Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #28, March 26, 2003

Website http://www.gpja.pl.net/ Contact details: Forums John Minto, (09) 8463173 mailto:jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor Mike Treen 0212547440 / 3763780 mailto:miket@pl.net Web page Geraldine Peters (09) 3570655 mailto:bern@ihug.co.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, 84 Paice Ave, Sandringham, Auckland. All communication regarding the GPJA mailing list (email or snail) should be addressed to mailto:gpjamailinglist@xtra.co.nz

SPECIAL NOTICE: EMERGENCY PICKET TODAY THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 12.30PM, DEVONPORT NAVAL BASE TO 'WELCOME' THE FRIGATE TE KAHA AND DEMAND THE RECALL OF THE FRIGATE TE MANA FROM THE GULF

Dear friends,

Thankyou to all those who participated in the mass protests on March 22 which the police estimated at 10,000 strong. (Links to photos below) 10,000 people in Auckland march against war a photo essay http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00196.htm http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00197.htm http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00198.htm http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00199.htm The following resolutions were passed at the rally and forwarded to Helen Clark for a response.

(1) We call on the NZ government to condemn the US led invasion of Iraq and the US policy of pre-emptive military strikes.

(2) We call on the NZ government to withdraw our frigate Te Mana from the gulf and withdraw all NZ military personnel from the war region.

(3) We call on the NZ government to condemn the torture and killing of Prisoners of War at the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan and vigorously protest their murder to the United Nations.

(4) We call on the NZ government to condemn the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and Israeli's refusal over 30 years of UN resolutions to withdraw from the Occupied Territories.

(5) We call on the NZ Government to condemn any moves by the Israeli Government to take advantage of the war by increasing military attacks on Palestinians and expelling them from their homes and country.

The lies of the warmakers continue to be exposed. The Iraqi people are not welcoming the occupation army as liberators, in fact it seems they are fighting back. ("Liberated" Iraqi's condemn US http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/iraq_safwan030322.html)

This is not going to be "short, clean" war. Several million people have been cut off in Basra without clean water or electricity threatening a humanitarian disaster. Geneva Conventions (Article 54) state that "It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as ... drinking water installations..." (Red Cross warns of humanitarian disaster in Basra http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=390544) The alleged rebellion in Basra looks more like a political justification for military assault.

As the US/UK forces attempt to lay siege to Baghdad we can expect massive bombing and thousands more casualties. No "weapons of mass destruction" have yet been "discovered". The US has suddenly discovered the Geneva Convention after systematically violating it in this and previous wars – (George Monibot "One rule for them" http://www.monbiot.com/dsp_article.cfm?article_id=569)

There will be a need for ongoing protests with a variety of targets – economic, political – including to demand the NZ government withdraw its frigate escorting US warships in the Gulf. Calls have been made for the government to also support a special session of the UN General Assembly to condemn the war. Economic boycotts have been proposed. Regular pickets are being held outside the US consulate. Another national day of action discussed. The next steps in the antiwar campaign will be discussed at the GPJA committee meeting 10am this Sunday and at the GPJA monthly forum on April 7. If you want to get more involved come along to these meetings. Email suggestions of action to mailto:miket@pl.net if you want them considered at these meetings.

Islamic groups and the The Pakistan Peace Action Committee have a protest planned for Sunday 2pm from QE2 Square and want support. (See messages below).

