Iraq: support the resistance to occupation and privatisation!
15 April 2004


The siege of Fallujah has already cost more than 500 lives this month, overwhelmingly women and children. Now 2,500 US troops threaten the same collective punishment on the people of Najaf.

The heroic and popular resistance to these atrocities has united Iraqis against a common enemy. Sunni and Shia, worker and farmer, employed and unemployed, men and women are rallying to the resistance. Their aim is simple and just: an end to the illegal, imperialist occupation and the right to elect their own government.

We condemn these assaults. We declare our total opposition to this occupation, which still shows no sign of delivering democracy or human rights to the people of Iraq.

Indeed, the only thing the USA and its allies are delivering is the wholesale privatisation of Iraq's economy, for the benefit of the same multinational corporations that have profited from privatisation of industries and services across the globe.

The invasion of Iraq was an act of armed globalisation.

We offer our solidarity with all those resisting the occupation: from trade unions and women s organizations to armed resistance fighters.

The social and anti-capitalist movements of Europe must redouble efforts in the coming weeks and months to get all foreign forces to withdraw from Iraq now. In particular, we call on all the social movements of Europe and the world to:

• organise demonstrations
• picket and protest at military bases and offices of the occupying forces and their governments
• obstruct the war effort &Mac247; movement of troops, supplies, paper work etc. – through strikes, direct action.

On 15 February 2003, anti-war movement put at least 20 million people worldwide onto the streets in opposition to the war about to take place. We warned that it would lead to occupation, privatisation and resistance. We were right then, and we are right now. We were unable to stop the war then, but we are able to end the occupation now.

We renew our solidarity because a defeat for the occupying forces and a victory for the Iraqi intifada (uprising) will be a victory for all the social movements and the working and oppressed peoples of the world. All those suffering under the WTO's unfair trade rules, whose economies are crippled by huge debts to the IMF and the Western banks, who are resisting privatisation of essential industries and services under the GATS regime, whose environment is being polluted thanks to Bush s tearing up of the Kyoto agreement – all these victims of globalisation stand to lose even more if the US and British plans for the Middle East succeed.

In particular, the Palestinian people, whose oppression stands at the heart of the world's instability, will suffer a historic defeat, unless we – the global social movements, together with the Iraqi resistance – can defeat the forces of global capital.

All foreign troops out of Iraq!
Democratic rights for the Iraqis now!
Victory to the Iraqi resistance!

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