Last week about 150,000 Montrealers protested a possible war in Iraq and this protest was the biggest in Canada. Among the protesters were Concordia students.
If Concordia students feel so strongly about the impending war in Iraq they should get involved in letting the Canadian government know that they are against the war.
It can be as simple as attending a protest, signing a petition – if protests are not your thing – or attending next week’s general assembly where students will vote on whether Concordia students should take an action, along with other people in North America, on March 5 to oppose a war on Iraq. Every little effort in preventing, what some are calling the inevitable, counts.
The most important thing is to get involved if you are against the war. It has often been university students that have started anti-war movements and it is through their actions that led the anti-war movement in Vietnam.
On Monday, a Canadian navy ship the Iroquois was sent into the Gulf region prompting opposition leaders to question whether the government is getting involved with the war through a back door. It is events like this that should get students questioning whether or not their government is getting involved clandestinely in the war effort and make their opposition known.
Many people are opposed to a possible war as innocent people are the ones that would be killed, not Saddam Hussein and his cronies. Hussein is not a saint, but how can the United States justify “removing” him at the cost of millions of civilians and army personnel? That is what many people are concerned about, as well as the U.S.’ ambition to control the oil in the region.
It is vital that as many students as possible, who oppose the war, get their voices heard on March 5. Moreover, it is important that university students become involved in issues that will affect them, as that will make them more informed and better citizens of this country.