[fse-esf] agenda for anti war movement in turkey

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WE ARE WORKING FOR GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE

2008 is the year of raising the struggle against the war and occupation

The Global Peace and Justice Coalition is preparing with an intense
struggle  programme. In January 2008, we will have press conferences
and activities about the closure of the İncirlik Military Base,
eliminating the nuclear war heads in the base synchronous with the
demonstrations in different countries. On 16 - 17 February, we will
attend the Meeting and Demonstration Against the Military Bases in
Greece.

We will continue to campaign against the occupation of Iraq which is
in 5. year and against the possible occupation of Iran. We will
display the role of the İncirlik Military base in the military
operations of America in the region.

We will organise a pres conference in Turkey on the 26th of January
with the call of World Social Forum.

On the 5 anniversary of the 1st of March, we will organise an
international symposium with speakers from Iraq, USA and Turkey. We
will continue to send delegations to the international ant-war
meetings throughout the year.

We will build PEACE FAIR in Kadıköy, in İstanbul between 7 – 9 March.
This year the theme of the fair is that "Being a child in Iraq".

We will prepare with two months campaign to the demonstration which
will be held on the anniversary of the attack of USA to Iraq, 15 March
2008. We will try to make sure to provide the largest participation.

In September, we will attend the EPA meeting in Sweden-Malmo. We
propose to have the ESF 2010 in Turkey.

We will organise all these activities with coalition form, we will
continue to take all decisions with consensus. Because, we are for a
world developing solidarity with its' all political, economical and
social associations, defending peace and justice, raising the
participation, elevating the diversity and promoting democracy.

What we have done in 2007

The war continues with its' all injustice. Its' destructive impact
which makes people enemy circuits on the world like a nightmare with
its' all racism and destruction. The war kills hundreds of people in
the poorest countries of the world, children, women, older people… The
war blackens the future of the lands that it has passed.

We havee been seeking to have a widespread campaign on a global scale
against the war, predicting that after the comprehensive attack on an
unprecedented scale to the Twin Towers of The World Trade Centre in
New York on 11th of September, 2000, the world has entered a war
process which will cause a long term and global damage.

We knew that, the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, launched by
George Bush administration of America by ignoring the international
diplomacy, are the global hegemony struggle area of the elite called
neo-cons.

Global anti-war movement

The global anti-war movement launched campaigns in all the world with
this prediction. We also started campaigns as an active part of the
global anti-war movement in order to embody the anti war state of mind
in Turkey, to transform it into an action, to make people take to the
streets.

The process of World Social Forum, has gathered together hundreds of
campaigns in a mass dialog and action processes and also it had a very
clear approach against the occupation policies of America. In all
countries, the war policies of America, the corruption of the
arguments which were produced by Bush as reason for the occupation
have been exposed.

15th of February and 1st of March

On the 15th of February, 2003, is an unforgetable day for the anti-war
movement. In 600 hundred cities millions of people took to the streets
saying "No to War" and they were against the agression of America
towards Iraq. 15th of February, is the day that another superpower,
the aversive power of the anti-war movement which bides struggle,
direct action appeared on the scene.

The alike of 15th of February in Turkey is the 1st of March, 2003. The
American army wanted to come into the Iraq from Turkey with 66
thousands soldiers. The anti-war movement had prepared for the 1st of
March by including all the associations, intellectuals, mass
organisations, children, women, unemployed people. On the 1st of
March, the Turkish Parliament rejected the permit making the
intervention of Turkey to Iraq law. On the 1st of March hundreds of
thousands people representing the anti-war mood shouted the slogan of
"No to war, no to permit!". And the permit was rejected. The anti-war
movement won. This is the first acquisition of the struggle of the
anti-war movement not only in Turkey but also in the world.

The Iraqi people felt better, they gained time in order to resist to
the occupation. In Turkey, 1st of March stil has been talked. It had
been a clap to the militarists, pro-wars and accessories of the
imperialism. 1st of March was a very important victory showing that
the social opposition can win despite the rulers.

The ABD's talking about 1st of March whenever it is in trouble is the
indicator of the fact that the anti-war movement which also wants
peace, justice, equality, freedom can achieve so many things. The
Global Peace and Justice Coalition has risen from this fact.

The Global Peace and Justice Coalition

In 2003, in June, The Global Peace and Justice Coalition (Küresel BAK)
founded through a text which was opened for signature by intellectuals
such as Tariq Ali, Howard Zinn first in the world and then in Turkey
and it has not interrupted struggling against the war, displaying the
war lies, building solidarity with the people living in the occupied
regions.

