Anti-imperialist forces give voice to Awni al Kalemji of the Iraqi Resistance and join hands with Orthodox Jewish Anti-Zionists
The Austrian people was not only angry for the state of emergency imposed on Vienna by more than a thousand US security agents to which the domestic authorities de facto ceded sovereignty. By great majority they refuse Bush and his imperial war drive which was indirectly even admitted by the US ambassador.
A small scene can illustrate the situation. When Bush drove into downtown Vienna on June 22 in his armoured vehicle in the evening all life came to a standstill by road blocks. Activists of the Anti-imperialist Camp were uncoiling a huge banner reading “Bush go home” from the terrace cafà© of a multi-story building were Bush passing by could not other than observe it. Spontaneously the guests were holding the banner joining us in shouting “Bush go home”. Even the people below an the road joined in. The police did not want to interfere. 27 years back when an US president came the last time to visit Vienna people were standing on the road waving US banners.
Huge mass demonstration with clear political profile
This rapid change of climate is not only confirmed by the opinion polls but also by the anti-Bush demonstration which drew some 25.000 people on June 21 – a rare magnitude last reached before the inception of the war against Iraq.
But three years ago the masses on the street hoped on the EU to stop the war. The Anti-imperialist Camp was completely isolated with its Iraqi flags calling to side with the aggressed country regardless of the regime’s repressive character. Although they failed the CP tried to expel us allegedly for being a mouthpiece of “fascist baathism”.
Now also the mainstream corporate media had to report on the clear radicalisation. There were two competing organising committees, on one hand one an anti-imperialist and leftist ground which nominated as its main speaker Awni al Kalemji of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance and on the other hand the pro-Zionist pro-regime red-green coalition supported by the official Muslim leadership. The de facto defunct CP joined in as baiters against the anti-imperialists.
The left platform had a block of about 5.000 people including Turkish and Arab migrant forces as well as radical Muslims. The three main Austrian organisations building the coalition were the break-away group of the CP, the Communist Initiative (KI), the Trotskyite AST as well as the Anti-imperialist Camp with a contingent of some 300 people. But also in the rest of the demonstration the sentiment was much more radical then the leadership which does not tire to paint anti-Americanism as a threat.
But the real novelty was the split in the Social Forum which thus was paralysed. Two of their main leaders, Leo Gabriel and Hermann Dworczak did not want to continue the line of exclusion against the Anti-imperialists and also accepted the popular resistance movements against imperialism including the Islamic and armed ones as component of the anti-globalisation movement.
At the final rally at the central Heldenplatz square Kalemji addressed a crowd of some thousand explaining that the Iraqi resistance is not only fighting for the liberation of its county but helping all oppressed people by confronting the US empire. George Galloway, who was scheduled to speak at the social-democrat platform delivered also a speech to us in solidarity with the Iraqi Resistance. Further speakers were the radical German pacifist Tobias Pflüger, which was scandalously stripped of his immunity as an MP for confronting the German military.
At their final rally the red-green alliance cunningly chose the speaker of the official Muslim leadership to pronounce that “Bush’s war and terrorism are only two sides of the same medal” which is nothing less than covering up the de facto European support for the US. Two days before the Social-democrat’s chief Gusenbauer had embraced Cindy Sheehan treating her like a state invitee. In this way red-greens try to take use of the anti-American sentiment at the next elections scheduled for autumn. They actual policy if elected in office will, however, be a full continuation of Austria’s subordination to the US which is in breach of the very constitution which stipulates neutrality.
Anti-imperialist campaigning with Anti-Zionist Jews
In the forefront the Anti-imperialist Camp carried out an intensive mobilisation. As the municipality had impeded an already scheduled Muqawama (Arabic for resistance) street festival we rallied in the centre of the town on June 17 where a symbolic replica of the Apartheid wall being built by Israel in Palestine was erected. Right beside the main dome a representative of the radical Muslim youth in opposition to the official leadership spoke up beside several components of the Anti-imperialist coalition.
On Monday, June 19, a rally by the Anti-imperialists was organised commonly with the Orthodox Anti-Zionist Jewish community of Vienna who had invited the Greek-Orthodox archbishop of Jerusalem, Hana Athala, who participated as well. It was a rally of representatives of the three religions of Jerusalem calling for a just peace in Palestine which is only possible by recognising the Palestinian right to self-determination.
In his great speech the chief rabbi of the British orthodox community, Aron Leib Cohen, explained that Zionism is alien to the Jewish religion. He stressed that the real reason of the Middle East conflict is Israel which needs to be dismantled with the Jews being part of one single Palestinian state. Thus Anti-Zionism has not only nothing to do with Anti-Semitism but is the duty of any Jewish believer.
A petition was handed over to the chancellor’s office to demand the end of Austria’s unjust support for Israel. The Anti-Zionist rabbis eventually also joined the big anti-Bush demonstration.
It is not by accident that in the main Zionist bourgeois paper “Der Standard” the former chief of the CP, Walter Baier, on day after the demonstration was allowed to attack the Anti-imperialists as silly dinosaurs once and again defending Israel. It is a clear reaction to the growing strength of Anti-Americanism best being carried out ex-leftists.
Anti-imperialist Camp
Vienna, June 22, 2006
