Unoccupied Minds

by MichaelY - iawm Wed Feb 25, 2009 17:10

On March 16th in Vicar St, The Irish Anti-War Movement is hosting Unoccupied Minds in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan - to raise awareness about the impact of war and military occupation on these long-suffering peoples.

The horrific reality of life under occupation was brought home to people across the world in the course of the recent murderous Israeli assault on Gaza.

Although the media spotlight has, for the time being, moved elsewhere, for the people of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, the violence, suffering, humiliation and violation of basic human rights continues.

In Gaza, one of the most immediate needs is to bring medical aid to the thousands of innocent civilians – including hundreds of children – who were maimed and injured during the recent assault. The two year-long Israeli siege of the territory has crippled medical services, making medical aid an urgent priority.

We hope the funds raised at Unoccupied Minds for Irish Medical Aid for Palestine can contribute significantly to that vital task.

However, beyond the immediate crisis, there is also an urgent need to raise awareness and solidarity for the people of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan as they continue to struggle for justice, self-determination and an end to the occupation of their countries.

People in every part of the world have rightly welcomed the end of the reign of George W Bush and great hopes have accompanied the election of the new US President, Barack Obama. There is no doubt that revulsion against the bloody era of wars that we have experienced over the last eight years played a huge part in the election of President Obama.

However, powerful forces remain, at the highest level, in both the US and other parts of the world, who seek to continue on the path of war and militarism. The Irish Anti-War Movement believes ordinary people in this country and across the globe must continue to raise their voices against the policies of powerful nations that seek to use war and occupation as a means to pursue their political objectives.

One of the most important ways we can do this is to remind people of the common humanity we share with the people of poorer nations, particularly in the Arab and Muslim world, and to assert their entitlement to the same rights and freedoms that we expect for ourselves here in the west. Unoccupied Minds brings together people from across the spectrum of arts and music in Ireland to show their solidarity with those who are struggling to free themselves from the blight of war and occupation.

We hope people in Ireland will demonstrate their support for that struggle by supporting this event."

www.irishantiwar.org