The politics of war

SYDNEY — A forum on the politics of war was held at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre on June 26, organised by the Newtown and Marrickville peace groups.

Donna Mulhearn, journalist, aid worker and "human shield" during the Iraq war, and state Greens MP Lee Rhiannon addressed the forum. Mulhearn, who returned from a trip to Iraq and Palestine earlier this year, contrasted her experiences of everyday life in Iraq with those of recently released Australian hostage Douglas Wood, pointing out that Wood's life in Iraq as a foreign contractor would have been very different from the average Iraqi's.

Mulhearn highlighted the ongoing problems faced by the Iraqi people under the occupation and the hardships endured to procure basic items required for everyday survival, like clean water, stable electricity and fuel for cooking and heating.

Mulhearn also presented a slide show of photos from her trip to Iraq and Palestine, showing the conditions many Iraqis are now living in after fleeing the US assault on Fallujah, and the life of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Viv Miley

From Green Left Weekly, July 6, 2005.

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From GLW issue 632