People Power Not War - March and Rally
by Canadian Peace Alliance
Join this Pan-Canadian Day of Action to End the War in Afghanistan. The Canadian Peace Alliance and the Collectif Échec à la guerre are calling for a pan-Canadian day of action on April 9, 2011 to demand an end to the war and to bring Canadian troops home now. This day of action will coincide with anti-war demonstrations in the US in both New York and San Francisco.
Support the Popular Uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Saturday April 9, 2011
Starting at 1:00 pm
Vancouver Public Library
Library Square (Robson @ Homer)
Every Saturday since January, Vancouver has seen solidarity rallies outside the downtown public library, in support of the uprisings in
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and many other countries in the region. Now People Power is spreading beyond North Africa and the Middle East and it's capturing the world's imagination.
Let's help make April 9 a show of People Power across Canada - From Tahrir Square to Library Square...our own Day of Dissent!
Organized by StopWar and individuals from the Lower Mainland's Middle Eastern and North African communities. For more information email stopwar@resist.ca.
Help spread the anti-war word - especially during the ongoing federal election campaign
The statistics are shocking. According to the Afghan Rights Monitor:
“Almost everything related to the war surged in 2010: the combined numbers of Afghan and foreign forces surpassed 350,000; security incidents mounted to over 100 per week; more fighters from all warring side were killed; and the number of civilian people killed, wounded and displaced hit record levels.”
The NATO forces continue with air strikes that kill civilians such as during the 4 days of attacks on Ghazi Abad which started on February 16 and killed more than 60 civilians - 30 of which were children. In a single two week period between the 12th and 26th of February, 200 civilians were killed.
The Canadian deployment of another 1000 soldiers to act as trainers will only compound the problems faced by the Afghan people. Any support for the corrupt regime of Hamid Karzai works against the aspirations of the Afghan people to live in a free and democratic society. The Harper government admitted that they were propping up a corrupt regime while at the NATO
summit in Lisbon. They even announced that they would refuse to send aid to the Afghan president until they had assurances that the money would be spent properly. One wonders what strange twist of logic has Canada refusing to send aid for fear of corruption while they are willing to send Canadian soldiers to help expand the control of that same corrupt government throughout the country.
Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have provided an example of people struggling to create a new society without western intervention and against regimes supported by the west. Self-determination for the Afghan people is the only solution to the current crisis. In the words of former Afghan MP, Malalai Joya: “No nation can donate liberation to another nation. These values must be fought for and won by the people themselves. They can only grow a and flourish when they are planted by the people in their own soil and watered by their own blood and tears. ”
The majority of Canadians want our troops brought home now. Join us on April 9 and demand that the Harper government listen to the Canadian people and end this war.
