'Give peace a chance'

Naoibh O'Connor-Staff writer

Dave Hopper isn't optimistic about the prospect of a peaceful response to the devastating terrorist attacks on Washington and New York last week. Like the rest of the world, he's aware the United States has warned Afghanistan's Taliban regime to hand over Osama bin Laden, the suspected terrorist ringleader, or face a massive military strike.

Nonetheless, Hopper spent Monday walking the streets of Vancouver carrying a sign that reads: "Oppose wrongful war" on one side and "America, what goes around comes around" on the other.

"People turned a blind eye, they didn't want to see I was here," he said. A few told the 32-year-old he was a coward or said "F*** you," while some gave him the thumbs-up signal, although an older woman who agreed with him warned him to "watch it."

Later that evening, Hopper joined about 100 people demonstrating for peace and singing anti-war songs in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. When asked, several refused to provide their names, explaining they didn't trust the media or feared how people would react to them if they saw their anti-war remarks in print. Marwan Marwan, a 27-year-old computer programmer, said a number of his colleagues have stopped speaking to him because of his views. "They don't like my point of view that we shouldn't go out and kill everybody. It's a terrible attack but it's not something that happened out of the blue," he said. "I don't think what [the terrorists] did was right but there's been a lot of injustice dealt out by the U.S. government and military to the poorer countries of the world."

Co-worker Kevin Liang shares Marwan's reservations. "I'm 99 per cent sure there's going to be military action taken," said the 22-year-old. "In some ways I can sympathize [with Americans] but my biggest worry is if you take military action you're going to inspire more people to take up bin Laden's cause."

Organizers of the demonstration plan to hold similar protests every evening at the same time and place. Meanwhile, End the Arms Race is planning to host a Gathering for Peace in front of the art gallery at 3 p.m., Sept. 23. Peace activists, community leaders and religious leaders will speak at the demonstration, encouraging the U.S. to seek a peaceful solution and calling on Prime Minister Jean Chretien not to take Canada into war or crack down on immigration and refugees. Peter Coombes of End the Arms Race said he was shocked and saddened by news of the attack, but military action is a "foolish game that will only lead to further destruction." Coombes said Americans haven't answered one key question: "Why would people hate you so much they would want to blow you up?

"Instead of treating it as an act of war, treat it as a crime-that doesn't require military action."

Coombes said he's trying to build a national coalition of peace groups to lobby the Canadian government not to support the war effort. "I'm not hopeful that we'll stop it. I'm not that naive but a lot of Canadians don't want military action and they want their voices heard."

Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, a national organization of about 350 members, also fears escalating violence should the Americans start bombing Afghanistan.

"What happened is really shocking and our profound sympathy goes out to the injured and bereaved," said David Morgan the group's president. "But when you're dealing with modern weapons, our civilization is very fragile. To look for security in the hardware-the jets and missile systems-is faulty. There's a lot of war talk and I think some people are going to get killed, probably civilians as well as military people. We've got to get back to a low-tech wooden table."

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Peace gatherings

ù Nightly: Peace vigils between 5 and 6 p.m. at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

ù Sept. 20: Community Alliance meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at 706 Clark Ave., just north of Clark and Venables

ù Sept. 22: March for Truth and Reconciliation at 1:30 p.m. from First Baptist Church at 969 Burrard St.

ù Sept. 22: Globalization and Peace Teach-in, between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Simon Fraser University.

ù Sept. 22: Solidarity celebration at 7 p.m. at Heritage Hall, at 15th and Main.

ù Sept. 23: Peace gathering at 3 p.m., at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

ù Sept. 29: Peace march and gathering at 11 a.m. at Victoria Square at Cambie and Hastings.