Speeches 23 Mar 2003

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

• Rev Keree Casey
• Sr Susan Connelly
• Dr Hannah Middleton
• Susan Nasser

My name is Keree Louise Casey and I stand before you as a Uniting Church Minister and as a mother. Both my son and son-in-law are full-time members of our Defence Force and I am completely opposed to Mr. Howard's decision to involve Australia in this war against Iraq.

PLEASE DO NOT misunderstand me - I do not stand here in opposition to my boys. I wholeheartedly support them and the other young men and women who have chosen the DEFENCE FORCE as their career. I stand here opposed to the decision made by the politicians - and in PARTICULAR MR HOWARD - to involve our service personnel in this war.

This is not a "just war" as understood by "Just War Theory" - that is, it is not a war where ethics and morality dictate we protect and defend ourselves from aggressors. Yes, evil must be confronted where ever it is found. Whether it is terrorism, or domestic violence, evil should not be tolerated. However, we must look beyond the rhetoric and try and see through the haze of words. Power abused, whether it is by Saddam Hussein or any other unjust dictator, or the democratically elected President of the most powerful country in the world, is power abused - it is evil. And must not be tolerated.

As citizens of the world we have the right to ask hard questions, and to demand answers. Whether or not the underlying issue is disarmament we should be asking questions - why did America provide Iraq with these weapons in the first place? Why are other countries, including western countries, not being asked to disarm? Whether or not the underlying issue is the possession of the vast oil fields of the Middle East or the fact that war has happened without the sanction of the United Nations - we should be asking questions. How can we bomb people out of compassion for them? Compassion and bomb are mutually exclusive words!

As citizens of Australia we need to make absolutely certain that we do not confuse our service personnel with the politicians who have made the decision that Australia should participate in this war. We must not make the same mistake as an Australian community as we did with our service personnel who were sent to Vietnam. We must not demonise our service men and women and make them the public scape-goat for the decisions that Mr Howard has made on our behalf - and without asking us what we thought!

Just like my son and son-in-law, our professional service men and women have joined the Defence Force to serve their community - their country. They have a sworn duty to do just that. They cannot argue the point. They have to do as they are told. The have to go where they are sent - without question. In fact, they are trained not to ask questions because that can be detrimental and dangerous in a combat situation.

Our service personnel come from all walks of life, ethnicities, religious affiliations and political view-points. They do not have the same freedom to express their political opinions as the rest of the community. They cannot protest, they cannot make comment, and they cannot be seen to be anything other than obeying the orders they have been given.

We live in a democratic country where we are encouraged to have our own opinions to and express them, just as I am doing today. Both my boys know that I am speaking here and wholeheartedly support my participation in this public gathering. They know that I love them. They know that I am very proud of them and support them in their chosen careers. They know that I deplore the fact that 2,000 of our service personnel have already been sent to this war. They also know that I want those service personnel sent to war to be brought home -immediately.

Our Defence Force personnel do us all proud. They work hard, train hard and give the best of themselves in order to serve their community. Respect the difficult position they are in. Condemn the politicians who put them in that position. I implore every one of you - please - do not confuse our service personnel with the politicians and the political decisions that have been made on our behalf!

No matter how successful this war is claimed to be by Bush etc, we have already suffered a defeat. As the Pope said in January, "War is always a defeat for humanity".

The naming of this assault on Iraq as "Shock and Awe" is as much about its intended effect on you and me as it is about the Iraqis. Well, I am shocked; I am awed.

I am totally shocked that supposedly civilised people can honestly believe that this unprovoked attack can bring lasting peace and freedom. I am shocked at the d disproportion of the conflict: overwhelming forces with space age weapons against men in tin hats.

I am overawed that three nations can decide to override the United Nations of the world, knowing that two of the incumbents clawed their way to power by highly suspect means. This is an illegal war waged by illegitimate rulers.

We fear the copycat invasions which will come. We fear the fanatical ratbags who will gleefully attack more civilians claiming revenge. Our troops should be at home here defending our vast continent, not over there attacking someone else.

