10,000 in Germany protest Afghanistan war
Oct 4, 2008
More than 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Germany’s capital
Berlin and the southern metropolis Stuttgart on Sept. 17 to demand the
withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan.
All surveys and opinion polls show that a majority of people living in
Germany oppose the country’s massive participation in the illegal
occupation of Afghanistan, although only a minority in the Bundestag
(Parliament) reflect this position. Here, the demonstrators from the Left Party
carry a banner that reads: “Federal Army out of Afghanistan.”
Many of the NATO countries are participating in the occupation of
Afghanistan, even if their governments refused to join the occupation of Iraq
or have withdrawn from Iraq. In these countries the anti-war movement focuses
on demands that the troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Beside this protest in Germany, there is another set for Canada, whose
troops have taken relatively heavy casualties. The Canadian Peace Alliance and
Collectif Échec à la Guerre are calling for a pan-Canadian day of
action on Oct. 18 to end the war in Afghanistan and bring Canadian troops
home.
—John Catalinotto
