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AntiWarAction Call for Unpermitted March on F16
On February 16, we march without a permit. The U.S. does not have our permission to wage war on Iraq and we refuse to ask for permission to protest.
AntiWarAction Call for Unpermitted March on F16
On February 16, we march without a permit. The U.S. does not have our permission to wage war on Iraq and we refuse to ask for permission to protest.
We march in solidarity with the people in New York City denied a permit for their February 15th anti-war protest. We march in solidarity with people around the world who will protest in defiance of established authorities. And we march in solidarity with all those whose lives are threatened by U.S. economic and military violence.
Join us as we assert our autonomy from the laws and lawmakers that perpetuate war and poverty.
Convergence begins at 2pm at Polk and Grove (Southwest corner of the Civic Center Plaza).
March will commence at 3 o’clock.
Bring out the noise!
Bring your voices, musical instruments, drums, pots and pans, boomboxes and other noise-makers.
Bring out the funk!
Bring your colors of choice, props, signs, flags, banners, and anything else to creatively transform the city.
Bring out the spirit of defiance!
Bring yourselves, bring your friends and bring your energy.
Bring it on!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
We are out here like everyone else today to stop the war that been waged against Iraq since 1991. We mourn the more than one million Iraqis already murdered by economic sanctions alone, but we have no delusions that this is an isolated problem. We understand these latest threats, from obliterating Baghdad to deploying nuclear weapons, as part of a longer history of racist and imperialist U.S. aggression. Recently, U.S. Special Forces have been deployed to nearly 50 countries all over the globe, primarily in the global south. Regardless of whether this war ever happens, the troops that have already been deployed to the Middle East en masse have militarized the region to levels that most of us cannot comprehend. Wars, occupations, and conflicts around the world, from Afghanistan to Colombia to Palestine, are being fueled with U.S. economic and military support. Meanwhile, the ‘war on terrorism’ rhetoric has opened the doors for governments such as Israel and Russia to further repress struggles for self-determination.
While the U.S. prepares to escalate its war on the world, it has already been waging war against the people living within its own borders, and this too is escalating under the name of the ‘war on terrorism’. The recent wave of INS round-ups and detentions targeting communities of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent, and terrifying immigrants of all nationalities are reminiscent of the U.S.’s internment camps for persons of Japanese descent during WWII. Ashcroft has already drafted an even more sinister sequel to the infamous PATRIOT Act, which would further expand the powers of policing and surveillance, legitimize secret arrests, and, perhaps, make it possible for the government to expatriate U.S. citizens for holding unpopular political associations. The U.S. is openly preparing an all-out assault on our basic freedoms.
We must not fall into the trap that the Bush Administration has laid for us by focusing all of our energy on ‘anti-war’ organizing, ignoring the brutality and violence our communities face on a daily basis. While budgets for the military, prisons, policing, national security and other armed forces soar, the rich are getting fat tax cuts. Meanwhile, even the most basic provisions for social welfare are abandoned. Those of us fortunate enough to have jobs or homes face lay-offs and evictions. Poor neighborhoods and communities of color live under persistent and brutal police occupation. Disgustingly, it is precisely the people already suffering the most from poverty and racism that will bear the burden of the costs for this war. Under the lie of ‘Care not Cash’, San Francisco recently adopted laws to further criminalize homelessness, and now the city of Oakland threatens to lay-off 20% of public school teachers and close nine public libraries. Every decision this government makes is an attack on the working and non-working poor. Every decision this government makes consolidates power and wealth for the rich, the corporations, for multinational capital. And some are still audacious enough to call this democracy.
The current crisis only shows how little control we have over our own conditions of existence.
We refuse to grovel for an end to war. We refuse to continue to merely beg for more money for homes, health care, jobs, schools and the means to guarantee the most basic of human needs. We refuse to plead with politicians who squander the resources that our work generates on weapons and handouts to the rich. We refuse to wait for enlightened and compassionate leaders. We must lead ourselves.
We demand dignity and freedom for all. We must take the responsibility to organize ourselves and to take control over our own lives.
On February 16, we march without a permit. The U.S. does not have our permission to wage war on Iraq and we refuse to ask for permission to protest.
We march in solidarity with the people in New York City denied a permit for their February 15th anti-war protest. We march in solidarity with people around the world who will protest in defiance of established authorities. And we march in solidarity with all those whose lives are threatened by U.S. economic and military violence.
Join us as we assert our autonomy from the laws and lawmakers that perpetuate war and poverty.
Convergence begins at 2pm at Polk and Grove (Southwest corner of the Civic Center Plaza).
March will commence at 3 o’clock.
Bring out the noise!
Bring your voices, musical instruments, drums, pots and pans, boomboxes and other noise-makers.
Bring out the funk!
