Paris, França

The great march for World Peace gathered at least 50 Brazilian cities on Saturday 15th February. People went out on the streets to say no to the probable USA attack on Iraq. The movement also happened in more than 50 countries. The greatest mobilization took place in São Paulo, where 30 thousand people, according to the organizers, gathered on Paulista Avenue to head towards the Ibirapuera Park. Many NGOs were present like Paz Agora (Peace Now!), Greenpeace, Grupo Solidário São Domingos (a solidarity group), Coalizão Brasileira para a Paz Israel-Palestina (Taba – Brazilian Coalition for the Israeli-Palestinian Peace), together with the thousands activists who were not linked to any parties or NGOs but wanted to express their disagreement in relation to the American president’s intentions, George Bush.

Among the pacifist posters, there could be seen attitudes like the burning of the American flag or attempts to associate Bush’s image to the Nazis of the World War II. At the end of the afternoon, everyone got together around the Ibirapuera’s obelisk, where the associations’ representatives spoke on top of sound-equipped trucks. Among them was João Pedro Stédile, leader of the Landless Workers Movement (MST). In Rio de Janeiro, around 20 thousand people got together in the district of Leme at around 11 o’clock. On the way to Copacabana, the march was greeted by cheering cariocas who were at their apartment windows supporting the demonstration. In Porto Alegre, the gaúchos went back to the streets against war, after having done so in January during the III World Social Forum. Around 2,000 people walked under the strong sun. By the banks of Lago Guaíba, a number of bands’ gigs closed the event. Also dwellers of Brasília, Campo Grande, Salvador and Curitiba got organized. In those cities, at least 5,000 people asked for peace on Saturday.

Aznar – Away from Brazil and separated by an ocean, the Spaniards also went out on the streets against the possibility of war on Iraq. More than 3 million people got mobilized in 60 cities. Besides protesting against the conflict, the Spaniards criticized the Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar. The Spanish leader is one of the supporters of the American attack, together with the British government. Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar took part in the act held in Madrid, the capital. But cities like Zaragoza, Sevilha, Bilbao, Granada and Barcelona also gathered thousands of people. The mobilization was repeated in Rome where 3 million Italians made a colorful march that led the young and the old to demonstrate. At the same time, in Assize, the Iraqi Vice-prime Minister, Tareq Aziz, made a solitary protest in front of San Francesco’s tomb, where he prayed.

Resistance – Taking part of the resistance block against the bombing on Iraq, more than 80 organizations, parties and unions flooded the streets of France. The country’s government has the power of veto at the Security Council of UN, and has already declared they disagree with the military attack. Around 300 thousand French people marched all Saturday long. In Toulouse, the demonstration took place in the morning, with at least 8 thousand people.
In the homeland of German Prime- minister Gerhard Schroeder, another war opponent, about 200 thousand dwellers surrounded the Brandenburg’s Gate in the biggest demonstration held since World War II in Berlin. Posters reading No to the war for oil and War? No, thanks! helped get the Germans’ message across.
On Sunday, it was the Australians’ turn to go against their local government position and at least 500 thousand went out on the streets. The demonstrations, in cities like Sydney and Adelaide, were the biggest since the Vietnam War, over 30 years ago.

Make love, ... – Even in the USA, there was a great mobilization for peace. In Los Angeles, where Hollywood is located, many people carried posters with the phrase Make love not War next to an edited-photo with president Bush kissing British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In New York, people faced a 12º C-temperature and paraded, while being closely watched by the especial security scheme already set by the federal government. A t least 15 thousand people were in the demonstration in the city which suffered the attacks of 11th September 2001. The protests were repeated in other 250 North-American cities, despite the low temperatures.

Embassy – In Mexico, thousands of demonstrators went to the front of the US embassy building. They heard the discourse made by Peace Noble Prize-winner, Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchú. The same strategy was adopted in Bangkok, in Thailand, where around 2 thousand people blocked the access to the North-American representation building in the country. In the Asian region, the act was repeated in Tokyo, the Japanese capital city, with 300 people. That country’s government has been supporting the war discourses made by the United States.

Por André Merli, repórter.
André Merli is responsible journalist for the Bulletin Voter Citizen of
the Ágora Institute in Defense of the Voter and the Democracy

São Paulo, Brazil                                           Artists in Alliance                                                                   São Paulo, Brazil

Isis de Palma, coordinator of the Drums for Peace