arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Big peace demonstrations in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and elsewhere

On Saturday 26 October, people gathered for one of many local demonstrations in The Netherlands for peace for the Iraqi people.
This was in Rotterdam, near the city hall. In spite of the very bad weather and transportation (trains did not ride because of rainstorms and accidents) many demonstrators opposing George W. Bush's war plans had come. Photo's of the Rotterdam demonstration are at:
http://homepage.mac.com/jbeentjes/Demonstraties/PhotoAlbum13.html
At the same time, there was also a demonstration of thousands of people, called by the national anti "new war" platform for the same demand: No war against Iraq! in Amsterdam.

Already at 1 pm, one hour before the official beginning, a band of Brazilian residents in The Netherlands took to the stage of the red and yellow truck of Theaterstraat theatre company, parked near Rotterdam city hall. Their age ranged from early teens to thirtyish.
They concluded their Latin American songs with a call for peace and love for everyone.

Signs said: Not one man, not one woman, not one cent, for the "new" war. Stop Dutch participation in the war. Stop war for oil and money. Against imperialism, for international friendship. There were symbols of anarchist punk rock band Crass; flags of the New Communist Party of The Netherlands. Next to their tomato symbols, members of the Socialist Party had signs mocking George W. Bush as "Boes", a bovine character of a Dutch comic strip. Some people wore theatrical masks ridiculing Bush and war. Leaflets changed hands, like one of Turkish workers from Eindhoven: "Those who yesterday threw tons of bombs on Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, now prepare to set Iraq on fire."

The meeting started officially with a speech by Ali, a secondary school student and refugee from Iraq since 1991. Ali told how his father had refused to fight for Saddam Hussein against Iran and Kuwait. He did not think the Iraq-Iran-Kuwait issues could be solved by war. Neither could the Bush-Saddam issues now. In 1991, people in Southern Iraq had risen up against Saddam Hussein. As a small boy then, Ali had helped rebels by passing them oranges and other food.
However, these rebels were stabbed in the back by the United States administration and its allies. As a consequence, the forces of the Baghdad regime then could kill many people. In the city of Basra and its surroundings, many more died, and are still dying because of starvation due to the embargo and of cancer because of depleted
uranium US ammunition. So, Ali did not believe at all Bush's talks of democracy for Iraq. Bush was interested in oil. Democracy in Iraq will not come from Bush's bombs, but from the Iraqi people and people opposing oppression and war everywhere. So, let us all in our own surroundings organize to stop the war.

After Ali, the choir Binnenste Buiten (Inside Out) sang songs, including the Vredeslied, the peace song of the big demonstrations of the 1980s against deploying US nuclear weapons in The Netherlands.
They concluded with Brandend zand (Burning Sand). This was originally sang over 40 years ago by Anneke Grönloh, then a very popular Dutch singer of partly Indonesian ancestry. Very recently, Ms Grönloh came back in the news because of a conflict with a TV comedian parodying her. The original lyrics were about a man joining the French foreign legion for colonial war in Algeria. The new lyrics went like "Saddam Hussein, you have weapons, sold to you by the West" and "Cowboy George [Bush] is already completely nuts and just throws bombs."

Wim van Wijk of the local anti war movement strongly criticized the war plans based on economic interest of oil and other big
corporations. He also mentioned the other peace demonstrations going on simultaneously this day: in Amsterdam, five German cities,
Washington D.C., San Francisco, etc.

Then, the demonstration through the city center of Rotterdam started.
The red and yellow truck went ahead, with the Brazilian band still playing. Marchers varied from one year old in a perambulator to eightyish. From teenage punk rocker to middle aged Yugoslav Dutch lady. From African to Iranian to (many) Afghan refugee. One of the slogans which people shouted was: George Bush, terrorist! Others were: Bush staat te liegen, laat je niet bedriegen (Bush lies; do not let him cheat you). And: Bush komt niet uit zijn woorden, hij kan
alleen maar moorden (Bush cannot do a proper public speech; all he can do is kill).

One could also hear slogans in Turkish and Kurdish. If one looked back at a big roundabout from the first ranks of the demonstration one could see very many demonstrators, but definitely not all. So, there were probably a thousand demonstrators, who got much support
from honking motorists on main roads and clapping people on sidewalks, who sometimes shouted along: No war against Iraq! Almost at the end of the demonstration, it passed Plein 1940. Plein 1940 is called after May 1940, when Hitler's air force, the Luftwaffe, destroyed the city center of Rotterdam, killing many people.

After arrival back near the city hall, an Afghan refugee addressed the demonstrators. He said Bush was talking about democracy through war in Iraq. Well, look at Bush's previous war: Afghanistan. Of course, many Afghans were happy that the hated Taleban government fell. I admit we were naive then. We thought now democracy would come. However, power passed from the Taleban to bloody warlords, the US' new allies. And now, the Dutch government wants to send Afghan refugees back to supposedly "safe" Afghanistan. Even the Karzai administration in Kabul, even though a puppet of the US, admits Afghanistan is very unsafe for returning refugees. So, do not believe Bush talking on democracy for Iraq.

A lady from the Philippines denounced Bush's "war against terrorism".
It also included US troops in the Philippines against the Philippines constitution. It also included putting people like José Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, on lists of so called "terrorists"; depriving refugees of livelihood; etc.

As a conclusion to the Rotterdam demonstration, the organizers said that if Bush would attack Iraq, that very day people would come to the Rotterdam city hall at 7 pm for further actions.

In Amsterdam, after music by the "Fanfare van de Eerste Liefdesnacht", there was an introductory speech by Saskia Kouwenberg.
Then, Jan Marijnissen, chair of the Socialist Party. Then, Ms Ineke Bakker and Freek Landmeter, of the National Council of Churches and Pax Christi The Netherlands, respectively. Then, Mowaffk al Sawad, an Iraqi refugee and author. Then, music by Ashraf, and a speech by Abdou
Menebhi, of the Moroccan organizations in The Netherlands (LNMON).
Then, Paul Rosenmöller, parliamentary chair of Green Left party.

The demonstrators then marched through the center of Amsterdam, with music by "Fanfare van de Eerste Liefdesnacht" and the samba
band "Rhytms of Resistance". They went: Dam, Rokin, Vijzelstraat, Weteringschans, Leidseplein, Marnixstraat, Rozengracht, Paleisstraat; and back to the Dam, where the rai music band "Mozaik" awaited them.

Saturday 26 October is an international day of action for the peace movement. Then, there were also be big demonstrations elsewhere, like in Washington, DC in the US (see http://www.internationalanswer.org )
26 October is the first birthday of the infamous so called "Patriot Act" of the Bush administration in the VS. That act, under the pretext of "war against terrorism", gravely attacks civil rights, both in general and especially of (real or perceived) Muslims or Arabs. Also in Rotterdam, the struggle for peace is linked to the struggle for civil rights, especially in The Netherlands, and for refugees. There is also co-operation with the Dutch national platform against the "New War"; see http://www.wereldcrisis.nl
The Rotterdam organizing committee of the demonstration can be reached at phone [in The Netherlands] (0)10-4620852 or
wew@kabelfoon.nl. The national Dutch coalition against the "new war"
at o43@kerkenvrede.nl.