Bring your colors of choice, props, signs, flags, banners, and anything else to creatively transform the city.
Bring out the spirit of defiance!
Bring yourselves, bring your friends and bring your energy.
Bring it on!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
We are out here like everyone else today to stop the war that been waged against Iraq since 1991. We mourn the more than one million Iraqis already murdered by economic sanctions alone, but we have no delusions that this is an isolated problem. We understand these latest threats, from obliterating Baghdad to deploying nuclear weapons, as part of a longer history of racist and imperialist U.S. aggression. Recently, U.S. Special Forces have been deployed to nearly 50 countries all over the globe, primarily in the global south. Regardless of whether this war ever happens, the troops that have already been deployed to the Middle East en masse have militarized the region to levels that most of us cannot comprehend. Wars, occupations, and conflicts around the world, from Afghanistan to Colombia to Palestine, are being fueled with U.S. economic and military support. Meanwhile, the ‘war on terrorism’ rhetoric has opened the doors for governments such as Israel and Russia to further repress struggles for self-determination.
While the U.S. prepares to escalate its war on the world, it has already been waging war against the people living within its own borders, and this too is escalating under the name of the ‘war on terrorism’. The recent wave of INS round-ups and detentions targeting communities of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent, and terrifying immigrants of all nationalities are reminiscent of the U.S.’s internment camps for persons of Japanese descent during WWII. Ashcroft has already drafted an even more sinister sequel to the infamous PATRIOT Act, which would further expand the powers of policing and surveillance, legitimize secret arrests, and, perhaps, make it possible for the government to expatriate U.S. citizens for holding unpopular political associations. The U.S. is openly preparing an all-out assault on our basic freedoms.
We must not fall into the trap that the Bush Administration has laid for us by focusing all of our energy on ‘anti-war’ organizing, ignoring the brutality and violence our communities face on a daily basis. While budgets for the military, prisons, policing, national security and other armed forces soar, the rich are getting fat tax cuts. Meanwhile, even the most basic provisions for social welfare are abandoned. Those of us fortunate enough to have jobs or homes face lay-offs and evictions. Poor neighborhoods and communities of color live under persistent and brutal police occupation. Disgustingly, it is precisely the people already suffering the most from poverty and racism that will bear the burden of the costs for this war. Under the lie of ‘Care not Cash’, San Francisco recently adopted laws to further criminalize homelessness, and now the city of Oakland threatens to lay-off 20% of public school teachers and close nine public libraries. Every decision this government makes is an attack on the working and non-working poor. Every decision this government makes consolidates power and wealth for the rich, the corporations, for multinational capital. And some are still audacious enough to call this democracy.
The current crisis only shows how little control we have over our own conditions of existence.
We refuse to grovel for an end to war. We refuse to continue to merely beg for more money for homes, health care, jobs, schools and the means to guarantee the most basic of human needs. We refuse to plead with politicians who squander the resources that our work generates on weapons and handouts to the rich. We refuse to wait for enlightened and compassionate leaders. We must lead ourselves.
We demand dignity and freedom for all. We must take the responsibility to organize ourselves and to take control over our own lives.
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Is anyone going to make fliers for this one?
here are some fliers for the unpermitted march.
print double sided, cut in half.
if you can, make lots of copies and bring them to pass out on sunday.
http://fishe.home.igc.org/war/AWA-F16.5.pdf
print double sided, cut in half.
if you can, make lots of copies and bring them to pass out on sunday.
http://fishe.home.igc.org/war/AWA-F16.5.pdf
For more information:
http://fishe.home.igc.org/war/AWA-F16.5.pdf
I think people should wear those $4 plastic tarps that you put your head through, or rain coats, rather than bringing umbrellas. People tend to poke each other in the eye with umbrellas, although they are effective at limiting line of sight down the street.
LA Demo Breakaway Attacked!!!
by Gary Rumor • Saturday February 15, 2003 Satt 09:31 PM
Garyrumor [at] aol.com
Black Block Breakaway attacked by LAPD. At least 4 demonstrators clubbed by police that this reporter witnessed. 1 or more arrested. Police charged breakaway marchers.
Today's massive march against the war in Hollywood was the scene of a brutal police asault on breakaway marchers. Anarchists, Communists and other anti war protestors who intended to participate in a breakaway march down Sunset Blvd. to sites for peaceful die in's were attacked by LAPD officers on foot with clubs and by motorcyle cops using Psy-War tactics blasting sirens at deafening levels and charging en masse on the 200 or so demonstrators in todays Black Bloc Breakaway.
