----- Original Message ----- From: "Explo Nani-Kofi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 10:24 PM Subject: Counter-inaugural action, London, 20 January > 300 in counter-inaugural picket of the US embassy, London > Report from the African Liberation Support Campaign > ===================================== > 20 January 2001, the day George Bush was inaugurated > as president of the US, was a day of demonstrations > and protests around the world: Washington DC > protesters in their thousands brought Bush's cavalcade > to a halt for five minutes on the inaugural route, > despite police check points aimed at keeping > demonstrators away. This shows how frightened those > who hold the world at gun point via impoverishment as > well as via missiles are. They are also eager to show > their collaborators, ruling elites world-wide, how to > engage in fraud and repression masquerading as > democracy. > > In response to a call by Explo Nani-Kofi of the Mumia > Must LIve! Campaign for organisations and individuals > to join the Bush counter-inaugural protest in London, > the African Liberation Support Campaign, the Green > Party and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, with > the support of other organisations, picketed the US > embassy in London from 9.30am to 1.30pm, on the same > day. > > Organisations represented at the 300 strong picket > were African Liberation Support Campaign, Black Women > for Wages for Housework, Global Women's Strike, Mumia > Must Live!, International Bolshevik Tendency, African > United Action Front, George Jackson Solidarity > Committee, African People's Liberation Organisation, > Pan African Congress Movement, National People's > Democratic Uhuru Movement, Commitee for the > Unification of the Revolutionary Left, New Communist > Party, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Latin > American Solidarity Organisation, Green Party, > Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of the > Earth, and Institute of Independent Studies. The > police arrested two demonstrators after dragging them > along the ground and also dragged two others across > the road, threatening to arrest anybody who looked > like a demonstrator if they walked along the pavement > in front of the US embassy. The charge was "violating > the dignity of the embassy." > > Sara Callaway of Black Women for Wages for Housework > said how black people in the US, 93% against racist > genocidal Bush, were denied the vote, and how the > Global Women's Strike on 8 March 2001 is women's > response to globalisation for which women and children > pay the heaviest price. Tony Benn MP, a leading > British campaigner against western occupation and > robbery of the developing world, spoke about Bush's > plans to increase the arsenal of the US while people > in the developing world are denied all means of proper > livlihood. Explo Nani-Kofi of the African United > Action Front and a Mumia Abu-Jamal campaigner, drew > attention to the large number of African Americans in > prisons in the US and the danger facing people on > death row like Mumia Abu-Jamal in the face of Bush's > cabinet appointments, for example, the new attorney > general, Ashcroft. > > Jeremy Corbyn MP pointed out that devastation of the > environment is set to accelerate under Bush: we must > be prepared to picket the US embassy often. The Latin > American Solidarity Organisation described some of the > aspects of the US government's Plan Columbia, > including spreading a fungus in the country to kill > people's crops, and the necessity for united > opposition to US imperialism world-wide. Judith > Amanthis of African Liberation Support Campaign said > that Bush would continue the US government's > partnership with the IMF and World Bank, under whose > dictates Africans and others in the developing world > suffer, and that any anti-Bush protest must be > international in focus. Jessica Huntley, black > publisher and commited Mumia activist, said that > Mumia, on death row for 19 years, must be freed now > and pressure must be put on the British government to > argue for his release. There were a number of CND > speakers, including a representative of Student CND > and Paddy Arrowsmith, veteran of the UK Peace > Movement. > > Explo Nani-Kofi concluded the picket by saying that > unity is always difficult but that we should continue > to work together in joint action against our common > enemy. > > The picket ended with the chant "No Justice No Peace!" > > > > ____________________________________________________________