GPJA eFORUMS

EFORUMS is an online initiative set up to enable the GPJA constituency an opportunity to discuss issues the GPJA network helps give voice to. Currently, the GPJA newsletter has a subscription base of over 3000 people. Recent website statistics suggest we have an average of 200 successful requests for specific pages per day, and 600 general website requests per day (bearing in mind some of those requests are from Search Engines). Clearly though the GPJA site is consulted regularly and significantly as source of information about social justice activities. Organisation within the GPJA network is open to anyone who wants to come along to organising meetings (Become Involved), or who wants to make their voice heard at the monthly public meetings. We're conscious though that not everyone can make the meetings. EFORUMS might be another means by which people can make their voices heard, and its success will be entirely up to you as users. Antony has set up a system that amongst other things currently accommodates discussion topics such as the Iraq Takeover, U.S. War on Terrorism, Palestine-Israel, Globalism, GPJA Organisation, Website Feedback etc. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) button on the front page should answer most of your set-up enquiries. It's a set-up that allows some flexibility for you to suggest the addition or deletion of forum topics etc. Please send queries, suggestions, and notices about teething problems to either Antony ( mailto:dolby@paradise.net.nz) or Geraldene ( mailto:bern@ihug.co.nz).

MEDIA COVERAGE

The TV coverage which is sourced almost exclusively from the US and UK is appallingly biased. The "embedded" journalists are repeating the latest war briefing as if it was fact without any challenge. See: In Iraq crisis networks are megaphones for official views http://www.fair.org/reports/iraq-sources.html Send a message of protest to: mailto:onenews@nzoom.com or mailto:tv3news@faxmail.co.nz TV1 also has a poll on the war on the website. To vote go to: http://onenews.nzoom.com/

One interesting alternative source of news is a Russian site developed by journalists and military analysts to provide information based on Russian intelligence sources. http://www.aeronautics.ru/news/news002/news077.htm

MESSAGES

>From Tauqir Khan: On behalf of Muslim community in New Zealand I express my profound gratitude for not supporting the WAR. We also believe that Saddam must go but we do not endorse WAR as the right way. We also condemn the nine eleven incident but we do not support the carpet-bombing of the poorest nation on earth. IRAQ does not have an Air Force its military capabilities are none. World could remove the Saddam Regime by political and diplomatic pressure and we condemn WAR. A march has been organised on Sunday at 2.00pm from the QE2 Square in Auckland by us. We need your support. Please ask your network to help us. Hope to see you all there. Thanks. Mohammad Tauqir Khan QSM JP mailto:panworld1@xtra.co.nz Mohammad Yaqoob Bhatti Tel 0274918583 021781786

>From Dave Tolich ( mailto:dtolich@xtra.co.nz): Anti IRAQ War Vigil Church Service Pitt Street Methodist Church Newton Auckland with Rev Craig Forbes Mon - Fri 1200 – 1300. Picket outside US Consulate located in Citibank Building Custom Street East, Auckland City 1700 – 1800 each day. See if you or some of your friends can get there.

For Christians this is the time of Lent, the time of acknowledging the evil in ourselves and in the world. We in particular note the evil done to the earth, God's gift of creation to us all. We are called to challenge all the violations against God's purpose, to root out all structural sin and proclaim redemption for all. It is the time to repent and believe the Good News of Justice and Peace embodied in Jesus Christ and his mission which we Christians attempt to live out. We proclaim Christ crucified. Thus the US war machine under the leadership of George Bush is crucifying Jesus once again. The crucifixion of Jesus is seen in the crucifixion of the ordinary Iraqi people. There is a battle for Imago Dei. Imago Dei Americana or Imago Dei located in the poor and the dispossessed. On whose side does Jesus stand? What preferential option are George Bush, Tony Blair, and John Howard exercising?

Our task is to stand at the foot off the cross with Jesus and with the Iraqi people. George Bush will pass away as will Saddam but the spirit of God which is located in all people will go on forever. See you in Church or on the Anti Iraq war picket.

>From Peter and Nicholas: Two Christians, a Dominican priest and a member of the Catholic Worker movement, made a cross with their own blood on the floor of the U.S. Consul's office, after reading to him a statement. "Why we made a cross with own blood on US Consuls floor" http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00216.htm .For further information contact: Peter Murnane O.P., ph 303 3852, Nicholas Drake, Catholic Worker, ph 846 4896

>From David Wakim: Hello everyone, if you support the non-violent protest of Peter and Nicholas (who painted the cross of blood in the US Consulate) consider ringing the Catholic Diocese 378 4380 and letting them know, because Bishop Peter Dunn has condemned them for it and has apologised (!) to the US Consul. Canon Paul Oestreicher, one of the founders of Amnesty International was appalled by the reaction of the Bishop - as we are.

