arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Militant groups from the Arab communities in Belgium, the Arab-European League and the Workers Party of Belgium set today's general atmosphere. They manifested their solidarity with the people in Iraq and Palestine, firmly opposed racism that accompanies the military buildup against Iraq, and condemned any Belgian support for the American war. Once again anti-imperialists from the Philippines, Latin America ("Chavez Amigo, El Pueblo Esta Con Tigo") and Turkye showed up. But this time also some NGO's participated in the demo.

According to Han Soete from Indymedia.be, the Brussels demonstration is part of a broad international movement, to commemorate the launch of the first Gulfwar twelve years ago and to stop a second American war in the Middle-East. In this context, demos took place in 25 countries. In Washington and San Francisco half a million people got into the streets.

Furthermore, the world saw anti-war-gatherings in Canada, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, India and - in Europe - in Austria, Germany, France, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland. In Holland peace-inspectors made their way into an army-base to verify the presence of devices of war. In the Arab world people showed their anger in Beirut, Egypt and Bahrain. Belgium's next demonstration will take place on February 15 and will be organised by StopUSA together with the Anti-War Platform (of NGO's).

"There are no terrorists, only resistance-people" was what hundreds of people yelled while dancing behind a sound-system. Ahmed Azzuz from the Arab-European League protested in a speech against the silencing of AEL-leader Dyab Abou Jahjah. Jahjah has been depicted as a demon after speaking out against the murder of a young priest from Moroccon origin in Antwerp. He's spent days in prison and is not allowed to take part in public gatherings. His case illustrates the overall downgrading of democracy in Belgium.

Azuz firmly attacked the "hypocrisy of the Belgian government", because it has given the USA-army its permission to use the port of Antwerp to send army-material and troops from Germany to the Middle East. Zohra Otman, lawyer with the Workers Party of Belgium, added that these next weeks 170 trains, 60 vehicle-caravans and 35 ships will transport weapon-systems and 10.000 military personnel through Antwerp. "We demonstrate against the American agression, but also against the collaboration of the Belgian government", said Otman.

Sportsman Carlos Perez gave an eye-account of his recent trip to Bagdad. Perez undertook his journey together with some 10 friends of the Brussels sportsclub FireGym. "The embargo against Iraq has made 1.7 million deaths, one third of whom are children", said Perez. His party saw children suffering from leukemia in the last stage of the disease. From February 15 until the 22nd, FireGym will be travelling once again to Iraq. "We don't want any money to be spent on the war, we demand more money for education", Perez concluded.

At this moment another Belgian delegation is visiting Iraq : a group of 8 trade-union-people. In today's demonstration trade unionists where not numerous at all. Only three groups showed up with union-flags. But according to Jo Cottenier, spokesperson for the StopUSA-platform, many unionists where present in private but fear reprisals from the union's bosses who are siding with the Belgian government.
Roberto d'Orazio, former union-leader in the Forges de Clabecq-steelworks,
made some implicit critique on this behaviour by saying : "it is easier to travel to Bagdad than to organise the anti-war-protests in the Belgian factories". His colleague Antonio Cocciollo from Caterpillar said that over and over again the sons of the working class are being sent to war, "not for their own interests but for the interests of the financial circles and the Multinationals".

Most of the speakers thanked the organisers' security service which led the demonstration in an orderly fashion, "while at the same time garanteeing it's militant character" (Azuz). No incidents were reported during the demo. After the speeches however Belgian federal and local police opened a trap in which some protesters where caught. No precise number of people arrested is known yet.