The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.61/No.42           December 1, 1997 
 
 
Protests Demand: U.S. Hands Off Iraq!  
 "Some 40 people demonstrated in downtown Boston tonightprotesting Clinton's war preparations against the Iraqi people," writes Andy Buchanan. "The protesters included students from a number of local colleges and high schools, Cuba solidarity activists, members of pacifist and church groups, and others." A few of the young people who passed by the November 17 demonstration decided to join in, while others stopped and talked with participants in the action.

Buchanan said many signs carried by protesters opposed both the current U.S. military threats and the on-going sanctions against Iraq. One read "Sanctions against Iraq are the real weapons of mass destruction." Speakers included representatives of the National Peoples Campaign, the Socialist Workers Party, a student leader from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and from the Sacred Earth Network. Elena Tate, a high school student from Cambridge, Massachusetts, pointed out that "young people have a lot at stake here .. it is us who will be drafted to fight for big business."

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Celia Pugh from London said, "A vocal 40 people picketed outside the United States embassy November 19 in London. They carried placards that read "end the sanctions, hands off Iraq." Participants included Iraqi exiles in Britain and members of the London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Pugh reported that three students from London universities said their parents were from Iraq.

"This was the first protest of this kind they had joined," Pugh stated. "One explained that she had just returned from a holiday in Iraq and was horrified by the devastation wrought by imperialist bombing and sanctions. Another student explained that she lives in Sweden, where she is involved in a group of young people who want to get the truth out about the impact of sanctions on Iraq."

The picket organizers, the Committee Against Sanctions in Iraq stated in their flier, " In the first broad challenge to the new Labour government on foreign policy issues, a protest has been organized against U.S. and British threats of a military strike against Iraq."

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Thirty-five people joined an emergency picket line in front of the White House November 18, Brian Williams from Washington, D.C. reported. "UN sanctions have got to go!" and "USA-CIA Hands Off Iraq" were some of the chants from the spirited participants. The action was supported by the Washington Peace Center, Nicaragua Network, National People's Campaign, Socialist Workers Party, Workers World Party, and the Young Socialists.

Among those addressing the crowd was Sam Husseini from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). "The sanctions themselves are a weapon of mass destruction," he stated. Husseini also announced that the ADC-Iraq Task Force is sponsoring a teach-in at George Washington University on November 20 around the theme "End the Silent War on the Iraqi People! Let the children of Iraq Live!"

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Deborah Liatos, a member of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees in New York, reported that more than 100 people picketed at Times Square November 17. In Los Angeles, some 30 people joined an emergency protest at the Federal Building downtown that same day.

Student groups at the City College of New York are planning a forum titled "What's behind U.S. war threats against Iraq?" for November 25 (see details on page 12). Other protests included August 19 actions of 125 people in Minneapolis and 25 people in Philadelphia.  
 
 
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