BY RAUL BASSI
On September 23, a meeting organised by the Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group under the theme "Iraq and Palestine under occupation", launched a "Stop Bush!" campaign in the area.
About 40 people came to hear the speakers from a range of peace, left-wing and solidarity groups, and participate in an animated discussion about both the situation in the Middle East and the protests organised to show opposition to the visit of US President George Bush to our country, planned for late October.
The meeting decided to support all the actions organised by the Stop the War Coalition, particularly the Sydney rally called for the day Bush visits our city, and the national convergence in Canberra.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group, launched in February, has been one of the most active groups in the Sydney peace movement, in an area were the opposition to the war on Iraq was very strong. After the occupation of Iraq, it has been campaigning tirelessly for the demand of "Troops out of Iraq now!", and helped build protests against the occupation of Iraq.
The struggle for the freedom of Palestine is the other main objective of this group. It is producing a fortnightly newsletter with information about what is really happening to denounce the lies of the corporate press.
The group also sponsered a forum calling for justice for the two Australians locked in the US prison camp on Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, David Hicks and Bankstown resident Mamdouh Habib.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group meets every second Wednesday at 6pm to 8pm in the Bankstown Old Town Plaza. The next meeting will be October 8 at 7pm. For more information, phone Raul on 0403 037 376 or Bashir on 0413 859 060.
From Green Left Weekly, October 1, 2003.
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