Student Strike Against the War Feb. 15

Students at UC – Santa Barbara have initiated a one day student strike against the war on February 15th.  Students at Columbia University, UC – Berkeley, Sonoma State, Occidental College, Fordham University, San Francisco State, University of North Carolina – Greensboro; Columbia College (Chicago) and other campuses are planning rallies, walk-outs, and/or strikes on their campuses February 15th.

February 15th marks the 4th anniversary of when millions of people came out around the world to protest Bush’s planned war on Iraq.  In the wake of Bush’s escalation of a war that has already caused the deaths of 655,000 Iraqis and over 3,000 US soldiers, and threats to attack Iran, this student strike is urgently needed, and must spread to other campuses quickly.  Now is not the time to be waiting for Congress to make slow incremental steps towards some eventual phased withdrawal.  Now is the time for millions of people to get out and demand an end to the war immediately and the Bush administration be impeached for war crimes.

Now is the Time to Act.  The mission of this generation must be to drive out the Bush regime or we will inherit a horrible future.  Organize walkouts at your High School.  Hold a protest in front of school during lunch.  Mobilize students to wear armbands that read: ” End the War Now” and/or “Bush Must Go”.

Click here to read the San Francisco Chronicle’s coverage of the planned students strikes.

Spread the word about this student strike everywhere.  Punk band Anti-Flag posted the strike on their website 2/12/07.  Email this everywhere you can, get it posted on websites, myspace, etc.

A Challenge to Students: Organize a strike on your campus Feb. 15 February 15th and the Questions Keeping Us Up at Night by Allen Lang Voices in support of the student strike Message from Howard Zinn in support of student strike Noam Chomsky lends support to student strike Downloads: Sample Feb 15 Flyer Press Release

Read Calls for student strikes Feb. 15 from the following campuses: UC – Santa Barbara Columbia University Occidental College (LA) Columbia College (Chicago) List of campuses planning activities Feb. 15

 

Message from Howard Zinn: “I would like to endorse the idea of a student strike on campuses all over the country on Feb. 15, to rekindle the flame of protest that flared up all over the world  on that date four years ago, as  ten million people protested the pending invasion of Iraq by the United States. A student strike at this time would be a great boost to the movement against the war and would send a signal to Congress that it should listen to the American people and act immediately to stop this ugly war.”

Below is the call from several students at UC – Santa Barbara for the student strike:

We, the students and staff of UC Santa Barbara, want to challenge our generation to put an end to the U.S. conquest of Iraq. Right now most opposition to the war is only symbolic. Congress is being sheepish and choosing not to end the war because we, the people, are not forcing them to act.

Thus, if we really want to affect policies we need to withdraw our compliance and stop business as usual. Shutting down the university is the most immediate and powerful thing students can do on this front. Striking sends the message to our university’s administration and the world that we will not tolerate our institution’s grossly disproportionate ties to corporations and federal agencies that do nothing other than profit off war and prepare nuclear weapons. It also sends a message to the government that we will not be complicit in any illegal or immoral war.

We have chosen to strike on the 15th of February in order to commemorate the largest peace demonstrations in human history. Following our strike will be a week-long teach-in designed to educate ourselves and those around us on the atrocities perpetrated by the U.S. government in Iraq. We are calling on the youth of our nation to join us in demonstrating our resistance to the government’s disregard for human life. Join the strike!

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Today, Iraq looks like this: Fallujah after an airstrike An Iraqi child after witnessing her parents killed by US troops at a checkpoint A dead body on the streets of Fallujah  4 years ago, America looked like this: Feb. 15, 2003 protests against the war on Iraq What will it look like today? That’s up to what you do. February 15: Student Strike Against the War

A challenge to all students reading this:

Forward this to everyone you know.

Get together everyone you can on your campus tonight, read the call from students at UC – Santa Barbara, and organize a strike against the war on your campus Feb. 15th.

Email us at youth_students@worldcantwait.org to let us know your campus is going on strike.

From there, announce the strike in your classes & dorms, ask every student group to endorse the strike, ask professors to cancel their classes that day and instead talk to students about the reality of what’s going on in Iraq right now, and spread this strike to other campuses.

History is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. And it is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined. The future is unwritten. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US.

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Latest list of campuses organizing acrions on Feb. 15:

Fordham University (NYC)

New York University
10:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M
The Arch @ Washington Sq. Park
Going from NYU to Columbia U. at 11:30 A.M.

