ILPS Call to Action for March 19 & 20 Global Protests against the US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) hereby calls on its more than 300 participating organizations in more than 40 countries as well as on all friendly organizations and individuals in various continents to undertake and join the protest mass actions on March 19 and 20, 2005 on a global scale in order to commemorate the second anniversary of the US-UK invasion and occupation of Iraq and condemn US imperialist aggression and plunder.

It is clear that the US and British imperialists are war criminals.  Under the barbaric doctrine of preemptive war, they have attacked a country by lying and falsely claiming that it poses an imminent threat to them, that it has weapons of mass destruction and has links with the Al Qaeda.  In the process, they have slaughtered more than 200,000 Iraqi civilians and have imposed on the entire Iraqi people intolerable conditions, consequent to the massive destruction of the social infrastructure, industries and other means of employment and livelihood.

No amount of elections of the puppet officials can conceal the criminal monstrosity of US occupation.  The people of the world are witness to the genocidal attacks on the Iraqi people as in Fallujah and other communities by US military forces, the seizure of the oil resources and public assets and the control of supply and so-called reconstruction contracts by US monopolies.  The broad masses of the people therefore demand the end of the US occupation and the immediate withdrawal of the US military forces from Iraq.

We admire and support the revolutionary struggle of the Iraqi people to uphold their national sovereignty, to defend themselves against recolonization and destruction, to keep the natural resources and the social assets that rightfully belong to them and to achieve national liberation, democracy and socialism.   The broad national resistance of the Iraqi people has justly inflicted on the US aggressors casualties of more than 1500 dead and 11,000 wounded in battle, excluding more than 14,000 army personnel evacuated due to non-battle injury and disease. It has also repeatedly blown up the oil pipelines and facilities and undertaken other actions in order to make US occupation unprofitable.

US imperialism is reprehensible for committing aggression, for deploying 150,000 troops and so-called security contractors, for spending USD 170 billlion and getting additional huge appropriations and for directing public resources to military production and aggression and to the pockets of the monopolies.  The American people demand the end of the US aggression, the homecoming of the US troops and the redirection of public resources towards the civil stimulation of the economy and generation of jobs,   the promotion of social rights and benefits (health care, housing and education) and stopping anti-worker bias, racism, gender discrimination and other inhuman features of the imperialist society. 

The people of countries, whose governments have deployed military troops and other personnel in support of the US occupation, likewise demand the immediate withdrawal of their countrymen.  They criticize and repudiate the injustice and shame of serving as the mercenaries and criminal accomplices of the US aggressors, trampling down on the rights of the Iraqi people, destroying their means of livelihood and taking away their jobs.

The global mass protests on March 19 and 20 are occasions to condemn not only the US occupation of Iraq but also the entire character and manifestations of US imperialism as the No.1 terrorist power and exploiter of the people of the world.   The people of the world must condemn the unjust, bellicose and plundering policies and acts of the US in various countries.  They must oppose the US-supported Israeli occupation and butchery in Palestine. They must tell the US to take its hands off Korea, Philippines,Turkey, Iran, Syria,  Afghanistan,  Nepal, India, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia,  Haiti and the Congo.

So long as imperialism or monopoly capitalism exists, it will continue to unleash wars of aggression and other forms of violence in order to suppress the rights of the proletariat and the people, attack national liberation movements and social revolutions, negate the independence of other countries and redivide the world in the course of inter-imperialist rivalry.  The US has been responsible for the creation of nongovernmental terrorists like the groups of Osama bin Laden and the Abu Sayyaf.  And it now uses the slogan of “war on terrorism” as license to carry out the most monstrous acts of imperialist terrorism.

It is preposterous and reprehensible for some well-paid apologists of US imperialism to pretend being against imperialist globalization and war, propose reforms to improve the workings of the imperialist system,  spread the reformist notion of good citizenship under the violent exploitative state as well as civility among the oppressed people, the violent exploitative state and big business and make surprise attacks on revolutionary forces under the bombastic slogans of “civil society” and “culture of nonviolence.”

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle urges all its participating organizations and friendly organizations and individuals to undertake information and educational drives against imperialism and reaction and  carry out build-up protest mass actions  in localities, neighborhoods, landmarks,  urban trunklines, schools, factories,  office  grounds, church premises and all other appropriate types of places within the two weeks prior to the  converging mass actions on March 19 and 20.  On these days, the protesters can converge at the most appropriate places to attract attention to the issues and draw in more participants.

The ILPS regional committees, national chapters and participating organizations are hereby instructed to apply the policy of the broad united front in arousing and mobilizing the people to participate in the mass actions.  They must cooperate with all other positive forces, be they responding to the calls to action of the United for Peace and Justice, ANSWER Coalition, the International Action Center and other coordinating entities of whatever scale, global, regional, national or local.  Anywhere the ILPS is strong enough to take the lead in the task of coordination, it must ensure that all positive forces opposed to imperialist war and plunder are drawn in at the coordinating and participating levels.

Success to the global mass protests of March 19 and 20!

Down with US imperialism, its accomplices and puppets in the crime of aggression!

Victory to the Iraqi people in their revolutionary resistance for national liberation, democracy and socialism!

Carry forward the struggle of the proletariat and people for a new and better world!

Long live the proletariat and people of the world!

March 1, 2005    

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