The growing anti-war protests in India gained further momentum with the nationwide protests on March 30 and 31. In West Bengal lakhs of people took to the streets on March 30, with the biggest rally being held in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. In the nation’s capital, Delhi, on March 31 an impressive march was held denouncing the US-UK invasion of Iraq. Reports of processions, seminars, dharnas against this illegitimate war poured in from Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Orissa and many other places. Some of the reports are being given here:

Massive Anti-War Demonstrations In Bengal

B Prasant

Arun Maheshwari

THE people of West Bengal have once again echoed the sentiments of the people across the globe. This land of east has once again raised the raga of peace. The rays of the rising sun have sounded the bugle of war against war, challenging the warmongers.

Several lakh of people took part in a march across Kolkata on March 30 to register a massive and strident protest against the US war on Iraq.  Organised under the aegis of the Left Front and ten other Left and democratic parties, the procession was marked by slogans that condemned the US aggression and called for a cessation of the unjust war mounted by the US and its allies on Iraq.  Virtually every Left mass organisation of workers, peasants, women, students, youth, scientists, technologists, teachers, and lawyers participated in the march.  Thousands of clubs, associations, and a wide variety of NGO’s took part in the march.  The state leadership of the political parties who had initiated the call for the march led the procession. People from virtually every occupation and profession took part in the march.

The marchers carried and waved thousands of placards-- placards that condemned the war and identified the US president George W Bush and the UK prime minister, Tony Blair as warmongers and international terrorists. “Remove Bush, Save the World”, “We Want Peace, Not War”.. such slogans  rent the air.

Since early morning on March 30, the participants from various districts began assembling at the Akashvani Bhawan. By the afternoon, the entire area was a surging sea of humanity. It seemed as if the entire city was on the roads. If anyone was at home, undoubtedly their feelings were with those on the streets.

The procession surged like a river gushing out of the hill at full throttle and covered the entire road. Throughout the route small and big rallies kept merging into this procession just like tributaries.  Such was the impact of this procession that many school children were seen marching with the procession in their school uniforms and many fire brigade workers joined in their full uniform. Music bands playing anti-war tunes lent a new dimension to the procession. Somewhere it was the Chau dancers from Purulia, while somewhere else it was the troupe of silent actors donning the masks of the war mongers enacting the famous Charlie Chaplin play “ The Great Dictator.” The writers and artists were not only singing songs but were painting Bush as a wild ox on canvas situated on a tableau. Ganashakti had prepared tableaux depicting the scenes of devastation caused by the American attack on Iraq. Many women carried their children, while aged and the disabled were also not far behind. Not only this, many foreign tourists also joined the procession. This massive procession had more than forty tableaux.

STATEWIDE ACTIVITY

The march was but the culmination of one phase of the anti-war movement that had continued in Bengal even earlier to the US invasion of Iraq. On March 29 left students’ organisations like the SFI, the AISF, the AISA, the AIDS, and the PSU called for a students’ strike to register the students’ protest against the US aggression on Iraq.  The strike was a complete success with the students’ unions run affiliates of the BJP and the Trinamul Congress, too, joining in, thrusting aside the political stance of the parties to which they would normally swear allegiance.

Over March 27 and 29, anti-war demonstrations, marches, and conventions, were held throughout the districts of Bengal.  The popular response to the anti-war programmes was indeed very heartening.  In Siliguri, the ABTA and the DYFI organised two important anti-war programmes.  Students and dozens of schools, colleges and universities took part in the demonstrations.  Tens of thousands of men and women, and even children took part in the anti-war programme organised at Balurghat, also in northern Bengal.  At Uttarpara in the Hooghly district, 52 clubs and associations took part in the colourful anti-war protests organised by the CPI (M) and the Left Front.

There was big assemblage of people at Kamarhati in north 24 Parganas who protested against the US war designs on Iraq.  CPI (M) leaders addressed the gathering.  Elsewhere in the district, the DYFI organised a sit-in demonstration against the war at Dunlop crossing.

Delhi Peace March Demands “Stop The War”

MEN, women and children from all walks of life took to the streets in the walled city of the capital on March 31 at the call of the Committee Against War on Iraq demanding immediate cessation of the illegitimate US and UK war on Iraq.

Winding its way to Ramlila Grouds from Jama Masjid through the narrow lanes, the march saw local people spontaneously joining the procession. It was a virtual competition of posters, banners and buntings with messages like “Down with mass murderers Bush-Blair” “US-UK Invaders Get Out of Iraq” “Bush + Blair = Weapons of Mass Destruction”

Particularly striking was the sight of two American citizens declaring their message clearly – ‘Regime Change needed in Washington’.  “What Bush is doing is endangering the lives of Americans everywhere”, said Dan Zumwinkoe who is from Los Angeles and currently visiting India on a tourist visa. His colleague, Rodney King sported a handwritten placard which stated “Not all Americans are: Ignorant, Arrogant and Dangerous Mr President”

The colourful march began at Subhash Park, near the Red Fort under a huge banner with the slogan `No War against Iraq'. It was followed by a tableau of the effigies of George Bush and Tony Blair also displaying the Iraqi national flag prominently with students chanting “Bush and Blair make an obnoxious war pair.”

The Committee Against War On Iraq comprises major opposition parties, social activists and groups of writers, artists and theatre personalities. The participants included A B Bardhan, Prakash Karat, D Raja, Shoaib Iqbal, Danish Ali and Swapan Mukherjee, Professor Namwar Singh, Professor Sumit Sarkar, Nirmala Deshpande, Syeda Hamid, Swami Agnivesh, Achin Vanaik, Seema Mustafa and Praful Bidwai.

