Stop Israeli terror - No war on Iran

The Israeli state is leading the world into war. 

 

The bombing of Iran has nothing to do with protecting either Israel or the West. It is an aggressive and unprovoked attack designed to allow Israel to flex its military muscle regionally, expand the state and cover up the genocide of the Palestinians. They are backed by the US - the most powerful military in the world. 

 

As G7 leaders gathered in Canada, many voiced concern and called for restraint but none went as far as to condemn Israel and the US for the attacks. They are well aware that Israel occupies a specific strategic role as the watchdog of Imperialism in the region. They all materially benefit from that Imperial architecture and their place within it and have no intention of breaking with that arrangement. The joint statement they released followed the well trod lines of support for Israel and demonization of Iran. 

 

Nuclear bogeyman

 

The accusations against Iran always centre on an alleged nuclear weapons program. Indeed, western leaders from George W. Bush to Stephen Harper to Benjamin Netanyahu have - for decades - warned us that Iran is only a few short months away from developing a nuclear weapon. 

 

These unsubstantiated accusations are repeated but never challenged by a mainstream media - owned by billionaires who are aligned with the goals of the same Imperial project themselves. 

 

There is no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons but if they were it would be a logical step given the ongoing threats and attacks that they have endured. 

 

As the peace and disarmament movements have been saying for years, nuclear proliferation will continue to occur as long as those states with the largest nuclear arsenals refuse to disarm.

 

The fact that those states - US, Russia and Israel - have a history of attacking neighbouring countries provides the justification for increased militarism globally. 

 

And the Israeli state itself sits on a huge nuclear arsenal, with absolutely no oversight as they are not parties to the Non Proliferation Treaty and, therefore, have no obligations to disclose information about their program. 

 

Human rights

 

All the western powers have also used human rights abuses in Iran as an excuse for war. 

 

We oppose the curtailing of workers rights, women’s rights and any oppression by any government but this is no excuse for war. 

 

If we look at the human rights records of the same states that threaten Iran, the hypocrisy shines through. Donald Trump has unleashed racist ICE thugs to round up anyone who publicly disagrees with the government on Palestine. They are conducting roundups based on racial profiling and wreaking both chaos and resistance in the US. 

 

In Canada, various levels of government have just introduced laws that suspend workers rights and suspend the rights of Indigenous nations so their land can be plundered for profit. 

 

If our political leaders were serious about women’s rights and human rights, as they assert while threatening to bomb Iran, they would be serious about addressing the ongoing genocide in so-called Canada. 

 

In 2019, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Inquiry final report concluded that the thousands of deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S+) are part of a “Canadian genocide” fuelled by “state actions and inactions rooted in colonialism and colonial ideologies.” But out of 231 recommendations, only 2 had been completed by last June and most have seen minimal or no progress.

 

Canada has no grounds to call out human rights abuses abroad if it has no commitment to ending them at home. 

 

Imperial bombs will not bring liberation

 

The US, Israel and their allies have no interest in liberating the people of Iran. They are motivated by desire for control and a chance to weaken the main rival Imperial bloc centred on Russia and China. Iran is a crucial ally and energy supplier to China and has been an important contributor to the growth of this economic rival to the US.  

 

Iran has been characterized as a threat to the West since it threw off the hated US puppet Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the revolution of 1979. Any country that refuses US domination will remain an enemy and Iran is paying for that disobedience.  

 

The anti-imperialist position must be support for the self determination of Iran and against Imperial aggression. 

 

That means we must oppose the expanded war and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and build an anti-war movement that can bring millions into the streets to stop the warmongers. 

 

And, crucially, we must stop Canada’s arms shipments to Israel and fight to stop Mark Carney and the Liberals from supporting Israel’s plans for a regional war.  

 

 

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