US soldiers kill unarmed demonstrators as angry protests against the US/UK occupation multiply inside Iraq. The population was already infuriated by the US marines' "shoot everything that moves" entry into Baghdad", resulting in thousands of casualties, along with mourning families, none of whom were flashing a "V" sign. The wounded continue to die, unable to be treated by overflowing, under-equipped hospitals. Mangled, bloody victims lining the roads and dismembered children are not shown on many of the world's news channels, pretending it was a "clean" war. Iraqis bury their many thousands of dead, whom the invaders refuse to count, just like during last year's war in Afghanistan.
Instead, like animals with blood dripping from their mouths after killing their prey, they issue a bully's declaration of victory. The US-UK rulers and their media are crowing that their war is now justified because they chased away a tyrant with their huge war machine. Their war will NEVER be justified: it is nothing but a war of aggression against the people of Iraq by imperialist vampires intent on sinking their fangs into a whole region under US control. Machine gunfire and sporadic bombing continue to deliver death and destruction: their troops are now a swaggering occupation force.
Iraq is a poor country battered by 12 years of bombing raids and the unwarranted stranglehold of sanctions. On top of that Saddam Hussein's regime oppressed the peoples of Iraq and kept them divided, limiting their ability to resist invasion. Despite this there was heroic fighting in the South and in some parts of Baghdad and other cities, which inflicted blows and threw sand into the war machine. How long would any country weakened by an import embargo and stripped of its air capacity hold up against the world's biggest powers? The imperialists' routing the Iraqi army in a few weeks shows only one thing: they had overwhelming force and absolutely no reservations about using it to attack the people. They carried out a massive bombardment from above and their highly protected soldiers never stepped out of their tanks while the Iraqi defenders were often forced to fight with only rifles and other light arms. This is the way reactionaries in today's monopolar world fight unjust wars: first they "disarm" the other side, then pulverise them and declare the remaining civilians "free" to support US imperialism's designs and interests. This is how the cowardly US armed forces prefer to fight.
Resistance will continue and can already be seen in different forms. This US/UK invasion of Iraq and occupation will never be tolerated by the people - in Iraq, throughout the world, nor by the next victims of US-led aggression.
Cleaning up its "motives" and dividing up Iraq's resources… The US is finishing up its mass rape and murder of the Iraqi people and trying to polish up its motives for the sake of its collaborators and for public opinion. They say they intend to find some of the so far non-existent weapons of mass destruction, even if it requires the invasion of Syria to continue the hunt. Will the world's most powerful liars try this justification a second time? Or just continue bombing countries where their opponents could be hiding in order to keep changing regimes they don't like?
Kurds celebrate the fall of northern cities in Iraq, still not believing the US will refuse them the right to self-determination under US martial law in Iraq, a deal long ago concluded with Turkey, who the US needs for future military plans.
Some marines still proudly claim they have taken revenge for Iraq's involvement in September 11, parroting the lies of presidents' and prime ministers' speeches and the special disinformation campaigns over the past 1 ˝ years that tried to keep this myth alive. The real terrorists are in power and they are operating out of Washington, London and outposts for the imperialists like Tel Aviv, stepping up their terror against the world's people. Iraq is only phase one of this year's crusade. Will the huge number of American troops and billion$ in military equipment be sent home while diplomats argue over sanctions again? More arrive in the Gulf every day. If Syria is the next conquest in building their empire of terror they call "a Greater American Middle East", who will follow -- Iran? Lebanon? Perhaps through a common border they will soon literally join armies with their butcher partners they finance in Israel to suppress Palestine altogether and control the whole region.
The pro-Zionist former US general is taking charge, strutting through Saddam's palaces approvingly while the charade gets underway of putting in place another Karzai-type pro-US puppet regime to rule for the "coalition". The rapist of Iraq, Rumsfeld, praises the "freedom" he has brought to the looters to steal back furniture from the regime, while the whole planet is watching the world's largest exploiters and thieves guarding at gunpoint their own freedom to loot the entire country! International haggling has begun over dividing up the real spoils of Iraq - not its office chairs, refrigerators and fans we see in the informal redistribution of small property in the streets - but the oil wealth and contracts for reconstruction, which the Iraqi people's resources will be pillaged to pay for. Not only did the people of Iraq pay for the US war with their blood, the US built its own pipeline to steal Iraqi petrol to fuel the war to slaughter them! And far from planning any "peace", the US has already placed enormous new orders with arms manufacturers for the future Iraq. The rulers in Washington are getting into position for long-term occupation and region-wide restructuring. Meanwhile they refused to organise basic food, water and healthcare for the besieged population for weeks.
European governments have rushed to congratulate the quick victory, including those in France and Germany who had, under the pressure of tremendous opposition and with their own imperialist interests to protect, opposed the war and helped isolate the US within the United Nations. The people cannot rely on either the UN or any of these imperialists. The other members of the G8 may have some contradictions with US hegemony in the Gulf, but they will scramble for their share in this new age colonial settlement, amidst countless editorials and speeches about the need for democracy and UN intervention. What kind of democracy is delivered by B-52s and cluster bombs, followed by the dictates of a new US governor in Iraq, renown for his approval of massacring Palestinians?
The people of the world have the key role to play. There is no going back to normal times. The US rulers are world history's biggest criminals by far, and they are on a roll to commit more crimes. Despite their weapons, they are not all powerful -- the struggle of the people throughout the world has already prevented them from getting the strong-armed consensus they sought to attack Iraq. Our continued struggle and resistance will be hugely important in exposing and denouncing their shameless lies that try to disguise imperialist cutthroat occupiers as democrats and people-loving liberators. They stand naked and ugly. Not surprisingly many of their media are joining the US "champions" to attack the anti-war movement and try to divide it. Lawmakers and enforcers will try to criminalise continued opposition and resistance. We must unite and find the ways to resist in different forms and as broadly as possible. The people's struggle too develops in waves and we must prepare for another round. The anti-war movement has been powerful and truly international - this must be built upon and strengthened within each country into a massive worldwide movement to ultimately defeat their ability to do whatever they want, to stop their plans for further rape, plunder, humiliation and domination not only of Iraq but the whole region.
People of the world, unite to defeat the US-UK occupation of Iraq!
Stop all complicity by European governments and others!
US: keep your bloody boot off the peoples of Syria, Iran & the whole Middle East!