PEOPLE AGAINST GLOBAL IMPERIALISM
merseyside
pagi@blueyonder.co.uk
"What land has not seen Britain's crimson flag flying,
The meteor of murder but justice the plea"
Song lyric, c1820
What is PAGI?
PAGI is not an organisation, but an idea, one which was 'founded' in 1998
with a leaflet exposing the 'unknown' war against Iraq. At that time, a number
of independent, grass roots groups were collaborating in opposition to the war.
PAGI became the latest 'member'. Since then, PAGI has produced a series of leaflets,
different in style or theme, but consistent in purpose. PAGI aims to confront and
challenge the racist and supremacist values, which people in 'democracies' have
learned to regard as normal.
PAGI is an alternative to Britain's 'populist' peace groups and coalitions. We
recognise that 'alliances' with 'progressive' forms of power are instigated by the
'democratic' state itself as part of our 'socialisation'. Rather than become part of
the collective censorship of Britain's true role in the world, our purpose is to expose
and challenge the values which 'normalise' domination and control.
Apart from our writing, which is distributed on the streets of Merseyside, England and
at demonstrations, workshops and conferences elsewhere, we design our own campaign symbols,
including, so far, a range of stickers and posters, the black crossed ribbon for Iraq and
PAGI's infamous black 'anti poppy', which confronts the 'anti history' of Britain's annual 'remembrance'
ceremony.
At present, on our lemon homepage, you can view the text of PAGI leaflet
'Genocide Against Iraq ... Reality Check' and link to the
article 'Perfect Autism' and the text of some PAGI leaflets.
As well as PAGI productions, you can read What We Stand
For and link to a few interesting and relevant sites.
If you share the insight and the vision of millions of people in Britain, and of the great
majority around the world, then you, like we, are part, already, of a great movement for justice.
You, like we, are PAGI.
PAGI Leaflets, an Inexhaustive List
- People Please Listen,
December 1998, A5 fold
- Guilty, December 1998, A5 single
- So You Think You Know All About the Conflict in the Gulf?,
April 1999, A5 fold
- History of the World, the 'Great' Powers, number 1, The United
States of America, May 1999, A5 fold
- History of the World, the 'Great' Powers, number 2, The British
Labour Party ... in its Own Words, August 1999, A5 fold
- Remembrance ... You Must Be Joking!,
November 1999, A5 single
- So You're Thinking of Joining Up?, March 2000, A5 double
- History of the World, Great Crimes, number 3, The Highway of Death
, February 2001, A5 double
- Genocide Against Iraq ... Reality Check,
June 2002, A5 double
- Israel ... What Do You Know?, July 2002,
A5 double
- Perfect Autism, Revised February 2003,
A4 Booklet
On Iraq
- Immediate, unconditional and total withdrawal from Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia of all occupying
forces including those of the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, their allies
and the United Nations
- Full compensation to be paid to an independent Iraqi state, for the fourteen year 'war',
by all perpetrating powers, including US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and by the
United Nations, for the re building of Iraq's society, government, infrastructure and defences
- The setting up, by a popular Iraqi government, of a 'true history' court for the trial, in
absentia, of leaders implicated in genocide against the country; Bush Senior, Bush Junior,
Quayle, Cheney, Powell, Schwarzkopf, Rumsfeld, Major, Blair, Annan and others
On International Order
- As a condition of membership of any 'international community', the dismantling, by all
states, of weapons of mass destruction and weapons for the waging of war from distance, beginning
with the instigators, the supremacist powers of the North and West
- The disbandment of all 'international' coalitions and agencies of supremacy in the world,
including the United Nations, NATO, the European Union (EU), World Trade Organisation (WTO), the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank
- The founding of a 'non aggression' alliance of independent states, to unite the poor nations
of the world in resistance to subversion, 'intervention', terrorism or war by supremacist powers;
members to undertake a commitment never to enter into alliance with those powers or to permit
their entry for the purposes of attacking others, and to aid and support, economically and militarily,
members subject to coercion by them
- An end to all 'sanctions', economic or military, and related forms of terrorism or coercion
imposed by the United Nations or supremacist powers individually, on poor or powerless states
- The country is called Iraq, not Saddam
- It is not waging war on us or anyone else