Our Government has squandered its authority and credibility. We did not authorise it to prostitute us to the Empire of the United States. Our seats of power are occupied by yesterday's people, interlopers, savages in suits, whose main weapon is the ability to divide. The latest ploy is the insinuation that "anti-war" equals "anti defence personnel", an underhanded slur on us if ever there was one.

However, one of the hopeful and energising signs is the evidence that we, the people, can see through all the justification for war. Sadness and anger on the unprecedented scale we are experiencing is a phenomenon of vast significance and power; despite all the attempts to dismiss it.

Let us encourage each other to use our anger wisely. Anger is an energy which can be turned to great good, so long as we don't let it rule us. Smashing property and throwing things might give a buzz in the short term, but will do nothing for the cause of peace and for our future. Far better to galvanise all our energies, all our anger and sadness and turn it into a tidal wave of commitment to peace. We must imagine a different way.

1. We must first confront our elected representatives. Form groups in the Federal electorates and go and see them. Don't let them off the hook after the debacle of last week in Parliament. Ask the Liberals why they sat on their bottoms and refused to challenge Howard. On the law of averages, someone would have to disagree. Demand an end to this war! Demand to know what humanitarian assistance will be given to Iraq, how it will be given and who will give it. Don't be fobbed off by the usual puffery. Hound them by visits, emails, letters and faxes.

2. Challenge the media. Pounce on every error, every lie, every little bit of spin, every unquestioning gulp of the US lying machine. Demand the facts. Remember, the images are manufactured by the image-makers to colonise our minds. With some notable exceptions, media has become the tool of Government and we want a free media back. We don't want to be brainwashed by the criminally rich mouthpieces of Government. Take away your advertising from them. Ring them up and complain about the avalanche of Americana we have endured for too long.

3. Take on the racist hate-mongers who have crawled out from underneath the rocks in the last few years. They're not just going to go away, now that they have been let out. Things have been said in our community which should never have been said, attitudes have been preened which should never have seen the light of day. It is the purpose of civilisation to neutralise such tendencies, which are in all of us. The long and tedious process of civilising our community has been dismissed in the last few years as being mere "political correctness" and with little opposition, attitudes of savagery have arisen among us which make it easy to target certain groups, to blame them for all ills, and now to bomb the living daylights out of them.
4. Embrace non-violent resistance to the war. This is difficult, but not impossible. It takes true courage, determination and goodness. It is so much easier to perpetuate the cycle of revenge, to take the role of victim, to blame others for misfortune, to try to destroy others because they hurt us or in case they might hurt us. We see this over and over again in the world's affairs. The stupidity of revenge is gob-smacking. Someone has to call a halt. Someone has to say, "I will not retaliate. I will not contribute to this endless cycle of violence and death". Let those someones be us. Let us bring the subject up in all forums of life. Form groups to learn about non-violence. Ask the Buddhists for help. And the Quakers. Let us discover anew the non-violence in all religious traditions, and practice one of them.

My dear friends, we are being asked to re-invent the wheel. In this most serious attack on civilisation, we are the ones who must make history. Let us act in ways that repudiate violence. Let us refuse to lie or accept lies. Let us actively uphold the human dignity of each person, whoever and wherever.

Now the Howard Government has taken Australia into Bush's invasion of Iraq and slaughter of its people, it is time for us, the majority, to declare political war on Howard and the system that he serves.

We have every right to be anguished, we have every right to be angry because the annihilation of Iraq is a cold, calculated act of mass murder.

Once again the rich and powerful of this planet, above all the huge transnational corporations, have sent their military machines to war in order to steal land and resources.

This is a war for US domination of the Middle East, a war for oil. It is being waged by the Bush administration which is dominated by representatives of the oil conglomerates and armaments corporations, an administration which has replaced international law with the law of jungle.

Not for the first time an Australian government is following the United States into war.

Prime Minister Howard has played a despicable role, lying to the Australian people about the reasons for the war, and not having the guts to face the nation in an honest debate.

Howard is also hiding truth about the US military base at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, which is directing the missiles which are smashing into Baghdad right now as we are gathered here in the Domain.

