Saturday’s Annual Winnipeg Walk for Peace, attended by about 150 people, had a festive air that belied the seriousness of the issues that motivated the marchers. The video will give you a sense of the sights and sounds of this year’s walk. Below is the text of Peace Alliance Winnipeg Chairperson Glenn Michalchuk’s welcome to the marchers.

Welcome to this the 29th Annual Walk for Peace. On behalf of the Peace Alliance Winnipeg I want to thank you all for coming today to show your concern for the issues of peace, freedom and democracy.

I want to thank Winnipeg Haiti Solidarity Group, Eyes on Sudan and the Council of Canadians for their sponsorship of this event and I want to note that Independent Jewish Voices and the Winnipeg Branch of Canadian Palestinian Support Network are here today as well.

Peace, Freedom and Democracy is the theme of this year’s walk. In the 1980s when the Walk for Peace began the issue was the threat posed to the world by the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers. With the collapse of that rivalry and the end of the Cold War there was hope that headway could be made on the issue of realizing the demands for Peace, Freedom and Democracy.

The 1990s and now the first ten years of this century have witnessed new wars and the persistence of historic injustices such as what is taking place with the denial of the rights of the Palestinian people. We have our brothers and sisters here today from the Sudanese community because their country faces the intrigues and interference of foreign powers interested in its natural wealth.

Civil liberties and democratic rights are increasingly being constrained. As we hold our Walk today labour unions and activists in Toronto are preparing for the G20 summit. There they face unprecedented measures to keep the voices of the people away from the leaders of these nations. In the face of this they are organizing a broad popular summit that will discuss alternatives to that which the G20 dictates.

Here in Manitoba the Government has intervened on the question of a school exam because it included a question that referenced the effects of war on children — including the children of Gaza.

Professors at the University of Regina were pilloried in the national media for their questioning of the war in Afghanistan and the militarization of Canadian culture around that war.

Freedom of conscience is necessary for a democratic society and for people to discuss issues and decide on stands that should be taken — whether internationally, nationally or locally. Freedom of conscience is also under attack. Member of Parliament Libby Davies was condemned in Parliament last week for speaking her mind at a demonstration in Vancouver against the Israeli attack on the ships bound for Gaza and calling for an open debate about Canadian policy in the Middle East.

Today is an interesting confluence of struggles and concerns as it should be given our theme. It reflects the on-going activities of people to change the situation and not accept the actions that are being taken against their interests. Thank-you for coming to the Walk.

On Friday, June 4, at the call of Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Independent Jewish Voices and the Canada Palestine Support Network (Winnipeg) about 150 people gathered at the corner of Broadway and Osborne at the height of rush hour to join in the worldwide condemnation of Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the killing of 9 peace activists bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Besides placards the demonstrators carried the flags of Palestine as well as those of Ireland, Turkey and Greece countires who are active in supporting the efforts of peace activists to break the sea blockade. Also prominent was a banner which read: “End the Blockade! Enough is Enought! End Israeli Apartheid!”

At the end of the action Howard Davidson, representing Independent Jewish Voices, thanked everyone for making the action a tremendous success. He called on those present to seize this important moment to escalate the efforts to support those who are working to break the blockade of Gaza as the world was now focused as never before on the plight of Gaza.

Glenn Michalchuk, chair of the Peace Alliance Winnipeg, spoke about the shameful role Canada has played in supporting Israel’s suppression of the democratic and human rights of the Palestinian people and nation. He said that the task of supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people has fallen to civil society and its organizations because Canada, the U.S. and other countries have sat silent in the face of Israel’s denial of the Palestinian people’s right to a country and freedom.

Article, video footage and photos: Glenn Michalchuk

Malalai Joya visited Winnipeg on November 16 and 17 as part of her 2009 cross-country tour to convince Canadians to press for the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan.

