11) "NObama" CAMPAIGN TO PROTEST US FOREIGN POLICY

 

Statement by a coalition of progressive movements against the late June visit to South Africa by President Obama

 

            We as South Africans, in the form of the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCL), the South African Students Congress (SASCO), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Friend of Cuba Society (FOCUS), Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in South Africa (BDS South African), and the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), declare our utmost rejection of visit of the U.S. President, Barack Obama to our country.

 

            Our rejection is based the USA's arrogant, selfish and oppressive foreign policies, treatment of workers and international trade relations that are rooted in war mongering, neo‑liberal super‑exploitation, colonial racism and the disregard and destruction of the environment, thus making therealisation of a just and peaceful world impossible.

 

            The coming of President Barack Obama to South Africa is the first ever since he was elected head of state. The USA under his leadership has escalated its assault on human rights, militarisation of international relations and continuing galloping of world resources at the absolute expense of the environment and oppressed peoples of the world.

 

            The USA is deeply implicated in the oppression of the people of Western Sahara, the only remaining colonised country on the African continent, colonised by Morocco. And to this day, the release of the Cuban Five and a continuing baseless embargo against the country and peoples ofCuba still seems unmovable issues of commitment for the USA. The call for the release of the Cuban Five has been an important international campaign supported even by Nobel Prize winners...

 

            The criminal occupation of Palestine by the Apartheid State of Israel, as a well‑known fact in our country, has only been made possible by theUSA's financial and political support for the Racist Israeli regime. This is expressed in the main, through both its open support and military donations that come to billions of dollars every year - with USA aid to Israel being more than that of Africa, Latin America and Asia combined.

 

            In addition, the USA has for years been single‑handedly blocking any progress and is totally divorced and isolated from the consensus of the international community. In fact, the USA is the most frequent user of the UN veto: it has used its veto power over 40 times to defend Apartheid Israel. As South Africans, we painfully recall how the US used its veto power to defend Apartheid South Africa, particularly from UN resolutions imposing economic and military sanctions. The USA, under Reagan and others, supported Apartheid South Africa and was on the wrong side of history. Why does the USA not learn from its history, and be on the right side of history this time?

 

            Finally, the United States' policies on the environment, specifically the fact that it is one of the largest contributors to global warming, yet to this day continues to refuse the observing and singing of the Kyoto protocol, is simply unacceptable.

 

            Progressive forces in South Africa have consistently been raising these issues and many others regarding the role of the USA in the global community. We categorically make it known, that the visit of the USA President to South Africa is an unwelcome visit that will be protested, picketed and resisted by all justice and peace‑loving peoples of this country. Friendship with South Africa must be based on values of justice, freedom and equality and these the USA has offended, undermined and ridiculed through its actions in the global front.

 

            The following issues will be highlighted in upcoming protests of President Barack Obama:

 

1. The championing and maintenance, by the USA, in the militarisation of international relations and co‑operation. It is a well‑known fact that the USAapproaches conflicts in the world through inciting, encouraging as well and championing war, primarily driven by its business interests often masqueraded in the language of defence of human rights. The militarisation of international relations is in the main exemplified by institutions likeAfricom, NATO, and the continuing double standards around nuclear disarmament that the USA preaches when it comes to countries in the South, whilst continuing to collaborate with on nuclear weapons with Israel.

 

2. The continued greed in the guzzling of world resources by the USA epitomised by its encouragement and support of its multinational companies that have no regard for the environment, human rights, progressive labour laws etc.

 

3. The USA's active support and defence of colonial and oppressive regimes. This is the one aspect of USA foreign policy that most exposes its hypocritical character where regimes that support its interest are never opposed; instead they are not only supported but maintained through amongst other things, the USA war machinery. Chief amongst these is Israel, which continues to serve as the USA's frontline state in the Middle‑East whilst suppressing and maintaining its racist apartheid policies on Palestinian people. Another example is the USA's support to Morocco, that is oppressing and colonially occupying Western Sahara, and increasingly the support of oppressive regimes like the one in Colombia.

 

4. The USA's role maintaining the underdevelopment of the African continent and its imperialistic trade relations with African countries.

 

5. The unjustifiable blockade on Cuba, and the unfair imprisonment of the Cuban 5.

 

6. The USA is the single largest contributor to global warming which is condemning the world into catastrophic environmental disasters.

 

            The coalition has called a National Day of Action on June 28, including a march to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria. The Day of Action will raise several key demands: Immediate release of the Cuban 5! Cease US/NATO warmongering in Syria and everywhere else! Take your "Africom", we don't want it! Immediate closure of "GITMO"! Stop snooping on our e‑mails, phone calls and social networking! Halt the unleashing of your Al Qaeda forces on the World's people! Free Bradley Manning!

 

 (The above article is from the July 1-31, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)