Earlier in the march Black Blockers joined by Not In Our Name marchers performed die in's on Hollywood Blvd. After reaching the end of the official march at Sunset and La Brea, those who had planned to breakaway had some dificulty gathering together due to the awesome size of the crowd estimated at 100,000 by the ANSWER Coalition organizers and at at least 50,000 by Steve W. an old time anti Vietnam war activist. This writer found the crowd to be at some points almost as dense as those at the Durga Festival in Calcutta, where the crowd grows so thick that one is literally lifted off ones feet.
After some initial cross communication, the Black Bloc marched up La Brea from Sunset, cut across on a side street and marched back down Orange in force to Sunset with locked arms chanting "No War But Class War", "What do we want, Revolution, When do we want it, Now", and "1 2 3 4 what do we want Class War".
As one of the demonstrators put it, "The state is the source of more terror than any so called terrorist group and what we need is to realize that it is the Capitalist class backed by the police/military state that is the enemy, not some dictator in Iraq. Let us unite as a world of under classes and overthrow all the dictators, whether they hide behind the facade of so called democracy or are more blatantly dictatorial".
Demonstrators then marched down Sunset chanting "Whose Streets, Our Streets". They kicked down street barriers, but otherwise were entirely peaceful. Locked arm in arm rows of masked Anarchists dressed in black, with flags,and banners reading "Anti War Action", "Breakaway Die-In" among others, soon were confronted by lines of cops. Many others had joined the Anarchists, including a large contingent from the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade and Not In our Name project. They joined together to confront the police.
The cops began jabbing the front lines of protestors with clubs, the demonstrators line held and then to avoid injury reformed in the middle of the block. Seeing that they were surrounded, they went to the side walk where they passed through the police lines in small groups reforming at Las Palmas where a group were pinned against a car and some were clubbed by cops, others were succesfully unarrested and others may have been arrested. At least one is thought to have been at that point.
The police had formed line of motorcycles blaring sirens at ear piercing volumes to intimidate demonstrators. Although the locked arm lines had been broken, groups of demonstrators stood their ground against this intimidation, only yielding under the pressure of superior force.
After several more charges, reinforced by truck loads of police in Riot gear, the demonstrators dispersed. The police in a show of force backed by violence, was a typical display LAPD overreaction. Nothing new in this city of police corruption scandals and the notorious beatings of persons of color, in this case Black by choice. - Gary Rumor.
add your comments
pictures?
by Perica • Saturday February 15, 2003 Satt 11:06 PM
Doeas anyone have pictures and/or a better idea of how many were arrested?
add your comments
comrade arrested
by metaphore • Saturday February 15, 2003 Satt 11:35 PM
jahwarrior [at] hotmail.com
A member of my affintiy group got sepperated when the police swooped in on the breakaway march. I did not see what happened, due to the chaos the rippled out of the wake of the police, any info would help. I know he was arrested and he has gotten in brief contact with family, but any eye witnesses would help. He is a tall black man, and was wearing a black panthers shirt, and a large afro. A good target for the racist LA police. I do not know if he is in contact with the national lawyers guild, and any contact phone number for the guild would be of help.
solidarity
add your comments
The Sunset Ave. skirmish
by marat • Sunday February 16, 2003 Sunt 12:14 AM
I didn't know till I read this post that I was in the breakaway march. I was just walking back up Sunset with my friends to get to my car. I fell back with the police line and saw most of what happened. It seemed to me the cops could have just withdrawn and avoided the whole problem. The kids did well and held their ground as best they could.
The big surprise for me was that the LAPD has rolled out a new weapon against us: SUV attack vehicles. These appear to be customized Suburbans, either black or midnight blue, outfitted with running boards. Hanging on to each side and piled on top, like a hayride from hell, are robocops wearing gas masks, and armed with grenade launchers. As intimidating as these things are, there's something comical about them too, maybe because of their Keyston Kops look. Also, I couldn't help thinking of vulnerable SUV's are to tipping over. One of the coolest things I saw was the kid on skates with the camera who taunted the police line and teased the cops by skating in again and agin to grab shots. He was like a fly they could never catch.
It's all fun and games for now. Once the war starts, it's going to get very serious.
marat
hasta la victoria siempre1
add your comments
Lawyers Guild
by Gary Rumor • Sunday February 16, 2003 Sunt 12:27 AM
garyrumor [at] aol.com 310-450-7572
lawyers guild monitors were supposed to follow us but we had a hell of a time getting through to them. I talked with Jim Laferty before the march and he introduced me to our monitor. I asked him for his cell number but he seemed more interested in hanging with his buddies.
One of our number made it to the Speakers Stand and announced the Breakaway. We then proceeded ahead. The contact # for the lawyers guild is 323-653-4510. You can contact me and I will do what I can to help with organizing support. - Gary Rumor
add your comments
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> AntiWarAction Call for Unpermitted March on F16
> by AntiWarAction Monday February 10, 2003 at 08:46 PM
>antiwaraction [at] ziplip.com
> On February 16, we march without a permit. The U.S. does not have our permission to wage war on Iraq and we refuse to ask for permission to protest.