- It has the same right as any other country to defend itself in the face
of attack. And to build and use weapons
- A nation's rights do not depend upon the character of its leaders
- No case exists in 'law' for acts of aggression, colonisation or mass
murder
- The victims cannot be to blame, nor their leaders
- Sanctions, inspections and no fly zones are NOT legal. They are acts
in pursuit of war which violate the UN Charter, the basis of international
'laws'
- Under those laws, all nations are 'equal'. There is no 'right' of
'leadership' or supremacy
- No country is 'entitled' to regard the territory or property of
another as a 'legitimate interest'
- Neither Britain nor America fights wars from fear. Only a fraction
of their military budgets are spent on 'defensive' weapons
- Britain and America are the ONLY countries who use large scale
violence and the threat of violence (terrorism) as routine instruments of
policy
- Europeans and Americans are the ONLY people in the world who regard
such conduct as their 'right'
- America has used weapons of mass destruction in nearly all its wars
since 1945 and chemical or biological weapons in many of them. Crimes
for which Iraq would 'deserve' to be nuked
- Other countries do not make or break 'agreements' with us. They are
coerced by the threat of force, which is 'terrorism' not diplomacy
- There is no 'right' to attack or destroy a country you claim is
a threat. When, after the September attack on America, bin Laden made
the same claim, it was 'proof' of his 'evil'
- Other people are NOT brainwashed. They see the world 'order' the
way it is. For them, 'security' is not about influence or 'interests'
- We are NOT on the same 'side' as the Kurds. The 'no fly zones'
are used to shield Turkish troops who kill Kurdish 'terrorists' and
destroy their villages
- Most 'terrorists' get their training and weapons from Britain
and the US, not Yugoslavia or Yemen. Like most dictators
- Third world leaders are NOT like Hitler. Third world countries
are former colonies not colonisers. They have no 'global' objectives
- It's not 'Saddam' who defies the will of the 'international
community'. 80% of UN vetoes are exercised by Britain or America
- It's not 'Saddam' who says we are murdering Iraq, but most
of the world, the UN itself and every major human rights organisation
- Our 'wars' are not clean, surgical, professional or beautiful but
relentless mass murder in which it's 'normal' to apply a 'different'
standard of value or 'courage' to the victims
- America, not Iraq, is the only country which refuses to admit
international weapons inspectors, including those from independent agencies
- As it is under attack, Iraq CANNOT commit 'aggression' against 'us'.
Same goes for chemical, radioactive or mass destruction weapons since,
in Iraq's case, this would be responsive, not 'first use'
- We are not 'entitled' to 'justice' for every pain or grievance, so long
as no one else is entitled to the same
- EVERY act against Iraq committed in this 'war' would have been a CRIME
against you. Even though you regard it as 'restraint' against them
- We are not 'free', but 'grateful' and servile. And the only people on
the planet who never question the 'right' to enslave or dominate others
- It's the Iraqis, not 'we', who have 'no alternative'. This has not
bestowed on them a 'right' to murder you or your leaders
- When you 'conclude' that Iraq is a 'threat' to the 'world', which
'standard' are you using? The one reserved for you or the one reserved
for everyone else?
'That land over there is yours. You'll go back
to it one day - You'll have your homes and your mosques back again
because your cause is right and God is on your side'
Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to President Carter,
rallying Islamic Mujahideen fighters, Afghanistan, 1980
People Against Global Imperialism, P O Box 72, West Derby, L14 6XT
June 2002
Want to learn more? A few extra 'eligible' links.
Just click.
Aljazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/
Independent news coverage from the Middle East, in English
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! http://www.rcgfrfi.easynet.co.uk/
Anti imperialist paper of Britain's Revolutionary Communist Group
International Action Center
http://www.iacenter.org/
The people versus global power. Founded by former US Attorney General,
Ramsey Clark
Pilger
http://pilger.carlton.com/
News, articles and opinion from the award winning Australian journalist
Stop the War Coalition
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
Campaign news, links to regional coalitions across the UK
Zmag http://www.zmag.org/
Archive of writings by academics, journalists, activists. Abu Jamal to
Zunes, and hundreds more
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