PHILADELPHIA, PA - On November 23rd, thousands of people converged upon City Hall to protest Amerika’s escalation of the ongoing imperialist assault against the Iraqi people. RAIL members attended the rally, and distributed hundreds of flyers, circulated petitions demanding justice for Memik Horez and Joma Sison, and distributed copies of MIM Notes. After the initial gathering, protesters took to the streets and marched down Market St., chanting anti-imperialist slogans like “Hey Bush, what do you say, how many kids have you killed today?” and “No blood for oil”.

RAIL also engaged the masses in dialogue about demarcating popular struggle and terrorism. RAIL helped people understand the link between the so-called “War on Terrorism” and the brutal treatment of political prisoners through its petitions. One rally attendee felt RAIL’s “Fighting Imperialism is Not Terrorism” poster advocated wanton violence and sent the wrong message. A RAIL comrade pointed out that oppressed peoples do not choose violence but have it thrust upon them by their imperialist oppressors, and it would be suicide not to take up the gun and claim their political power.

RAIL was pleased to see the masses hoist the banner of anti-imperialism as opposed to liberal pacifism. Many protesters seemed to grasp the concept that it is not political violence itself that is the problem but rather imperialist interests which are the sole motivation for this war. However, many of the people speaking against imperialism did so from a national chauvinist perspective. Revisionist organizations and their front groups had signs demanding “money for jobs; not war.” This erroneous line only contributes to the further plundering of the oppressed peoples throughout the third world. True proletarian revolution cannot come about through the further bribery of the oppressor nation labor aristocracy.

RAIL helped to debunk various imperialist generated myths about Iraqi links to terrorism and possession of weapons of mass destruction by handing out informational fliers to onlookers. The flier listed facts on the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Iraqi people and included the following text:

"As a means of justifying the planned invasion of Iraq, the Amerikan Imperialists have concocted various stories and myths: The two most often cited are that Iraq is supposed to be linked with Al-Qaida in some way and that Iraq is said to have "weapons of mass destruction" which it plans on using against its neighbors and possibly the United $tates.

The first lie has been debunked by British M15 and M16 Secret Service agencies, who completely rejected the idea of any connection, adding that Saddam has stayed as far away as possible from Al-Qaida. As Dr. Stephen Zunes noted recently, "The State Department's own annual study, Patterns of Global Terrorism, could not list any serious act of international terrorism connected to the government of Iraq." There is absolutely NO evidence to suggest that there is any link between the Iraqi government and Al-Qaida- or any other terrorist group for that matter. Even Donald Rumsfeld has been forced to modify his story from the U.$. having 'bulletproof' evidence, to: "they're not photographs. They're not beyond a reasonable doubt."

The second lie is just as fact-less as the first. As Scott Ritter, Former U.N. weapons inspector put it 2 years ago: “Iraq has indeed been disarmed…The chemical, biological, nuclear and long-range ballistic missile programs that were a real threat in 1991, had, by 1998 been destroyed or rendered harmless.” UNSCOM admitted in 1999 that the overwhelming majority of Iraq’s weapons had been destroyed. Bush has recently claimed that Iraq attempted to import high-strength aluminum tubes "for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons." Yet again, British intelligence denies that there are any facts to back this up. Lest anyone has forgotten what context the discussion of “weapons of mass destruction” should be viewed in, the ONLY country to EVER use an atomic bomb, killing innocent civilians, was the United $tates.

It is quite clear that there is absolutely NO legitimate reason to go to war with Iraq. In fact the ONLY reason a war seems imminent is because Amerikan Imperialism is intent on controlling the region’s vast natural resources and re-drawing the map of the Middle-East to suit the interests of Amerikan Imperialism and its allies. When Bush talks of a “regime change,” what is meant is simply that the United $tates desires a loyal puppet government that will aid in the further plunder and oppression of the Iraqi people.”

After this text was written, the bourgeois media has revealed a new twist to the situation: Amerika is planning on reverting to direct colonial rule and installing General Tommy R. Franks or one of his subordinates as the military ruler of Iraq. The colonial government will have supreme power and direct control of Iraqi oil. After an un-specified period of time, the imperialists will choose their favorite comprador lackey(s) and thereby continue to control the Iraqi economy in their own interests.(1)