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What is ACTNOW?
The ACT Network Opposing War is united by the view that war can never solve the world's problems and that it can and must be avoided. The Network was set up on 24 September 2001 and adopted the following charter:
"We are a coalition of organisations and individuals who have come together at this time to act for peace. We say no to war; no to retaliation; no to racist scape-goating; and no to attacks on civil liberties."
War is used by power hungry political leaders to get their own way. It is contributing to poverty, global instability, terrorism and tragedy. The only people who benefit from war are the politicians who promote it and their corporate backers. Everyone else loses. The biggest losers of all are the innocent citizens in the countries where the war is waged.
ACTNOW is currently concerned to end the occupation of Iraq by US, British, Australian and other military forces. ACTNOW members are united in the view that Australian involvement in the US attack on Iraq was wrong and that the war and the ongoing occupation damage the interests of ordinary people not only in Iraq but also in Australia, the USA and elsewhere.
There is no evidence that Saddam Hussein was in any way connected to global terrorism, or that he was a threat to other countries in the region or elsewhere. The vast stockpiles of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq that served as the main pretext for the invasion, have now proven to be nothing but a propaganda exercise. Even before the war began, it was well known that the document regarding yellow cake sales from Niger was a forgery; that the aluminium tubes were entirely unsuitable for uranium enrichment; and that the 'mobile chemical weapons labs' produce nothing but hydrogen for artillery balloons.
The US 'war against terror', a form of wholesale terror itself, has already killed, maimed and injured many times the casualties of 11 September 2001. At the same time, it has worsened, as a matter of policy, the global inequities that give rise to the despair retail terrorism thrives on.
It remains urgent that people in Australia tell John Howard what we think of his unacceptable stand on the issue of war against Iraq. We mustn't let anyone use fear of terrorism to manipulate Australians into supporting this oil war.
ACTNOW urges all Canberrans to join our efforts to prevent war and end the occupation of Iraq now.
Page updated 11st Feb 2004
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