Features

Cleese on Absurdity
The Axis of Evil Wannabees by John Cleese.

Doug Cameron's speech to Sydney Palm Sunday March 20 2005
Doug Cameron is the National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and a Vice-President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions

Forgive me, I was wrong on Iraq - Anglican Bishop
Bishop Tom Frame supported the invasion. Now he seeks God's forgiveness. This is what he wrote in The Age, June 18, 2004.

Iraq war dead
Speech by Senator John Faulkner as a Matter of Public Interest

John Valder's speech to the July 18 Public Meeting
Impact of the Bush – Howard – Blair Invasion of Iraqa post June 30 assessment

Letter to Syndey Morning Herald about Hanan Ashrawi receiving Sydney Peace Prize
Let Hanan Ashrawi speak

Limericks against Bush and Howard
Weapons of Mass Derision were deployed against the lying warmongers in the lead up to President Bush's flying visit to Australia on October 22-23, 2003. Here are the limericks made for the 'Don't Be Bush Whacked' hoedown at Prince Alfred Park, Sydney, on October 19.

Maree O'Halloran speech, Oct 19 2003 - Don't Be Bush Wacked!
Maree O'Halloran is the President of the NSW Teachers Federation.

Members of the Iraqi Governing Councill
The Iraqi Governing Council, chosen by the US administration in Iraq, is made up of 25 people representing the country's diverse religious and ethnic groupings in broadly proportionate terms.

Michael Moore Letter
Here is a letter from Michael Moore, the author of "Stupid White Men" and maker of the academy award winning documentary, "Bowling for Columbine", to George W Bush.

Mr Mark Lennon speech, Palm Sunday 2008
I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and their elders. We have heard today from the speakers, including the faith speakers before the march, that there are various notions of peace.

Mr Onofre Andres Jr, speech, Palm Sunday 2008
First, let me salute the participants in the Sydney Peace & Justice Coalition for their call to remove the foreign military troops, particularly, the US troops in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in south-east Asia, and the US bases all over the world.

Ms Mona Ashgari speech, Palm Sunday 2008
War and peace - to many of us these are only words defined as per dictionary, war is “an armed conflict, violent armed combat between differing people (religion, political ideals or theories, race and so on)”.

Palm Sunday 2005 in Parramatta maintains pressure on Howard
About 400 people gathered in Parramatta's Prince Alfred Park, in Sydney's west, for this year's Palm Sunday Rally for Peace and Justice for the Iraqi people. Palm Sunday this year coincided with the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the Bush – Blair – Howard 'coalition of the willing', and so Palm Sunday was part of the global day of action against the war in Iraq.

President Bush's threat to invade Iraq - A Fact Sheet
Iraqi society has a recorded history of over 5,000 years. It was part of the Ottoman Empire until the British Army of India invaded in 1918 and Britain was awarded a League of Nations mandate.

Prof Doug Rokke will speak on depleted uranium & the Iraq War
Prof Doug Rokke will speak on the issue of Depleted Uranium at a public meeting on Thursday July 3, 2003, 7 - 9 pm, Tom Mann Theatre, 136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills. $10 or by donation.

Purple ribbons on HoWARd's gate
For weeks, North Sydney for Peace have tied purple ribbons on the gates of the Prime Minister's residence at the end of their vigil. (See pic.)

Reading the Iraqi Elections
The millions of Iraqis who came out for the elections were voting their hopes for an end to violence and occupation, and a better life; their hopes are not likely to be met.

Rev Dr Niall Reid, Palm Sunday 2008 speech
Today I could speak of peace in Iraq, or peace in Burma, or in Israel and Palestine, or peace in East Timor or in Pakistan. Surely our prayer is for peace in those places. There are others far better equipped to speak about and offer ways in which we can work and advocate for peace in those particular contexts where peace is so often a dim hope.

Sharan Burrow, ACTU President, speech to 'Don't be Bushwacked'
Comrades and Friends, this is a critical moment in our history and I congratulate the Sydney Peace & Justice Coalition for organising today. On the eve of George Bush's visit, what can you say? Why are we not surprised that George and John are mates, why are we not surprised that they share common values? Why would American people and Australian people not share the heartache of watching their societies become more and more unequal, while these two boys govern the worlds that we inhabit?

