The NATO/G8 summit must be the occasion to reclaim our right
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fessionals, manufacturers, and economists”—sectors noted that the regime “is incapable by its nature of resisting U.S. imperialism, exactly as Saddam’s regime was incapable. “On the contrary, the regime is even he has misplaced hope in a regional conference of governments such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and perialist” credentials—is the common chant among Syrian protesters denouncing Assad as a coward, and ing former allies in Washington, Paris, and London, but among fighters for liberation around the world, estinians while Israel occupies Syria’s Golan Heights including from some among those who previously dependent, it could also have an important impact in deepening and radicalizing the regional character sciousness was the regime’s Aug. 14 shelling of the of the revolts. For instance, after a demonstration in Beirut in support of the Syrian uprising was attacked tinian refugee camp, leading to the desperate flight of thousands. This provoked an angry column by British non’s Socialist Forum/Al-Mountada Alishtiraki, wrote MP and Palestine solidarity activist George Galloway in International Viewpoint that “the revolutionary left, denouncing the hypocrisy of a regime that claims to along with some independent activists, have been pushing since the outbreak of the Tunisian revolution estinian, anti-Zionist and anti-U.S. credentials came port to the Arab revolutions as a whole, and pushing from As’ad Abu Khalil: “It seems that the Syrian army to look at this revolutionary wave as a process, that rents to heighten the level of support to the Arab lations were never about liberating Palestine or about masses in their struggle for freedom, and especially empowering resistance against Israel,” describing the right surrenders, motivated by its own desire to stay ence of Western powers in these revolutions, and to show that the only real ally for these uprisings and revolutions are the world masses and not Western national Viewpoint, Syrian Trotskyist Monif Mulhem Socialist Action SEPTEMBER 2011 7 Tuesday, May 15, 2012, the opening day of the summit, was affirmed as the day on which the first of two peaceful legal demonstrations would be held. A larger action, a demonstration that can be more easily be joined by both national and international contingents, is being planned for Saturday, May 19.
Leading Chicago movement figures Joe Iosbaker, a recent victim of FBI harassment and founding member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and Pat Hunt of Chicago Area Code Pink and Chicago Area Peace Action opened the meeting. UNAC co-coordinator Marilyn Levin set the political themes for the day in welcoming remarks. Levin said that while the heads of state coming to Chicago say that they will meet to foster consensus on global economic growth and security, they really plan to increase “draconian austerity measures” and soaring debt to pay for their “wars, nukes, drones, and bases.”
And to carry this through, she argued, they are planning “increased suppression of civil rights and liberties, with attacks on unions and dissidents, racist .... Uprising in Syria (continued from page 12: “Syria uprising is critical to continuing Arab revolt”)
He noted that “conditions [in Syria] created a sponthe working class and brings the masses a materialpolitical program.”
Chatila argued that to avoid either a military coup more broadly.”
The key question, Chatila concludes, is “will the birth to a new left and new leadership? ... [T]he important thing is not to launch a revolution but to continue it, as the Bolsheviks quickly learned.”
Unfortunately, a completely different class perspecGhalyoun, the most widely quoted leader of the opposition inside Syria (as opposed to those living outfor the revolt is the coming over of “businessmen, proOrganizing for Power highlighted the connections between the rise of the war spending and the growing economic hardship and repression in the Black community. Alex Han of Stand Up Chicago!, an SEIU-initiated community labor formation, told the crowd about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a NAFTA-type free-trade agreement with Pacific Rim countries that is being negotiated in Chicago.
Alejandro Molina, from the National Boriqua Human Rights Network, connected the repression of Puerto Rican independence activists with the broad history of colonialism carried out by the NATO countries over a century or more. Muhammed Sunkari of the Arab American Action Network, an organization based in the extremely large Arab American community of the city, urged the attendees to remember the organic connections between war and decades of attacks on the civil liberties of the Palestinian community in the U.S. Activists responded to this panel and other presentations by applauding the idea that there should be 100 teach-ins that that are seeking “stability.”
Egypt to mediate a solution.
An “anti-imperialist camp”?
gime are mounting higher—and not just from his lyheld illusions about Assad’s “anti-imperialist” credentials.
port city of Latakia. Among the targets was a Palesbe a leader of the “resistance [to Israel] camp.”
does not mind being used against a civilian population, while being trained to avoid any contact with Israel.” Abu Khalil noted that “the Assad regime’s calcu“Machiavellian” record of twists and turns, and outin power.
to political protest.
educate about the relationship of NATO and G8 to domestic poverty in the different communities of the city between now and May 2012.
The originator of this idea was Malik Mujahid of the Muslim Peace Coalition and executive producer of Radio Islam, a Chicago-based broadcast with an audience of 60,000. Mujahid came to address the meeting, although he said it was unusual to do such a thing during the month of Ramadan, because he felt an obligation to stress the power of massive, peaceful, legal actions as a movement-building activity. Mujahid was instrumental in bringing over 1000 Muslim Americans, many from the Bengali community, to the national April 9 antiwar march in New York City.
And while he rejects foreign military intervention, Meanwhile, the waves of disgust with the Assad reOne crucial moment in the expansion of this conSimilar denunciations of Assad’s supposed pro-PalSimilarly, in a February 2005 interview with International campaign against government efforts to criminalize protests during the May summit.
This effort was informed by activists who had led demonstrations at the 2008 St. Paul Republican National Convention, the 2009 Pittsburgh G20 meeting, and the 2010 Toronto G20 gathering. Meredith Aby from the Twin Cities Antiwar Coalition, Pete Shell from the Thomas Merton Center, and Barry Weisleder from the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War all told of dangerous government repression before and during the demonstrations in their areas.
The NATO/G8 summit in Chicago, all asserted, must be the occasion for the movement as a whole—local, national, and international—to repudiate these dangerous precedents and reclaim the right to political protest.
In response to a individual who wanted the group to consider the likelihood that permits would be denied, UNAC co-coordinator Marilyn Levin reflected the majority sentiment when she said, “We will win the permits to rally and to march.” n our greatest weakness in the anti-imperialist struggle. The absence of democratic liberties weakens terribly our capacity to respond.”
Reflecting this consciousness—one far in advance of those who promote illusions in Assad’s “anti-imasking why his guns are trained on Syrians and Paland murders civilians in Gaza.
If the Syrian uprising can stay mass-based and inby pro-Assad thugs, Bassem Chit, a member of Lebato create a political space that gathers popular supengages the whole of Arab masses… “We call on all progressive and revolutionary curin Syria, as it is one of the hardest knots in this revolutionary wave, and to stand united against the interferruling classes.” n
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What’s the difference between the Liberals and the Tories on this front? McGuinty promises to restrain growth below 2 per cent, whereas PC leader Tim Hu-