A Christchurch-based group "United for Peace, an electronic petition to the NZ government" is urging people to email Helen Clark to express your support for the invoking of UN resolution 337, named "Uniting for Peace". This resolution gives the General Assembly the power to condemn an act of aggression and call for measures to restore the peace. Email: mailto:helen.clark@parliament.govt.nz with copies to mailto:ufpnz@neuron.net.nz See also the Greenpeace campaign on this issue http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=179491 Indonesia supports special UN general assembly session http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0303/S00313.htm US battles calls for UN special general assembly session on Iraq http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2424813 ‘Uniting for Peace’ http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00224.htm

>From Bill Rosenberg: Stevedoring Services of America (which has won the contract to run the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq) has a rotten history in New Zealand. I'm not sure if it is still active in New Zealand (does anyone on the list know?) but its web site at http://www.ssofa.com/location2.html lists its New Zealand operation as: Southern Cross Stevedoring, Level 4, 40-42 Eden Crescent, P.O. Box 292, Auckland, New Zealand. Phone 64-9-358-8050, Fax 379-0836. mailto:bill.rosenberg@canterbury.ac.nz Article: US agency grants contract before troops in control http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3300554&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

>From Arena: Action Alert! The campaign opposing GATS (The General Agreement on Trade in Services) is building. For those who live in the electorate of a Cabinet Minister, we are asking that you make an effort to visit their office this weekend and register your concerns about GATS. All Cabinet Ministers have been sent a copy of our report on GATS "Serving Whose Interests", but it seems many have not actually seen it. We would like to have copies delivered to Ministers electorate offices this weekend. If you are able to deliver a copy can you email me ASAP at mailto:arena.nz@clear.net.nz For others please consider a visit to your MP this weekend. We know that Cabinet are discussing GATS and offers from New Zealand are due to be made on the 31st March 2003. Check out our website at http://www.arena.org.nz For information on GATS email mailto:arena.nz@clear.net.nz

Medical supplies for Iraq - Quaker Peace and Service Aotearoa/NZ are once more raising money to buy medical supplies for Iraq. These will be used to support the US-based NGO, LIFE for Relief and Development, mainly in their cancer relief projects, and the Rome-based NGO, Bridge to Baghdad's Sinbad Primary Health Care Clinic in Basra. Cheques can be made out to Quaker Peace and Service and sent to QPS, 7 Moncrieff St., Wellington; credit card donations can be made by email - for more info about that, or about 'Medical supplies for Iraq', please contact Tony Maturin or Sandra Jones tel (04) 389-4715 or email mailto:hoggard@top.net.nz

WHAT'S ON IN AUCKLAND

Daily 12noon-1pm, Pitt St Methodist Church, Newton, Antiwar vigil church service with Rev Craig Forbes

Daily 5-6pm, Citibank Building, Customs St, downtown Auckland Antiwar picket of US Consulate

Every Sunday, 9.15-945am, Quaker Meeting House, 115 Mt Eden Rd Silent Peace Vigil. All welcome. For more information phone Friends Centre (09) 630 6834

Thursday, March 27, 12.30pm, Devonport Naval Base Picket to "welcome" the return of the frigate Te Kaha from the Gulf

Thursday, March 27, 6-8pm, Unite Office, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd Unite Community Union pre-launch presentation by Matt McCarten. Contact Julie 3616990 or mailto:help@unite.org.nz

