[antiwar-van] MAWO Report Back: Protest Against NATO Summit in Chicago a Great Historical Achievement

Tue May 22 04:05:04 PDT 2012

*******************************************************************

MAWO Report Back: Protest Against NATO Summit in Chicago a Great Historical Achievement

*******************************************************************

For over a week, tens of thousands of people from around the world 
protested in Chicago against NATO and imperialist war and occupation. 
Organized in opposition to the NATO Summit, where NATO members and world
 leaders gathered to discuss their bloody wars and occupations, focusing
 on Afghanistan, the week of actions included rallies, teach-ins, film 
showings, press conferences, a “People’s Summit” and a mass march and 
rally on the NATO Summit meeting place.

The big march and rally on May 20th, estimated at more than 15,000 
people, marked a great achievement in the development and cementing of 
the antiwar movement internationally. Really, this action represented 
thousands of organizations, groups and coalitions from across the US and
 all around the world that all united under one common demand of No to 
NATO! No to War!

The highlight of the week’s activities was the hundreds of activists and
 organizers who participated from around the world; from Canada to 
Europe, and South Asia to Latin America.

Canada was represented in this week of antiwar and anti-occupation 
events by Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO). The 
Vancouver-based antiwar coalition supported, endorsed and participated 
in the organizing body of the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty 
Agenda (CANG8) and the march and rally on May 20th. Through the 
participation of a number of its organizers and activists who travelled 
from Canada, MAWO established the dignity and solidarity of the working,
 poor and oppressed people in Canada against imperialist war and 
occupation.

Alison Bodine, co-chair of  MAWO, was an invited guest speaker from the 
main rally stage alongside many US and international organizers and 
leaders, including Reverend Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and 
founding member of Rainbow PUSH Coalition;  Ann Wright, retired US army 
reserve colonel and co-founder of Code Pink Women for Peace; Carlos 
Montes from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and currently the 
victim of an FBI frame-up; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink Women
 for Peace; Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine; Leah Bolger, 
President of Veterans for Peace; Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, from the 
Muslim Peace Coalition and founder of the Muslim Peace Council; Reiner 
Braun from ‘No to War No to NATO’ Coalition in Germany; and Kathy Kelly,
 director of Voices for Creative Non-violence. There was also a 
statement from Malalai Joya read by women activists from Afghans for 
Peace, and a very important recorded message from Mumia Abu-Jamal, 
journalist, revolutionary, social justice fighter and political prisoner
 in the US.

MAWO’s participation was reflected in US and Canadian, national and 
international news, and throughout the world newswire, including 
coverage in French, Spanish, Albanian, Vietnamese and more.

Alison Bodine was interviewed by CBC, the Toronto Star, Voice of 
America, Telesur from Venezuela, and many local Chicago mainstream and 
independent media.

To view videos and articles related to the protests against the NATO Summit please go to the following links:

For CBC Newshour international top news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-kQjIWm6BI&feature=channel&list=UL
 or http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/1221254309/ID=2237142600

For CBC National evening news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcqdPyIIjjI&feature=plcp or 
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_National/World/1274857317/ID=2237220791

For Toronto Star article: 
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1181706--nato-summit-protest-greeted-by-calm-but-resolute-police

For Alison Bodine’s speech on-stage at the rally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MTnf5M85b8&feature=plcp

For full May 20th speaker’s list and article in Fightback news: 
http://www.fightbacknews.org/2012/5/11/fantastic-program-speaker-line-may-20-nato-protest

For a video of the Iraq Veterans Against War (IVAW) closing rally and 
ceremony, where veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars returned their
 medals to the NATO Summit view: 
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/21/no_nato_no_war_us_veterans

MAWO invites you to join us for a report back from Alison Bodine and 
other organizers who participated in the Chicago actions. They will 
share their experience and observations, as well show videos and a 
slideshow from this historic protest gathering.

THURSDAY May 24th

7pm

Joe’s Café [Large North Hall]

1150 Commercial Drive at William St.

For poster click:

http://www.mawovancouver.org/materials/posters/120524MAWOreportbackChicago.pdf

To join Facebook event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/121160418020648/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MAWO ~ Mobilization Against War & Occupation

http://WWW.MAWOVANCOUVER.ORG

info at mawovancouver.org

P 604.322.1764 || F 604.322.1763 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/antiwar-van/attachments/20120522/64e67f8b/attachment.html>