"War on Terror" Invites Terror on London / Withdraw Occupation Forces Now

Absolutely no justification for indiscriminate terrorism

On July 7, a series of indiscriminate bombings attacked subway trains and a bus in London. More than 50 people were killed and several hundreds wounded. Regardless of what group the attackers might represent or what reasons they might have, indiscriminate terrorist attacks on civilians could not be justified under any circumstances.

Our heartfelt condolences go out for all the victims as we lament with the bereaved families.

On that day, political leaders attending the G8 summit rushed to grab the opportunity to declare "war on terror" again and their governments have mobilized every organ to tighten security. We should recall, however, the "war on terror" triggered by 9/11 has only led to massacres in Afghanistan and Iraq combined with unprecedented suppression of human rights and destruction of democracy within the respective nations involved. We should never tolerate global capitalism to leverage the attacks in London for their continued and enhanced schemes under war-oriented policies.

The major culprit of terrorism - war and occupation

In its statement, the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) - UK Branch pointed out as follows; "The occupation of Iraq is a major cause of this terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere. America's attack on Iraq itself was open terrorism and an intimidation to the whole of humanity. The Islamist reactionaries are using this as a pretext to take the safety, life and security of the people as a hostage."

In fact, in Iraq under occupation, more than 20 civilians get killed every day as ever in bombings, shootings and torture by the occupation forces and puppet government's troops, and in indiscriminate attacks waged by political Islamists under the pretext of fighting the occupation. In Samawah in southern Iraq ruled by the UK forces, where the Self-Defense Forces (Japanese troops: SDF) are deployed, a demonstration of the unemployed was fired at, and the puppet Iraqi police killed at least one of the demonstrators. Elements introduced into Iraq by the occupation are unleashed violence, persecution of rights to live, and destruction of living that denies people job opportunities and even adequate access to electricity and water.

Besides, Iraq is not the only country where humanity is driven toward catastrophe. Concentration of wealth to a handful of global capitalists and wars they wage are creating thousands of millions of victims. This phenomenon in turn fuels hatred and intolerance that nurtures terrorism, giving Islamist and other armed forces a "cause" for indiscriminate attacks. What we see behind the bombings in London is violence and war of a global scale.

It is impossible to eradicate terrorism with war. Rather, war is the very cause that gives infinite power to terrorism.

Solidarity with IFC to end occupation

In order to eliminate terrorism, first and foremost, we must stop "sweeping operations," or more realistically, massacres of civilians, and recall SDF troops and all other occupation forces, following the track of the Spanish people.

Indiscriminate attacks by suicide car bombings killing children and women are only offering excuses for state terrorism by the occupation forces and the puppet government. Those terrorist attacks are by nature incapable of ending the occupation. On the opposite side of the picture, the Iraqi Civil Resistance front now organized into the Iraq Freedom Congress (IFC) is enhancing its supporting base among the people as they advance their non-violent struggles for freedom, human rights, the withdrawal of occupation forces and democratic reconstruction of Iraq. In their struggle alone resides our perspective. The IFC representatives are coming to Japan at the end of July. Activate solidarity with the IFC and extend solidarity with them to the world.

The G8 summit was protested by an anti-globalism demonstration of 250 thousand people and besieged with voices of millions around the world. The call "Fight poverty, not war" (Stop the War Coalition, the UK) was effectively mounting pressure on Blair, Bush, Koizumi and their allies. No attempt to smash this peoples' movement will succeed even with the threatening call for "war on terror."

Solidarity with the IFC, the force of international solidarity, is the real power to press occupation forces to withdraw and to contain terrorism. (July 11)