LOCAL EVENTS:

SATURDAY MARCH 15, GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST WAR:

As part of a global day of action against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan local Winnipegers from the Canadian Peace Alliance will be holding a demonstration this Saturday at 2:00 pm at the Federal Building on Main and Water. This is the fifth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. Their statement follows. there is little to object to in it, though Molly has more than a few doubts about the character of the CPA, made up as it is by nostalgic leftoids. But anyways...

A global day of action on March 15, 2008:

Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan!

The Canadian Peace Alliance and the Collectif Échec à la guerre are calling for a pan-Canadian mobilization on March 15, 2008 to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. That weekend will see protests around the world in answer to a callout for a global day of action to end the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan made by the World Against War Conference which met in London, England last December. In Canada, where the Liberals and Conservatives- contrary to the opinion of a clear majority of the population - seem intent on extending Canadian participation in the war in Afghanistan for at least three more years, it is vital that we take action ourselves to.stop this war now.

The Bush administration would have us believe that the US troops are now "in control" in Iraq since the addition of an additional 38,000 US troops in February 2007. What the Bush administration doesn't say is that in Iraq itself resistance to the occupation is growing. In an attempt to crush this resistance, US troops have conducted "sectarian cleansing" of Baghdad, imposing a web of "security" walls across the city. Ground operations have been replaced by massive aerial bombardments. In early January, US warplanes dropped 40,000 lbs. of bombs of one Iraqi village alone. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were made refugees. Tens of thousands were arbitrarily detained, with many still in prison camps.

Opposition to foreign troops is also on the rise in Afghanistan. This is why daily NATO bombing raids continue, destroying homes and villages across the country. More than 6,500 people were killed in fighting in 2007 - the deadliest year since the invasion in 2001.

In an attempt to paint a brighter picture of the situation, NATO powers including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have responded with a series of misleading reports and intelligence surveys. In Canada, the much-touted "Independent Panel" chaired by former-Foreign Affairs Minister, John Manley, issued a report that produced no new facts and offered no comment on Canada's support for warlords and drug lords in the Afghan government.

The Manley report is a manipulative attempt to justify and continue the occupation of Afghanistan, against the will of the majority of people in Canada, especially Québec. How can we pretend to export our version of "democracy" when the Canadian government knowingly acts against the opinions of the majority of Canadians ?

This war has nothing to do with the defense of democracy or women's rights in Afghanistan and everything to do with advancing US strategic interests in the region. We reject sending our youth to serve as cannon fodder in Afghanistan, where 78 Canadians soldiers have now died, with hundreds wounded, and even more psychologically damaged in an unjust, illegal war.

The Manley report is a manipulative attempt to justify and continue the occupation of Afghanistan, against the will of the majority of people in Canada, especially Québec.

On March 15 we need to rise to the challenge, and end our own government's destructive role in George W. Bush's "war on terror".

Be a part of the global movement against war and occupation: join us on March 15!

Bring the troops home!

For information about actions in Canada, visit www.acp-cpa.ca and www.echecalaguerre.org

For information about global actions, visit www.theworldagainstwar.org.