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Troops out of Iraq & Afghanistan! Canadian Peace Rally, September 24, 2005

HPN NEWS

Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan! Let the War Resisters Stay!

September 1, 2005


On September 24, activists in the US and Canada will mobilize in their tens of thousands to demand an end to the bloody US occupation of Iraq. Since the war began in 2003, over 100,000 Iraqis have been killed and more than 1,800 US and UK soldiers have died. Torture by US forces is rampant. Cities have been levelled under US bombs.

This occupation is a disaster and opposition to it is growing. The anti-war movement is at a turning point. After recent terrorist attacks in London, it is now even more urgent to end the occupation of Iraq and to say no to a world of war and terror.

Join this protest to demand the withdrawal of US troops now and to urge the Canadian government to let US war resisters stay in this country like they were during the Vietnam War.


Rally and march
Saturday, September 24
1:00pm
US Consulate
360 University Avenue
Toronto


Organized by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
www.nowar.ca
stopthewar@sympatico.ca
416-795-5863


September 24 call-out from the Canadian Peace Alliance:

The Canadian Peace Alliance is calling on its member groups, individuals and supporters to mobilise for a pan-Canadian day of action against the wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and in support of US military war resisters on Saturday, September 24th, 2005.

On that date, tens of thousands of people will participate in a huge anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC. We in Canada stand in solidarity with our American friends as we call on the Government of Canada to uphold international law by declaring the war of occupation in Iraq to be illegal under the charter of the United Nations. We are also calling for the removal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan as it is the largest contingent of support for the US-led war of terror.

It is more than two years since the invasion of Iraq and the violence there continues. Far from being in its last throes, the Iraqi resistance grows with each new round of violence coming from the occupying forces. With more than 100,000 Iraqis and 1,700 US soldiers dead, the international community will once again call for an end to this illegal and immoral war.

Despite the virtual blackout on news involving the conduct of the US/UK forces in the country and the façade of independence brought about by the elections in Iraq, more and more people all over the world and, crucially, in the US are opposing this war.

In Canada, the federal government is moving in exactly the opposite direction. They have doubled the military budget and increased support for the US-led 'war on terror' by increasing troop levels in Afghanistan. As General Hillier's recent belligerent comments indicate, Canada provides increasingly open support for a broader campaign, led by the United States government, to assert control over the Middle East region. Also, Canadian corporations continue to profit from the war while people of Muslim and Arab backgrounds - such as the "Secret Trial Five" - face ongoing harassment, intimidation and racial profiling.

In addition, the number of US war resisters coming to Canada is growing each month. They are refusing to participate in the illegal war on Iraq - just as the Government of Canada did. Yet the Canadian government has intervened to prevent these war resisters from raising the issue of the illegality of the war in their refugee claims. The Immigration and Refugee Board has already denied refuge to Jeremy Hinzman, a decision which is being appealed to the federal court. We need to challenge the Canadian government's hypocrisy and demand that today's war resisters, like those who came before them during the Vietnam War, be given refuge in this country.

This is a crucial campaign for the peace movement. If we can open the border to US war resisters, we can very concretely undermine George Bush's ability to wage wars of aggression.

In the wake of the London bombings, these tasks become ever more crucial. As with September 11, 2001, the response from Western governments is to cynically exploit these tragic acts in an attempt to legitimise militarism, occupation and aggression. But the London bombings show that the so-called 'war on terror' makes our world a less safe place as this cycle of violence escalates. We will only have true security if our governments stop this cycle of violence.

End the Wars of Occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, Let the war Resisters Stay. All out September 24th!

For more information, please visit http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/September24.htm.

Please send all event listings for September 24th to cpa@web.ca.

Canadian Peace Alliance
E-mail: cpa@web.ca
Web: www.acp-cpa.ca
Phone: 416-588-5555
Fax: 416-588-5556



**I urge ALL my CANADIAN readers to support this URGENT ACTION event and turn out en masse for this important march/rally on September 24th! Mark your calendars NOW and please BE THERE!! A massive march/rally will be held in Washington, DC on that day also(actually, for 3 days - Sept. 24-26) and it is imperative we show our solidarity for our U.S. counterparts in the peace movement, and also to demand that our government let the U.S. War Resisters stay, like they did during the Vietnam War. See you on September 24th in front of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto! We cannot allow the Iraq War travesty to continue any longer! This illegal, immoral, unjustified War must end now!!! Our voices must be heard!!! ----- Annamarie


*THIS JUST IN FROM HALTON PEACE NETWORK (HPN):

Join anti-war contingent on Labour Day

Join the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign as we march in this year's Labour Day Parade and March. Show your support for the trade union movement and the trade union allies who have supported the coalition and the anti-war movement in Toronto.

Help us promote our upcoming events including George Galloway's appearance in Toronto and the September 24 rally and march. Leaflets and other materials will be provided by the coalition.

Anti-war contingent
Monday, September 5
9:00am
Assembly point:
United States Consulate
360 University Avenue
(meet opposite the consulate on the east side of the street)

The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War would like to thank the Steelworkers' Toronto Area Council for inviting us to march in the Steelworkers' contingent.

posted by Annamarie at 3:55 PM