This feisty woman packed the house at the University of Winnipeg and spoke with passion about the oppression of her people under the combined weight of the Taliban, Hamid Karzai’s warlord drugocracy, and the NATO occupation.

Her message was one not heard in this country. Loosely paraphrased, it is: “Go home! You are making our lives harder!” It is a lesson we must all take to heart.

Malalai Joya was hosted locally by Peace Alliance Winnipeg, with support from the following organizations:

• The Uniter (Mouseland Press Speaker Series)
• Public Service Alliance of Canada (Prairie Region)
• University of Manitoba Students Union
• Project Peacemakers
• Global College Student Advisory Council
• Institute for Womens and Gender Studies, University of Winnipeg
• Winnipeg Labour Council
• Global Justice Committee CUPE Manitoba
• Grassroots Women Manitoba

I shot some video for those who couldn’t make it. It features her speech at Convocation Hall at the University of Winnipeg. The total running time is just under 1 hour 16 minutes.

Useful links

• Malalai Joya’s web site
• Peace Alliance Winnipeg
• Canadian Peace Alliance

Source: Originally posted at Paul S. Graham.

Malalai Joya is one of the bravest women in Afghanistan. As an elected member of the Wolesi Jirga from Farah province, she has publicly denounced the presence of warlords and war criminals in the Afghan parliament. In May 2007, Joya was suspended from the parliament on the grounds that she had insulted fellow representatives in a television interview. Her suspension, which is currently being appealed, has generated protest internationally.

She has survived five assassination attempts,  yet she continues to campaign against foreign occupation and fundamentalist warlords, and for women’s rights and education. She believes all NATO troops must leave Afghanistan immediately.

Peace Alliance Winnipeg is planning to host public meetings with Ms. Joya in mid-November 2009. Check our Announcements section regularly and keep Nov. 17 open.

Every August 6, citizens in thousands of communities around the world commemorate the nuclear attack on Hiroshima and rededicate themselves to the cause of peace and disarmament. In Winnipeg, a Lanterns for Peace Ceremony is conducted by Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Project Peacemakers and the Manitoba Japanese Canadians Association.

Alanna Makinson is VP External, University of Manitoba Students Union. Following the June 13, 2009 Winnipeg Walk for Peace, she spoke on the negative impact of the war in Afghanistan and increased military spending on post-secondary education in Canada.

Makinson says that Canada is the fifth most expensive country in which to obtain a post secondary education. Inadequate public funding, rising tuition and increasing living costs are deterring working class, poor and aboriginal people from pursuing post-secondary education.

The cumulative education debt currently born by students and graduates is a staggering $13 billion. At the same time, governments are saying there is no money to relieve this burden.

“How,” asks Makinson, “does Canada justify spending $18.9 billion on the military last year alone?” She says that the federal government’s plan to increase military spending by $12 billion over the next five years is evidence of a misplaced priority. “One year of military spending,” says Makinson,” could eliminate all student debt in Canada.”

Makinson condemned increases in military research at the expense of funding for science and humanities research and term this trend a threat to human rights and academic freedom.

Yves Engler is the author of The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy. He spoke in Winnipeg, June 13, 2009, at the conclusion of the 28th annual Walk for Peace, on the need to reorient Canadian foreign policy. Engler’s proposals include:

• Abolition of Canada’s secretive Joint Task Force 2 commando unit
• Pulling out of NATO
• Reducing Canada’s burgeoning military expenditures by 10 per cent annually for up to 10 years
• Pulling out of Afghanistan immediately
• Reorienting Canadian foreign policy to serve the needs of the majority of Canadians rather than the interests of Canada’s business and military elites

Good stuff!

L-R: Ibrahim (Obby) Khan, Terry MacLeod, Kerry Pither. Photo: Liz Carlyle

By Murielle Jennings

On Wednesday evening approximately 50 people attended a dramatic reading from Kerry Pither’s book Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror. The event was introduced by Shahina Siddiqui, President Islamic Social Services Association, Inc, with the reading featuring the author Kerry Pither, the host of information radio on CBC Radio One 89.3 FM, Terry MacLeod, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers Offensive Lineman #60 Ibrahim (Obby) Khan.

