Appeal of resist

– Say no to war!
– Five reasons to become active against war
– Challenges from the resist campaign
– Resistance is possible!
– Support resist
– Text of the appeal

As part of the worldwide peace movement, the campaign "resist - oppose an attack on Iraq" organizes broad social resistance against the invasion into Iraq. More than 6,500 individuals have already pledged through resist to practice resistance in whatever means possible in the case of a war against Iraq.
Our goal now as the war has started: organize a nonviolent sit-in of several thousand participants in front of the Rhein/Main Airbase near Frankfurt/Germany. However, our first obligation had been to put pressure on the German government and the Bush-administration to stop the impending war before it's too late. In meanwhile the US government attacked Iraq without a legal reason.
Act now! Support the resist-campaign!

Say no to war!

The United States and Great Britain's intentions to actuate a war against Iraq were becoming more and more obvious. On October 11, 2002, US President George W. Bush received a carte blanche from the US Congress for an invasion with or without an UN mandate. Also, through appropriate compliance with the UN resolution and with Iraq's complete cooperation with UN controllers, the US found a pretext for claiming a violation of the conditions on the part of Iraq. As the mobilization of troops in the Gulf region was complete, the calculations of the US Hardliners was correct, that war could begin within the next few days. After the elections, even Germany as the first to reject US war rhetoric was swiftly back peddling. The German government has granted the Americans and the British fly-over rights, use of military facilities as well as protection, free movement of troops and logistical support for this war. Against campaign promises, they are actively supporting the war. But the constitution forbids support and participation in aggressive war (Art. 26 GG and Strafgesetzbuch § 80). This is not a question of political will, but a question of loyalty to and esteem of the constitution.

Resist heavily condemns the Iraqi regime, especially its countless human rights violations. At the same time, several different reasons compel us to actively oppose war against Iraq:

Five reasons to become active against war

1. No blood for oil!
With this invasion the USA wishes to secure its grip on the largest oil reserves in the world and to continue to build up its position of authority in the region. With a government that would befriend US oil trusts, the Iraqi regime would be off the hook. While European and Russian oil companies signed contracts with Iraq years ago, without a regime change the US would have no further control over these important reserves.

2. Trampling over international civil rights
With the U.S. proclaimed "preventive war", the new American strategy of global dominance and military intervention without UN instructions is supposedly put into action. The principles of international civil rights and the 1945 UN Charta, which forbids all forms of violence or threats of violence, become broken to an unprecedented extent. In the future every country could declare an attack on another using the current U.S. argumentation, calling it "self-defence" or "fighting terrorism".

3. There is no evidence
The U.S. government bases its claim of the necessity of a preventive war on the argument that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction and is in close contact with terrorist organisations. Still now as the war has begun there is no evidence to back up such arguments. Iraq has probably neither the capacity necessary for the production of such weapons nor cooperation with Islamic terrorists, to whom Saddam Hussein's Baath regime has always preserved a great distance. The course of the UN inspections up to this point more likely confirms the early opinions of the experts (and of the German News Service), that Iraq currently poses no immediate threat to its neighbors.

4. The consequences of war would be catastrophic
An intervention in Iraq will only continue to heat up the many conflicts in the mideast, possibly throwing them completely out of control. The internal political situation in the mideast is further destabilized. Such a war is likely to pour water on the mills of fundamental currents. We can also assume that the war will mainly be carried out in the cities. Thus, the system of bringing supplies to the citizens, which due to the UN embargo is already completely insufficient, would completely collapse. Thousands of citizens would die, including not only those wounded or killed in the crossfire, but also those dying of hunger and starvation.

5. There were alternatives to war
Weapons inspections provided an opportunity to avoid war and to gain relative security and control over various methods of mass destruction. The threat of the Baath regime could have been contained in this manner. With the long overdue lifting of the embargo, solutions would finally be found for the country, especially for those civilians living in misery, who are by no means responsible for the politics and crimes of the Iraqi regime. Just as urgently needed are solutions for the entire mideast region. Finding initiatives for a peaceful solution in Israel/Palestine is the key to which we challenge the powerful United States.

Challenges from the resist campaign

• Therefore, we are saying NO to a war against Iraq and demand:
  No military invasion into Iraq!
  
  
• The current bombings of U.S. and British forces on Iraq must end immediately
  
  
• The German government and other European governments must take an offensive stand against the war on Iraq to the European Union and to NATO!
  
  
• In the case of a war on Iraq, the U.S.A. and Great Britain should be forbidden fly-over rights and the use of military bases and airports in German territory for the proceedings of this war!
  
  
• All German troops and weapons stationed in the Gulf region must be pulled back!
  
  
• The UN embargo against Iraq must be lifted for humanitary reasons.
  
  
  

Resistance is possible!

More and more people no longer wish to helplessly stand by and watch the apparently almost unavoidable war on Iraq develop. resist seeks to motivate thousands of people from completely diverse circles, to become active in some form or another, according to each individual's capabilities to do so. By signing the resist appeal, you are committing to become active.

In the wake of the possible war on Iraq, the resist campaign wishes to develop pressure for the adoption of our demands. We still have a chance to prevent this war, but only if we act now!

When war does indeed begin, the organisation of a large nonviolent sit-in in front of the Rhein/Main air base in Frankfurt will become the central focus of the resist-campaign. We follow the tradition of the acts of civil disobedience in the 80s at Mutlangen and at other American military bases. Our goal is to show with this act a sign of determination for peace and to place the conflict at a highly symbolic, critical location. The U.S. air base in Frankfurt is currently, and especially in case of war, a very important logistical turning point for the build-up of troops and the transportation of reinforcement materials. At this location we will be encountering the American war logistics at one of its most critical points.

• Sign the resist appeal and, in the case of war, take part in our large non-violent sit-in!

Appeal

Pledge of commitment

In the case that the U.S. government invades Iraq, I pledge today to take part in protests, demonstrations and/or other actions of civil disobedience at U.S. military bases, U.S. consulates and the U.S. embassy in Berlin.

Pledge of commitment, continued
I wish to take part - as long as location and schedule allow - in resist's nonviolent sit-ins.

Sign the appeal now!