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Author Topic: URGENT: US Soldiers Attack Iraqi Union HQ
robbie_dee
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 195

posted 09 December 2003 11:01 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I just got this urgent message from Eric Lee at Labour Start

quote:
We have just received an urgent appeal from the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions which we feel needs to be passed on to the largest possible number of trade unionists in the next several days.

On Saturday, dozens of US troops in ten armoured cars raided the IFTU temporary headquarters in Baghdad, smashing windows, seizing documents,
and even tearing down posters and banners condemning terrorism. Eight IFTU leaders were arrested, but were released the following day, unharmed.

No reason or explanation was given for the raid.

The IFTU is calling on President Bush to conduct a full investigation of the raid and to ensure that it will not be repeated. The United States must respect the right of workers under international law to have free and independent trade unions.

Please visit this page and send on your protest to the White House today:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=22

Please pass on this message to all your lists. Thanks very much.

Eric Lee



From: Iron City | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged
robbie_dee
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 195

posted 13 December 2003 03:09 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Update from Eric Lee:

***

Earlier this week I sent out an urgent message to all of you asking for you to send on messages to President Bush demanding that the US investigate the raid on the Iraqi trade union headquarters one week ago -- and provide reassurances that it will not happen again.

Your response has been fantastic. You have been sending on the messages and more important, telling your friends and fellow trade unionists.
One of our readers in Australia wrote to tell me that the campaign was spreading like wildfire -- that he'd received six or seven copies of
our appeal from different friends. As I write this, several thousand email messages have reached the White House -- with copies to the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions, who are enormously pleased with the response.

The campaign continues to grow. Harry Barnes, a Labour Member of Parliament, raised the issue in the House of Commons here in Britain and got a response from a government minister. Many of you have been contacting the media, writing to the State Department, to the Democratic candidates for President in the US, to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, even to the US military's Central Command.

Several major trade unions, including COSATU in South Africa, the RMT in Britain, the Scottish TUC, the Italian metalworkers and the Italian
CGIL have issued strong statements. All of this is documented -- with much more information -- on our special web page about Iraq:

http://www.labourstart.org/iraq/

If you have not yet done so, please make sure to send off your message to President Bush today, from this page:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=22

Pass that URL (web address) on to others -- let's keep up the momentum.

Finally, shortly after the campaign was launched I published an article about it -- and there have already been several interesting comments posted by readers. I invite you to read the article and to add your thoughts, here:

http://www.ericlee.me.uk/archive/000065.html

Thanks very much.

Eric Lee


From: Iron City | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged

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