MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MARCH 20 / 20 DE MARÇO DE 2004 CONVOCATÓRIA INTERNACIONAL 1º ANIVERSÁRIO DO INÍCIO DA INVASÃO SOLIDARIEDADE COM O IRAQUE A PALESTINA

January 20, 2004--On Saturday, January 17, the March 20 National Coalition met again to further discuss plans for March 20 protests taking place across the United States. The organizations that met included those that initiated and endorsed the March 20 Call to Action: A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Coalition, Al-Awda - the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, Arab Muslim American Federation, Free Palestine Alliance, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Muslim Student Association of the U.S. and Canada and National Lawyers Guild. The meeting included both national and local representatives of organizations mobilizing for March 20. Cities represented included New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago, which included the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism. Other groups that are mobilizing for March 20 were also invited to attend. New York City Labor Against the War and the International Socialist Organization participated in the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting included (1) an update on endorsers for the March 20 Call to Action, now over 1,500; (2) a report on the significance of the "Open Letter from the Arab-American and Muslim Community to the U.S. Anti-War Movement," now signed by over 125 organizations, and the "Call to Action for Solidarity with the Arab-American and Muslim Community"; (3) reports from all cities represented on the call; and (4) a discussion about communication with other organizations who may be interested in signing on to the principles of unity as articulated in the Call to Action.

The principles of unity of the coalition include "Bring the troops home now!", "End colonial occupation from Iraq to Palestine and everywhere!", "Stop the attacks on civil liberties!", and "Money for jobs, education, healthcare and housing - Not war!" The March 20 call also takes an explicit position opposing internationalizing the occupation of Iraq, instead insisting on the Iraqi people's unconditional right to exercise self-determination. The call can be read in full at http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m20/index.html

New information about cities planning regional demonstrations:

CHICAGO: On Saturday, January 10, over 110 individuals and representatives of organizations held a meeting in Chicago in response to a call put out by the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, the largest anti-war coalition in Chicago. The meeting resolved that the Midwest Regional Anti-War Protest taking place in Chicago on March 20 will have three major demands: "The Midwest STILL Says No to War," "Troops Out Now!," and "End the Occupations of Iraq, Palestine & Afghanistan!" The Call for March 20 in Chicago says: "The peace and justice movement in the U.S. needs to speak with a clear voice, a voice which demands respect for the absolute right of the Iraqi people, and all other peoples of the world, to decide their own destinies, without occupying armies, without commercial schemes to rip off their national wealth, without puppets imposed on them from Washington." For more information, call 888-471-0874 or email CCAWR@aol.com

NEW YORK CITY: In New York City, the demonstration will assemble at Madison Square Park Madison Ave. and 23rd St.
(the crowd will flow north along Madison Ave.) Call 202-544-3389 or 212-633-6646, or email info@internationalanswer.org for more information.

SAN FRANCISCO: Assemble at Dolores Park, 18th & Dolores Sts., at 11 a.m. March to the S.F. Civic Center. Call 415-821-6545 or email answer@actionsf.org for more information.

In the Bay Area, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Lo. 10 has again shown the way by voting at its January 15 membership meeting to hold a Stop Work meeting on March 20 to shut down San Francisco Bay ports. The ILWU Lo. 10's initiative is mobilizing support for the San Francisco demonstration on March 20 and is in solidarity with all the other protests on the March 20 Global Day of Action.

LOS ANGELES: Assemble at 12 noon at Hollywood and Vine. Call 213-487-2368 or email answer-la@action-mail.org for more information.

Begin planning now to hold a demonstration in your city on March 20 or to organize transportation to a regional demonstration.

If you are holding an event in your city, fill out the form at http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m20/index.html#event

If you are organizing transportation to a regional demonstration, fill out the form at http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m20/index.html#transportation

Downloadable flyers and more information is available at http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m20/index.html

---

20 DE MARÇO DE 2004 CONVOCATÓRIA INTERNACIONAL 1º ANIVERSÁRIO DO INÍCIO DA INVASÃO SOLIDARIEDADE COM O IRAQUE A PALESTINA

A ANSWER está a convocar manifestações nos EUA e em todo o mundo em apoio ao direito do povo iraquiano à auto-determinação incondicional. Desde que começou a invasão, centenas de milhares de iraquianos foram assassinados. Milhares de soldados americanos e britânicos foram mortos ou feridos. O povo iraquiano resiste à ocupação e quer que os soldados estrangeiros ocupantes do seu país deixem-no imediatamente. Tais soldados — portugueses inclusivé — foram para ali enviados a fim de matar e serem mortos numa guerra que se baseou nas mentiras e nas fraudes perpetradas pela administração Bush. Só existe uma solução: o fim da ocupação já.