City College of NY
11:30
Meet at the NAC/Rotunda
Go to Rally @Columbia at Noon

Columbia University
Noon at Low Plaza
2:00 P.M. Teach-In at Lerner c555

Emerson College (Boston)
March and rally in solidarity with student strikes

Georgia State University
10:00 A.M.
@The Courtyard by the Stage

University of North Carolina – Greensboro
Atrium Fountain 11:00 A.M.

Columbia College (Chicago)
8:00 A.M
623 S. Wabash Lobby – Will Go All Day

Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Oregon)

Mills College

Occidental College (LA)
In the main quad
10:00 am  to 11:30 pm student group discussions with professors who cancelled normal class
11:30-12:00 Student debates on the Military Commissions Act, Iraq and possible war with Iran
12:00-1:30 Speakers including vets from IVAW and Larry Everest – more speakers tba 1:30-4:30 student group discussions with professors who cancelled normal class
Evening: vigil, documentary showings of the Bush Crimes Commission

San Francisco State  – Malcom X Plaza

Suffolk University (Boston)
March and rally in solidarity with student strikes

UC – Berkeley
11:00 a.m.
Sproul Plaza to be joined by Fremont, Lowell and Berkeley High

UC – Santa Barbara

UC Davis – Memorial Union Quad 11 A.M.-2 P.M.

UCLA

UC Santa Cruz
12:00  P.M.
@Baytree/Quarry Plaza.

Sonoma State – Meet at the Clock Tower
12:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M Following a week long sit-in

Eastern New Mexico University
11:30 am
Campus Union Building

Vanderbilt
Meeting outside the cafeteria at  lunchtime and marching to the  Community Chapel

Let us know when your campus decides to organize a strike against the war Feb. 15th – email youth_students@worldcantwait.org.

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Statement of the Columbia Coalition Against the War (Columbia University):

We, the Columbia Coalition against the War, are staging a strike followed by a teach-in on February 15th, 2007.  We are inviting the entire Columbia community, including students, faculty, staff, and the administration, to join us in publicly and actively opposing the unjust War in Iraq.  We call upon the people of this Country – especially our generation – to shoulder the responsibility of bringing an immediate end to this war.

This unjust war began without provocation and continues despite the opposition of the vast majority of American and Iraqi people.  This war, criminal in its violation of the Geneva Conventions, has resulted in a catastrophic loss of life – 3,300 coalition troops and over 655,000 of our Iraqi brothers and sisters.  In the name of this war, and the “war on terror,” there has been a broad assault on our civil liberties including the violation of habeas corpus, condoning of torture, and rampant racism against Arabs and Muslims.  This war has made the world less safe, and less free.

Voices in Support of the Student Strike: Noam Chomsky: Speaking to a packed auditorium at Columbia University Feb. 5th, Chomsky  cited Harold Pinter’s Nobel lecture in which Pinter called for “organized opposition” to the Iraq war and the Bush administration, and called the student strike Feb. 15 “a step towards such organized opposition,” citing the importance and impact of the student strikes and protests in 1970 against the US war on Southeast Asia. Bruce Lincoln, Caroline E. Haskell Professor of History of Religions University of Chicago: “I support the goal of forcing a  recalcitrant administration to put  an end to its ill-conceived  adventure in Iraq and I admire  the commitment of those who  have taken the lead in   organizing this strike. In  solidarity with them, I will not  teach on the 15th and am  encouraging my students to take actions consistent with  their consciences as regards  the war. I circulated the statement from  Columbia students to all my  colleagues, told them of my  intent to cancel classes and  urged them to do the same.  I’ve also announced to my classes  that the strike is taking place,  told them of my support for it,  and called off classes.” Howard Zinn: “I would like to endorse the idea of a student strike on campuses all over the country on Feb. 15, to rekindle the flame of protest that flared up all over the world  on that date four years ago, as  ten million people protested the pending invasion of Iraq by the United States. A student strike at this time would be a great boost to the movement against the war and would send a signal to Congress that it should listen to the American people and act immediately to stop this ugly war.”

We strongly encourage the students of Columbia to walk out of classes in opposition to this war.  We call on the faculty and administration to set aside business as usual, join our strike, and issue statements of support.  Columbia, as a global university, has a responsibility to take a proactive stance against this illegal war.

By investing in corporations crucial to the war effort, our university has aligned its financial future with America’s protracted occupation of Iraq.  We therefore call on the administration to divest from these corporations for the duration of the war to hasten the war’s end.

