SYDNEY — Around 2000 people marched on September 26 to oppose the coming US-British war on Iraq and to demand a stop to Israel's US-backed war against the Palestinian people.

The rally was jointly organised by the No War on Iraq Coalition and the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (PHRC). Protesters listened to speakers at Sydney Town Hall Square before marching to Belmore Park.

Protesters waved placards that proclaimed “War is terrorism”. Other banners declared that US President George Bush was a wanted man for his government's past acts of state terrorism and that the USA is the world's worst “rogue state”.

Meredith Burgmann, Labor speaker of the NSW Legislative Council, reminded the crowd that 52% of Australians were opposed to a war with Iraq under any circumstances, while 75% opposed it if the United Nations was not involved. “The ALP has said since 1945 that for any Australian troops to be committed to war, it must have the support of the UN and I hope that my beloved party will oppose any unilateral action”, said Burgmann.

Sari Kassis, a PHRC representative, spoke about the hypocrisy of Bush's argument that war was necessary because Iraq had breached UN Security Council resolutions “when Israel can ignore UN resolutions for 35 years”. The anti-war movement must put pressure on Prime Minister John Howard's government and the “not-so-opposite” opposition to not join Bush's war, Kassis said.

John Sutton from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union declared that “Australians need to be on the street ... it will be the working-class men and women of Australia who will go to fight this war, not the politicians. The [CFMEU] membership is deeply cynical about the arguments for war on Iraq and it is our duty to add our voices to any movement against this war”.

After the march arrived at Belmore Park, Greens NSW MP Ian Cohen gave greetings on behalf of Greens Senator Kerry Nettle. He reminded the rally that Greens leader Bob Brown is opposed to a war on Iraq. Keysar Trad from the Lebanese Muslim Association pointed out that US-enforced sanctions have killed 1.5 million people in Iraq since 1991.

The Socialist Alliance's Michael Schembri concluded by dismissing US claims that Israel's war on the Palestinians was against terrorism: “The victims of the Jenin massacre and destruction were ordinary people; the destruction [carried out by Israel] was not of terrorist headquarters, but people's homes, hospitals, schools, workplaces, water and electricity supplies.”

From Green Left Weekly, October 2, 2002.
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