Pine Gap and the Australian troops in Iraq are making Australia complicit in a crime against humanity. Now Howard is demanding that we should "rally behind the troops". This is blackmail to try to silence the peace movement. But we will not be silenced.

To the demand that we support our troops, we reply: You are the ones who are sending "our boys and girls" to be killed, to be wounded or to be poisoned by US depleted uranium shells.

We in the peace movement do support the Australian troops. We want them to live and so and we demand they be brought home now.

The illegal invasion of Iraq may cost Australia over $1 billion. Howard's decision to go to war is also a declaration of war against the Australian people.

The cost of the war will be paid for by cuts to Medicare and public hospitals, by reduced safety on public transport, by less money for public education, job creation and other social services.

The Howard Government is morally and politically defeated. It may still be in office, but it is but now clearer than ever before that it does not represent the Australian people. It ignores our opinions and tramples on our democratic rights.

Now we have to wage a political war for new kind of government, one that will listen to the people and will act in our interests - a government of the people and for the people.

Our campaign to stop this war must continue.

The Walk Against the War Coalition asks every one of you to go to one our tables - they are up there at the back of the crowd - and collect information, leaflets, posters and other material.

Get your organisation to affiliate and send two delegates to the Walk Against the War Coalition.

Find the contact for your local peace group and become active in it. If there isn't a peace group near you, then start one up.

We must build this movement to stop the war so that it reaches into every city, every neighbourhood, every street, every workplace in this country.

If the Government will not listen to the overwhelming majority of the people, then we must throw the Howard Government out!

It is time for us, the people, to set the agenda. Stop the war! Bring the troops home!

Allow me to begin with the words of John Pilger,

"How have we got to this point, where two western governments take us into an illegal and immoral war against a stricken nation with whom we have no quarrel and who offer us no threat: an act of aggression opposed by almost everybody and whose charade is transparent.

One of the declared aims of this war is to rid the Iraqi people of a ruthless dictator. Bush, Blair and Howard have gone to great pains to expose the true murderous face of the Iraqi regime. However, the three of them have failed to mention the fact that Iraq was a close ally until 1990. They fail to mention the fact that most of the atrocities carried out by this regime took place while Iraq was an ally. When poison gas was used against the Kurds none of them wanted to know about it.

Now that these governments have decided that their old friend must go, they formed the Coalition of the Willing. When this coalition failed to secure the rubber stamp of the United Nations, they simply rendered it irrelevant.

When the majority of Australians voiced their opposition to the call for war, John Howard described the protesters as "the mob". This comment followed the largest anti-war protests Australia had ever seen. This "mob" as Howard called it was present in every major city of the world. The size and frequency of protests organised against this war makes it the most rejected war in human history. Why? The so-called coalition of the willing has failed to come up with the goods. The world simply is not convinced. What they did come up with is a series of contradictions and I'll mention a few.

They want Iraq to adhere to UN Resolutions while they function outside them and call the UN irrelevant.

They want to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, yet they did not allow weapons inspectors to finish their job.

They want to liberate the people of Iraq and what do they do? They invade the country in order to save it!

They want to end the regime's menacing of the Iraqi population and they brag about an ongoing campaign of nightly bombings.

They want to fight terrorism while they sow the seeds of hatred and resentment.

They want to bring democracy and freedom to the Middle East while they refuse to accept the right of Palestinians to self-determination.

This Coalition of the Willing would have us believe this war is like a Hollywood movie. The good guy overcomes the bad guy and everybody lives happily ever after. They seriously want us to believe they will go into Iraq, not kill innocent civilians, get rid of Saddam Hussein, and Iraq will turn into an oasis of freedom and democracy. In the real world this doesn't happen. America may be the mightiest nation in the world but can hardly be called the wisest. We only need to look at the so-called success story of Afghanistan. This success story has been a saga of nightly attacks on American and other international troops, anarchy in the cities outside Kabul, warlordism and drug trafficking and a steadily increasing toll of murders. This happens daily in Afghanistan but these events seem to have acquired the stale status of yesterday's war and therefore are not newsworthy. This is the future that awaits post-war Iraq.

