Anti-NATO and antiimperialist war demonstrations in many European cities
On Saturday 4 July, protests against NATO and imperialist war policies were held in many European cities at the call of the Anti-NATO and Anti-Imperialist War Platform (PAN-IW).
Paris, London, Vienna, Zurich, Athens, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Ulm, Cologne, Hamburg, Innsbruck and Lyon saw demonstrations in which local and migrant workers protested against NATO’s role as the war machine of imperialist powers, serving as an instrument of massacres, occupations and warmongering against the people.
At the rallies and marches, the slogans “Dissolve NATO”, “Let’s step up the struggle against imperialist wars”, “No to NATO”, “Shoulder to shoulder against imperialism and fascism”, “Long live international solidarity” were chanted in various languages. Leaflets were distributed at the protest sites, and informative statements were made to the crowd regarding NATO’s war policies, imperialist interventions and attacks on the people.
In the run-up to the NATO summit to be held in Ankara on 7–8 July, at a time when the fascist Turkish state was carrying out a campaign of detentions and arrests targeting revolutionary and democratic forces from various sectors in an attempt to suppress anti-NATO protests, the demonstrations organised in European cities took on particular significance.
During the demonstrations, both the
detentions in Turkey and the fascist government’s repressive policies were exposed, whilst the importance of international solidarity between local and migrant workers against NATO and imperialist wars was emphasised.
Speeches delivered at the demonstrations stressed the need to intensify the joint struggle against imperialist war policies. It was pointed out that NATO brings not peace but war, destruction and exploitation to the peoples, and it was emphasised that the struggle against militarism, occupations and war budgets is a pressing and urgent task.
In France, the contribution and solidarity of the constituent organisations of the Antiimperialist League (AIL) to the protest action were strong. Although participation was limited in some cities due to the summer holiday period and the intensity of other issues on the agenda, the PAN-IW, comprising 41 organisations, carried out a significant campaign based on broad unity during this process.
The actions carried out on the same day in various cities across Europe once again highlighted the importance of international solidarity and joint struggle against NATO, imperialist wars and repressive policies.
European News Centre (AHM)
Source information: https://www.avrupahaber12.org/avrupanin-bircok-kentinde-nato-ve-emperyalist-savas-karsiti-eylemler.html
