The anniversary of the invasion of Tra, March 20, was marked bor
demonstrations round the world. In Rome over I million marched and there were dozens of marches in the USA and in Canada.
In London over 65,000 demonstrated against the occupation of Iraq; against the war policy of the Blair government and for freedom for Palestine. Two thousand black balloons were released in Trafalgar Square to remember the thousands who have died in the Iraq war.
Many marchers wore black armbands inscribed with the word 'PAZ' to show solidarity with the people of Spain who, in their millions on the streets and through the ballot box showed their opposition to the war and to the bombings in Madrid.
The Spanish election result was the most stunning manifestation of the continuing strength of the global anti-war movement. The Spanish Socialist Party is committed to withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq. The so-called 'Coalition of the willing' is crumbling.
No wonder that the first reaction of the Bush and Blair camps, after they'd condemned the Spanish electorate for voting against Aznar, was to talk up the role of the United Nations in Iraq. Bush now says that the UN has a central role to play in Iraqi reconstruction. Ahmed Chalabi, the convicted fraudster and Iraqi Quisling, invited the UN back into Iraq.
Whether they can cobble together some deal involving the UN that would persuade Spain to remain on board is doubtful.
However the situation in Iraq is disintegrating. Despite polls which pertain to show that Iraqis are happy, the reality is that the country is in chaos with most Iraqis deeply opposed to the occupying forces. Thousands of mercenaries are in the country and are routinely used in security situations formerly the province of the armed forces
The US army is building a series of long term military bases which they hope to be a model for occupation of the entire region. The supposed handover to an Iraqi government in June is a fraud and thus the occupation and the resistance to it will continue.
Meanwhile the dripfeed of revelations about the build up to the war continue. In the last two weeks we've had the former US counter terrorism official, Richard Clarke, reveal that the terror attacks in New York in 2001 were seized on by Bush to attack Iraq and the former British ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer, now says that Bush and Blair made a secret pact to attack Iraq in 2001.
In the wake of the Spanish bombings Sir John Stevens, head of the Metropolitan police, says that a bomb attack in London is inevitable. This is taken as a green light for the press and sections of the establishment to launch hysterical attacks on the Muslim community.
Trevor Phillips, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality, is Still angry - marchers in London (top) and New York on March 20 only the latest in a long line of leading New Labour figures advising the black and asian communities to 'honour the culture of these Islands'.
BliBIS Unterd for Peace &ustice
At its last conference the Stop the War Coalition took the decision to make the defence of civil liberties central to its work over the coming year. With the June elections
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Spanish PM Aznar, who took his co to war in opposition to 90% of the S people has been ejected from office down - two to go!