The War, One Year On

Last year, on February 15, thousands of people all over the country took to the streets opposing the invasion of Iraq. In cities from Whangarei to Dunedin, New Zealanders demanded 'No Blood for Oil.'

'The one year anniversary of these historic marches, in which more than 2 million people worldwide stood up to US power, is on Sunday. Now, one year on, George W Bush and Tony Blair will be held accountable for the illegal invasion which was based on lies. No weapons of mass destruction have been found, no evidence of programmes to produce weapons of mass destruction have been found.

The CIA has even resorted to a web-based promise of rewards for finding these weapons: http://www.cia.gov/cia/english_rewards.htm

'History will judge these men to be war criminals' said Peace Action Wellington member Valerie Morse

Peace Groups from all over the country are busily preparing again for a global day of action. Saturday, March 20, 2004 the one year anniversary of the invasion by the US and UK will be marked by marches, rallies and vigils.

'The theme for the campaign is "NO NZ Support for Bush's Wars" in response to the on-going military support that New Zealand is providing both in Iraq and Afghanistan.'

'We are inviting a diverse range of people to participate in the day of action - from church groups and mosques to schools and unions. We expect people to come with their unique messages of support for the victims of the so-called 'War on Terrorism' including children killed in bombing raids by US forces.'

'New Zealand's own soliders are seriously at risk in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only are they considered part of the occupying army (neither of these operations are UN-sponsored) but they are being exposed to depleted uranium, a highly toxic substance thought to be responsible for gulf-war syndrome.'

'New Zealanders are not interested in supporting a war against innocent people. It is our hope that thousands of Wellingtonians, Aucklanders, and people from all over the country, will demonstrate their opposition to these absurd wars on March 20, 2004.'

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>