• war started, we still had a quarter of a milNew York City is the greatest point of bases of our support are in the major cites on the coast. Racially there is also a big gap for the war and Latino support much lower how do we actually bring the war to a halt -and there is no obvious answer. It's easy to abstractly but getting people to that point is they are been under tremendous attack. The labour movement is very weak, both numerically and politically. So how do you get from A year and a tors? half ago we were very few union voices speaking out, now where you hear labour voices talking about the war, opposed to it. (in Wachiroton. DC) where we are now to meaningful resistance - not just symbolic resistance but effective
An essential part of this is connecting issues at home and abroad, which are two sides of the same coin. But it's difficult in a country where unions are barely able to defend people's most immediate needs.
It's really encouraging and amazing that we have this big new movement. It's the biggest thing since Vietnam and in some ways beyond that - certainly earlier in the process and more diverse. But on the other hand there's frustration and a feeling of powerlessness. What does the movement amount to if this war continues and they are free to do whatever else they want to next? TC: To what extent would it be useful to build links between anti-war unions in particular industrial sec ML: I think it is really important to have connections generally - people in the US are anxious to hear speakers from Britain, just as people here are keen to hear Americans. Each of us is told that the other supports the war and we are here to say that this isn't so.
In january we launched US Labour against the War that reflects the growing number of labour organisations taking antiwar positions - and this has some international contacts. But creating organisational links at the top won't solve the difficulties of getting action on the ground. The bottom line is labour organisations organising their members against both the war abroad and at home.
Iraqi and working-class American and British kids are being killed. Working-class
people are paying an economic cost for this
at home. Civil liberties and immigrant rights
are under attack. We have to organise
around all this at the grass roots.
page 17 of the scan
There are many different groups in our organisation. We have basically an antiimperialist view of the war and how to build a movement. • and hopefully by being organised.
The formal resolutions create room to raise these issues in a legitimate way. We can go as NYCLAW to a demonstration against cuts in hospitals and have a banner that says NYLAW - Stop the Cuts, Stop the War and make the connections. TC: To what extent is there a national co-ordination of the antiwar movement? ML: The anti-war movement in the States is not nearty as unified as it is here, where the STW coalition embraces many different tendencies and groups but is the only national coalition. That's partly because of size and partly political tradition.
There are three different national coalitions. ANSWER is the most left wing. United for Peace and Justice is the next one over.
Finally you have the most conservative Win without War. This is more of a virtual, • on-line organisation mainly lobbying and
Ice May 2003 : 17 Only one building left standing in the Korean city of Wonsan after US bombing