In a story-telling manner, the audience was transported into the lives and experiences of four Canadian-Muslim men – Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almaki, Maher Arar and Muayyed Nureddin. The excerpts from “Dark Days” included only some of the atrocities surrounding the four Muslim-Canadian men accused of being terrorists by Canadian national security investigations. As the dramatic reading unfolded, Pither provided the descriptive background for each man’s story, while Khan “became” the Muslim men and, MacLeod read a host of roles from media to security and government officials.

The audience sat quietly, listening to the interrogations and forced “travels” to the countries of Syria, Egypt and Jordon. As the men’s gripping stories unfolded their experiences and reality became apparent. The questioning, torture and living for years in prison cells not much larger than the men themselves were the real experiences of Canadians who were never charged with a crime.

How could these days be even darker? The real darkness is that Canada was complicit in sanctioning these human-rights abuses.

Pither, Khan and MacLeod spoke and answered questions for the audience afterward. There were many unanswerable questions, but Pither had done her research and the audience walked away wondering why and how this could happen to Canadians and wondering what could be done to prevent this from happening again.

The dramatic reading, a new style of presentation for Kerry Pither, had its intended effect, to bring the experiences of these four Muslim-Canadian men to more Canadians, and for all to ask more questions and demand answers.

The evening was sponsored by Amnesty International – Winnipeg chapter; Canadian Federation of Students – Manitoba; Council of Canadians; CKUW 95.9 FM; Islamic Social Services Association Inc. – Canada; Mayworks; McNally Robinson Booksellers; Peace Alliance Winnipeg; University of Manitoba Student’s Union; University of Winnipeg Students Association.

Listen to an excerpt of the program, recorded by CKUW-FM.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization turned 60 on April 4, 2009. The official story is that NATO was formed in the aftermath of World War 2 to defend western Europe against the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. With the collapse of the USSR, NATO became an alliance in search of a new mission, one its supporters prefer to characterize as peace-making, if that is how one would describe NATO interventions in the former Yugoslavia and more recently, in Afghanistan.

So, is NATO a defensive organization that morphed into world cop? Or was it set up to contain post-war working class aspirations? Has it confirmed itself to be an important arm of American imperialism through offensive wars in the Balkans and Afghanistan? Should Canada remain in this alliance?

These were some of the questions that were discussed at a debate sponsored by Peace Alliance Winnipeg on April 4, 2009 at St. Matthews Anglican Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The event was moderated by Terry MacLeod, host of CBC Winnipeg’s “Information Radio.”

Panelists

Dr. Henry Heller is a professor of history at the University of Manitoba. He is author of The Cold War and the New Imperialism: 1945-2005, published by Monthly Review Press in 2006.

Dr. James Fergusson is director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba. He is an expert on Canadian defence policy and lectures regularly to schools of the Canadian Armed Forces.

You can view all 12 segments of the video at YouTube.

About 200 Winnipeggers rallied outside the Canadian Grain Commission building at Water Avenue and Main Street today to demand an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The action in Winnipeg was part of a world wide protest aimed at persuading the Israeli government to stop killing Palestinians.

The protest was organized by Peace Alliance Winnipeg and the Winnipeg chapters of Canadian Muslims for Peace and the Canada Palestine Support Network. Freezing temperatures and a brisk north wind could not diminish the commmitment of the demonstrators. Chanting “free, free Palestine” and “no justice, no peace” the marchers had lots of support from passersby, judging from the horns from passing motorists.

The rally was peaceful, despite an incident in which a young protestor was punched by a man who stopped his car to taunt the marchers. Police intervened, but no arrests were made.

Rally organizers said that they will protest at the same location every Saturday at 2:00 p.m. until further notice.