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Socialist Worker Monthly Review #6 • April 2003 • $2 Helen Clark must do more to STOP the WAR! ■ Withdraw the frigate ■ Condemn the invasion Inside: ● Green MP Keith Locke, Labour councillor Greg Presland and Socialist Worker’s Grant Brookes debate “What more can Labour do?” ● Burning the flag ● Direct action debates ● Plus: Kinleith strike, Prostitution Reform Bill, & more. Socialist Worker Monthly Review April 2003 1 What’s on APRIL 12 WHO SAYS? International Day of “Resistance has Action Against the War been minimal Details available as Socialist ■ WELLINGTON protest action. Details to be becausec few Iraqis Worker Monthly Review Peace Action Wellington have confirmed. Contact Brian, will fight for goes to press: called a protest for either 472 7473 or Fiona Saddam – and even April 11 (Friday night) or April [email protected]. ■ AUCKLAND 12. Further details to be fewer will die for Gather at 12 noon, Western confirmed. Contact Grant, 566 ■ OTHER CENTRES him.” Park (corner Ponsonby Rd & K 8538 or e-mail Information on actions in Richard Perle, key Rd). [email protected] other centres will be posted Pentagon advisor to Organised by Global Peace & by Peace Movement Aotearoa Justice Auckland. ■ DUNEDIN as it becomes available, George Bush. For more information, phone Dunedin Coalition Against www.converge.org.nz/pma/ 361 6989. the War will be organising date.htm “Our forces will be met with applause and sweets and flowers.” Pentagon official. “I’m not fighting for Saddam Hussein, I’m fighting for Iraq.” Nasr Al Hussein, one of hundreds of Iraqi exiles queuing to board coaches in WASHINGTON LONDON AUCKLAND Jordan to return to Baghdad. Local anti-war activities “I’d like to be in AUCKLAND HAMILTON speeches and music, Iraq. Then I could Saturday, 5 April – Pales- Saturday, 5 April – Peace including Brass Razoo. shoot you.” tine/Israel Rally for Peace, March from Founders Organised by Hutt Peace A cop in Wellington supporting peace and justice Theatre to the Plaza, Action and Peace Action threatens anti-war based on removal of Israeli Garden Place; with speakers Wellington, for more info protesters. occupation, right of return and prayers, an Interfaith phone 382 8129 or email for refugees, sharing Gathering. Gather 1pm at [email protected]. Jerusalem and cessation of Founders Theatre. For more “The time for Jewish only settlements in info contact Hamilton WELLINGTON democracies, occupied Palestine, 2pm to Peace Movement, phone Friday, 11 April – “The including New 3pm, Aotea Square, Queen 856 1001 or email immorality and illegality of Zealand, to deal to Street. Contact David [email protected]. this war”, with Dr Ramon Iraq has come. [The Wakim, 520 0201. Das, lecturer in philosophy, LOWER HUTT Victoria University, and US] has moral right Monday, 7 April – GPJA Saturday, 5 April – You Merav Datan, international on its side.” forum with special guest can not bomb the world to lawyer and principal drafter Editorial in the Sue Rhodes who has spent peace! March and rally of the Model Nuclear National Business the last six months in against the invasion of Weapons Convention – Review, mouthpiece Hebron, Palestine, as part Iraq. Gather 11am at the speaking about the invasion of the Christian Peace- Melling Bridge end of the of Iraq. From 6pm to of big business, 21 makers Team; 7.30pm at river bank car park for a 7.30pm at St Andrews on February. Trades Hall, 147 Great march through central the Terrace, 30 The Terrace. North Rd, Grey Lynn. For Lower Hutt down Queens Organised by Peace Move- more information contact Drive, to the US ambassa- ment Aotearoa, in conjunc- Global Peace and Justice dor’s residence and Town tion with St Andrews. For Auckland, John Minto Hall, then to a rally in the more information contact email [email protected] park outside the Lower Peace Movement Aotearoa, or Mike Treen email Hutt public library where 382 8129 or email [email protected]. there will be short [email protected]. 2d Socialist Worker Monthly Review April 2003 Editorial Socialist Worker Monthly Review No friend http://au.geocities.com/swo_nz of peace What’s on 2 “I’m with Helen Clark on Iraq”, declared NZ Herald columnist Diana Wichtel. Editorial 3 “This Council strongly supports the New Zealand Govern- ment’s stance”, read a resolution passed in Waitakere City. A petition being circulated by Auckland officials from the News Review 4 Council of Trade Unions “endorses” a statement on Iraq by Zimbabwe foreign minister Phil Goff. Palestine Recent weeks have seen an out-pouring of support for Workers resist war Labour from the corporate-owned media, the establishment Kinleith strike and top union officials. Prostitution Reform Bill They back Clark’s expressions of “regret” about the outbreak of war in Iraq. But they don’t ask what Labour is doing to stop it. FEATURE: WORLD In recent months, the government has quietly stepped up AGAINST WAR ○○○○ military deployments to the war zone. