Residents from the English Midlands marching on the streets of Leicester to show opposition to the war in Iraq. - ContributedFOR THE last two months the world's citizens have demonstrated against a United States-led war against Iraq. Two weeks into the current campaign these anti-war protests continue.
In the English Midlands more than 1,000 people came out, onto the streets of Leicester two Saturdays ago to show their opposition to the war. The cosmopolitan crowd reflected Leicester's diverse population Anglos, Asians and Africans of all ages joined together to send the message Stop The War!
UNITY OF PURPOSE?
The march was organised by the Leicester Campaign to Stop the War and included mainstream groups such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB). Also included is the Stop the War (StW) Coalition which includes the Socialist Workers Party and the Association of Indian Communists.
On the surface, it would appear that unity of such diverse groups proves to President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the people's widespread condemnation of the war. However, reports have emerged that that the CND is not happy with the StW Coalition's linking of the Iraqi war with anti-Israeli sentiment. The coalition's strong communist and anti-imperialist message is also a source of unease with the CND's leadership.
Saturday March 29, all these groups marched for two miles from Victoria Park into the city centre. Along the way, the vocal crowd shouted their messages. "One, two, three, four, we don't want no bloody war; five, six, seven, eight, stop the killing, stop the hate." and "They say warfare, we say no fair!" The pro-peace message was matched with anti-imperialist, anti-Bush, anti-Blair and anti-Israeli sentiment. This was reflected in "George Bush we know you, your father was a butcher too" and to the tune that all socaphiles know "Who let the bombs out? Bush, Blair, Sharon!" Solidarity with Palestine was expressed in "Occupation is a Crime, from Iraq to Palestine".
Apart from the diversity of politics, the age range was also apparent. Babies in strollers and senior citizens with canes all marched together. Muslim youths sang, to the tune of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine", "We all live in a terrorist machine, a terrorist machine, a terrorist machine". Other chants included "three, five, seven, nine, freedom now for Palestine!"
Pro-peace sentiment mixed with anti-imperialist rhetoric when the speakers addressed the crowd in the city centre. Anglican Canon Barry Naylor received an enthusiastic response when he said that before the war, Bush said that "'It would be a clean, swift war'. Well now we are seeing the truth of what happens when Bush goes to war". Arun of the Iraqi Workers Communist Party said that "Right now, millions of Iraqi children, men and women are at the mercy of destructive bombs. Their screams are heard all over the world."
Peter Salisbury, a Labour Party counsellor emphatically stated that the war was about "Oil, U.S. power and getting George Bush re-elected".
Mancil Mogul, chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations stated that whereas Iraqis are fighting for freedom, "The Americans are fighting to create imperialism, to occupy Iraq, to enslave the people of Iraq so that they may control the oil resources of the Middlle East and forever subjugate and subdue the Arabs of the Middle East." The Arabs have a saying, "I will side with my brother against my cousin, but I will side with my cousin against the foreigner." Even if the United States-led coalition achieves the aim of "regime change" their continued presence in Iraq will not go down well with their neighbours. As seen in Leicester, Muslims and Arabs everywhere will, to varying degrees, express their dissatisfaction with George W. Bush's vision of the world and the United States role in it. Bush and Blair cannot afford to ignore the voices raised in protest. If they do, there is a strong possibility that they will be hearing other, more explosive, sounds.
