Video of Teach-in On Racism and Islamophobia

For those who couldn't make it last Tuesday...

It's time to get racist John Moghtader kicked off the ASUC

Racist ASUC senator John Moghtader is one of the people responsible for attacking three Palestinian students a few weeks back. There is a petition to get him impeached which you can sign here - www.no2hate.org. Let's get this guy off our senate asap...

Teach-in on Racism & Islamophobia - Tues, Dec 2nd, 7pm 141 Giannini

Racism & Islamophobia at Cal - How Should We Respond?

Hatem Bazian & speakers from BSTW, SJP & MSA

Tuesday Dec 2nd
7pm
141 Gianinni, UCB

Arabs and Muslim students at Cal have been the subject of a string of racist & Islamophobic incidents at UCB this semester, culminating in a violent assault on three Palestinian students two weeks ago. And following the election of Barack Obama, racism against African-Americans and other minorities has increased sharply nationwide. Come to a teach-in on racism and Islamophobia next Tuesday, December 2nd to hear more about these attacks, the link to US foreign policy in the Middle East and how we can organize to fight back.

Organized by Berkeley Stop the War, Students for Justice in Palestine & the Muslim Students Association

Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) Statement on Berkeley Hate Crimes

CAN Statement on Berkeley Hate Crimes

For immediate circulation:

At around 6pm last Thursday (11/13), three Palestinian students (1 male, 2 female) were beaten up on the UC Berkeley campus by members of a right-wing Zionist group, the Zionist Freedom Alliance. A second incident occurred the following night in which another Palestinian student was attacked by unknown assailants on campus. For SJP's statement on the attacks see -
http://calsjp.org/2008/11/14/blog/sjp-statement-on-violent-anti-palestinian-atta\
ck-on-campus

The Campus Antiwar Network condemns unreservedly this despicable act of racist violence and wishes to express its complete and unwavering solidarity with the members of Students for Justice in Palestine, and all Arab and Muslim students both on and off the UCB campus. We also echo SJP's call to the campus administration to investigate the incident immediately and bring those responsible to justice.

We call on all students, at Cal and elsewhere, to come together to combat racism and Islamophobia however and whenever it rears its head. Arab and Muslim students are particularly vulnerable to bigotry and racism at this time of imperialist war and occupation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, and we must stand with them against those who seek to use violence and prejudice to divide students against one another on racial/ethnic lines.

In solidarity,
CAN

The War Comes Home: Campus Antiwar Network Western Regional Conference

The War Comes Home:
Campus Antiwar Network Western Regional Conference
University of California Berkeley
April 19th, 2008 1PM -6PM
200 Wheeler Hall

We are now entering our 6th year of the occupation of Iraq with no end
in site. Although the mainstream media and major politicians keep
touting progress and the success of Bush's surge, conditions in the
country remain dreadful as people live without basic necessities and
Iraqis die on a daily basis, adding to the more than a million Iraqis
killed in the last five years. A poll conducted by the British
Ministry of Defense found that 82% of Iraqis are "strongly opposed" to
the occupation, and "less than 1% of the population believes coalition
forces are responsible for any improvement in security." In addition,
a Zogby International/Le Moyne College poll taken in February 2006 of
troops stationed in Iraq, 72% said the US should withdrawal in 12
months. Of that, 29% thought the US should leave immediately. This is
happening as our future's are being mortgaged for a lie and social
services and education are being slashed at home.

Now is the time to help organize a student antiwar movement that can
demand "Troops Out Now!" and support soldiers and veterans resisting
the occupation. Join the Campus Antiwar Network for the West Coast
spring regional conference to discuss the effect of the war on the
people of Iraq, the soldiers that are forced to fight and on the
American people at home as well as strategies for building the student
antiwar movement.


Schedule:
1PM 1:30PM: Registration
1:30PM- 3:30PM: War Comes Home Panel
3:30-4PM: Break
4:00-6:00PM: Round Table Discussion with Anti-war Activists

War Comes Home:
Speakers*:
Phil Aliff, Iraq Veterans Against the War
He is an Iraq war veteran who served in 2005 and 2006 near Fallujah
and Baghgad, recently discharged from the 10th Mountain Division of
the Army. He is member of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans
Against the War.

Hossam el-Hamalawy
He is a well-known Egyptian journalist and blogger,
www.arabist.net/arabawy. He has written extensively about war, empire,
and activism in Arab countries, most recently, an article for the
Middle East Research and Information Project
(MERIP:http://www.merip.org/mero/mero032507.html). He has also
appeared on the BBC and on numerous mdeia outlets to talk about the
new journalism in Egypt. He is currently a visiting International
Scholar in the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley.

*More speakers to come.

Registration is $5.
For more information on CAN, the conference or transportation, email
katrina.yeaw@gmail.com or call 415-335-0953.


Sponsored by: Campus Antiwar Network www.campusantiwar.net

Endorsed by: Students Against War- UCSC, Berkeley Stop the War
Coalition, Students Against War, San Francisco State, City College of
San Francisco

CAN statement on Winter Soldier hearings

The significance of the Winter Soldier Investigation

Winter Soldier, originating in the struggle against the Vietnam War was organized after the Mai Lai massacre cover up by the U.S. media during the Vietnam War. Journalists finally broke through and exposed the massacre. The government tried to silence this by sending one Army Lieutenant to jail. Over a period of a year Antiwar soldiers back in the United States were forming the basic organization needed to hit back to expose the truth. In 1971 the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) converged at a Hotel in Detroit Michigan to carry out the Winter Soldier Hearings meant to expose the criminal nature of the U.S. war policy.

