Anger at the Bush administration’s military occupation of Iraq continues to grow with the mounting deaths of both U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. As a result, the anti-war movement is building up momentum again. Protests against the occupation are on the rise.
The demonstration in Washington, D.C. on October 25th will likely be the largest anti-war action in the U.S since the “end” of the war in April. The demonstration, originally called by ANSWER, is now becoming an event of the broader anti-war movement as groups from Not in Our Name to Veterans for Peace endorse the call. Groups such as the Muslim American Society have also endorsed the Oct. 25th demo, making for a diverse alliance and a larger, stronger movement.
As support for the occupation reaches new lows, even the mainstream media is exposing the lies of the Bush administration. Anger is growing among military families and the troops themselves, horrified at the prospect of dying to protect the power and profits of the U.S. oil barons.
Meanwhile, Bush is pouring $3.9 billion of our tax-dollars into the occupation every month, while slashing funds for services like welfare, healthcare, and education and trampling over women’s rights, affirmative action, and LGBT rights.
Anger at Bush’s domestic agenda is combining with the growing anti-war mood. We need to channel this anger into a movement against Bush’s agenda of pouring money into corporate tax cuts and oil-driven wars instead of services people need.
And what are the “anti-war” Democratic politicians doing? Instead of using their media access to organize protests against the horrors of the occupation, figures like presidential candidate Howard Dean (who is getting support from many in the anti-war movement for his early opposition to a unilateral U.S. invasion) has actually called for a doubling of U.S. troops in Iraq! He and other Democrats have separated themselves from the movement, which is fighting against the occupation and for an immediate return of the troops.
The protest in D.C. on October 25th is an important event to begin rebuilding a genuine anti-war movement. To make the protests as large and politically effective as possible, Socialist Alternative urges activists to emphasize demands that can unite a broader movement of working class people against the whole government’s policies:
- End the U.S. occupation of Iraq!
- Bring the troops home now!
- Money for jobs, healthcare and education, not war and occupation!
Spread the call to mobilize against Bush’s agenda at home and abroad, and join us in D.C. on October 25th!