Thursday, March 27, 7.30pm, 308 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn Video evening on Iraq and Peace. 1) Iraq: Voices from the street 2) Plan B Peace. Green MP Keith Locke will be available to answer questions. Contact Kim 3615925

Thursday, March 27, 7.30pm, Triangle TV "The Gulf War Project" Episode one a 10-part series. Each episode shown on Tuesday and Thursday of each week at 7.30pm 1) War, Oil and Power 2) Operation Dissidence 3) Getting out of the sand trap 4) Bring the troops home 5) News World order 6) Manufacturing the enemy 7) Lines in the sand 8) Global dissent 9) Just say no 10) War on the home front

Saturday, March 29, 11am, Western Park cnr Ponsonby and Hopetoun Rds. Antispray march to Judith Tizard's electoral office

Saturday, March 29, 9.30am-4.30pm, Auckland Women's Centre, 4 Warnock St, Grey Lynn. Women Organising to Action. Got an issue? Wondering how to get others active in your community group or on your worksite? This course will share some trade union strategies for analysing issues, developing your networks, keeping people involved in your group and building towards group action. If you are currently active in a community group, wanting to start one, or want to know how to identify people who will join your struggle and keep them involved, this course is for you! Suitable for community activists and union members and delegates. Bookings essential. Contact Leonie Morris, Community Projects Coordinator, Auckland Women's Centre, ph (09) 376 3227, fax (09) 376 1817, direct line (09) 378 6183, mailto:projects@womenz.org.nz website: http://www.womenz.org.nz

Sunday, April 6, 3pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn "Behind the war on Iraq - Palestine, oil, empire, globalisation". Speakers: 3pm Munjid Umara from Iraq. 4pm Rana Sobh from Palestine. 5pm Mike Treen Alliance International spokesperson. 6pm Video "Not in my name". A powerful new documentary which tells the story of the US wars you DIDN'T see on TV. Features John Pilger, Tony Benn, Tariq Ali. Contact: mailto:alliance@pl.net Ph 376-3780

Sunday, April 6, 7.30pm, The Crypt, St Benedicts Catholic Church "40 minutes for Peace", a time to light candles and pray for peace in the world. Contextual liturgies: Creative and contemporary feminist liturgies for women and men in response to specific events in our context of Aotearoa New Zealand. All welcome. Presented by the Working Women's Resource Centre ph 5719158 or email mailto:info@womanspirit.org.nz

Monday, April 7, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn GPJA Forum with special guest Sue Rhodes and ongoing antiwar organising Sue is a 64-year-old British Quaker with a Zambian background who is working in Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams or CPT, which is a Quaker, Mennonite and Brethren initiative. Christian Peacemaker Team grew out of a call in 1984 for Christians to devote the same discipline and self-sacrifice to non-violent peacemaking that armies devote to war. It embraces the vision of unarmed intervention waged by peacemakers ready to risk injury and death in bold attempts to transform lethal conflict through the non-violent power of God's truth and love.

Tuesday, April 8, 7pm, Queens Head Tavern, cnr Queen St and Mayoral Dr, City Aotearoa Indymedia meeting. Calling all camcordistas, writers, radioheads, web jockeys, and people discontented with the media status quo. " Don't hate the media, become the media."

Friday, May 2, 5.30pm, Freyberg Square, High St, Auckland City Two Christchurch-based groups (CAFCA and GATT Watchdog) which organise the annual Roger Award say that TNCs are the real "government" of New Zealand; the public were invited to nominate the worst of 2002. The six finalists are: Tranz Rail; Novartis; Carter Holt Harvey; Shell; Telecom and Sky City.

The criteria for judging are by assessing the transnational that has the most negative impact in New Zealand in each or all of the following fields: unemployment, monopoly, profiteering, abuse of workers/conditions, political interference/running an ideological crusade, environmental damage, cultural imperialism, impact on tangata whenua, impact on women, health and safety of workers and the public. The judges: Sukhi Turner, Mayor of Dunedin; Dr Ranginui Walker, Emeritus Professor at Auckland University, Prue Hyman, academic and feminist, of Victoria University; and John Minto, National Chairperson of QPEC (Quality Public Education Coalition) and community activist.

