Genocide in Falluga
, 09.04.2004 23:00
Iraq Solidarity Action – Resist the Massacre in Falluga Urgent information and appeal from Ewa Jasiewicz, who worked with Voices in the Wilderness and Occupation Watch in Iraq, lived there for 8 Months (Basra and Baghdad) and in Palestine, mainly Jenin camp for 6 months, speaks Arabic, and who got back from Iraq 2 months ago. She is in regular contact with her friends in Basra and Baghdad. Paola Gaspiroli, Italian, from Occupation watch and Bridges to Baghdad, Journalist Leigh Gordon, England, (NUJ, Tribune, Mail on Sunday) and a Palestinian friend with family in Falluja and friends in the Iraqi Islamic Party. Both he and Leigh have been ferrying out the injured from Falluja to Baghdad for the past three days. Ambulances have been barred from entry into the blood-drenched city. Here is their news, which they told me over the telephone on Friday the 9th of April
Fallujah child victim of American terrorism
Paola: There has been a massacre in Falluga. Falluga is under siege. 470 people have been killed, and 1700 injured. There has been no ceasefire. They (Americans) told people to leave, said they have 8 hours to leave and people began to leave but they’re trapped in the Desert. The Americanshave been bombing with B52s (Confirmed also by Leigh in an email three days ago). Bridges to Baghdad are pulling out. We have flights booked out of Amman.Tomorrow a team will go to Sadr City to deliver medicines. 50people have been killed there. ?? (Forgotten name) the 'elastic' sheikh in Sadr City (I’ve met him, young, brilliant guy, describes himself as 'elastic' because he is so flexible when it comes to his interpretations of Islam and moral conduct definitions etc, he's pretty liberal) he has told me I should leave. He says that even he can't control his people. Foreigners are going to be targeted. 6 new foreigners have been taken hostage. Four of them are Italian security firm employees - they were kidnapped from their car, which was found to be full of weapons, and there were black uniforms. Baghdad was quiet today except for Abu Ghraib (West Baghdad, where a vast prison is located and is bursting at the seams with 12,000 prisoners) an American convoy was attacked there and 9 soldiers were injured and 27 were kidnapped. That’s right 27. None of the newswires are reporting it though. And I heard this from (*name best not to supply without permission). Its really really bad. They (Americans) have been firing on Ambulances, snipers are following the ambulances,they cannot get in. Falluga, there are people in the Desert, they've left Falluga but they're not being allowed into Baghdad, they're trapped in the Dessert, they're like refugees, its terrible but the people, Iraqi people are giving all they can; they’re bringing supplies, everybody is giving all their help and support to Falluga. I want to stay but I have to go, if I want to come back and be useful, you know I think its best to leave, Bridges to Baghdad has decided this. It’s getting really dangerous for Italians. We feel like we’re being targeted now. (Italy has a 2500+ force including Carabinieri occupying Nassiriyah which has been subject to a number of resistance attacks including the devastating attack on the Police station which claimed the lives of 4 soldiers, one civilian, one documentary film maker, 12 Carabinieri police and 8 Iraqis). (…) and Leigh have been great. They’ve been driving into Falluga and bringing out people, going back and forth. They know what’s going on,really they have been great. They want more people to help them but we couldn’t from here. It’s getting much much worse. ends My friend who’s been in Falluga today and for the past few days: We’ve been seeing it with our own eyes. People were told to leave Falluga and now there are thousands trapped in the Desert. There is a 13 km long convoy of people trying to reach Baghdad. The Americans are firing bombs, everything, everything they have on them. They are firing on Families! They are all children, old men and women in the dessert. Other Iraqi people are trying to help them. In Falluga they (Americans) have been bombing hospitals. Children are being evacuated to Baghdad. There is a child now, a baby, he had 25 members of his family killed, he’s in the hospital and someone needs to be with him, why isn’t anyone there to stay with him, he just lost 25 from his family!??? The Americans are dropping cluster bombs and new mortars, which jump 3-4 metres. They are bombing from the air. There are people lying dead in the streets. They said there’d be a ceasefire and then they flew in, I saw them, and they began to bomb. They are fighting back and they are fighting well in Falluga. But we are expecting the big attack in 24-48 hours. It will be the main attack. They will be taking the town street by street and searching and attacking. They did this already in a village near-by, I forget the name,but they will be doing this in Falluja. Please get help, get people to protest, get them to go to the Embassies, get them out, get them to do something. There is a massacre. And we need foreigners, the foreigners can do something. We