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ New Zealand military personnel are now working with US forces in Afghanistan, Bahrein, the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf of Oman, at US Central Command in Florida and right New Zealand & the here in New Zealand. war in Iraq 8 Top of the list are the frigate Te Mana, escorting US war convoys into the Persian Gulf, and the spy base at Waihopai which feeds intelligence information directly to the headquar- Debates in the anti- ters of the US National Security Agency in Washington. As Green MP Keith Locke writes elsewhere in this maga- war movement 10 zine, “Whatever their intended functions, both are in practice Burning the flag helping America in the war against Iraq”. Short war will boost US power Further deployments of an air force Orion and a Hercules What kind of action can stop war? are planned. What more can Labour do? US secretary of state Colin Powell says that 46 countries have signed up to America’s “coalition of the willing”. The coalition, he said, includes 15 nations “who are COLUMNS ○○○○ providing assistance but do not wish to be named”. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ As the editorial in the Dominion Post pointed out, “New Zealand, being part of the intelligence network, could well be Socialist Worker news 18 on the list”. Regardless of whether New Zealand is a signed-up mem- ber, our government is now providing far more assistance to Industrial Action 20 America’s war than many coalition members. Danger to life and limb Clark has refused to condemn the United States, Britain or Australia. Despite the death and carnage these aggressors are bringing to Iraq, she continues to call them “New Zealand’s REVIEWS & LETTERS ○○○○ oldest and closest friends”. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ So long as she’s helping allies like these, whatever the media tries to tell us, Helen Clark is no friend of peace. Frida 17 Cover photo: As many as 10,000 people march up Auckland’s Queen Street on March 22. ○○○○○○ SUBSCRIBE Name: ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ TO TODAY Address: ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ One year $30. Make cheques out to “In Print Publishing”. Post to Box 13-685 Auckland. Socialist Worker Monthly Review April 2003 3 News Review Iraq war threatens new Palestinian catastrophe By GRANT BROOKES cleansing to drive the entire people from their land. Just one day before bombing Bush would be unlikely to started in Iraq, US national se- actively oppose this given the curity adviser Condoleezza increasing co-operation be- Rice announced a huge aid tween US and Israeli forces. package for Israel. Military officials have con- US backing for Israel’s oc- firmed that Israeli tactics used cupation of Palestinian areas in the occupied West Bank and could hardly be clearer. Gaza are being studied for the The US agreed to hand over assault on Baghdad. $10 billion to shore up Israel’s Anti-war coalitions around sinking economy and increase the world, including Global its military power. Peace & Justice Auckland and George Bush has made it Peace Action Wellington, have clear that war in Iraq is only the taken up the demand for a free first step in “reordering the Palestine as part of opposing Middle East”. to Israel and the US. Hardline members of the the war. Palestinian resistance to the This puts the Palestinians Israeli government are talking Supporting the struggle to occupation inspires millions squarely in George Bush’s openly about the “transfer” of liberate Palestine is essential to across the region to stand up sights. Palestinians – mass ethnic resisting US imperialism. General strike rocks Zimbabwe World’s workers by DAPHNE LAWLESS US president George W Bush an- nounced at the start of March the imposi- resist war Robert Mugabe’s government in Zimba- tion of sanctions preventing Americans bwe is accelerating its attacks on workers, from doing business with the ZANU-PF The opening days of war in Iraq were students and peasants who oppose his leadership. met with mass protests and strikes ZANU-PF party’s dictatorial rule. Britain’s Conservative Party has even around the world: The BBC reported on March 24 that called for military intervention in Zimbabwe. BRITAIN: Over half a million people “government security forces have arrested As in Iraq, the West wants “regime marched through London on March 22. It and beaten hundreds of people following change” to replace a hostile government was the country’s biggest ever last week’s widely observed general strike”. with a friendly one. demonstration in wartime. Zimbabwean police admit to having ar- However, the last thing that Zimba- ITALY: The three main union federations rested about 400 opposition members. bwean capitalists and their Western allies immediately called a general strike when There are many reports of torture and – like Phil Goff – want is a genuine popu- war began.
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