The winner of 2002 Roger Award will be announced on the evening of Friday 2nd May in Freyberg Square, High St, Auckland. Music and revelry preceding the awards begin at 5.30pm. For more information on the awards ceremony contact the Roger Award organisers: mailto:g.baxter@auckland.ac.nz CAFCA-Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa Box 2258, Christchurch, New Zealand mailto:cafca@chch.planet.org.nz http://www.cafca.org.nz

Friday May 16, Venue to be announced. "I'm currently organising in conjunction with Performing Artists For Peace Association a Full Moon Dance For Peace event celebrating life, unity and peace on the 16th of May at a venue yet to be confirmed. It will be a chance for people to make a stand for peace while experiencing other forms of dance and acknowledging our creator and Mother Earth." Helpers, leaders, performers or supporters inspired by a stand for peace please contact Clancy at mailto:clancycroft@hotmail.com or 021 452177.

NZ ANTIWAR

Cops gather intelligence at antiwar protest http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00200.htm

Thousands protest in Wellington http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00194.htm http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00193.htm

Emergency protests outside US, British Australian consulates http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00180.htm

Antiwar protester arrested at US airbase http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,2351715a6009,00.html

INTERNATIONAL ANTIWAR

Letter from Oscar winner Michael Moore to George Bush http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0317-09.htm

Thousands march in Manhattan against war http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/22/international/worldspecial/22WIRES-RALLIES.html

Peace marchers rally across the US http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030322_1706.html

Arabs seethe as TV brings Iraq destruction home http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=PQ0T11UZNIW4QCRBAELCFEY?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2429427

200,000 march in Montreal http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2003/03/22/48934-cp.html

Antiwar protests worldwide http://www.sf-frontlines.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=97&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Pax Christi USA civil disobedience call - Pope labels war "a crime against Peace" http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0303/S00272.htm

Send mail to the UN - mail all UN members with one click http://progressiveaustin.org/email_un.htm

Messages from Australian "human shields" http://www.active.org.au/sydney/news/front.php3?article_id=2255&group=webcast

We are all afraid - but of what exactly http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,917712,00.html

IRAQ WAR

This is the reality of war - we bomb, they suffer http://argument.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/story.jsp?story=389918

Zionist US general to head "reconstruction effort" http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00184.htm

The war - by Eduardo Galleano http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=3308

This war was brought to you by: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC20Ak07.html

Economic perspective on the war Summary: Why is George Bush so hell bent on war with Iraq? Why does his administration reject every positive Iraqi move? It all makes sense when you consider the economic implications for the USA of not going to war with Iraq. The war in Iraq is actually the US and Europe going head to head on economic leadership of the world. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00182.htm

Nuclear inspectors angry http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5418901.htm

John Pilger reviews "First Casualty" http://evatt.labor.net.au/news/201.html

GPJA Meeting – 10am

The committee is open to anyone who wants to get
active in the work of GPJA and the antiwar movement. This Sunday will focus
on strategy in the campaign against war over the next weeks and months.

10am, Sunday, March 30, 84 Paice Ave, Sandringham. Ph John Minto 8463173
mailto: mailto:jbminto@xtra.co.nz

GPJA also has a few "Stop the war on Iraq" badges available for $2 each.

A bumper sticker saying "No more blood for oil" is available in quantity.
Up to 100 $1 each
100 - 200 75 cents
200+ 50 cents each.
Please take some to sell. Help spread the message and raise funds for GPJA.
Contact Mike Treen mailto: mailto:miket@pl.net, ph 3616989 / 0212547440
Pick up from the Unite office, ground floor, Trades Hall, 147 Great North
Rd, Grey Lynn

© Scoop Media