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Anti-War Anti-Capitalism |
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an e-group has been set up for people who want to promote anti-capitalism inside the anti-war movement in aotearoa/nz. |
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Those on antiwar_anticap_nz seek to promote the common class interests shared by workers in New Zealand and the masses of the people of the Middle East - the Palestinians under Israeli oppression, the Iraqis being killed by UN sanctions and the Afghanis being bombed by the Western powers. We seek to build solidarity with the oppressed of the Middle East and promote the view that our enemy is at home - the NZ ruling class - not in Afghanistan.We seek to link workers' struggles within NZ - for instance, the current pay campaign of our teachers - to the issue of the war, and to promote struggle against our own capitalists who are part of the Western capitalist power structure that plunders the Middle East and oppresses its people. We want to push for direct anti-war action on the streets and in the workplace; to confront the imperialist policies of the NZ government head-on; and to argue against UN-backed intervention, phoney "international law" and starvation by sanctions as alternatives to the present US-led attacks on Afghanistan. So far the list includes members of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) from Dunedin, the Anarchist Round Table and Revolution from Christchurch, Wellington's Libertarian Communists, and Auckland's Anti-Imperialist Coalition. List members have been active in anti-war protests up and down Aotearoa/NZ. Anyone who wants to bring anti-capitalist politics to the anti-war movement is welcome to join. |
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backgroundThe idea for an e-group was raised by some members of the Anti-Imperialist Coalition (AIC) in Auckland, a collection of individuals and groups formed shortly after September 11. Members of the AIC have agreed on a few basic, short-term demands related to the war in the Mideast and New Zealand's role in the US-led coalition. They oppose the sending of NZ troops, call for the withdrawal of the country from ANZUS and the Echelon spy system, demand genuine independence for Palestine, oppose United Nations involvement in the war, call for strike action, mass blockades and mutiny against the war, and want to help set up self-defence groups for minority groups affected by war-inspired racist threats and attacks. Inside the broad Auckland Anti-War Coalition the AIC has argued successfully against support for UN-sanctioned military strikes, sanctions and "international law" as an antidote to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. We have also fought for a policy of an open mike and against celebrities and MPs from outside the broad anti-war movement dominating speaking time at rallies. We have set out to focus on building workers' defence against racism
and workers' defence of civil rights in our actions, because we see working
class direct action in the street and in the workplace as the key to stopping
the war. As well as appearing as a bloc and bringing out our own chants
and speakers in broad anti-war marches and rallies, we have organised
a number of street meetings in suburbs like Otahuhu and Otara, picketed
the Prime Minister over Labour-Alliance's proposed "anti-terrorist"
legislation, protested at the High Court over the detention of innocent
Afghanis, and put the argument for opposition to the war to a number of
union meetings. We are attempting to forge links with anti-imperialist
groups overseas, and recently sent a message of support and questions
about possible material aid to the Labour Party of Pakistan, an anti-capitalist
group organising demonstrations against both fundamentalism and the imperialist
war in working class areas of Lahore and Karachi. |
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