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Australian Peace Committee |
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11 September 2001 in New York, Washington and PennsylvaniaStatement by APC (SA) Inc. Statement by APC (SA) Inc. (back to top)A people's resolution to resolve the crisis of terrorism has to be found. * The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon was an unjustifiable attack on the United States but also on the international community and the international rule of law and order. * We deeply regret the deaths of thousands of innocent people killed in this terrorist attack and the many other acts of terrorism that continue to happen throughout the world. Our condolences go to their families, friends and work mates and to suffering victims. * The perpetrators, including the organisers and supporters of these criminal acts of terror must be apprehended, brought to justice and severely punished in accordance with international law. * We strongly reject the notion that military retaliation, being organised by the President of the U.S. will eliminate terrorism; but will contribute to its continuance. * The United Nations, the world body representing the world's people, must accept their responsibility to bring together the General Assembly to charter a course for a peaceful resolution to this crisis and so bring about justice through reason. * The U.N. Charter and International Law through the International Court of Justice are the mechanism through which we should be seeking justice. * In this country we must apply pressure on the Howard Government and the Labour opposition to insist that the above is the ultimate path for our country to take. Australian Peace & Environment Groups Express Sorrow. (back to top)MEDIA STATEMENT : 12th September 2001.
The organisations signed below wish to express their sincere sorrow for the enormous loss of life in the United States today. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims throughout the world as well as to the American people. We condemn all acts of terrorism, whether state sanctioned or the actions of individuals or small groups, as indefensible. Today’s tragic events show us that our current strategies are not effective and do not promote peace. The US with the assistance of Australia has been attempting to construct artificial walls around its nation through schemes such as the National Missile Defence proposal. It is clear that no amount of military spending could have created a preventative solution to the attacks witnessed by the world today. We call for a calm response in the face of this tragedy. The world needs to take a deep breath before taking rash and counterproductive steps in retaliation for these attacks. We call on the international community and the Australian people not to allow this atrocity to increase hatred, racial and religious intolerance. We encourage our leaders to view this as a moment for Australia to assist the US and the world in its search for peaceful solutions to conflicts. We add our voices to those of colleagues around the world who recognise that true security can only be rooted in social and environmental justice. Signed: Role of the U.N. (letter to the editor) (back to top)In 1945 the United Nations (UN) was formed. Its aim was to bring peace to the world by promoting the collective action of nation states to remove the causes of conflict, poverty and injustice from the world. The acts of terrorism that took place in New York and Washington on 11 September are surely the result of a failure by the UN to to successfully fulfil its Charter. This being so, it is surely the responsibility of the UN to take remedial action to ensure that the terrorists are brought to justice. Instead of this taking place, we have heard nothing about UN action from world leaders, but only a rush to assist the United States (US) in taking the law into its own hands. It would seem that after all the work of setting up such a massive organisation that has done so much good in its 56 years of operation, it is now to be abandoned to suit the whim of a US President seeking personal glory. The UN has ample resources from its member states to track down the terrorists and it has its own International Criminal Court where they can be tried. The terrorists who acted on 11 September are international criminals and should be dealt with in the international court under international law. If we break international law by bombing other countries, are we any different to the terrorists? Ron Gray, APC(SA) Charter : Network For Justice Not Revenge (back to top)This group has come together seeking a non-violent response to the tragic attacks in New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001. We support the perpetrators being brought before the International Court of Justice, and extend compassion to all the victims of this tragedy. We believe that underlying issues need to be addressed in dealing with terrorism. We believe that there can be no peace without justice. We must ask ourselves why these attacks occurred, so that we can learn from this dreadful experience. Knowing that violence begets violence, we are opposed to a military response, and to Australia's engagement with any military forces which might be unleashed by the United States Government. We are committed to non-violence, to better understanding of the causes of inequity, to better relationships with all our neighbours, and to better sharing of the world's resources. This network seeks to work together by consensus, giving voice to those in our community who wish the change the views of Australia's major political parties in response to terrorism. Peter Underwood, Medical Association for the Prevention of War Terror Attacks of September 11 2001 (back to top)United Trades & Labour Council (SA) Inc.During this intensely sad and traumatic time when we are grieving at the loss of our own Andrew Knox we extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to all the families and loved ones of all those who lost their life on September 11th. We also wish for the speedy and full recovery of those who were injured. We applaud the rescue crews and Firefighters and other services. UTLC condemns the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 in New York and Washington, D.C. The brazen murder of countless thousands of civilians and workers cannot be supported or condoned. An unknown number of our union sisters and brothers have been lost to the combined attacks. Our US Union friends see hope and potential in these painful moments. They know that sitting on the subway or walking around on the streets, they have something deeply in common with people they may