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30,000 demonstrate in Washington DC to say OCCUPATION IS NOT LIBERATION - NO WAR FOR EMPIRE

Demonstrations in sixty countries on April 12 oppose U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq

30,000 demonstrators marched in central Washington, DC today against the invasion and occupation of Iraq by U.S. and British forces, according to the Washington DC police authorities. The demonstration, called by the International A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, coincided with coordinated anti-war actions in the capital cities of more than 60 countries around the world. Tens of thousands of demonstrators in the United States came together to condemn the invasion of Iraq as a war for empire

D.C. police forces carried out a series of unprovoked attacks against the demonstrators, using clubs and pepper spray as they assaulted people who were chanting "Stop the U.S. War Machine from Iraq to Korea to the Philippines."

Tens of thousands of people in Iraq have been killed or maimed in the onslaught carried out by the U.S. and British forces since March 19. The U.S. corporate media has portrayed the military actions as the liberation of Iraq. We know that the real motivation the White House and the Pentagon was to conquer Iraq and to put into place a U.S. military dictatorship followed by a proxy or puppet regime in Baghdad.

Iraq possesses 10 percent of the world's known oil supplies. The U.S. is moving quickly to plunder the land and especially the natural resources of Iraq for the benefit of U.S.-based oil and banking corporate elite.

The Bush administration is engaged in a strategy of endless war that would further target Syria, Iran, southern Lebanon, Palestine, North Korea, the Philippines, Colombia, Zimbabwe, and others countries that sought to achieve national liberation and independence or sovereign control over their own resources.

Although the U.S. corporate-dominated media has proclaimed that the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq and accompanying slaughter of Iraqis is a victory, people all over the world took to the streets today proving the continuation the massive peace and social-justice movement that swiftly emerged in recent months as a direct response to the Bush administration's war drive.

Demonstrations against the war took place in the following countries:

Argentina, Australia (April 13), Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burma (Myanmar), Canada, Chile, Crotia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haifa, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mexico, Marocco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, U.S., Uruguay (April 11), Venezuela, Yemen.

Below are links to articles about and photographs of the demonstrations:

- Washington Post article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14311-2003Apr12.html

- Agence France-Presse (AFP) article on DC demonstration http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030412/ts_alt_afp/iraq_war_us_imf_demos_030412181608

- Agence France-Presse (AFP) article on demonstrations around the world http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030412/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_war_demos_030412224853

- Photo Gallery - DC and international demonstrations http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?p=news&g=events/wl/102602iraqprotests&i=index&e=1&tmpl=sl&ns=&l=1&m=&c=