[R-G] Protesters take on NATO generals

[Anthony Fenton]

Protesters take on NATO generals
High-level meetings inside Hotel Grand Pacific attract 200 for noon  
rally

Louise Dickson, with files from Richard Watts
Times Colonist

Sunday, September 09, 2007

SAYING NO TO NATO: NATO protesters gather in front of the legislature  
before marching to the Hotel Grand Pacific, where NATO's Military  
Committee was meeting. Gen. Ray Henault said chiefs of defence from  
26 member nations had "frank and open" discussions on the role of the  
military alliance.
CREDIT: John McKay, Times Colonist
SAYING NO TO NATO: NATO protesters gather in front of the legislature  
before marching to the Hotel Grand Pacific, where NATO's Military  
Committee was meeting. Gen. Ray Henault said chiefs of defence from  
26 member nations had "frank and open" discussions on the role of the  
military alliance.

Despite police fences surrounding the Hotel Grand Pacific, 200 noisy  
protesters managed to deliver a document to NATO officials yesterday  
accusing its generals of war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes  
against humanity.

The notice of summons "charged" North Atlantic Treaty Organization  
military committee members meeting inside the hotel with 36 counts of  
International Criminal Court crimes.

Lt.-Col. Tony White, a NATO public information officer, said he had  
received and read the summons and will pass it to NATO's legal team  
in Brussels when he returns in a few days.

"It will not be ignored," said White. "I read it was alleging war  
crimes in Yugoslavia. It would take a legal expert to give an opinion  
on it."

Protesters had earlier warned they would fight back if police tried  
to remove them from outside the hotel, but in the end, only one man  
was picked up by police -- a protester riding his bike naked, towing  
two Scottish terriers in a yellow trailer.

Inside, where the high-level meetings were being held, chiefs of  
defence from NATO's 26 member nations had "frank and open"  
discussions on the role of the military alliance and its upcoming  
missions, said Gen. Ray Henault.

"The demand is there. I can assure you NATO has a lot of work to do,"  
the Canadian general and chairman of NATO's Military Committee said  
at a press briefing yesterday afternoon.

Henault said the discussions largely focused on the future, although  
the topic of the mission in Afghanistan inevitably arose. "This is a  
very new NATO," he said. "It used to be a static NATO and one that  
was designed really to counter the Soviet threat that is no longer  
there.

"We are now in a NATO that knows it must have an expeditionary  
capability, and that expeditionary capability is very much embedded  
in the Afghanistan mission."

Meanwhile, a coalition of local peace groups chanted "NATO killers"  
as they marched from the legislature to the Hotel Grand Pacific.  
Although a few military men looked on from their waterfront  
balconies, no one came down to address the crowd.

Jodi Wood joined the rally to protest Canada's involvement in NATO.  
"We're a democratic nation and I think we should have a right as a  
civilian society to make the decision to pull Canada out of what is  
basically world terrorism," said Wood.

Marla Renn, an education student at Simon Fraser University, came to  
protest "atrocities" she said NATO is committing in Afghanistan.  
"There's an untold amount of civilian deaths and brutality for women  
over there. We're making things harder and worse over there."

Camosun student Shawn Haley questioned NATO's role in providing  
security. "Security against what?" asked Haley. "They are the most  
powerful entity in the world and they're using illegal weapons and  
killing people."

Many, like Haley, accused NATO of using prohibited weapons such as  
cluster bombs, white phosphorous and depleted uranium to kill and  
maim civilians. Raging Granny Fran Thoburn found pictures on the  
Internet of babies deformed by depleted uranium and had them  
laminated on posters.

"It's the hardest things I've ever done for the peace movement," said  
Thoburn. "We need to get our heads out of the sand and realize we are  
killing and maiming total populations, including our own."

Members of the military committee were surprised by the protest's  
focus on illegal weapons, said White. After consulting with senior  
officers, White told the press NATO does not use cluster munitions or  
depleted uranium in Afghanistan.

"Depleted uranium was an issue in Kosovo and Bosnia several years  
ago. Some nations were using it, but there was no proof it harmed  
people," said White, adding Canadian Forces are unlikely to have used  
depleted uranium because they don't have the airplanes to disperse it.

White argued that NATO is still relevant at 60, noting the United  
Nations, as representative of the international community, "is the  
one asking us to go to Afghanistan and Darfur."

"We're not imposing ourselves on other countries."

In the past five years, demands on NATO have been increasing, said  
White, who says the international community sees NATO as a highly  
successful, responsible and professional force.

"You have to go to Afghanistan to see the progress. The GDP [gross  
domestic product] is up 14 per cent. Young girls are in school.  
Afghanistan is much better off than it was two years ago. If they  
listen to our soldiers, they'll know we're doing a lot more good than  
bad."
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007