Newsletter - November 2007
"Dear sisters,
We are living in a world in conflict. While imperialist administrations consider themselves to be ‘the promoters of democracy’, dictators presenting themselves as anti-imperialist are, in their own eyes, ‘the keepers of tradition and culture, those who guard against foreign contamination’. The resulting war and violence have horrific consequences: repression, intolerance, hatred for ‘the other’, domination, control, loss of freedom and basic human rights.
In too many parts of the world, conflict is the norm and populations continue to live lives severely restricted by the constant threat of violence and ideological and cultural boundaries. We are revolted by the violence, torture and imprisonment used by the Burmese and Pakistani military dictatorships against their own people, by the violent repression of trade unions and civil society in Guinea, by the authoritarianism of the United States and Iranian governments in the name of religious values, by the extreme physical and sexual violence perpetuated against the local populations of Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo and Darfur, Sudan. In our newsletter, and in every space to which we have access, we declare our solidarity with the women and men in these countries and in all those in which freedom and the possibility of fulfilling one’s capacities is not yet a reality.
However where there is repression, there is
resistance, and our struggle against it - in all its different forms - comes
necessarily from our strength in numbers. We are constantly reminded of the
need to reinforce our movement - locally, nationally, internationally - and our
alliances with other feminist and / or anti-capitalist movements and groups
that share our values: Code Pink fighting against continued US military
intervention in the Arab World; the Women in Black resisting all forms of
conflict, whatever the justifications for it; the World Social Forum (WSF)
process where alongside a growing group of allies (including the Iraqi Petrol
Workers Trade Union recently nominated to the International Council) the belief
that ‘another world is possible’ persists and grows.
In this edition of the newsletter you will find news of these and other spaces of resistance. Both 17th October and 25th November, for example, are days on which, around the world, we collectively resist the patriarchal, capitalist system imposed on us: here you’ll find news of World March of Women activities and mobilisations in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Europe, Mexico, Peru and Quebec. News from our allies - Women in Black and the WSF process - are also included in this newsletter, as is a summary of the programme of, and decisions taken during, the International Committee (IC) meeting in Granja do Ulmeiro, Portugal, in the first week of October."
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