We have three main targets while we have been building widespread
anti-war campaign unity.
- Our first target is that to organse a mass movement campaigning in
different centres at the same time, using the same slogans, urging the
governement about keeping away from the war policies and from
collaboration with America through exerting pressure from below.
- Our important second target is that, establish more organic
relationship with the global anti-war movement.
- Our third target is that, as it is stated in the Global Peace and
Justice Coalition foundation text, "mobilising the unorganised
people", opening channles to the anti-war people, so they can mobilise
and take to the streets by using these channels.

We have taken pain over moving in accordance with these targets. We
have sticked to the first text of the Coalition.

Struggle against the occupation

The main aim of the ant-war campaign is that to struggle in order to
end the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. The main aim of the Global
Peace and Justice Coalition is that to make America to be defeated
particularly in Iraq and to end the occupation of Iraq. Struggling
against our own government is very important in terms of that aim.

Whatever the barons of war said initially, ABD is in very bad
situation both in Afghanistan and Iraq. On the one hand the global
anti-war movement, on the other hand the struggle of the Iraqi people
caused the breakdown of the occupation policy of George Bush.

This shows that, how important to have campaign against the
collboration of the governement with America, against Turkey having a
role in the "New American Century Project". The USA's being isolated
is teh first responsibility of the anti-war movement in each country.
Therefore, while the most important slogan in Britain is that
"Soldiers must come bak", we have been campaignin about the closure of
the İncirlik Military base in Turkey and we have been displaying the
collaboration of the governement with America in this campaign.

We know that the field on which the history is written is the field of
the ocuupation of Iraq by America. We would experience another history
if America copes in Iraq, and we would experience another one if it
fails as it did in Vietnam. The main function of the Global Peace and
Justice Coalition is that to have an active role in the writing of
this history, to campaign in order to defeat this economic and
military superpower of the world.

Until today, we have not seen any governement which does not love
America. Also we have not seen any government which does not want to
be part of the war, does not open the doors of the military bases,
does not ignore the main rights of the workers in favor of private
capital.

The "war against teror" perspective of America which has evaluated
from "Islamic terror" to "Islamic fascism" caused every state which is
afraid of its' own people searching terrorist and interestingly
finding them in a very short time. Turkey is not an exemption.

Anti-Globalisation movement

In Turkey and in the world there is another aspect in which the voice
of peace echos against the darkness of war. We are in a growing and
developing movement which emerged in 1999 November, in Seattle against
the World Trade Centre and this movement says that the problems of all
the oppressed people are the same and it urges united dialog and
action forms in order to solve these problems.

We see ourselves part of this movement. We have been struggling
against war for a long time. We are campaigning together, we are
organising the global movement together. On the one hand we are moving
with the approach of  "Unity, diversity, resistance", on the other
hand "We think globally and organise locally."

Our ideological diversity does not prevent our resistance, on the
contarary, it gives weight to the struggle. Wea re discussing when we
are resisting together. While we are happy to see the immensity of the
issues that we have similar approahes, we are coinuing to discuss the
isuues that we think different.

The global resistance continues to make its mark on the world. Latin
America is resisting and winning. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and
Paletsine are resisting … We are resisting.

We call everybody, all activists, women, workers, trade unionists,
students, young people to the struggle in order to resist stronger, to
discuss the problems of the anti-war struggle, movement more widely,
tos hare the global and local struggle experiences of the movement, to
say "End the occupation in Iraq" all together.

A chance to peace…
The permit rejected on the 1st of March 2003, came to agenda again in
October, 2007 with the name of authorization about military operation
beyond border including Turkey violating the borders of the neighbour
countries and being a occupation force. And again we were against this
permit as the anti-war people. We declared that we were against any
intervention to any country, war and any occupation.

We were against the military operation beyond border towards the
Northern Iraq in December 2007, as we were against being part of
occupation of Iraq in 1st of March 2003, as we were against the
intervention to Afghanistan and Lebanon. Because, the boms dropped in
Northern Iraq, make Turkey part of the occupation of Iraq.

We have seen until today that war and occupation do not solve
anything. These kind of operations can not solve anything as well. We
had a campaign called "Give chance to peace" saying that the guns must
be silenced, the pro-peace people must talk. We organised panels and
meetings, street activities in big cities and pres conferences.


The Global Peace and Justice Coalition
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