February 15th, 2003 marked the largest coordinated anti-war demonstration in human history.  We unite on the upcoming anniversary to “rekindle the flame of protest that flared up all over the world on that date four years ago,” as noted by historian Howard Zinn in his support for a nationwide strike.  Our protest and teach-in on the 15th is only the beginning.  We aim for this to be the rebirth of a strong and diverse anti-war movement on Columbia’s campus and on campuses around the world.

We will work to build support in our schools and our communities for resistance to the war.  We will give voice to the majority of Americans who have expressed their strong opposition to the war.  We will show the leaders in Congress that we, the people, are the true “deciders.”  We will continue to struggle to end the war and bring the troops home now.

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Call for Strike from Columbia College Chicago Students:

In the face of massive opposition to the war and destruction of the Middle East, with global opposition to the legalization and widespread use of torture and illegal detentions, President Bush has announced that he is going forward unapologetically with his proposed troop escalation.  Coupled with the 21,000 troop surge has come threats against the sovereign nation of Iran and its diplomats in Iraq. If Bush is allowed to go forward with this, the horrific implications for the people of the world will be irreversible.The time has passed to sit on our hands and wait for politicians to step up and stop this. The Democratic Party’s refusal to take a stand against this is unacceptable.  The debate in this country cannot remain focused on how to fight this war more efficiently: This war is illegal, immoral, and Bush’s doctrine of pre-emptive war violates international law. In the last two years, we”ve seen countless atrocities carried out on Iraqi civilians, increased violence in Iraq, the annihilation of habeas corpus, and the legalization of torture.  As the Bush administration is gearing up for an attack of Iran, waiting two more years for this to stop is unconscionable. We will no longer go on with business as usual as if this is not happening. For millions of Iraqis, daily life is characterized by bloodshed and horror.  For Iraqi civilians, networking, grades, and career planning are not options.  In solidarity with the civilians of Iraq and in opposition to the horrific crimes of our government; we the students of Columbia College Chicago are joining University of California – Santa Barbara and Columbia University by declaring a student strike on February 15.  This strike commemorates the largest anti-war protests in human history 4 years ago.  We will send a message to the world that we will not be complicit in war crimes. We are no longer asking, but demanding, that the war end now, and the Bush administration be impeached and tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Imagine the impact that a nation-wide student strike will create.  The time for business as usual and symbolic protest has passed.  We are challenging other students to join us and strike!

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Call for Strike Against the War by Occidental Student Coalition to end the Iraq War
contact: oxystudents2endthewar@yahoo.com

The Occidental College community, acting in solidarity with students across the country on February 15, will strike against the Iraq war and the war crimes being committed under the banner of a “War on Terror.” Our coalition believes in the equal humanity of all persons, and by striking, we will be making a clear, powerful statement that demands an end to the overwhelming death, lawlessness and inhumanity that characterizes the occupation of Iraq and U.S. foreign policy.

• End complacency on campuses. Transform the Occidental community into a bastion of resistance against the war

• Hold members of the executive branch and Congress accountable for war crimes and violations of the U.S. constitution.

• Repeal the Patriot Act.

• Repeal the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

• End all acts of torture as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• Respect Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi demands for troop withdrawal.

• Respect U.S. troop demands in the Appeal for Redress to end the war.

• No troop increase and no more funding for illegal wars.

• No U.S. strike on Iran.

• Shut down Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

• No more racial profiling in national security matters.

Our strike will bring these issues to the forefront of our consciousness both inside and outside the classroom, dramatically changing the political climate on campus. To express the sense of urgency that we should all feel at this moment in history, we will not participate in business as usual on Thursday, February 15th, and will continue to fight for these demands until they are met-anything less will make us complicit in these crimes.

Strike plans at Occidental College (1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041): 

In the main quad from 10:00 am to 11:30 pm student group discussions with professors who cancelled normal class
11:30-12:00 Student debates on the Military Commissions Act / torture, the future in Iraq, threats on Iran etc.
12:00-1:30 Speakers (incl. Iraq Veterans against the War speaker, Larry Everest, professors and more, TBA)
1:30-4:30 student group discussions with professors who cancelled normal class Evening: vigil, documentary showings (Bush Crimes Comission, etc.)

 

Why Settle for Eventually?

