John Howard's visit - Say NO to hoWARd!

7 March 2003

Below are the details of the Auckland and Wellington protests around the visit of John Howard, Australian Prime Minister; comment from Global Peace and Justice Auckland; Peace Action Wellington Press Release; and a copy of the letter from Senator Bob Brown (Australian Senate) to Jeanette Fitzsimons, Green Party Co-leader.

Protest details

* Auckland *

Before going to the Howard protests, join the International Women’s Day rally and march ...

• SAT, 8 March - International Women's Day - Say No to the War on Iraq! All around the world on this day women are organising demonstrations against the war and sanctions on Iraq; more than a decade of sanctions have killed an estimated 1.7 million Iraqis, a new invasion will bring more death and devastation. Rally with speakers at 12 noon, Aotea Square, Queen St, before marching to the US consulate. For more info contact IWD 2003 email.

Howard protests ...

• SAT, 8 March: * 2-15pm * Howard ‘welcome’, Whenuapai Airbase; * 4pm * Protest Howard at the Australian High Commission opening, 186 Quay St (Price, Waterhouse, Cooper Tower); * 5-30pm * Protest at John Howard reception ‘celebrating’ Closer Economic Relations with NZ businesses, Sheraton Hotel, 83 Symonds St, City. For more info contact Global Peace and Justice Auckland, John Minto email or Mike Treen email.

• SUN, 9 March: * 9-15am * Antiwar protest at John Howard/Helen Clark meeting, Sheraton Hotel, 83 Symonds St, City. For more info contact Global Peace and Justice Auckland, John Minto email or Mike Treen email.

* Wellington *

• MON, 10 March - Crash the party! On Monday Helen Clark is hosting a state banquet at parliament for Australian Prime Minister John Howard; the same John Howard who can't wait to send Australian troops into Iraq in support of Bush's war for control of Middle Eastern oil - a war that will kill thousands of innocent civilians. Don't let Howard enjoy his lunch. Show him - and Clark - that his war-mongering is not welcome here. Two marches which will converge on parliament: * 12 noon * march leaving the Quad, Victoria University; * 12-30pm * march leaving Midland Park (Lambton Quay, between Waring Taylor and Johnston Streets); * 1pm * Crash the Party at parliament with noise! Bring drums, hooters, whistles, pots and pans, sirens, etc. For more info contact Peace Action Wellington, tel (04) 382 8129 or email.

Comment from Global Peace and Justice Auckland

Global Peace and Justice Auckland Newsletter
5 March 2003

"Australia's warmongering Prime Minister John Howard is also arriving [on Saturday] and we plan to make his reception as hot as possible. The sickening hypocrisy of a man who detains Iraqi refugees in desert concentration camps while preparing to wage war to "liberate" the Iraqi people needs to be exposed in the strongest terms."

"It's imperative we organise as vigorous a protest as possible against John Howard. As Prime Minister of Australia he has taken the lead in supplying troops to the US-led military build-up in the Gulf. He has defended taking unilateral action if the US fails to cajole the Security Council into endorsing war. He has also defied the opinions of 90 percent of Australians who want no part in this war. At the same time he is detaining hundreds of Iraqi refugees in appalling conditions at desert camps in Australia and on islands in the Pacific. We must make sure he gets the message loud and clear. We must also keep pressing for our government to get off the fence and condemn the war drive by Bush, Blair and Howard in the strongest terms. With the fate of millions of people at stake this is no time for ‘politics as usual’."

Peace Action Wellington Press Release

Peace Action Wellington
Press Release
6 March 2003

Wellingtonians will symbolically ‘crash’ the party at Parliament when Australian Prime Minister is banqueted on Monday, 10 March, at 1:00pm. People will raise a mighty din with pots, pans, cake tins and other noise makers to tell Mr. Howard and Ms Clark they are outraged that the Australian PM is dragging his country behind the US towards a destabilising and unjust war against the people of Iraq. Mr Howard has Australian SAS troops poised to enter Iraq any time.

The clanging of metal objects will also be symbolic of ‘beating swords into plow shares’, indicating that progress will be made through pursuit of economic justice and global disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, rather than through racism and war.

It is appropriate that Ms Clark will hear the din as well, as she is also providing material support for the war build up with a NZ frigate and an Orion aircraft in the Gulf. The frigate has been escorting war supply ships into the war area, and the Orion will gather intelligence for the US carrier group directing the war preparations. The message will be the frigate and the Orion must be brought home.

Groups will gather at Victoria University at 12 noon, and Midland Park on Lambton Quay at 12-30pm and march to Parliament for the festivities.

Letter from Senator Bob Brown to Jeanette Fitzsimons

5 March 2003

Jeanette Fitzsimons,
Co-leader New Zealand Greens

Dear Jeanette,

We view with some disquiet the Kiwi Greens refusal to roll the red carpet out for our Prime Minister John Winston Howard.

Mr Howard has a direct line to the world's most powerful person, George W Bush, and together with Tony Blair, they are on the brink of achieving a New World Order, a sort of Oil Empire, after first dismantling the obstructive United Nations or, at least, its Charter. They are going to bomb Saddam Hussein and let no mothers of Baghdad or Basra get in their way.

Could you please at least reconsider? We would like you to extend Mr Howard's stay. If possible, could you keep him until his birthday on July 26 this year, when he says he will consider whether to stay or go as PM. Maybe his holiday in New Zealand will become permanent.

We, along with millions of Australians for Peace, will be eternally grateful.

Yours Sincerely,
Senator Bob Brown (Australian Senate).