""These demonstrations expressed in their spirit, meaning and slogans the decisive Iraqi victory and the defeat and isolation of America," Al-Jumhuriya said in a commentary. "
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/16/sprj.irq.protests/index.html
Translation: Saddam thanks you for your support.
> by AntiWarAction Monday February 10, 2003 at 08:46 PM
>antiwaraction [at] ziplip.com
> On February 16, we march without a permit. The U.S. does not have our permission to wage war on Iraq and we refuse to ask for permission to protest.
""These demonstrations expressed in their spirit, meaning and slogans the decisive Iraqi victory and the defeat and isolation of America," Al-Jumhuriya said in a commentary. "
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/16/sprj.irq.protests/index.html
Translation: Saddam thanks you for your support.
I hate all the anarchists who preach about "class war," especially the fucked-up slogan "no war but class war." No wonder so many anarchist scenes/movements are so dominated by heterosexual white men. Their racism, sexism, and heterocentrism perpetuates itself all the way into the slogans and chants that are used. What about fucking race war? What about gender and sexuality war? What about the fact that not all of those people preaching class war come from poor families? Fuck all those who believe only in class war. Anarchy is about the elimination of all hierarchies. Until you realize that, you aren't anarchists, you're just communists in black rags.
As one who joined the throng in Seattle yesterday it was a very beneficial experience for me. You have our support. Wished I were there to see this firsthand.
When will others get it. War is wrong. Bush is wrong. People wake up!!!
When will others get it. War is wrong. Bush is wrong. People wake up!!!
alex, class is unique in that it transcends the various material ways in which capitalism expresses itself, i.e. along race, gender, etc lines. class refers to this abstract concept of stratification through wealth and state power. to say "class war," then, subsumes all the manifestations of the class war.
this is really basic marxism. the problem with anarchists of today are that many of them just dropped out of politically correct university and they have no understanding whatsoever of basic revolutionary concepts which any communist around the world thinks about first hand.
class war!
this is really basic marxism. the problem with anarchists of today are that many of them just dropped out of politically correct university and they have no understanding whatsoever of basic revolutionary concepts which any communist around the world thinks about first hand.
class war!
>basic revolutionary concepts which any communist around the world thinks about first hand.
What communists?
What communists?
Small-c communists.
<What about fucking race war?>
"No War but the Class War" is an exclamation--it isn't a ponderous statement about society.
You're free to carry a banner at the next demo that says "No War but the Race War".
Perhaps some "race conscious" skin-heads will join you!
"No War but the Class War" is an exclamation--it isn't a ponderous statement about society.
You're free to carry a banner at the next demo that says "No War but the Race War".
Perhaps some "race conscious" skin-heads will join you!
> answer
>by a Monday February 17, 2003 at 05:09 AM
>Small-c communists.
There are none left. They all got smart.
>by a Monday February 17, 2003 at 05:09 AM
>Small-c communists.
There are none left. They all got smart.
what a surprise, another anarchoid with a complete lack of understanding of the world.
let's see, shall we start with the communist insurgents in nepal? when was the last time you saw anarchists with guns actually trying to topple a government? oh yeah, that would be the spanish civil war -- the first and last time anarchists ever remotely did anything.
fact is there have been billions of communists in the last century, and only a handful of idiotic, mostly bourgeois, vegan anarchists who contribute almost nothing besides incessant whining and hair-splitting.
get a job, anarchist.
let's see, shall we start with the communist insurgents in nepal? when was the last time you saw anarchists with guns actually trying to topple a government? oh yeah, that would be the spanish civil war -- the first and last time anarchists ever remotely did anything.
fact is there have been billions of communists in the last century, and only a handful of idiotic, mostly bourgeois, vegan anarchists who contribute almost nothing besides incessant whining and hair-splitting.
get a job, anarchist.
"...fact is there have been billions of communists in the last century,..."
History lesson:
1. No, there have not been, and Communism was never achieved in any society. Period.
2. "have been" is the operative verb. Just what I said.
Now, hit the history books and actually read them this time.
History lesson:
1. No, there have not been, and Communism was never achieved in any society. Period.
2. "have been" is the operative verb. Just what I said.
Now, hit the history books and actually read them this time.
http://rwor.org - Revolutionary Worker Online
http://rwor.org/resistance -RW resource page on resisting the juggernaut of war and repression
http://2changetheworld.info - Discuss revolutionary strategy and the RCP's Draft Programme
http://awtw.org international magazine in support of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
http://rwor.org/resistance -RW resource page on resisting the juggernaut of war and repression
http://2changetheworld.info - Discuss revolutionary strategy and the RCP's Draft Programme
http://awtw.org international magazine in support of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
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