[KWPeace-groups] Int Day No War Against Iran Jan 25 / Will KW Peace be local lead organizer?

[Eleanor Grant]

Hi Tamara, thanks so much for being the spark to make something happen on
peace work here in Canada. I noticed that the groups listed are US-based.

But it is Canada's "fight" too.
The other day the 25 of us at the Square were all over the map in our
ideas, getting to know one another.

I think it's extremely important for us to clarify a few key demands we
want to put to the gov't of Canada.

Some might be:
- No more Cdn participation in US wars.
- Strongly urge US to get back into the nuclear agreement with Iran and
lift the sanctions.
- Reopen Cdn diplomatic relations with Iran.
- Stop selling weapons and components, to any country.
- Emphasize that war is disastrous for the climate crisis.

I think all the people who were there would agree on these.

By Jan 25 a lot more may have happened that would change this list!
(For example it's hard to open an embassy while a shooting war is
happening.)

I heard several things that concerned me.
It is not important whether Solaimani was a hero or a terrorist or
something else; the group does not need to agree on that.
It is not important for us to agree that there is an imperialist cabal
working through a bank in the Netherlands.
These ideas may or may not be true; they are not essential to what we need
to be doing. Keep it simple.

It IS important that if we claim "Canada is bombing Iraq", we provide
evidence and links. I would have liked to hear more about what you know
about this. I don't recall it ever being mentioned in the media or debated
in parliament, and it should be.

Thanks for listening. I couldn't find anything on Cdn Voice of Women's web
site on these issues or the group's goals. Is there an organizing committee
of some kind for Jan 25 in Canada?

My rant 😃 Thanks for all you are doing.

Eleanor Grant




On Tue, 7 Jan 2020 09:11 Tamara Lorincz, <tlorincz at dal.ca> wrote:

> Hello KW Peace!
>
> I'm going to organize another rally Peace With Iran/No War Against Iran on
> Saturday January 25 to join the Global Day of Action. Please see the call
> out below.
>
> I am wondering if KW Peace would be comfortable being listed as the local
> organizing organization. I can do most of the work and another person at
> Conrad Grebel will help me.
>
> I have emailed some of the Iranian community to find it what time on
> January 25th works for them. I suggested 2pm again so people can sleep in,
> go to the market etc. What do you think?
>
> The rally this past Saturday went well. About 25 people showed up. A few
> of the Iranian-Canadian community and a couple of Iranian students from UW.
> One of the students said when she arrived at the public square and saw that
> there were people there she teared up. they are very worried about their
> families back in Iran. After the rally, a few of Iranian women, Sandy and I
> went out for coffee it was very nice to chat with them.
>
> You can see some of the photos below:
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/tlorincz/albums
>
> Please let me know.
>
> Thanks,
> Tamara
>
> From: mailto:unac-request at lists.riseup.net <mailto:
> unac-request at lists.riseup.net> On Behalf Of UNAC
> Sent: January 7, 2020 6:24 AM
> To: mailto:unac at lists.riseup.net
> Subject: [unac] Global Day of Protest, Saturday January 25
>
> Join the Global Day of Protest, Saturday January 25:
> No War on Iran!
>
> No War on Iran!
>
>
> U.S. aggression against Iran threatens to begin yet another disastrous,
> bloody war. The people of the world must fight back and demand: No war on
> Iran!
> On Saturday, January 25, actions across the world will oppose a new war in
> West Asia. Now is the time for all those opposed to war to speak up. Please
> join
>
>
> Initiators for this call include  United National Antiwar Coalition
> (UNAC),the International Action Center, ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK, Popular
> Resistance, Black Alliance for Peace, National Iranian-American Council
> (NIAC), Veterans For Peace, US Labor Against the War (USLAW), Women's
> International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Pastors for
> Peace/Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO),
> International Workers Solidarity Network, United For Peace and Justice,
> FIRE (Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere), Alliance For Global
> Justice (AFGJ), December 12th Movement, World Beyond War, Peoples
> Opposition to War Imperialism and Racism (POWIR), Dorothy Day Catholic
> Worker, Dominican Sisters/ICAN, Nonviolence International, No War on
> Venezuela, Food Not Bombs, No War on Venezuela and many other anti-war and
> peace organizations.
>
> See: https://www.codepink.org/01252020
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Groups at kwpeace.ca
> http://kwpeace.ca/mailman/listinfo/groups_kwpeace.ca
>