are suffering from the military interventions of your government. In fact, we all have our responsibilities for preserving world peace. That’s why we want to send you our solidarity message, not only in words, but with the following action we plan on the eve of your march.
Brussels, September 23, from 5 to 7pm
Human chain in front of the US Embassy
Shame on Bush!
No money for war
but to fight against poverty
Worldwide there’s huge indignation about the attitude of the Bush government in handling the Hurricane Katrina.
It is criminal that:
- people are neglected because of their colour or their social class
- people are treated as enemies because they’re black and poor.
- billions of dollars are drained to the Iraq war instead of reinforcing the levees and relieving social
needs of the people.
Saturday September 24, the US peace movement organizes large actions to demand the end of US occupation of Iraq and of US Military intervention elsewhere with a march around the White House. On the eve of this event, we want to support this action with a human chain around the US embassy in Brussels.
Together with the US peace movement, we demand:
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Money for social needs of the people, not for war
-
No to racism
-
No repression against the poor
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Stop the occupation of Iraq, withdrawal of all foreign troops
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An independent inquiry into the criminal negligence during the Katrina disaster!
We demand from our government:
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Stop any direct and indirect support of Belgium to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
This action call is supported by StopUSA, Vrede vzw, The BRussells Tribunal, For Mother Earth, World Forum for Alternatives, Christian peace movement...
We are one with you, dear friends, as we surround the U.S. embassy in Brussels and you march around the White House, the symbol of US efforts for imperial domination of the planet.
In peace and solidarity.
The BRussells Tribunal.
Open letter to george w. Bush.
(read by Lieven de Cauter on the solidarity action at the American Embassy, Brussels, 23.09.05)
Mister President,
We are here to show solidarity with the American peace movement, that will protest tomorrow against the illegal war and occupation in Iraq. This occupation is getting more gruesome and awful everyday. We are here to demand: stop the torturing in Guantànamo and Abu Graib, stop this war crime strategy of urbicide which carries names like Fallujah, Al Quaim, Hadhita and Tal Afar, stop the massacre in Tal Afar, stop the Salvador option in Iraq, stop the terrorising of the population with dead squads, stop the stirring of civil war by secret operations of special forces, like recently revealed by the British ones caught in Basra.
Mister President, we are also here to show solidarity with the people of New Orleans. They are not only victims of natural disaster but also of disastrous government. We are here to support the request of an independent inquiry into the criminal negligence during the Katrina disaster! It is criminal that people are neglected because of their colour or their social class; it is criminal that people are treated as enemies because they’re black and poor; It is criminal that billions of dollars are drained to the Iraq war instead of reinforcing the levees and relieving social needs of the people. We are here to demand, together with the US peace movement: Money for social needs of the people, not for war.
Therefore and above all, Mister President, we are here to demand, with the American peace movement, the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq.
To the American people speaking out against the war and especially the American peace movement we say: We are one with you, dear friends, as we surround the U.S. embassy in Brussels and you march around the White House, the symbol of US efforts for imperial domination of the planet. Mister President, give up this neocon strategy of permanent war and so called “full spectrum dominance”. Think of Rita. Global war and global warming will blow up and in fact are blowing up in your face. And if it doesn’t blow in your face it will blow in ours. It is high time your government takes a different course.
Lieven De Cauter, on behalf of the BRussells tribunal