Joe Bangert one of those who testified pointed out in the documentary film about Soldiers Resistance during the Vietnam war "Sir, No Sir" that they intended the hearings to go "after the notion that the policies of the U.S. military created things like Mai Lai… it was a policy, both written and unwritten…" that couldn't be explained or written off as it was for a long time as an "isolated instance of abhorrent behavior" by individual soldiers.

Iraq and Afghanistan's Winter Soldier Investigation

It is in this same context that the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) veterans both from Iraq and Afghanistan will be testifying in the Winter Soldier Investigations being held in Washington, D.C., from March 13—16. This investigation will expose and make the case that orders from the White House for the U.S. Military to carry out an occupation creates the circumstances in which war crimes like those in Fallujah, Abu Ghraib and Haditha are the inevitable outcome.

Our commitment to the Veterans' Antiwar Movement

As part of CAN's ongoing commitment to strengthening the veterans' antiwar movement, chapters are strongly encouraged to organize events that will amplify the voices of the Winter Soldier Investigation. Assuming you don't have Spring Break during the March 13-16th event, a live-feed of the events will be available through www.ivaw.org and could be presented to a public audience on your campus. Chapters should also think about inviting IVAW members to share their testimony in person on campus as a "Report Back" from the proceedings. Organizing such meetings can project CAN and IVAW on your campus and equip students with the knowledge of the reality of the occupation. The more people who know about the Winter Soldier proceedings, the more likely GIs in Iraq and Afghanistan will be confident to stand up to their illegal orders.

Fundraising events

Chapters have organized joint fundraising events with IVAW through RIT, Rutgers University. Both chapters threw house parties and one split the profit with the IVAW chapter, the other chapter gave all the fundraising monies to the local IVAW chapter at both parties CAN worked with IVAW to bring out soldiers they'd met through our events and activity.

Viewing the original Winter Soldier Documentary

Chapters can widely publicize Winter Soldier by doing campus viewings of the original documentary. http://www.wintersoldierfilm.com Chapters can publicize the viewing and or "Report Back" at this movie showing. The University of Illinois at Chicago can be contacted for more information on viewing the film UIC@campusantiwar.net

Live Feed and Simulcast viewings

Chapter not conflicting with Spring break close downs should view the Live Feed or Simulcast through the web. Reserve a room that is accessible to many people with a large enough screen with a projector that has a connection to the internet or TV broadcast. Be sure to open up these viewings by explaining the significance of Winter Soldier and work with IVAW to get soldiers they know from the community and on campus to come. There are a number of ways to watch the proceedings at Winter Soldier. Visit http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/support

Winter Soldier Report Back Panel

A panel can include a veteran willing to share what he/she testified and a CAN member to speak about the current state of Iraq. Taking what we learned from the Dahr Jamail conference call: the state of the Iraqi refugee crisis, the failure of the troop surge and the brutal conditions of the occupation can help give context to people who come. We should aim this event at drawing out an audience of veterans on/off campus as well as the students that we are meeting. It's even possible to view some of the Winter Soldier hearing which will be made available on the IVAW website in the same event. Building it: circulate a Press Release, regular tabling in high traffic areas like a student union or café as well as leafleting on the campus walkways, dorm storming (walking through the dorms and handing out leaflets) and outreach to other groups.

Spring Conference

If regions can do this, providing they have the resources can collaborate with IVAW to hold a special Winter Soldier investigation panels and viewings at their spring conference. CAN is currently working with many IVAW chapters across the country and should utilize the relationship we have with them. It strengthens IVAW and strengthens CAN when we collaborate.

Please Report on your chapter's plans and how they went CANdiscussion@googlegroups.com

Organizational advice and contact information for nearby IVAW chapters can be obtained through CAN's coordinating committee: contact Ken for chapter development and Tiffany for IVAW coordination national@campusantiwar.net

Campus Antiwar Network presents Phil Aliff of Iraq Veterans Against the War

US Troops Say: "We Want Out"
Campus Antiwar Network presents Phil Aliff of Iraq Veterans Against the War

According to a Zogby International/Le Moyne College poll taken in February 2006 of troops stationed in Iraq, 72% said the US should withdrawal in 12 months. Of that, 29% thought the US should leave immediately. One year after this poll was taken, a campaign called the Appeal for Redress got signatures of almost 2,000 active duty Iraq soldiers stating that, "As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq"

It has been two years since the Zogby poll and troop levels in Iraq have only gone up. This has meant that already exhausted troops have had to go on their, third… fourth… sometimes fifth tours of duty. On top of that returning soldiers do not have the health care they need and deserve. Veterans hospitals are in a state of utter decay.

SFSU Students Against War, (a chapter of the national Campus Antiwar Network) is proud to present Phil Aliff of Iraq Veterans Against the War. He is an Iraq war veteran who served in 2005 and 2006 near Fallujah and Baghgad, recently discharged from the 10th Mountain Division of the Army. He is member of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Date: Friday, March 7, 2008
Time: 12:00pm

Where: Ceasar Chavez Student Center
Room: TBA
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave at 19th Ave
San Francisco, CA

Phone: 213-880-6380
Email: sfsu@campusantiwar

SFSU Students Against War a chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network

Is the surge really working?

There's been a Herculean effort on behalf of the Bush Administration and war supporters to tout the supposed 'success' of the surge. People often cite the fact that Iraq is no longer the #1 concern in voters' minds as an effect of this 'success' -- ignoring, of course, both that Iraq is still incredibly important to most people and that the only reason it's no longer #1 is that the economy is falling to shambles around us. That said, this article is a good riposte to that, published by a scholar at Boston U. who, unlike the vast majority of people who pushed the war, actually lost a son in the war.

For contrast, this is an example of the kind of crap circulating about the surge from the pro-war crowd, aptly named 'Mission Accomplished.'