MOBILIZE FOR THE MARCH 18 GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST!
UNITE IN ACTION AGAINST IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION & PLUNDER!

The participating organizations of the International League of
Peoples' Struggles (ILPS) in Canada thoroughly denounce the coalition
forces' "Operation Swarmer" against the people of Iraq. After a decade
and a half of trying to pulverize the Iraqi people into submission to
"globalization", the exasperated US-led occupation forces have again
resorted to blanket bombing of communities because they have not been
able to quell the spirit of the Iraqi people.

Military intervention is bringing about the destruction of societies,
not peace, social development, and democracy. The real aim is
conquest and super-exploitation for super-profits to hopefully resolve
the deepening crisis of the global capitalism for the rich.

The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were initiated by fomenting
hysteria about terrorism. But the US-led campaigns and adventures
cannot stop the real threat of terrorism, which they themselves had a
hand in creating. Rather, the violence is escalating like never before
as the ruling classes unleash wave after wave of terror against the
people's of the world in the vain desire to avoid extinction, giving
license to militarization, state repression and impunity.

The presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan is an attack on
sovereignty, democracy and human rights. Prime Minister Harper has
been defying Canadians' peaceful sentiments by portraying a Canada in
military garb on foreign soil hand in hand with the US while beefing
up military and police spending at home to the detriment of Canada's
social development. We say, "Bring the troops home now! Increase
spending for public services!"

The crisis has generated opportunities for people's resistance against
imperialism, war and plunder. How can we realize the people's growing
demand for peace? There is an urgent need to advance a critical
analysis.

The ILPS is organizing a conference in Vancouver (June 16-19) called
"Towards a Just and Lasting Peace" to examine the root causes for
conflict and plunder. We believe that real peace does not come about
merely through the absence of war. There is a need to counter the
deceptive and empty slogans of unprincipled pacifism and security
espoused by the imperialists and their agents. We also need to
understand the important role of the people's struggles for national
liberation against foreign domination, for example those in Palestine,
Iraq, Nepal, the Philippines, and Colombia. We will hold a public
forum on the question of a just and lasting peace at the Kalayaan
Centre (451 Powell Street in Vancouver) at 5pm on March 19.

The peace movement in Vancouver should unite around some basic
principles and take vocal and visible stand for a just and lasting
peace in the world. While, there are specific reasons why activists
want to gather for peace a genuine peace movement should amount to
something more than a love-in or pleasure tour. A serious effort
should be made to understand that the struggle of peoples for social
and national liberation is actually a struggle for a just and lasting
peace. Vancouverites have shown their concern for peace and protested
war in the thousands many times in the past. But this time we want to
see a sustained anti-war and peace movement that addresses the root
causes of war. We therefore, challenge peace loving people who would
be gathering in Vancouver to seriously look at the question of war and
peace in connection with imperialist war and plunder.

We will organize our own conference to help consolidate a progressive
anti-war movement that connects the struggle for peace to the struggle
against imperialist war and plunder. We will foster this debate on
the meaning of peace and the root causes of war.

ILPS Towards a Just and Lasting Peace Conference, June 16-19

Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Street, Vancouver

ilps_canada@shawcable.com; www.ilps2001.com; 604-215-1905