15.02.03 What was all that about then? The Rise & Demise of the Anti-War Movement!Where to Now Then?

international | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis

Friday February 15, 2008 09:56

by Ciaron O'Reilly - Pitstop Ploughshares/ Catholic Worker

London, England

It's five years on since millions marched against the invasion of Iraq.

Today, the war escalates in Iraq & Afghanistan and expands into Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, northern Pakistan and maybe soon Iran. Irish complicity is as deep as ever as Shannon Airport remains the major pitstop for U.S. troops getting from North America to the theatres of war.

The once anti-war Green Party has morphed into an Irish government betraying Irish neutrality and facilitating U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile the anti-war movement that was taken for a ride by the mainstream opposition parties, the authorirtarian left and moderate NGO's has all but disappeared from the streets.

On Feb 15th. 03 I was sharing a Limerick prison cell with a young seminarian, Damien Moran, where we watching the Sky live feed from London of 1-2 million folks marching in the streets aginst the war. Meanwhile 150,000+ were marching in Ireland. Our co-defendants Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop & Karen Fallon were in the women's section of Limerick Prison. We had helped to pull off the most disruptive action to U.S. military deployment www.peaceontrial.com (a bit like winning the Eurovision...there wasn't a lot of NVDA competition from a timid, soon to evaporate, anti-war movement)..causing one U.S. war plane to turn around and return to Texas unable to contribute to the war effort. Also in response to our action, 4 U.S. companies, transporting U.S. troops to war, abandoned Ireland as a secure place to refuel. Although we we were in an Irish prison for this nonviolent resistance to war, any mention of it was censored by the Feb 15th. Dublin rally organisers.

An interesting article on the demise of the anti-war movement appears in today's The Guardian G2 section cover titled "15.02.03 Millions Marched Did it Change Anything?". Inside the zine it is entitiled "The Day Politics Stopped Working" by John Harte stimulates reflection on waht led to the demise of a massive anti-war movement during an unpopular war that escalates and expands...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq

Where to now for the anti war movement (to be honest remnant!) in brief.....

1) We have to make the massive passive anti-war opinion visible. People who are serious about opposing the war should make that opinion visible for an hour a week with a sign in the street. See link.....
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85865

2) If 1% of those who marched against this war had gone in tho serious nonviolent resistance in the spirit of Gandhi and King...resisted until jailed...we could have stopped this war.

If the other 99% who had marched against this war had done serious proactive solidarity with the movement's imprisoned resisters ...helped feed the cat, paid the rent, dealt with the hysterical parents.....we would have have a mass movement still active and visible.

Such solidarity is contrary to what happened in Ireland, at the time, when the Feb 15 Dublin rally organisers blanked the imprisoned anti-war resisters and did little as they went to trials etc. Why?..... because a lot of the anti-war leadership were not serous about resisitng Irish complicity in the war, they saw the war as a marketing/ media profile opportunity. Noting more, nothing less!

3) We need to support those who are presently before the courts, in prisons and brigs for nonviolently resisting this war.

I've been living in London for 3 months now and have seen no mention of the Raytheon 9. 3 of the 9 are SWP members. The SWP pretty much run the "Stop the War Coalition" and are well placed to promote this trial. Why the silence? Is it an anti-Irish prejudice? Is it an anti-NVDA party policy. Dunno? Go figure?

A few weeks ago there was a "Stop the War Coalition" demo in Stoke Newington. I made up a sign "Disable the War Machine! Free the Raytheon 9! www.raytheon9.org " I stood there for two hours not one SWP member asked me about the 9....these are 3 of there party members looking at years in jail, go figure?

Anyways there are folks resisting the war. I'd encourage you to make contact with them

Raytheon 9 - Disabling Raytheon Equipment in Derry During the Bombing of Lebanon
www.raytheon9.org

Anti-Torture Training Resisters Arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona
www.tortureontrial.org

Pine Gap 4 - Citizens' Inspection of U.S. N.S.A. Base in Alice Springs, Australia
www.pinegap6.org

U.S. Military Resisters
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/

Related Link http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/15/iraq