<pol@motherearth.org> 20/03/2004

FME boycott action during anti-war demo in Brussels

Brussels, March 20th 2004 - During the anti-war demonstration in Brussels activists of For Mother Earth attracted a lot of media-attention with a funeral procession. Here in Brussels we were 6000, despite terrible weather with lots of rain and wind. A black coffin was carried by George W. Bush, Mr. Death and two US marines all armed with guns. The coffin was marked with the number of fatalities since the start of the war in Iraq one year ago. Amongst the dead are 8,581 Iraqi civilians, 13,500 Iraqi soldiers and 571 US soldiers. The coffin also carried the logos of six important donors to George W. Bush and his Republican Party: McDonalds, Chevron/Texaco, Philip Morris/Kraft, Exxon-Mobil, Coca Cola Company and PepsiCo. The McDonalds restaurant near the Brussels stock-exchange building closed its door when the activists picketed its front door. For Mother Earth believes that these new anti-war demonstrations are not enough to stop US unilateralism. "We need direct actions which stop business-as -usual. The boycott is the ideal method" according to a spokesperson. The activists received lots of sympathy. Today the international boycott network also organized actions amonst others in Auckland (NZ), Tokyo, Mumbai, Delhi en Kolkota (India), Rawalpindi, Bahrain, Cairo, Vienna, Copenhagen, Rome while several Exxon-Mobil petrol stations were visited in the US state of Vermont. This morning there was also an action at a Esso petrol station in Hasselt, in the east of Belgium. The activists stress that there actions are not anti-american. "We work together with US citizens for another America" according to a boycott campaigner.

Pictures from the boycott action during the Brussels demonstration against the war can be found on
http://fme.sincerethought.org/gallery/albun21

For more information: Boycott Bush International Network

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