Weekly Worker 403 Thursday October 11 2001
War no answer
Statement by Dave Nellist, national chair of the Socialist Alliance
Socialists shared the horror felt by millions at the scale of loss of September 11, and we immediately condemned the attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. But if it was immoral to slaughter 6,000 Americans and others in an attempt to disrupt US economic and foreign policy, then tonight’s action involving attacks on Kabul, Kandahar and other targets in Afghanistan carries no greater moral authority.
These attacks will not bring justice to the victims of the World Trade Center atrocity - neither will it destroy terrorism nor the conditions in which support for terrorism breeds. The streets of New York and London cannot be made safer by responding to terrorist attacks with the launch of war.
There’s talk tonight of these attacks contributing to the bringing down of the Taliban government. If that happens and the Northern Alliance take control, that will not bring democracy to Afghanistan. Both the Taliban and Northern Alliance were funded, armed and trained by America, Britain and other countries in the 1980s, and in their three years of running Afghanistan, from 1992, those who now are in the Northern Alliance outlawed all opposition and swept aside democratic rights.
Socialists would welcome the fall of the Taliban government, but that is the job of the ordinary people of Afghanistan, not for the west to reinstall either a discredited former king or help the Northern Alliance back into power on the basis of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’.
Ending support for terrorism requires ending the conditions in which support for the methods of terrorism breeds - worldwide poverty, inequality and repression.
October 7
Socialist Alliance press statement on bombings
The Socialist Alliance has condemned tonight’s military assault on Afghanistan and called for all those opposed to this unjust war to protest in Trafalgar Square on Monday evening from 6pm and on Saturday October 13 in the central London demonstration called by CND.
A Socialist Alliance spokesperson said: “As of 8pm tonight, at least 50 Cruise missiles, 15 bomber raids and scores of fighter aircraft assaults had been launched against the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Jelalabad and other targets inside Afghanistan.
“There is no justification for this attack, which does nothing to procure justice for the victims of September 11 in the USA and, far from deterring terrorism, may make it more likely. It has certainly already taken the lives of many who bear no responsibility whatsoever for the attacks on the USA. Working people in Britain and around the world have nothing to gain from this military assault.
“As socialists, we stand tonight with the poverty-stricken people of Afghanistan, as we stood with the working people of New York and Washington. This war is being waged not for democracy, but for the corporate elites of the USA, Britain and the rich nations of the world. These elites seek to replace the Taliban with another reactionary and undemocratic regime.
“We look to the people of Afghanistan, not the self-seeking western powers, to topple the Taliban and build a new society. To do that, they need food and material assistance - not cruise missiles and yet more arrogant superpower meddling.
“The Socialist Alliance will work with all others opposed to this war, through our trade unions, through the Stop the War Coalition, in local anti-war committees and other forums, to build a movement that reflects the full breadth and diversity of anti-war opinion in this country”.
October 7