At the concluding point at Ram Lila Maidan, cultural performances against war were held. There were anti-war songs sung by students of the Springdales School (Dhaula Kuan and Pusa Road) and plays by Jana Natya Manch  and Act One. Some expressed their anti-war sentiments with limericks and graphic T-shirts. There was a bonfire made of the effigies of Bush and Blair and of some American and British products sold in India.

A declaration against the war was read out by Professor Namwar Singh in Hindi and Syeda Hamid in English. (full text given separately). It was adopted unanimously by the gathering.

Hyderabad Witnesses Massive Anti-War Demonstrations

M Venugopala Rao

THOUSANDS of people demonstrated against the unjust war on Iraq being waged by the USA and the UK. Two massive rallies were taken out on March 30, one from the historic Charminar and another from Sundarayya Vignana Kendram at Baghlingampally under the banner of Forum Against War On Iraq.  This forum consists of 20 political parties, 125 prominent individuals who are widely regarded as opinion makers, 24 trade unions, 7 unions of teachers and college lecturers, 14 organisations of farmers, 9 organisations of women, 8 youth organisations, 11 organisations of students, 8 organisations of artists, 7 organisations of writers,  22 professional associations, 10 civil liberties and related associations, one association of journalists, 2 associations of lawyers and 11 peace organisations and other non-governmental organisations of the state. 

Braving the scorching sun, thousands of people, including freedom fighters, women and children, representing the above organisations and others, marched forward and raised reverberating slogans against the brutal USA-UK war on Iraq and conveyed their solidarity to the Iraqi people. They  raised slogans against American-British imperialism, demanded immediate stopping of the war and the slaughter of innocent people of Iraq. Some compared Bush with Hitler and termed imperialism as the first enemy of world peace. 

Artists of cultural organisations exposed the USA-UK war hysteria and depicted, in various cultural forms, the determination of peace-loving people to hit back the American imperialism. With slogans against war and for peace, patriotic and revolutionary songs and sounds of trumpets renting the air, and artists attired in fancy dresses and large banners and placards with anti-war slogans, both the rallies attracted the attention of the onlookers and marched forward for one and a half hour till they converged at exhibition grounds in Nampally in a pervading anti-war atmosphere.  

The chairman of the Forum Against War On Iraq, Dr P M Bhargava, leaders of various political parties B V Raghavulu, P Madhu (CPI-M), S Sudhakar Reddy, K Narayana (CPI), Asaduddin Owaisi, Mumtaz Khan (Majlis Iteehad ul Muslimeen), P Lakshmayya (Congress), Basheeruddin Babukhan (TDP), V Venkatramayya, Gummadi Narsayya (CPI-ML New Democracy), G Vijaya Kumar (CPI-ML Unity Initiative), Sridhar (SUCI), Rajanna (CPI-ML Janasakti), Yunus Khan (MCPI) and others participated in the rallies. At the exhibition grounds, thousands of people adopted a declaration, vehemently condemning the aggression by the USA and UK on Iraq.  The declaration says, “the invasion of Iraq by the USA and its allies has been, in the world history after the last World War, the single greatest blow to peace initiatives around the world.  It is an unbridled, deliberate and premeditated act of aggression that lays bare the desire of the American government to exercise total control over the destinies of all the people of the world and use them ruthlessly for meeting its own selfish and convoluted objectives in a way that would put the feudal regime, the colonial rule and the totalitarian governments of the past, to shame.”

The rallyists took a pledge that they would not make use of any goods made in America or Britain or goods or products made or any service provided in India by their companies in India or by Indian companies in which an American company has a controlling stake, for which alternatives existed in our country or which are not essential.  Dr Bhargava administered the pledge.

On the initiative of the Left parties, including the CPI(M) and the CPI, various forums against war on Iraq are being formed in the districts and anti-war demonstrations at the local level are taking place.

In Tamilnadu

HUNDREDS of thousands of homes in Tamilnadu lighted a candle on the night of March 31 as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Iraq who have become the victims of the barbaric invasion launched by the US and UK.

The ‘Committee Against the US war on Iraq’, Chennai had given this call, which was endorsed by nearly 120 NGOs throughout the state. The  Left parties, along with various mass organisations like  AIDWA DYFI and SFI had also given a similar call for March 31.

On March 30, many street  corner meetings and autorikshaw campaigns were held throughout the state as part of the campaign for this “light a candle  programme”. From initial reports reaching the committee, the programme generated a lot of enthusiasm and kindled strong anti-war feelings among the people of the state. These campaigns are a run up to a massive rally being planned at the Marina beach on April 7, which is billed to be the largest ever anti-war demonstration in the state so far.

In Orrissa

A STATE level anti-war demonstration was held in Bhubaneswar on March 30 under the aegis of CPI(M) state committee. Braving the summer sun hundreds of demonstrators marched from the railway station to the PMG Square, covering the main routes of the city. Through their slogans the protesters condemned the barbaric aggression on Iraq launched by the rogue super power US and UK.

A meeting was held at the square which was chaired by Sivaji Patnaik. Speakers gave a call to continue the anti-war campaign in the state to make the people aware of the threat posed by American imperialism. They also condemned the so- called “middle path” of the BJP-led central government terming it a total surrender to imperialism.

Among those who addressed the meeting included CPI(M) state secretary Janardan Pati, Party leaders Santosh Das, Alikishore Patnaik, Lambodar Nayak, Bishnu Mohanty, Sisir Hui, Subash Singh and Suresh Panigrahi.