Editorial by Natalie Gonzales and Shanna Devine on behalf of Oxy
Coalition to End the War

Oxy Football: Only make half your tackles”it’s just a game
Oxy Theater: Don’t get carried away”it’s just a show
Oxy Greeks: Tone down the pledging”it’s just a club
Oxy Profs: Abandon inspiration”it’s just a diploma
Oxy Apathy: One step at a time”we”ll be out eventually

But when exactly is eventually?
After 685,000 more lives? The war in Iraq can no
longer afford to be tainted by flattering language, reduced to victory or
defeat, and perpetuated by our apathy. Our current administration operates
under the assumption that the American people will grow comfortable in
ignorance and blindly oblige a war founded on false pretenses. There were no
bio-chem and nuclear weapons programs in Iraq”there was no evidence of
Suddam Hussein’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks”there is no longer possibility
of moral justification. Thus, for the first time in history active members of
the US
military have taken a stand to stop the bloodshed. They refuse to sacrifice
their lives, or the lives of their comrades, for an elaborate game of pride,
power and politics. The following is an Appeal for Redress by US military
active duty, reserve and guard service members:

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.
Staying in Iraq
will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to
come home.

The occupation began under the guise of democracy in Iraq and
national security at home. But does democracy connote the deprivation of
shelter, running water and functional hospitals? And does national security
translate to the disregard of civil liberties? We cannot endorse the idea of
democracy when we have trampled the seeds of its maturation. In addition, we
are less safe today than we were on September 11^th, as we have
broadened the scope for global animosity.

So you decide, is eventually
good enough? Because on February 15^th, schools across the nation are
saying NO, and we are asking you to join them. The Occidental Coalition to End
the War is standing in solidarity with our troops, and the Iraqi people, to
demand the immediate withdrawal of military forces in Iraq.

We will strike in solidarity this Thursday, February 15^th,
in order to bring the war to the forefront of our consciences. We will
accomplish this by striking with, as opposed to against, the institution.
Rather than cancel their classes, we are asking all professors to dedicate them
to a common subject: a war that is making history. Through education, we all
have the power to affect this history. Will we remain passive readers, or will
join in dialogue, debate and action to write our future?

Sources:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040329/scheer

http://www.appealforredress.org/

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Columbia Spectator article on Columbia University student strike:

Anti-War Coalition Plans Strike

Organizers Discuss Rally, Walk Outs, Asking Professors to Cancel Class

By Caroline Kao and Josh Hirschland, Columbia Spectator, 2/2/07

Columbia University’s newly crystallized anti-war coalition is calling for a student strike to protest the war in Iraq. A committee of participating students and representatives from groups supporting the cause will finalize the details of the strike by this upcoming Monday.

The plans being discussed for the day of the strike include a rally, students requesting that their professors cancel courses for the day, and strikers disrupting or refusing to go to classes.

The Columbia anti-war coalition passed a resolution approving a strike on Feb. 15-the same day that another anti-war protest is being held at the University of California, Santa Barbara-by a 17-5 vote. The date of the strike is currently back up for negotiation.

Karina Garcia, CC ’07 and a member of the Chicano Caucus who was prominent in her opposition to the speech by Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, said a strike is necessary “in order for us to be able to build a real movement … To have a strike is saying the war is intolerable and its something that needs to be stopped with a sense of urgency.”

According to David Judd, CC ’08 and a member of the Internationalist Socialist Organization, the following groups are supporting the event-the ISO, an emerging Columbia branch of The World Can’t Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime, the Working Families Party, Students for Justice in the Middle East, and Lucha, a new outreach organization focusing on Latino issues. The coalition is also in conversations with the Columbia University College Democrats about their support.

The coalition formed as a result of the Jan. 27 March for Peace in Washington, D.C. when several participants from Columbia met the following Monday to discuss the march and the direction of the anti-war movement on campus.

Blair Mosner, BC ’07, a member of Students for Justice in the Middle East who is working with the coalition to organize the strike, said, “we came to the conclusion that we couldn’t just break the coalition and not continue to work together against the war.”

On Wednesday night, a group of approximately 30 students met to discuss their plans for the day of student action.

“It’s about interrupting the daily grind and calling attention to it [the war]” said Mosner, who also initiated Wednesday’s discussion. “There’s power in a strike. It says that our message is strong.”

According to Mosner, the coalition has been in communication with noted linguist and liberal intellectual Noam Chomsky, who is scheduled to talk at Miller Theater on Monday, about speaking in support of the strike. Chomsky did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.