A.N.S.W.E.R.
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This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin. |
A.N.S.W.E.R. stands for Act Now to Stop War & End Racism.
Contents
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, formed on September 14, 2001, describes itself as "a coalition of hundreds of organizations and prominent individuals and scores of organizing centers in cities and towns across the country. Its national steering committee represents major national organizations that have campaigned against U.S. intervention in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia, and organizations that have campaigned for civil rights and for social and economic justice for working and poor people inside the United States."[1]
"The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition organized the first national demonstration against war and racism following September 11 on September 29, 2001, which brought 25,000 people into the streets of Washington DC and 15,000 in San Francisco."[2]
The steering committee of A.N.S.W.E.R. includes :[3]
- Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace
- Free Palestine Alliance
- Partnership for Civil Justice-Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Nicaragua Network
- Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)
- Korea Truth Commission
- International Action Center
- Muslim Students Association
- Kensington Welfare Rights Union
- Mexico Solidarity Network
- Middle East Children's Alliance
The founding charter of A.N.S.W.E.R. lists as its initial co-signers: [4]
- Ramsey Clark of the International Action Center
- Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
- American Muslims for Global Peace
- Al-Awda, the Palestine Right of Return Coalition
- Barbara Lubin of the Middle East Children's Alliance
- Jews Against the Occupation
- Reverend Lucius Walker of Pastors for Peace
- Robert Meeropol of the Rosenberg Fund for Children
- Teresa Gutierrez of the International Action Center
- Karen Talbot of the International Center for Peace and Justice
- Committee for a Democratic Palestine
- Ismael Guadalupe of the Committee for Rescue and Development in Vieques
- Michel Chossudovsky
- Green Party USA
- Howard Zinn
- Michael Parenti
- Dick Gregory
- David Clennon
- Ben DuPuy
- School Of the Americas Watch
- Reverend Graylan Hagler
- Reverend Cecil Williams
- Chuck Turner
- Ajmal Pashtoonyar of the Afghan Youth Organization
- Muslims Against Racism and War
- Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam
- Masjid Al Muminun
- Hadayai Majeed of the Muslim Women's Political Action Committee
Events
- September 15 Coalition (2007)
- Gathering of Eagles: Threat to damage the Vietnam Veterans Wall (March 17, 2007)
- September 24 National Coalition (2006)
- Washington, DC, Mass March and Anti-War Rally September 24, 2005
VoteNoWar.org
"VoteNoWar.org is an educational campaign of International A.N.S.W.E.R."[5]
Political connections
David Corn wrote[6] in November 2002 that International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) is run by Workers World Party (WWP) activists "to such an extent that it seems fair to dub it a WWP front. Several key ANSWER officials — including spokesperson Brian Becker — are WWP members. Many local offices for ANSWER’s protest were housed in WWP offices. Earlier this year [2002], when ANSWER conducted a press briefing, at least five of the 13 speakers were WWP activists. They were each identified, though, in other ways, including as members of the International Action Center.
"The IAC, another WWP offshoot," Corn wrote, "was a key partner with ANSWER in promoting the protest. It was founded by Ramsey Clark," who was attorney general for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Opposition from anarchists
According to the Alternative Media Project, "the umbrella nonprofit for Infoshop.org, Practical Anarchy magazine, and several other publishing, journalism, and information dissemination projects":
- Many within the anarchist movement have taken issue with ANSWER's authoritarian management style, and support of authoritarian regimes.[7]
Contact information
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism)
National Office in Washington DC: 202 544-3389
New York City: 212 687-8720
Los Angeles: 323 464-1636
San Francisco: 415 821-6545
For media inquiries, call 202 544-3389
Email: info AT internationalanswer.org
URL: http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org
URL: http://www.internationalanswer.org (International A.N.S.W.E.R)
Resources and articles
Related SourceWatch articles
- Call for the U.S. to Pullout from Iraq
- Move America Forward
- occupation watch
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
- peace movement
References
- ↑ About Us, A.N.S.W.E.R. website.
- ↑ About Us, A.N.S.W.E.R. website.
- ↑ International A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition List, A.N.S.W.E.R. website, accessed through Internet Archive on May 30, 2010
- ↑ The call to join a new anti-war coalition, A.N.S.W.E.R. website, accessed through Internet Archive on May 30, 2010
- ↑ About Us, VoteNoWar website.
- ↑ David Corn, "Behind the Placards. The odd and troubling origins of today’s anti-war movement," LA Weekly, November 1-7, 2002.
- ↑ "Activists Speak Out About ANSWER," infoshop.org, January 20, 2003.
Profiles
- ANSWER in the Wikipedia.
External articles
- Stephen Schwartz, "Communist Peace Movements: Then and Now," Front Page Magazine, February 19, 2003.
- Clark Richards, "Move America Forward Demonstration Scheduled for September 15," Associated Content, July 31, 2007.