Speech by Ali Bahamad, Palm Sunday 2006
Today we gather, on Palm Sunday, a day of peace and love, to rally against the evil inherent in our world today, and to highlight the struggle and plight of various oppressed groups around the world.

Speech by Andrew Wilkie, Sydney Palm Sunday Rally, 2003
Some people think that the war in Iraq is finished, that a great victory has been won, and that a rally like ours is irrelevant. But we, and many others like us around the world, know that this is not the case. Because after more than three weeks of fighting, the Coalition of the Bumbling has managed to produce one of the worst sets of outcomes possible.

Speech by Donna Mulhearn to Sydney Palm Sunday 2003
As they in Iraq: “Is salaam alaykum” - “Peace be with you”. Friends. “Arson, anarchy, fear, hatred, hysteria, looting, revenge, suspicion”. This is the description by one journalist of Baghdad today. This war is every bit the disaster we thought it would be.

Speech by Doug Cameron, ACTU Vice-President, Sydney Palm Sunday Rally, 2003
There is no glory in concluding this unnecessary war - and there are certainly no winners.

Speech by Dr Carmen Lawrence MHR, Sydney Palm Sunday Rally, 2003
We are here to speak for peace. To argue that organised mass murder is not the civilised way to solve our problems; that an empire founded on weapons of mass destruction and preventive war is not how the world should be run.

Speech by Dr Renwar Reben at Sydney Palm Sunday Rally 2003
The Western media have been trying hard to convince people that Kurdish are pro-war and pro-American, but the reality is different. Here there is a group of Kurds who are anti-America anti-Saddam and anti-war.

Speech by Fr Claude Mostowik MSC, Sydney Palm Sunday Rally 2003
Jesus is cheered as he enters Jerusalem and then shortly after is betrayed. Earlier, looking over Jerusalem, he wept over its injustice, violence and complicity with war making. Rather than giving up he took action. Many of us have recently shed tears, felt grief and experienced depression. We take up where he left off. "The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open." [Gunter Grass, German novelist]. As our country wages war on Iraq, we follow the Peaceful One who weeps over war and acts for peace.

Speech by Mr Fayez Lababedi to Sydney Palm Sunday 2005 rally for peace
Mr Fayez Lababedi is Deputy Chairperson, Arab Council Australia.

Speech by Nosrat Hosseini on Palm Sunday 2006
I would like to talk today about the most serious situation in the world, it called Iran. This is my country, where I was born and where the most dangerous government in the world exists. Of course the government is not democratic but uses weapons against its own people, human rights abuses and it exports terrorism.

Speech by Rev Harry Herbert on Palm Sunday 2006
May we be far removed from the false authority claimed by the would-be rulers of our world. In Jesus we see one who commanded with service and humility, who exalted the meek and the peacemakers, who challenged the forces of evil with goodness, and righteousness, and justice, and peace.

Speech by Rose Jackson at the Sydney Palm Sunday 2005
“we never forget the lessons of this war, our sense of right and wrong will be forever shaped by this experience”

Speech by Susan Ryan on Palm Sunday 2006
A Human Rights Act for Australia: the people’s campaign

Speech by Tanya Plibersek MHR on impact of the Iraq invasion, July 18, 2004
Labor opposed the war on Iraq from day one. The caucus adopted a resolution opposing the war in April 2002, and in March 2003 then leader Simon Crean said in his National Press Club address:

Speeches 23 Mar 2003
The following items are transcripts of speeches given at the Sydney Emergency protest at the Domain on March 23.

Speeches 30 Nov 2002
Read the speeches from the Sydney Rally on 30 Nov 2002 by Sharan Burrow, Pat Power, Judy Davis, Kassim Abood, John Pilger and Rawan Abdul Nabi.

The Coming Wars, by Seymour M Hersh
What the Pentagon can now do in secret.

Zaki Chehab, author of 'Iraq Ablaze', speaks in Sydney
Zaki Chehab, one of the Arab world’s leading journalists. He is political editor of the London based Al Hayat and of the Arabic TV channel LBC. For over 25 years he has covered Middle Eastern conflicts for local and Western media, contributing to The Guardian, and appearing regularly on CNN, Channel 4 and the BBC as a commentator. He is the firstjournalist to have broadcast interviews with the Iraqi resistance. This is the transcript of his opening address at a public forum at Sydney University on February 23, 2006.