Toward International Rallies in June for Launching PEACE TV / Solidarity with IFC Spreading Worldwide

Occupation destroys civil life

Since the "National Assembly elections" last December, the number of civilian victims in Iraq has been increasing at a much faster rate.

Kidnappings in these four months reached 19,548 (7,311 of which were of women and children), and 15,460 persons were wounded (6,709 of which were women and children), according to news reports. The central morgue in Baghdad reports that it had received 3,863 deaths of unidentified persons between February 22 and May 11, with a daily average reaching nearly 50, the May 13 issue of The Asahi Shimbun says.

Driven by the move to forge a "national unity government," fights among concession hunters are escalating under sectarian or ethnic flags. In continuing violence and terrorism from different sects, citizens' lives are being jeopardized day to day. The divide-and-rule policy of global capitalism and occupier nations are creating catastrophic circumstances in their oil-profiteering efforts. Children, women and Iraqi civilians are the hardest hit victims of this rule.

US tour for solidarity with IFC

However, we can change this situation. Three months after the Tokyo international conference for solidarity with IFC (Iraq Freedom Congress) held at the end of January this year, we are witnessing the spread of activities for solidarity with IFC also in the US.

Responding to an invitation by the AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) that had dispatched a representative to the international conference, IFC President Samir Adil made a speaking tour of more than ten US cities in sequence from May 1 through 16. On May 11, At an event called Eyes Wide Open in Washington D.C., he spoke in front of US families of the war dead. The audience showed great resonance with his appeal when he said, "Innocent Americans are sent to war to kill innocent Iraqis. Our and your enemy is the inhumane policies of Bush's administration in Iraq. We cannot stop the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq unless we unify our efforts in Iraq and the US." At the May 5-7 Labor Notes Conference, where activists had gathered for revitalizing the US labor movement, Samir reported on the victory of the FWCUI (Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq), an IFC member organization, in their negotiations with the Baghdad municipal authority in which they won the authority's recognition of the public workers' right of organization for the first time in 20 years and an official promise to construct 4,000 housing units, which was received with deafening applause of the audience. Also in New York, IFC supporters have launched NO-IFS (National Organization for the Iraqi Freedom Struggle), a new organization for spreading solidarity with IFC.

Until recently, IFC has hardly been known to US anti-war or peace organizations. "No Shiite... No Sunni... our identity is human." With this appeal, IFC is furthering the construction of a democratic Iraq through political and social movement, but never resorting to armed attacks. IFC has now emerged in the world scene as a perspective for the withdrawal of all occupation forces.

The perspective - Iraqi PEACE TV Station

Faced with an urgent challenge to launch its own medium, IFC is calling for international support for the "PEACE TV" project. In order to transform the catastrophic situation where killings of civilians continue day to day, it is essential to publicize IFC's struggles to all Iraqi people. Moreover, an independent medium that can distribute reports on the reality of Iraq to the world along with anti-occupation struggles around the world to the Iraqis will help create power of international solidarity to stop violence of political Islam and to force all occupation troops to withdraw. It will be an international project to dismantle the war machine of global capitalism and warmongers.

A series of International Solidarity Rallies are scheduled around the country between June 4 and 11, which will be attended by the leader of the IFC's team for PEACE TV Station Project. Through extended efforts to carry out the exhibit of photos and children's paintings from Iraq and fund-raising campaigns, ensure the success of the coming International Solidarity Rallies. Go for the establishment of PEACE TV Station and make all occupation forces withdraw. (May 14)