The aggressive military alliance NATO is holding a summit in Washington, DC the week of March 30 to April 7 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its founding. Actions will be taking place in Washington, DC and around the world against NATO and to oppose current plans to invade Venezuela. In addition to the March 30 demonstration, conferences and street actions are taking place through the week.
An international day of action has been called for Saturday, March 30 to protest NATO and specifically to defend Venezuela against foreign interference by the U.S., Canada and other NATO members and allies.
The NATO summit begins on April 4, the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King, who warned that every bomb that falls on other countries is a bomb dropped on our own cities. There is a deep-rooted relationship between militarism and the social, racial, economic and environmental injustices that impoverish billions and threaten our world.
Canadians have a particular responsibility to protest the NATO summit. Canada is not a “peacekeeping” country. Canada has participated in many NATO-led wars, and today the pro-imperialist Liberal Government of Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland loudly supports higher military spending and the expansion of NATO. Acting in the interests of transnational corporations, Canada is a vocal advocate of “regime change” strategies to overthrow the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries.
March 24 this year is also the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia under humanitarian pretexts, similar to the ones being used once again to legitimate the military invasion of Venezuela to achieve regime change.
Through an expanded NATO, the U.S. has brought Europe under its military control or at least into an uneasy compliance. The U.S. continues to strengthen its military presence in Europe with new bases such as the largest ever in Kosovo, which it built after dismembering and conquering Yugoslavia in its final war of the twentieth century and by positioning missile installations along the entire north/south frontier of Eastern Europe.
The time to stop war is now! It is the peoples who are decisive in establishing peace and they must be left alone to sort out their problems themselves. So long as the peoples play a passive role, the big powers will continue to dictate their fate and create the danger of another slaughter of worldwide proportions.
Let us boldly change the direction from war to peace and organize a powerful and effective anti-war anti-imperialist movement that weakens and stays the hands of the warmongers and those who conciliate with war!
Let us together organize and prepare conditions for an anti-war government! Let us make Canada a Zone for Peace!
For further information, contact
Allan Bezanson, allan.halifax@gmail.com
No Harbour For War noharbourforwar@hotmail.com
