Warmest greetings from Halifax to all those protesting against NATO and the Halifax International Security Forum in Toronto and Windsor, Ontario. We salute all those across the land from coast to coast who are engaged in discussing this dangerous event and what to do. The cause of peace, one of the highest ideals of humanity, is a noble endeavour. Every day we see reaction on the offensive everywhere in the world. We wish you the greatest success.
Our city and harbour have been on the front lines of two world wars. We suffered terribly from the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917, largest explosion before Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a war crime. Every year we remember that some 1,963 innocent men, women and children were massacred, another 9,000 injured and 199 blinded, comprising more than one fifth of the total population. Not a single responsible authority was ever held accountable. This horrific tragedy is falsified to date as peculiar “local” disaster, an “Act of God,” and an exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime “accident.” We remember the near-disaster of July-18-19, 1945 from a series of explosions on the inner harbour basin averted by the heroic efforts of first responders. We remember the discovery by fishermen of tonnes of WWII chemical gas containers and depleted uranium shells secretly dumped onto the seabed.
Every year we confront the “visits” of U.S. nuclear submarines and other deadly NATO warships. Every year we oppose the deployment of Canadian warships to foreign seas far away from our coasts. For 10 years we have raised our fist against this U.S. War Conference hosted by Canada. Through all the rallies, meetings and our information, we say “Never Again!”, “Make Halifax and Canada a Zone of Peace!”
The Trudeau government, as with the Harper government, knows that Canadians are not informed of the extent of its arrangements to integrate Canada into U.S. Homeland Security and the U.S. armed forces, putting our people, land, seas and harbours at the disposal of U.S. and NATO imperialist aims, and if they were, they would say No!
We Haligonians are so heartened and moved that Canadians are increasingly taking an active stand against this conference as a threat to the security of our people, and raising just stands. We are inspired by peoples everywhere in the world fighting for their rights. It is our principled stand and the collective work to build unity in action of the people of Canada and the entire world which is decisive, not numbers. Onward! Avant!
No Harbour for War!
Halifax, Nova Scotia, November 23, 2019
See also: Rally against the Halifax International Security Forum, photos and a poem by El Jones
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