Members of the CWI and the youth organisation ‘Young Guard’ organised a protest against US aggression in Iraq on 21 March.
Stop the war in Iraq. Kazakhstan.
CWI pickets US Embassy in Almata, Kazakhstan
About 50 pickets turned up outside the US Embassy, which suddenly announced it was temporarily closed. After handing a petition to one of the Embassy staff, the protesters wearing red jackets with anti war slogans moved on to the British Embassy. They were informed by security guards that the Embassy was shut and the guards began to push them off the pavement into oncoming traffic. The guards were soon joined by their US counterparts who tried to ban the taking of photos and videos. They also tried to take films out of journalists’ cameras. The guards incidentally are citizens of the US and UK.
At the time of writing, it is not clear whether action will be taken against the pickets although the government had announced the day before that the strictest measures (up to 3 days in prison) would be taken against anyone protesting without permission.
Andrei Grishin, Almata
Day X protests in Moscow and Kiev
CWI members also joined Day X protests in Moscow, in Russia, and in Kiev, in the Ukraine. Several hundred attended both events.
In Moscow the communist party called the protest and most of those attending the 3-400 strong demonstration were older. CWI members brought youth and life to the event and sold 20 copies of their paper.
The CWI received media coverage for its anti-war stance, including an interview with one CWI member on the BBC World Service.
In the Ukraine the Day X protest was organised by a broad coalition against the war and hundreds turned up. Again CWI members found a good response and sold papers.
The next day of organised protest against the war in Russia is 5 April. The CWI is campaigning for this date along with Attac (which the CWI helped to initiate in Russia).
Rob Jones from Moscow spoke to CWI Online
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