Anti-Imperialist International Conference


November 28-29, 2007


Kolkota, India

 

By SONIA BOSHKO

 

Sonia Boshko, member of the Editorial Board of NSC and of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People was the delegate that attended this very important Conference in Kolkota, India. Below is her overview of this Conference.

 

On the right is a reproduction of the great painting that measured 8ft by 20ft by artist Shuvaprasanna that was the backdrop on the stage of this Conference.

 

This conference was against globalization, imperialism, Zionism and the imperialist occupation.

 

Before going into the details of this Conference, I would like to thank the Editorial Board of NSC and the International Council for giving me this great and unforgettable opportunity to see India, to see the enthusiasm, the dedication and the results of what this international gathering accomplished. Also, I must take this opportunity to thank the chief organizer, Manik Mukherjee, for his skill in making this event a great success.

 

Here is a list of participants from other countries:

 

USA – Ramsay Clark, former Attorney General of USA, President of International Action Centre.

Sara Founders, member of Workers’ World Party.

Stevan Kirshchbaum - Vie President US Steel Workers Association.

William Woodward, Professor of Psychology.

 

RUSSIA – Nina Andreeva, General Secretary of the All- Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.

 

CANADA –  Sonia Boshko, International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People and Northstar Compass.

 

GERMANY – Michael Opperskalski, Editor of Top Secret magazine.

Alexander Sadegh, Offensive magazine.

 

FRANCE – Alexander Moumbaris, Editor of Democrite journal.

Violette Daguette, Arab Commission of Human Rights.

Kassem Essedeen, Organizer of the International Court.

 

PALESTINE – Ahmed Jammoul, PRO, Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

LEBANON – Mohammad Kassem, Abdulhalim Fadlsllah, Said Mohamed Alameh, Khaled Rawas, Mustafa Haj Ali, Audi Daou, Kassem Ezzeddine, Mohammad Tay … Important personalities in the Lebanon Resistance Fight against Imperialism and Zionism.

Ali Akil Khalil, Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights.

 

SYRIA – Kassem Salkeh, Syrian Nationalist Socialist Party.

 

IRAN – Dr, Javad Rekabi Sharbaf, Managing Director, Neda Institute for Scientific-Political Research.

Morteza Sonboli, Neda Institute.

 

NEPAL – Lilamoni Pokhrel, General Secretary of United Peoples Front of Nepal.

 

BANGLADESH: Khalequzzaman, Comvenor, Socialist Party of Bangladesh.

Mobinul Haider Chowdhury, Socialist Party of Bangladesh.

 

BAHRAIN – Ameer Ahmed Al Mukharreg, Democratic Progressive Tribune, Bahrain.

 

TURKEY – Two delegates

 

When I arrived in Kolkota after a very long flight from the US, I was met very cordially at the Airport in very early morning and taken to the reception building where the delegates from all over were staying.  The cordiality and friendship made me feel as if I knew these people all my life.

 

Then on November 27th a protest march was held which attracted an estimated 50,000 marchers. Literally thousands of volunteers from the All-India Anti Imperialist Forum s contributed their efforts as they joined hands and with arms linked, lined both sides of the street, moving along with the protest marchers, marching 3-4 kilometers through the city of Kolkota.

 

On November 28-29 at the Conference Center, all of the delegates were greeted by the Youth members who saluted the incoming participants with a chant – “Down with Imperialism! Down! Down!” The delegates acknowledged this honour with raised fists and answering together with “Down! Down!”

 

A sincere thanks to all the volunteers that made our stay a memorable one – they greeted us, they accompanied us each day, who arranged all the meals, tours, answered the numerous questions, resolved any problems that the delegates might have had and bade us farewell at our departure time.

 

I thank everyone for this memorable event that is now part of our experience and our dedication to our struggle against Imperialism.

 

Congratulations to these outstanding participants, such as President Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India; General Secretary Professor Dhrabajyati Mukhopadhyay, former Professor and Head of the Department of Geology, University of Calcutta and Vice President of the All-India Anti Imperialist Forum, member of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People, Manik Mukherjee.

 

Since it would be impossible to publish in full all the excellent materials that were presented at this Conference, I shall try to summarize some in this article.

 

RAMSEY CLARK

 

He made the following remarks to the Conference upon his visit to Nandigram, a peasant village about a 3 hours ride from Kolkota, where hired killers went on a rampage.

 

“It was a mobbing and enlightening experience. The crisis there faces all the people on this planet. The peasants of Nandigram who live on their ancestral lands already for about 1,500 years, were attacked and killed and injured and their homes were burnt the ground by their own government. People are missing, badly injured and their property seized. Why?

 

So that wealthy foreigners can exploit the area and the peasants. This foreign Dow-Chemical corporation wants to se up a munitions manufacturing corporation to pollute the farmers life, exploit the resources and this will make such pollution that the farmers will lose their livelihood. The people must be united to stop Imperialism! The power associated with Imperialism is so very clear: the people of Nandigram lost everything so that this foreign corporation will profit. The peasants put up a very courageous struggle but at the cost of many lives.

 

The power is in the people! But the question is do people have the will to unite? The Nandigram struggle is an example of how power destroys.

 

My gratitude to all those who attended and organized this important forum.”

 

I was privileged to have had a one-on-one conversation with Ramsay Clark at which time he reiterated the importance and the urgency of impeachment of President Bush while Bush is still in office. First, Bush must be removed from office during his term (impeached) and then brought to trial. This action must come from the people, as he explained in his message. This action then would also send a clear message to the future President of the U.S.

 

You can sum up the theme of this important Conference in that each participant criticized US Imperialism with irrefutable facts. It is also evident that globally people are uniting and resisting and struggling against this danger, since imperialist methods are basically similar from one country to another.

 

From my point of view, a few of the representatives at this Anti- Imperialist Conference, that have within their borders growing the cancer of imperialism, somehow did not express their own feelings, but  their presentation was well documented and with references given.


The world is passing through a very critical phase of human history and the danger of fascism that must unite progressive mankind!
Manik Mukherjee, the organizer of this Anti-Imperialist Forum, presenting the Approach Paper to the assembled delegates.

Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General, inaugurating the Delegates Session at the All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum.

Hundreds of assembled delegates paying homage to Professor Dr. Sushil Kamar Mukherjee.

L to R: S. Kirschbaum, VP of US Steelworkers, USA; 3 Lebanese delegates; Ali A. Khalil, Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights, Lebanon; General Secretary Dhrubaijati of the Anti-Imperialist Forum; Sonia Boshko representing Northstar Compass, Canada.

L to R: 3 Lebanese representatives; Michael Opperskalski, Germany; Ali Akil Khalil, Ambassador for Peace from Lebanon. All representatives were presented with an All-India Anti-Imperialist Forum plaque.

Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General of USA, President of International Action Center; Nina Andreeva from Russia, General Secretary of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
Ali Akil Khalil from Lebanon, Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights, entering the Conference Hall with young children lining both sides and shouting: "Down with Imperialism! Down! Down!"

Participants from Germany, Bahrain, Turkey, Bangladesh and Canada led the 3-4 mile march.



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