Cambridge Iraq Feature Archive
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Anti-Militarists take on Barclays
On Saturday 28th November protests took place in Brighton, Wrexham, Falmouth, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and Cambridge [Pics] as part of a day of action marking the launch of Smash EDO's'Target Barclays' campaign.On November 30th an action took place in Plymouth.
Smash EDO have been calling for autonomous actions against Barclays Bank to force them to stop providing 'market maker' services for ITT Corporation on the NYSE. Smash EDO's site states 'Bankers and institutional investors are the glue that finances the state terror wreaked by the arms trade. Companies like EDO do not operate in a vacuum but are propped up by the networks of corporations and investors which constitute the global capitalist system which puts profit before peace, greed before people.'
As ITT’s market maker, Barclay’s acts as a ‘middle man’, purchasing shares from a seller and holding them until such a time as a buyer becomes available. This ensures the stability of ITT’s share price by allowing shareholders to sell off their assets at any time, even when a buyer is not immediately available, and vice versa. Barclay’s also profits from this enterprise, by selling ITT’s shares at a small markup, which nevertheless generates a considerable income when spread across large sales. Barclays is also the largest UK investor in the global arms trade.More.
Target Barclays webpage| Smash EDO Press Release| Smash EDO website| Anti-Militarist Network
Smash EDO's next big mobilisation is the REMEMBER GAZA SMASH EDO MASS DEMO JANUARY 18TH. Assemble at 1pm, Brighton, wear black.
Iraq-o-mat: Cleaning Dollars for Corporations
Much of the post-war corporate activity in Iraq has come under heavy criticism from many different fronts. There are accusations of corruption, bribery and nepotism as well as simple incompetence - the jobs just aren't getting done... So what is all the `reconstruction' activity in Iraq really about? Supposedly post-war Iraq is a neo-liberal utopia, an economy freed of the tiresome and inefficient burdens of government regulation. Yet an examination of this same economy may lead one to conclude that the system as it stands is rampant with inefficiency. Indeed Iraq's economy today looks less like an economic utopia than a giant money-laundering operation...
Protest Against Fallujah Massacre!
All over the UK protestors have been turning out to oppose the attack on Fallujah. As horrors unfold in Fallujah, many people want to make it clear that they view these attacks as appalling and murderous. In Cambridge this has also happened with a variety of different protests: Graffiti has appeared overnight in various locations around Cambridge, including Alex Wood Hall, home of the Labour Party. A rush-hour protest took place at Elizabeth Way, where a banner was displayed and leaflets distributed. At lunchtime on the day the assault started, CamPEACE called for people to protest in market square. While this protest was going on, two people climbed onto the roof of the Guild Hall [report | photos] and hung a banner saying "Fallujah: Stop the Massacre." Cambridge people have also published items on this newswire discussing the implications of the attacks on water supplies in Fallujah [short piece | full briefing | fax action]; the mainstream media coverage of the attacks and the Government's misleading response to the Lancet Iraq Mortality Survey. If you know of other protests that have taken place or are being planned please publish details on this newswire. We must oppose this assault in everyway possible.
Scream against war, torture and occupation
It has become clear that the British and American governments are guilty of serious abuses in Iraq. A leaked report from the International Committee of the Red Cross contradicts George Bush's assertion that Abu Grahib had been a scene of "...disgraceful conduct by a few American troops...". The ICRC director of communications, Pierre Kraehenbuchel insisted that there was "a broad pattern, not individual acts, there was a pattern and a system." Furthermore the occupying forces have not improved the humanitarian situation (Read more), and the number of Iraqi civilians killed is estimated to be between 9921 and 11071.
Massacre in Fallujah
As this is being written a massacre is taking place in Falluja, Iraq. Falluja is a town which has been resisting the occupation of Iraq since June. US troops have been forced to the border of the town since then. It has fought hardest and most uncompromisingly and has regularly been pummelled by F16 fighter jets and apache helicopter gunships since then, with civilians being slaughtered on a regular basis. Well over 470 people have now been slaughtered by US troops in Falluja, this week. 1700 have been injured. The deathtoll is expected to rise due to the siege nature of the military cordon around the town. ambulances are being fired upon and followed by sniper sights if they attempt to enter the town. Eyewitnesses have reported seeing bodies lying dead in the streets. Hospitals have been attacked. Medical supplies and bed shortages are at crisis levels. Residents are calling it a massacre.
Eyewitness accounts:
From Jo Wilding: 1, 2 | Rahul Mahujan's description | More descriptions | From Dahr Jamail: 1, 2 | From Occupation Watch, Baghdad.
For more information, Voices in the Wilderness have produced a briefing on the current state of affairs in Fallujah. You can also read accounts at the Electronic Iraq portal. By any measure the situation there is appalling.
Update: The US have responded by saying they will install some of Saddam Hussein's old security officers to restore order. More information is here.
Some Hutton puzzles
The Hutton report has provoked an enormous debate about the culpability of the government and the BBC - a debate which has hinged upon the accuracy
and completeness of its findings. Much has been written about what Hutton
'didn't say'. Surprisingly little detailed analysis, however, has dissected
what he did say. The following, based upon an admittedly cursory reading of
the report, suggests that
1) the report's conclusions reflect a pattern of biased and selective
consideration of evidence 2) The report's avowed refusal to comment upon
the actual WMD issue conceals sufficient comment upon the issue to give the
government the opportunity to forestall further criticism.