never have spoken to before. This newfound common ground provides an opportunity to reach out to each other, and to forge real, human connections with our neighbors and fellow community members. They also understand that there are many ways in which the tears in the communities can be sewn back together. Communities could be put back together in reactionary ways, demanding a violent response from the US government. Communities could rebuild themselves exactly as they existed before, largely unquestioning of the way the US interacts with and acts upon the rest of the world. Or they could stitch the fabric back together in a way that pulls everyone closer together. They want to talk to neighbors and community members about how they're feeling, and could create something from this moment that won't allow to simply fall back into "business as usual." It is without question that US imperialism has brought genocidal levels of death and destruction to people around the world. Whether one looks at the situation in Iraq with the continual blockade and air bombardments, the situation in Palestine where the US continues to give uncritical support to the Israelis in their national oppression of the Palestinians, or the low-intensity economic warfare against the vast majority of Central America or any number of other places which perpetuates labor exploitation, one clearly sees the callousness and evil intent with which US imperialism treats the lives and property of others, especially non-white peoples around the globe. Yet, even with a firm understanding of the causes of the desperation, fury, and hatred of US imperialism, turning to terrorism to fight global oppression and exploitation is not an acceptable strategy. A clear and unambiguous distinction must be made between radical/reforming political action on the one hand, and terrorism on the other, regardless of whether the causes that appeared to inspire the terrorist action(s) are just. Open and unmitigated attacks on civilian targets do not advance radical causes and must be repudiated. Rather, such attacks inevitably antagonize the populace, weaken any existing popular support, and help legitimize heightened levels of repression by the imperialist state against all progressive/radical political activity, including increased restrictions on the civil rights of the people. We continuously hear, in the voices of those in power, calls for war and vengeance. War and vengeance without a precise target, but striking out blindly against civilians, is nothing more than self-serving egoism, and it is exactly what has just happened in New York and Washington, D.C. The dangers presented by the September 11th terrorist acts do not restrict themselves to the external threat. We hear of the changing of the laws and regulations in order to make it easier to conduct surveillance and to carry-out covert operations and assassinations against potential opponents of the US. Rather than accomplishing anything in terms of reducing the threat of terrorism, such steps will eliminate basic civil liberties and strengthen the existing tendency toward a racist and classist police state. We cannot afford to further unleash the US police in more undemocratic and frequently racist and murderous behavior in the name of national security. We stress that the terrorist attacks have also brought potential damage to the growing anti-capitalist globalization movement. The ruling class has been making noise for months about the demonstrations that accompany the gatherings of capitalist globalizers. They have inferred that these demonstrations will get increasingly out of control. There is no question that the events of September 11th will be used as a pretext to both discourage activity, as well as to clamp down on any and all popular outrage with neo-liberal globalization. This crisis will be used to push forward that neo-liberal economic rationalist agenda. Republican leaders intend to pass a "broad economic stimulus package," which will most likely include some form of Fast Track, giving President Bush the authority to negotiate trade deals with other countries with nearly no input from congress. This is undoubtedly a crucial moment. We must not let the atrocities that have already occurred to continue. We must demand that there be no violent retaliation on the part of the US. It is also critical in moments such as these that we as human beings fight and resist popular impulses toward scape-goating and racism. From almost the moment of the first attack on the World Trade Center, the media has said that Arabs or Muslim fundamentalists were behind the attacks. The reaction to the attacks is reminiscent of what we witnessed immediately after the Oklahoma City bombings. There was a widespread assumption that Arabs or Muslims were behind the attack on the Federal Office building. Few establishment observers expected, or led any of the public to expect, that the terrorist could be -- and was -- a homegrown, white American right-winger. Therefore, it is important to reserve judgment until a more thorough investigation is conducted. This is particularly important given the anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab/anti-Muslim bias of the media. The automatic assumption of the US media is that Palestinians specifically, and Arabs generally, are animals, or at best, fanatics with no concern for human life. The just Palestinian cause is rarely given credible time, and when offered, generally dismissed by allegedly objective (but really pro-Israeli) commentators. Therefore, in the current situation of horror following these criminal acts, we must actively oppose any and all "witch-hunting" and stereotyping which is emerging. Yet another danger we currently face will be xenophobia and, general anti-immigrant sentiment. This will almost inevitably be directed at immigrants of color and particularly those who "look" like they might be of Middle Eastern (North African) origin. The attacks on immigrants and the condemnation of entire communities must be stopped before they escalate out of control. We already see some of this happening with numerous reports of anonymous death threats sent to Arab and Muslim institutions, as well as the spray painting of racist slogans and direct, personal threats and attacks on individuals who are assumed to be from the Middle East (North Africa). We call on all clear-thinking people to be especially vigilant at this time in making sure that in the aftermath of this tragedy, another tragedy born of pain, anger, and hatred does not occur. True anti-racism may require us to put ourselves at risk physically in order to defend Arabs and Muslims from unwarranted attacks. We must not condone