are having a protest, Jo (Jo Wilding www.wildfirejo.org.uk) and the others from her group are coming to the American checkpoint tomorrow. We haven’t slept in 3 or 4 days. We need attention. I have photos, film, we’ve given it to Al jazeera, Al Arabiya but get it out too. Do everything you can. We are going back in tomorrow. Leigh Gordon: It’s kicking off. Come by all means but me and (..) probably won’t be around. I mean they’re going to crazy. (…) is saying for foreigners to come but its not safe. Sheikh …. from Falluga said he couldn’t guarantee my safety. I mean its going to go crazy, I think foreigners will start getting killed soon – I mean people are going to start getting desperate, when they’ve seen their mother father, house,cat, dog, everything bombed they’re going to start to attack. They (Americans) have said this operations only going to last 5 days’ it’s drawing to an end. They need to free up troops on other fronts breaking out all over the country. They’re going to go in for the kill. There’s no way of guaranteeing anybody’s safety. I think you can be useful but its not like you can just not tell your mum and think you’ll be back in a week. We’re probably going to get killed tomorrow. Come, but we might not be here. Palestine 2 years ago right now, the Jenin camp Massacre was tearing into its 7th day, the 1km square tight-knit Palestinian refugee camp was suffering an Israeli military invasion which would see 79 killed (in the last countafter bodies had been recovered form the rubble), including a head paramedic doctor and people who slowly bled to death from superficial injuries because all medical services were barred from entering for the duration of the attack (14 days). Over 800 homes destroyed, most in the Hawasheen neighbourhood which suffered a 4-day-long continuous bulldozer offensive, crushing residents including young children to death. Hundreds were injured in the attack which involved also involved apache helicopter gun ships, hundreds of Merkava tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers and hundreds of troops. 23 were killed (official Israeli figure but the actual toll is estimated at much higher. An entire road route from Jenin into ’48 (Israel) was sealed off as a closed military zone and witnesses barred whilst the dead and injured from the Israeli side were being transported out). All Palestinian emergency services, The UN, The Red Cross, foreign aid workers, and human rights observers were banned from entering Jenin camp.The massacre gouged on as the worlds media attention was fixated on Aarafat besieged in his compound. Jenin suffered in silence. Falluga, a city with a population 18 times the size of Jenin Camp (Jenin camp’s population was approx. 14,000, Falluga’s is 232,000), is now undergoing a parallel trauma, but with a larger, more powerful, better armed enemy, which has carpet bombed, recently and historically when the war-heat has forced land-troops to retreat. This is another Jenin. This is another massacre. We have to do what we can in solidarity with the dying and the bereaved and those still struggling, defending, fighting back. Resistance is dignity, is the honour of fighting back. Iraq is on fire. The Iraqi intifada is raging. We cannot be silent. Stop the massacre in Falluga. Remember the massacre in Jenin. Never Again. What to Do This is an appeal to the anti-war movement, to the peace movement, eco-action movement, animal rights movement, anti-fascists, everybody active, everybody who can respond, can call a demo, can organise a protest, an office occupation, an embassy storming, a road blockade, mass civil disobedience, industrial shut-down, work-place occupation, solidarity work stoppage, blockade the US Embassy, Fairford Military Base action campaign – what’s taking off at Fairford? Are B52s being deployed? Shannon Peace Camp protestors – are there new movements at Shannon? We need to address this, we need to resist this. We become the solidarity resistance in Iraq by taking action in our neighbourhoods and in our cities. Print up a leaflet. Paint up a banner. Take to the streets. Only a small group can make a change. Show people in Iraq that we are standing by them. 700 more British troops have been flown in to quell the uprising in the South. No Pasaran. Take to the embassies, the bases, the US interests, the streets. http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukaddres.html - addresses of US Embassies in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/caab/ - Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases – this site has a list of the locations of all the main US air bases used in the UK http://www.caat.org.uk/links/companies.php - full list of arms companies. BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin have been principal supplies of weapons of mass destruction for the war on Iraq http://www.caat.org.uk/support/confronting-companies.php - tips on confronting arms companies by Campaign Against the Arms Trade http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage - Keep up to date with Al Jazeera
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