[OPIRG-EVENTS] Anti-war/Peace events this weekend and beyond

["Ottawa Iraq Action" <mfoster@web.ca>]

anti-war/peace events this weekend and beyond ...

(PLEASE take a few minutes to forward this to friends and contacts of yours
who may be sympathetic but are not yet involved or on these activist
lists ---- we keep finding that many, many people have not heard about what
promises to be a huge weekend across Canada, with antiwar rallies in at
least 27 cities ...)

Friday, 15 November, 6:00 pm
Final planning meeting for 17 November rally against the war on Iraq
Cafe Alernatif, Simard Hall (basement), Ottawa University
(ottawairaqaction@hotmail.com)

Saturday, 16 November
Struggling and Working for Peace: People's Strategies and Methods for
Conflict Transformation by Peaceful Means and Direct Action - Empowering
Individuals and Communities for Peace and Social Justice (Global Peace
Coalition, mariana@el-sol.ca)
-9:00 to 16:00: Workshop with Kai Jacoben Brand-Frithjof, at UCU 125
(University Centre, Ottawa University)
-18:00 to 20:00: Lecture with Kai Jacoben Brand-Frithjof, MPT 202 (Montpetit
Hall, Ottawa U)
-20:00 to 21:00: Informational Fair UCU 125 (University Centre, Ottawa U)

Sunday, 17 November
-Raging Grannies March of Mourning and Vigil, begins 1:30 at War Memorial
(almaleh@storm.ca)
-Student March to Parliament Hill, begins 1:30 at Ottawa University
(fcarv036@uottawa.ca)
-Rally, begins 2:00 at Parliament Hill (ottawairaqaction@hotmail.com)
(Raging Grannies, leaders of faith communities, Parliament is dissolved and
anti-war legislation enacted, Murray Thomson, Rania Masri, Neta Golan and
George Rishmawi (Israeli and Palestinian co-founders of the International
Solidarity Movement), Debbie Grisdale, Deborah Borque (National President,
Canadian Union of Postal Workers - TBC), Grand Chief McBride (TBC), CAZO,
theatre by Anxiety Performance, music, food by Food Not Bombs, fun space for
kids, more ...)
-March to U.S. embassy begins (fcarv036@uottawa.ca) ...

Wednesday, 20 November, 7:00 pm
Ottawa Iraq Anti-War Action Committee meeting - next steps!
Café Alternatif, Simard Building (sub-basement), Ottawa University

... 19 January 2003, next cross-Canada day of action ...
---------------------------------------

Organisations endorsing the 17 November rally in Ottawa (as of 14 November):

National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
OXFAM Canada
NOWAR/PAIX
Comite anti-ZLEA de l'Ouataouais - Outaouais Committee Against FTAA (CAZO)
Global Democracy Ottawa
Raging Grannies (Ottawa)
Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Ottawa Monthly Meeting (Quakers)
Carleton University Middle East Discussion Group (MEDG)
Solidarité Outaouais Palestine
Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)
Peace and Disarmament working group of the First Unitarian Congregation
OPIRG-Carleton
Carleton University Green Party
Rosa Luxemburg Club - Communist Party of Canada (Ottawa)
Sierra Youth Coalition
Canadian Arab Students' Association (CASA) of Carleton University
Solidarity for Iraqi & Palestinian Children (Carleton University)
Ottawa Monthly Meeting (Quakers)
Green Party of Ontario
Green Party of Canada
Ottawa Muslim Women's Organisation
OPIRG-Ottawa U.
CUPE 4600
New Politics Initiative - Ottawa Group
Ottawa Committee of the World March of Women
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
Social Affairs Office of CCCB (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Church and Society Committee, Ottawa Presbytery of the United Church of
Canada

