IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM)
PRESS RELEASE – 18 June 2021
• SUPPORT LE CHÉILE EVENT IN DUBLIN TOMORROW
• CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY – NO TO RACISM, NO TO WAR!
The Irish Anti-War Movement in a statement today called for support for the ‘Le Chéile – Diversity not Division’ event planned for Smithfield in Dublin at 2pm tomorrow 19 June.
Racism is so often utilised by ruling elites to justify war. This has been the case for hundreds of years. In WW1 leaders on both sides used racist propaganda to demonise the alleged enemy and thus convince ordinary people to slaughter each other in muddy trenches. The rise of the Nazis in Germany in the 1930’s was partly predicated on racism and the Nazis subsequent horrific war crimes against Jews, Romas and others fuelled by it.
IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM)
PRESS RELEASE – 18 June 2021
• SUPPORT LE CHÉILE EVENT IN DUBLIN TOMORROW
• CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY – NO TO RACISM, NO TO WAR!
The Irish Anti-War Movement in a statement today called for support for the ‘Le Chéile – Diversity not Division’ event planned for Smithfield in Dublin at 2pm tomorrow 19 June.
Racism is so often utilised by ruling elites to justify war. This has been the case for hundreds of years. In WW1 leaders on both sides used racist propaganda to demonise the alleged enemy and thus convince ordinary people to slaughter each other in muddy trenches. The rise of the Nazis in Germany in the 1930’s was partly predicated on racism and the Nazis subsequent horrific war crimes against Jews, Romas and others fuelled by it.
During WW2 the US Government incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans. Deep racism against Japanese people was encouraged by the policies of the US Government, which led to two of the great war crimes in human history, the dropping of atomic bombs on the non-military cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Deep hatred and racism were also inculcated during the American War in Vietnam exemplified by the offensive US military’s characterisation of Vietnamese people as ‘gooks’ and the brutal killing of so many civilians?
After the 9/11 attacks the irresponsible actions of the USA and many other western governments fomented racism against Arabs and Muslims. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were essentially in-spired and fuelled by racism and have left a legacy of deep hatred, sectarianism and thousands of dead and injured on all sides.
Recent events in Myanmar are also influenced by racism where the Rohingya Muslims and more recently other ethnic groups have been targeted by the military junta mainly because of their alleged differences. Likewise, in Ethiopia where alleged ethnic differences are currently used as excuses by the Ethiopian Military to ethnically cleanse, starve, rape and murder thousands of the Tigray people.
The state of Israel could not maintain its brutal occupation of Palestinian lands, its strict control over Palestinians and its periodic violent wars without educating all Israeli children from an early age in a deep racist, supremacist ideology which portrays all Palestinians as inferior human beings.
The Irish Government while not overtly racist is responsible for serious collusion in racist wars through the facilitation to the US Military at Shannon Airport. This must stop.
The IAWM condemns all forms of racism because they create false hatred between people and lead in so many cases to brutal wars which kill and maim so many innocent civilians.
We celebrate ethnic diversity as a hope for a better peaceful world for all members of the human race where we can focus on mutual sharing and sustainable existence together on our fragile planet.
That is why we are proud to support the Le Chéile – Diversity not Division initiative.
• CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSITY – NO TO RACISM, NO TO WAR!
Facebook link to the Le Chéile event – https://www.facebook.com/LeCheileDND/
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