Chants for the Iraq War Demo: September 28
Anansi | 19.09.2002 17:47
Time to be creative: let us develop on this thread some chants for the Anti-War movement to use in September and after
First the reminder:
National Demonstration against War in Iraq and for peace and justice in Palestine/Israel will take place on Saturday September 28. For details go to
http://www.stopwar.org.uk
Optimist as I am, I think this neo-imperial Bush/Blair moment could well generate a large and important radical movement. We need some good rhythms and chants to drive things along. Here are a few that some friends generated around the dinner table (based mostly on old anti-Vietnam War, anti-apartheid etc. etc. chants). PLEASE IMPROVE THESE AND ADD OTHERS. Making freedom is always a work in progress ...
1) "No blood for oil"
(fairly whitebread musically, and a retread from the Gulf War in 91, but sez it like it is, and you can generate real pressure around it, particularly if used with percussion to drive the rhythm along-- REMEMBER TO BRING DRUMS, BELLS, WHISTLES, TABLA, TRUMPETS AND TROMBONES- THINK NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL OR HOSSAIN)
2) 1-2-3-4 We don't want your racist war
5-6-7-8 Peace and Justice won't wait
(endless permutations possible on that one)
3) Send Prince Harry
Send Ewan Blair
Don't send poor men's sons
to die over there
(I think this is a new one, okay 'men's sons' is sexist, but "women's sons" makes the rhythm just too complicated for folk to grasp quickly)
4) Peace for the Muslim
Peace for the Jew
No more children dying
for the red, white and blue
5) Mazar, Jenin, how many more?
No more massacres
No more war
6) this is a call and response one -- (call and responses are good for walking with):
the chant leader calls-- Take your dossier
crowd responds -- Shove it up Bush!"
chant leader calls -- take your lies
crowd: shove it up bush
chant leader: Take your Sanctions
crowd: Shove it up Bush
chant leader: Take your bombing
crowd: Shove it up Bush
chant(wo)man: Take your torture / Take your war / Take David Blunkett, Jack Straw, Tony Blair .....
crowd: shove it up .....
This can go on a long time if the chant leader is creative enough and can weave it enough relevant things, or simply goes back to the beginning if people are chanting while walking
7) Esso Mobil BP Shell
Take your war and go to hell
8) Hey hey ho ho
Tony Blair has go to go
okay these are no more than B+ at best, but please improve and add your own. Making freedom is always a work in progress ... and good songs and chants are better than a thousand speeches.
National Demonstration against War in Iraq and for peace and justice in Palestine/Israel will take place on Saturday September 28. For details go to
http://www.stopwar.org.uk Optimist as I am, I think this neo-imperial Bush/Blair moment could well generate a large and important radical movement. We need some good rhythms and chants to drive things along. Here are a few that some friends generated around the dinner table (based mostly on old anti-Vietnam War, anti-apartheid etc. etc. chants). PLEASE IMPROVE THESE AND ADD OTHERS. Making freedom is always a work in progress ...
1) "No blood for oil"
(fairly whitebread musically, and a retread from the Gulf War in 91, but sez it like it is, and you can generate real pressure around it, particularly if used with percussion to drive the rhythm along-- REMEMBER TO BRING DRUMS, BELLS, WHISTLES, TABLA, TRUMPETS AND TROMBONES- THINK NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL OR HOSSAIN)
2) 1-2-3-4 We don't want your racist war
5-6-7-8 Peace and Justice won't wait
(endless permutations possible on that one)
3) Send Prince Harry
Send Ewan Blair
Don't send poor men's sons
to die over there
(I think this is a new one, okay 'men's sons' is sexist, but "women's sons" makes the rhythm just too complicated for folk to grasp quickly)
4) Peace for the Muslim
Peace for the Jew
No more children dying
for the red, white and blue
5) Mazar, Jenin, how many more?
No more massacres
No more war
6) this is a call and response one -- (call and responses are good for walking with):
the chant leader calls-- Take your dossier
crowd responds -- Shove it up Bush!"
chant leader calls -- take your lies
crowd: shove it up bush
chant leader: Take your Sanctions
crowd: Shove it up Bush
chant leader: Take your bombing
crowd: Shove it up Bush
chant(wo)man: Take your torture / Take your war / Take David Blunkett, Jack Straw, Tony Blair .....
crowd: shove it up .....
This can go on a long time if the chant leader is creative enough and can weave it enough relevant things, or simply goes back to the beginning if people are chanting while walking
7) Esso Mobil BP Shell
Take your war and go to hell
8) Hey hey ho ho
Tony Blair has go to go
okay these are no more than B+ at best, but please improve and add your own. Making freedom is always a work in progress ... and good songs and chants are better than a thousand speeches.
Anansi
Comments
Hide the following 11 comments
No Leaders
19.09.2002 18:47
Here's a good one
1, 2, 3, 4 Escalate the class war
5, 6, 7, 8 Smash the system, smash the state
Love and Rage
Anna
Anna Key
some chants from new york
19.09.2002 19:10
This march in London sounds fantastic. The movement is picking up fast in the US, too,
we have had several demos in the low thousands in nyc, and a big one Sunday and Saturday in DC.
Here's some chants I like:
Hey Bush we know you
Your daddy was a killer too
Black hispanic arab asian and white
No racist war no more no more defend our civil rights
No justice no peace
US out of the Middle East
(Iraqi) Children die
Corporations profit
Bush's war is terror
We gotta stop it
antiwarnewyorker
How about, for the SWP
19.09.2002 20:53
5-6-7-8 Vote New Labour, love the state
Gonzo
Sing this...
20.09.2002 10:45
"Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Dubya"
Sang to the tune of the Dad's Army theme tune.
It's fitting because the original was aimed at
another war-mongering fascist in 1930's Germany.
Anyone want to add a second line?
Tim
2nd line
20.09.2002 16:13
if you think your´re war is just?
OR if you want to bomb Iraq?
stinkbomb
2nd line
20.09.2002 16:13
if you think your´re war is just?
OR if you want to bomb Iraq?
stinkbomb
Oi stop using my addy
20.09.2002 17:32
stinkbomb
stinkbomb
e-mail:
stinkbomb@hushmail.com
Some more slogans
20.09.2002 22:56
"Hell no we wont go, no to war for Texaco!"
A good slogan for placards would be:
"Hemp for fuel, not blood for oil", with a picture of a cannabis leaf on it.
I have also thought of this banner for the countryside march as well:
"Funding for the countryside not for war"
Many on the countryside march will be against the war too. We should have organised an anti-war contingent on it instead of protesting against it.
steelgate
a few - more later
20.09.2002 23:08
dh
a demo tongue twister
23.09.2002 02:03
Lets have love, Shalom and Salaam!
@
No Borders
late night wierdo
a Yank suggestion
23.09.2002 03:03
You could do some reverse 1776 chanting with "We Won't Be/ King Geooorge's Col-ony!" If you do it repeatedly, stick in an "Unh!" or a clap between repetitions. It's very important that you don't rush the "We Won't Be"; it has to be three punctuated downbeats, to balance the more dense meter of "King Geo-orge's Col-ony!" It's also something that can dispel the unintended fascist resonances of mass chanting led by a Leader with a microphone: while the "We Won't Be" can be pumping fists in unison, everyone can shimmy into their own funkier, individualized boogie to "King Geo-oorge's Col-ony"
Or have the crowd sing "I'm So Bo-oo-oored with the U.S.A., but what can I do?" They'll know the words (1st Clash album, for all you youngsters)
Michael Anderson