or be indifferent to the horrendous loss of human life resulting from this tragedy, nor can we allow these horrific acts to be used as an excuse to further repress Arab-Americans, Muslims, or those perceived to be opponents of capitalist globalization. As labor rights supporters, we understand the bloody history of the labor movement in the US, and we understand that violent repression of workers and organizers around the world persists today. Because we understand this suffering, some of us more directly than others, we must show our full and unqualified support and compassion for all those suffering as a result of this horrible tragedy. We remind the Governments of the world that this crime against humanity must have the response of using the international judicial institutions for justice. There must be no use of nuclear or chemical weapons. We are critical of Howard's immediate unqualified support for Bush and the war plans without knowing what they may involve. In the longer term the answers lie with global social justice, real programmes that address the massive imbalance of rich and poor, create jobs, health and education for the 500 million poor of the world. (This specific text is based on a US Union Labour Rights response) Terrorism and Response (back to top)Resolution of United Trades and Labour Council (SA) Inc."This meeting 21st September 2001 of the UTLC (SA): 1. Strongly condemns the terrorist attacks that were carried out against the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on Tuesday 11 September 2001; 2. Along with millions of ordinary people around the world, mourns at the suffering and loss of life of thousands in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania just as it mourns for all those around the world dying from the violence inflicted by terrorism, war or the lack of food, medicine, water and housing; 3. Expresses its condolences and support to families of all victims of this tragedy. In particular, it expresses its sorrow to the family of Comrade Andrew Knox, a former AWU official who was working in the WTC when the attacks occurred; 4. Believes that world leaders need to think very carefully before taking hasty actions being promoted by those who want instant retaliation. They need to examine past US foreign policy towards other nations and bear in mind that successive US administrations have been callous in their attitudes to the human rights and security of many peoples who have died or suffered as a result of military actions eg Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, the Middle East, Chile, Nicaragua, Indonesia, (and East Timor and West Papua), Granada and nations that comprised the old Yugoslavia; 5. Recommends that the appropriate response to events of 11 September 2001 is to seek justice for the victims. This means identifying those responsible for the planning and coordination of the attacks and the nations who supported their activities; 6. Believes that all legal means through the processes of international law should be used in dealing with those perpetrators of these crimes against humanity. They should face an international war crimes tribunal established under the auspices of the UN; 7. Expresses the belief that all actions taken against governments that were complicit in the WTC attacks must be considered under the auspices of the UN (eg sanctions, withholding of military aid and cooperation etc) and not be organised by the US administration or NATO alone. The UTLC calls on the Australian Government and Opposition: 1. to support the principles outlined above in responding to the attacks on the WTC. 2. To pursue international policies that are aimed at promoting peace, social justice and environmental responsibility Finally, Council is critical of: The response by US leaders who are calling for unlimited revenge against the terrorists the unconditional support given by the Australian PM (including the invoking of the defunct ANZUS Treaty) and the Opposition Leader to any actions that the US Administration may take without knowing what they may involve Council believes that military retaliation in response to this mass murder will only accelerate the cycle of fear, anger and violence. Further, throughout the history of our nation, too many Australians have died or suffered in supporting US and British foreign policies - many of which were pursuing doubtful causes. An American view of events (back to top)see Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com (email at mmflint@aol.com ) Comment from New Zealand (back to top)I'm getting sick and tired of seeing cartoons and jokes made about Osama Bin Laden. The Americans have yet to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the terrible bombings last week. He has been responsible for a lot of damage in the past - or at least that is what we are told. CNN already talk of Bin Laden as if he were flying the planes himself - but offer nothing more than hype and emotion to sell their theories as news fact. I seem to think that the United States, or rather their political and military leaders either do not know who is responsible, know they will never find out who was responsible, or will not spend the lengthy amount of time no doubt required to find out just WHO DID do this. The USA has done some terrible acts of terrorism of their own in the past years, but you'll not find any evidence of them in the supposedly 'fair' archives of CNN. Which is a shame, news should be impartial. There was no outcry when a quarter of a million Iraqi soldiers and civilians were killed so the oil supply of the west could be assured. Neither have there been any cries of public outrage at the fact that half a million Iraqi children have died in the past ten years due to the brutal trade sanctions imposed on them by the US-led United Nations. In the case of the Lockerbie Pan-Am bombing in 1987, it took nearly six months to sift through the remains of the 747 to identify the terrorists involved. It seems strange to me that only a week after the World Trade Centre was bombed, US officials can point with assumed certainty at this man Osama Bin Laden. Regardless of what happens, the solution to six thousand dying is not to kill another sixty thousand. I hope that reason will not become another casualty. Semisi Related On-Line Petitionshttp://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition http://www.9-11peace.org/petition Justice, Not Vengeance at www.thepetitionsite.com http://www.flora.org/coat/appeal/ http://www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=2486 http://www.geocities.com/act_against_war/ www.red-ed.co.uk/worldstate/petition.htm
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