San Francisco: Hundreds Protest Decade of U.S/UN Sanctions

By Saul Kanowitz
San Francisco

On the 10th anniversary of U.S./United Nations sanctions,
solidarity with the Iraqi people was heard in the streets
of San Francisco Aug. 5. Five hundred protesters marched
from Dolores Park to UN Plaza to demand the lifting of
sanctions.

Led by a large banner that read "End the sanctions against
Iraq," marchers chanted, "No blood for oil, end the
sanctions now!" Some protesters carried coffins to
symbolize the 150 children under age 5 who died that day--
and every day--because of the U.S./UN-imposed sanctions.

The sanctions have banned Iraq from importing a single
foot of pipe to rebuild the water treatment system
destroyed by U.S. bombs during the 1991 Gulf War, according
to Richard Becker of the International Action Center.

Becker told the crowd, "The idea of de-linking [economic
and military] sanctions is a gift that some in our movement
want to give to our enemies. Because what they turn around
and say is `Oh yes, food and medicine is okay. But we can't
allow pipe into the country because it can be used to make
big guns.'

"That is part of the reason why Iraq's water treatment and
sewage system is in ruins. And it is the ruin of the water
treatment and sewage treatment systems that is mainly
responsible for the deaths of 5,000 children every month,"
Becker said.

More than 1.5 million Iraqi women, men and children have
died as a result of the sanctions.

The IAC, which has campaigned relentlessly for the last 10
years against sanctions, has issued a powerful statement,
"De-Linking Sanctions: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing,"
explaining the disastrous effects of adopting a demand that
sanctions be reshaped instead of immediately terminated. It
can be found on the Web at www. iacenter.org/delink.htm.

"The anti-sanctions movement has always had a clear,
simple demand: end the U.S./United Nations sanctions
against Iraq," says the IAC statement. "The Iraqis are
clearly the victims of sanctions--not to speak of almost
daily bombing raids. The Pentagon and its British allies
are clearly the aggressors and the perpetrators of mur
derous violence against the Iraqi people.

"Those who want to stop the Iraqi's suffering must direct
their demand at the aggressor and say: `Stop the sanctions-
-stop the bombing.'"

The march was organized by the Coalition to End Sanctions
Against Iraq, a group that includes American Muslims for
Global Peace and Justice, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, the IAC, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Middle
East Children's Alliance and others.

Speakers called on the crowd to continue organizing
against the sanctions. Everyone was urged to be in Los
Angeles on Aug. 15 for a 5 p.m. rally against sanctions at
the Staples Center, site of the Democratic National
Convention.

The Aug. 15 rally will take advantage of the convention's
worldwide media attention to raise the demand, "Save the
Iraqi children, end the sanctions against Iraq."

For more information, contact the IAC in San Francisco at
(415) 821-6545 or the Save the Iraqi Children Coalition in
Los Angeles at (213) 387-9220.