Open
World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
Statement to March 20th Antiwar Protests:
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End the Occupation of Iraq, All Foreign Troops Out Now!
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Stop the FTAA!
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U.S. Out of Haiti!
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No U.S. Intervention in Venezuela!
On March 20th, we workers and peoples of the world are taking to the
streets to demand: End the occupation of Iraq! All foreigns troops out
now! No to the FTAA! Our governments must withdraw from the FTAA
negotiations! U.S. Army out of Haiti! No intervention by U.S. imperialism
in Venezuela!
The protests on March 20th are taking place in the context of the heinous
terrorist attack of March 11th against the workers and youth of Madrid.
The Spanish people have responded by kicking out the Aznar government --
one of Bush's most loyal allies -- and putting the PSOE [Socialist Party]
into power with the clear mandate to bring the troops home now. The
Spanish workers and youth have shown that they refuse to be manipulated
and are perfectly aware that the root cause of terrorism is the U.S.
government's "endless war" against the peoples of the world --
all for the sake of profits and empire.
On our continent of the Americas, March 20th is also a day of struggle
against the FTAA. No matter what form the FTAA takes -- whether it's an
"FTAA Lite" or a "FTAA a-la-Carte" or an "Amended
FTAA" -- its aim is to destroy national sovereignty and the rights
and conquests won by all the oppressed through their past struggles. This
is why we demand that all our governments immediately withdraw from these
FTAA negotiations!
On March 20th, we are uniting against all military interventions by U.S.
imperialism -- which now has troops stationed in Haiti, is threatening
Cuba, and has already supported and financed two attempted coups in
Venezuela. All occupation troops must leave Haiti now so that the Haitian
people can freely determine their own destiny.
Our struggle is bound up with -- and fully supportive of -- the struggle
of all the antiwar movements the world over that are calling for the
withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq and that have affirmed time and
again that the policies of war and destruction are not being carried out
in the name of working people in their countries.
More than ever, we need the unity of the workers, the youth, the labor and
popular organizations to stop the FTAA and the destruction of our rights!
We say no to war -- and we call for an end to the occupation of Iraq and
the return of all foreign troops to their countries of origin! We call for
solidarity among the peoples of the world! Our governments must withdraw
now from FTAA negotiations!
signed/
Alan Benjamin (U.S.) and Julio Turra (Brazil)
On behalf of the Coordinating Committee of the
Western Hemisphere Conference Against the FTAA