South Africans opposed to United States President George Bush’s visit to South Africa next Wednesday have been drawn by 300 social movements affiliated to the Anti-War Coalition into demanding that the African National Congress cancel the visit.
Instead they want him arrested and tried as a war criminal by an International People’s Tribunal, which has been formed by social movements in 35 countries. The movements include branches of the Peace Movement in Turkey, Indonesia, the US and South America. The Anti-War Coalition is spearheading the tribunal, which aims to try Bush, in absentia, later this year for crimes against humanity.
“Bush and his warmongering clique want to bully and bribe those who opposed him over the Iraq invasion. He will try to tempt African leaders with special treatment if they fall in line,” says the Anti-War Coalition.
It believes that Bush’s promise to “help Africa’s development” is a ruse. Rather, his sojourn is an attempt to coax Africans into supporting the US’s “dangerous perspective of endless war”.
“Bush says he wants to help Africa’s development. But he comes here with his hands dripping in fresh blood,” says Trevor Ngwane, secretary of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF).
“During the Iraqi war [President Thabo] Mbeki slammed the man, but during peacetime Mbeki is willing to play the role of Bush’s boy in Africa.”
The social movements, which include the APF, the Landless People’s Movement, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee and Jubilee South Africa, were heavily criticised this week by Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon, who said South Africa does not belong in “the gallery of the world’s despots where the Anti-War Coalition would place us [South Africa]”.
Salim Vally, spokesperson for the Anti-War Coalition, said in response: “It is interesting that on the matter of the US Aids donation and Bush’s visit the ANC and the DA agree with each other.
“The Anti-War Coalition believes that the world today can be called Pax Americana. This is reminiscent of a quote from the famous historian, Tacitus, who said about the Roman Empire, ‘they create a massacre and call it peace’.”
The Anti-War Coalition’s strategy to mobilise people against Bush’s visit included mass meetings in most of Gauteng’s informal settlements last weekend. The meetings took place in libraries, community halls and homes.
This weekend Cape Town will host a cultural festival at Community House in Salt River to protest Bush’s arrival. In Johannesburg “a few thousand protestors” are expected to march to Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s office to deliver a demand that Bush’s visit be cancelled, says Vally.
The anti-Bush protests will climax with his arrival on Wednesday. In Cape Town marchers will converge on Parliament.
In Pretoria, they will deliver a memorandum to Mbeki at the Union Buildings demanding that he reveals the details of his meeting with Bush. Marchers will then move on to the US embassy. And in Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London pickets have been planned at various venues in the cities.
The posters on the day will include “Bush is a weapon of mass destruction” and “Beware of this man; he suffers from delusions that he is the leader of the world”.