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JUSTICE
FOR FALLUJAH'S REFUGEES
A night-long
protest under tarpaulin in Parliament Square
When: 7pm, Wednesday 22 Dec - 7am, Thursday 23 Dec.
Where: Parliament Square
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“I
left Fallujah yesterday ... our house was bombed and I lost everything”
Aziz,
23 Nov ‘04
introduction
photos of the event
press release
background information |
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INTRODUCTION
According
to figures compiled by the International Organisation on Migration
(IOM) more than 200,000 refugees from Fallujah have yet to return
and 'many
are in desperate need of aid, with temperatures in Iraq heading
towards freezing' (Reuters, 2 Dec). If and when they do return
to their devastated city they will have their finger prints taken,
their retinas scanned, be forced to wear special ID badges, and
possibly be dragooned into 'work battalions' to clear the rubble
created by the US assault (see here
for more info).
We in the
anti-war movement must try to highlight the plight of the Fallujah
refugees: protesting against the Orwellian plans to turn Fallujah
into a "model city" and demanding housing and compensation
for the homeless and bereaved and war crimes prosecutions for
Bush and Blair.
The press
has reported that the first refugees are likely to be returned
to Fallujah on Christmas Eve (24 Dec). Please join us on Wednesday
22 Dec for a night-long protest under tarpaulin in Parliament
Square. Bring: warm clothing, candles, food to share & appropriate
placards and banners. For more info. contact Voices in the Wilderness
UK: 0845 458 2564 (local rate call) or e-mail voices@voicesuk.org.
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PHOTOS
FROM THE PROTEST 
In Parliament
Square, around 7.45pm. Main tent visible in the middle. The chap
second from the right is the redoubtable Brian Haw who's been
maintaining a 24-7 peace camp in Parliament Square since 2001.
See here for more info.
Big Ben. Proof
that we really were in Parliament Square! 
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BRIEF
REPORT
About
20 people gathered in relatively mild temperatures for the protest
around 7pm. Eleven were to go to the whole distance till 7am on
the Thursday, during which time we were showered with food, drink
and kindness from the public.
Despite our best efforts (see below) the corporate media couldn't
have been less interested, obsessed as they are with the "real"
news: the ins and outs of the former Home Secretary's love life.
Even Radio Five Live blew us out of an early morning
(6.10am) interview. Nontheless, an Iraqi from Fallujah, who a
friend of ours had spoken to recently, said that he was heartened
by the fact that someone in the UK was trying to raise awareness
about the plight of the Fallujah refugees and the Daily Telegraph
(circulation 1.1 million) printed this letter which was basically
a re-jigged version of the press release.
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BACKGROUND
INFO. ON FALLUJAH REFUGEES
According
to figures compiled by the International Organisation on Migration
(IOM) more than 200,000 refugees from Fallujah have yet to return
and 'many are in desperate need of aid, with temperatures in
Iraq heading towards freezing' (Reuters, 2 Dec). Despite
statements from the US military that refugees will 'start returning
in the next few days' (BBC, 14 Dec) the IOM has predicted
that the return 'may take a matter of months.'
'At least we had a home'
'At nightfall, when temperatures [in Baghdad] drop into the
40s, Fallouja laborer Hatam Allawi and his veiled wife, Nadia,
gather their seven small children into a 10-by-10-foot canvas
tent, where the youngsters jostle for position close to a kerosene
heater,' the LA Times reports (8 Dec). 'They sit on
the ground under a naked lightbulb hanging from a cord that
runs to a nearby mosque. The only chair is a red plastic child's
seat reserved for their oldest son, 10, who has a disability
that makes his arms and legs shake. Two other children, ages
5 and 2, have physical and mental disabilities that require
their parents to constantly coddle them.
'Life was
difficult enough a month ago, when the family shared an apartment
in Fallouja and Allawi eked out a living making mattresses by
hand. "At least we had a home," said Allawi, one of
more than 500 people now living at a makeshift camp in Baghdad
for displaced Falloujans. They left another encampment two weeks
ago when food and supplies ran out. "Now we are refugees,"
he said.'
A
"model city"
'US commanders and Iraqi leaders have declared their intention
to make Fallujah a "model city"' (Boston Globe,
5 Dec), meaning that, if and when they do return, Fallujah's
refugees will face an Orwellian existence. 'When the first of
Fallujah's refugees return on Christmas Eve, they will be funnelled
through five check points. Each will have their fingerprints
taken, along with DNA samples and retina scans. Residents will
be issued with badges with their home addresses on them, and
it will be an offence not to wear it at all times. No civilian
vehicle will be allowed in the city .... One idea floated by
the US is for all males in Fallujah [to] be compelled to join
work battalions in which they will be paid to clear rubble and
rebuild houses' (Independent, 11 Dec).
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voices uk - working in solidarity with ordinary families in iraq
5 Caledonian Road, King's Cross, London N1 9DX
telephone : 0845 458 2564
voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk
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