Photo: John Miller. "Protestors outside the U.S. Consulate, Auckland"
Four hundred Aucklanders attended a Rally and March in the City Centre to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians, and
to call for an end to acts of U.S. aggression in the Arab world. People gathered in response to two calls for action
one put out for an International Day of Action by the International ANSWER. (Act Now to Stop War and Racism) coalition
http://www.internationalanswer.org/; and the second put out by Auckland groups Womens Intenational League for Peace and
Freedom and Women 4 Peace, calling for an end to U.S. threats and incursions into Iraq.
Starting at noon, the March began with a rally in QE2 Square, detouring to call for justice outside the U.S. Consulate
and then continuing up Queen Street to Aotea Square. Chants ringing out ranged from "Bush, Bush, we know you your
father was a killer too" to "1, 2, 3, 4, Occupation No More"and the faces of children and university students were
painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag. By 2.30 pm the crowd remaining for speeches was still two hundred
strong.
Protestors were addressed by David Wakim of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign, Mike Treen for the Alliance, Keith
Locke for the Greens, Kura from the Confederation of United Tribes of Aotearoa, and Joan McDonald from the Womens
International League for Peace and Freedom. Socialist Workers organised a street theatre soccer game pitching the
Corporate Elite against Oppressed Workers, with the UN as referee.
Amongst members of Arab communities around Auckland, other groups represented included Students for Justice in
Palestine, Global Peace and Justice Auckland, the Disabled Peoples Association, the Anti-Imperialist Coalition, Society
of Friends, Pax Christi, the Anglican Peace Fellowship, the Indonesian Human Rights Campaign and Wake-Up Auckland.
PUBLIC MEETINGS:
Ali Kazak, Head of the General Palestinian Delegation's regional mission to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific
has been brought out by the Alliance to speak on the current Israeli invasion and occupation of the West Bank at public
meetings in Auckland and Wellington.
**Monday, April 22 at 7.30pm in the Auditorium of Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. (Contacts: Mike Treen
021 254 7440; Alex Muir (09) 376 3780)
**Tuesday, April 23 at 7.30pm at St John's Church Hall, Corner of Willis and Dixon Streets. (Contact: Anna Sutherland
0508 ALLIANCE or 021 323 467)