Strong anti-war message wins at UNAC conference

By John Catalinotto
Stamford, Conn.

More than 500 progressive political activists attended the United National Antiwar Coalition’s second national conference held here March 23-25, convened under the theme, “Say No to the NATO/G8 Wars & Poverty Agenda.” The conference discussion led to a clear anti-imperialist political and action agenda for the anti-war movement for the coming months.

Lucy Pagoada of Honduras Resistencia translates for Victor Toro of the May 1 Coalition in NYC.

Participation in five plenary panels, three floor discussions and dozens of workshops was diverse. Those registered included a contingent of more than 100 South Asian and other mostly Muslim activists, many of them young people attending their first anti-war conference.

The participants in general came from activity in many different areas, including environmental, labor, community, civil rights and justice or anti-repression groups as well as anti-war and anti-imperialist organizations, for this event, which was subtitled, “A Conference to Challenge the War of the 1% Against the 99% at Home and Abroad.”

Clarence Thomas, Larry Holmes, Johnnie Stevens and Nick Camerata at afternoon panel on Occupy movement, labor and community collaboration. WW photo: John Catalinotto

UNAC had established its credentials as a broad anti-war coalition with a conference in Albany, N.Y., in the summer of 2010, where a strong resolution in solidarity with Palestine and to end all U.S. aid to Israel won overwhelming support. This was followed by anti-war protests of thousands in New York and San Francisco in April 2011 that protested not only the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan but also the U.S./NATO aggression against Libya.

On most political issues and on the action program the conference was virtually unanimous. There was enthusiastic agreement to build for the next major anti-war action in Chicago on May 20 to coincide with the opening of a NATO summit.

UNAC also endorsed a May Day action in New York that unites labor, immigrants and the Occupy movement; a June 16 march and rally called by the Muslim Peace Coalition, the Muslim Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, Council on American Islamic Relations and DRUM — Desis Rising Up Moving — to protest the New York Police Department’s widespread anti-Muslim campaign; and protests set at the end of August and the beginning of September for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., and the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

A list of the titles of the plenary panels gives an idea of the scope of the conference: “The Shifting Strategies of Empire”; “The War at Home on the Black Community: Mass Incarceration, Unemployment, Stop and Frisk”; “Islamophobia, the Attack on Civil Liberties, and the War on Workers”; a “Victims of Political Repression Speakout”; and “Global Economic Meltdown, Warming, and War.”

Among the groups contributing to the firmness of the anti-imperialist position were the International Action Center, BAYAN-USA, the Pan-African News Wire, SI Solidarity with Iran, Virginia Defenders, the International League of Peoples Struggle, Occupy 4 Jobs, Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Al-Awda (Palestine), the Black Agenda Report and Honduras USA Resistencia.

Debate over Iran, Syria

The most serious internal debate during the conference involved resolutions on if and how UNAC would relate to the U.S. and NATO threats against Syria and Iran.

On Friday night, at a meeting after the opening session, UNAC’s Coordinating Committee had overwhelmingly approved a resolution drafted by the UNAC Administrative Committee headlined: “U.S/NATO Troops Out Now! No to imperialist wars, occupations, sanctions, embargoes! Self-determination for all oppressed peoples.”

This resolution had strong support among conference participants. Two other resolutions were proposed as amendments, but they really contradicted the above resolution.

One of the opposing resolutions would have UNAC call for support for the internal opposition against the Iranian government; the other actually demanded “Down with the regimes” in Syria and Iran. Such stands would have undoubtedly split UNAC on the eve of aggressive new U.S. war plans. As IAC co-coordinator and UNAC Administrative Committee member Sara Flounders told Workers World, “We oppose attacking the very governments facing U.S./NATO aggression, sanctions, destabilization and media demonization.”

Dozens of people lined up during the full plenary session on Saturday to take part in this important debate, speaking for or against the resolutions. A strong anti-imperialist current, that included Iranians living in the U.S., explained to conference participants why they should reject the two resolutions. After an hour, the question was called. The conference voted to support the resolution opposing all forms of U.S. war and rejected the two opposing resolutions by a two-to-one vote.

CPRmetro.com livestreamed the conference, and recordings of the talks and discussion are available at that website. More information can be found at www.unacpeace.org.

483 arrested in Brussels in NATO protest

Meanwhile, the anti-NATO action is gaining international support. According to a NATO Game Over press release, “On April 1 around 2 a.m., 800 peace activists from more than 10 European countries gathered near NATO headquarters” in Brussels, Belgium, and 500 tried “nonviolently to enter the NATO compound.” About 20 succeeded and 483 were arrested.

The European delegations’ message to the Chicago NATO summit is “We do not want a missile defence shield, We do not want NATO soldiers in Libya or Afghanistan, We do not want dangerous, useless and illegal nuclear weapons.”

Abayomi Azikiwe contributed to this article.