----------------------
 "The US says it's all the fault of Baghdad? How simplistic! Surely after 11
years, no thinking person believes that! None of us can continue to hide
behind our fears and frustration with Baghdad. Have we all become victims of
US/UK propaganda of demonization that we can
justify . punishing the innocent people of Iraq?" - Dennis Halliday (former
UN Humanitarian Aid Coordinator for Iraq and Assistant Secretary-General)

"President Bush's concern over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is a
pretext for a global strategy of pre-emptive attack. He and his advisers
intend to establish precedents with Iraq that can be used against other
states that stand out against US global control." - Dan Plesch
(former Director, BASIC)

"If you look at those matters, you will come to the conclusion that the
attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace." -
Nelson Mandela, 11 Sept 2002

"It would be difficult to imagine a single, more effective way of
wreaking further devastation on an already devastated country - and
creating a major humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of
innocent victims." - CAFOD (Development agency of the Catholic
church in England and Wales) report, Aug 2002

Two months of war on Iraq could easily cost the US 95 billion Canadian
dollars (Reuters, Sept 2002) - Canada will also spend millions if it joins.
Money that could otherwise be used to ensure that all members of our
societies have access to basic rights such as shelter, healthcare, education
and food.
--------------------------
Original Call out ...

Join the November 17th Cross-Canada Day of Action Against War on Iraq!

Anti-War Rally: No War on the Iraqi People! NO War on Iraq!
Sunday, 17 November, 2:00 pm
Parliament Hill, Ottawa

On 17 November last year, almost 20,000 people rallied across Canada in
response to a call by the September 11th Peace Coalition. In Ottawa, the
anti-war rally was linked to protests against the G-20 meetings; protests
which, for many, turned into a demonstration of the roll-back of civil
liberties in Canada. Since that day, the "war on terror" has continued to
take lives in Afghanistan, spread to other countries like the Philippines
and Yemen, and manifested itself in anti-civil liberties legislation and
aggression against Muslims in Canada and elsewhere.

The war is now looming over the Iraqi people, who are already crushed by
over a decade of bombing and draconian economic sanctions. A new attack on
Iraq would be devastating for the Iraqi people, destabilising for the region
and the world, completely contrary to international law, and mean millions
of dollars spent on bombs and destruction instead of social goods.

Despite all of this, and despite the lack of support from Canadians, our
government has not ruled out supporting this next step in the "war on
terror".

In Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and elsewhere, Canadians will rally on 17
November to show their opposition to a war on Iraq.

In Ottawa we are calling on all people who are concerned about this war to
come together to demand "NO WAR ON THE IRAQI PEOPLE! NO WAR ON IRAQ!"

All people concerned about Canadian support for this war are invited to
gather on Parliament Hill to use creative, peaceful means to reclaim our
government and demand that they:

-provide no support of any kind for military action against the Iraqi
people;
-make a clear statement of oppostion to any escalated war on the Iraqi
people, whether or not sanctioned by the UN; and
-end Canada's complicitiy in the ongoing, undeclared war against the Iraqi
people.

Groups and individuals are invited to use theatre, puppets, music,
cheerleading, signs, banners, chants and rants - and other creative means to
help symbolically reclaim our government from the various interests which
have captured it. Having reclaimed our government, some groups will proceed
to the US Embassy to deliver an ultimatum to allow "weapons inspectors",
duly mandated by the reclaimed, anti-imperial government, into the US to
inspect its weapons of mass destruction.

Please join us in the November 17th day of action against the war! A lot is
at stake!

Ottawa Iraq Anti-War Action Committee
ottawairaqaction@hotmail.com
tel 613 523 1077
updates and posters posted at www.nowar-paix.ca

The Ottawa Iraq Anti-War Action Committee is a group of concerned citizens
in the Ottawa area who came together to oppose the impending war on Iraq in
late September 2002. Active members come from many different backgrounds and
affiliations.












-
This is the OPIRG-events@ox.org list. Announcement only please.
To unsubscribe, send email to opirg-events-request@ox.org, and put
"unsubscribe" in the body.
Archive at: http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/lists/html/opirg-events/