Just as the war against Iraq started long before this round of bombs actually started falling, the war will not end when the bombs stop. What do the Iraqis have to look forward to in a US-administered Iraqi nation? Since when has colonialism come back into fashion? At what point did the world become willing to accept the US flag flying over Baghdad, Basra and Mosul? Do we expect the Iraqi people to willingly follow the commands of a US military governor named TOMMY? Why all the vagueness from the Howard government and his fellow aggressors, Bush and Blair, about the post-war situation in Iraq? Do we seriously believe that the Iraqis will put their faith in a so-called opposition group that has already been marginalised?

And what of northern Iraq and the Kurds? The Turkish Army is already on the way to Iraqi Kurdistan, despite American displeasure at the invasion. Does this mean that the Iraqis will have a divided nation, sanctioned by the US, the UK and Australia (if anyone remembers to ask Hoard), to look forward to?

And what of the Palestinians in this whole situation?

Since the beginning of this Intifada we have been calling out to the international community to stop the military aggression against the whole civilian population.

The very same Coalition of the Willing that is so eager to defend Iraqi civilians from their military oppressor is the same Coalition of the Silent that refuses to do the same for the Palestinian people. Do we seriously still need to make the case against the Israeli government and its military? Do we need to constantly remind people about Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Gaza? Do I need to call out the names of Sharon's victims in Lebanon? The answer to that, here at this rally, is no. We will not forget Jenin. We will not forget Sabra and Shatila. We will not forget Rachel Corrie or the thousands of Palestinians that have been murdered.

So what do the Palestinians have to look forward to in this war on Iraq? Let's not fool ourselves. The Israeli government has been itching for it. It has been widely written in the international media that war on Iraq began in Palestine months ago. While Israelis were getting gas masks, while their zoo animals were being inoculated, Palestinians were being denied any defense. Sharon and his government have stated time and time again that they are opposed to a Palestinian state. Instead, we hear the echoes of 1948. We hear the sounds of the forced transfer of a whole Palestinian civilian population. We see a wall that has turned cities, towns and villages into prisons.

The connections between Iraq and Palestine are clear. This isn't a war for freedom. This war is part of the New World Order. This is a restructuring of the Middle East. This is redrawing the map of the area to suit American interests. This is a re-zoning, re-drawing, re-locating of a whole area, millions of people, millions of lives, according to the US imperial New World Order.

It sickens me that the likes of John Howard (the most junior and usually forgotten member of the Coalition) finds it proper to talk about human rights, democracy and self-determination. He appreciates the need to control weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The same gutless John Howard has never had anything to say when it comes to the plight of the people of Palestine. He has never had anything to say about the ongoing Israeli campaign of murder, assassinations, humiliation, siege, demolition and colonisation. On the contrary, he has always shown consistent understanding and justification of the actions of a government led by a veteran war criminal, by the name of Ariel Sharon.

John Howard was full of venom toward the French, for threatening to sue their power of veto in the Security Council, yet he has conveniently forgotten that the United States has vetoed 38 UN Resolutions - most of which apply to the treatment of Palestinians.

As we gather today we are getting close to the first anniversary of the massacre of Jenin. Israel went unpunished for this crime because of US threats to use the power of veto. Israel has always shown contempt and disregard of United Nations Resolutions. John Howard has no quarrel with this. Israel possesses a massive arsenal of nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry that nobody wants to control. So why Iraq? Why don't the standards apply to everyone? Why is Israel the rogue state that is above international law?

Australia has no quarrel with Iraq. Iraq poses no threat to Australia or anybody else. Australian troops have no business being in Iraq. We want our troops back home where they belong and we want a proper Prime Minister of Australia, not the American sidekick our poor excuse for a Prime Minster has become! So come next election, we should remember this time. We should remember Howard's aggression against the Iraqi people. We should remember that the Liberal government supported the war. And we should vote accordingly. It's time that Howard and the Liberal government felt the repercussions of a war against Iraq.

© Walk Against the War Coalition 2003.
Site proudly donated by Social Change Online

Last Modified: Wednesday, 22-Feb-2006 14:20:48 EST
This page: http://nswpeace.org/features/1049370787_32465.html