Feature story - March 11, 2003
It is spring in Spain, the sun is shining and the countryside is being covered in a blanket of green, fragrant yellow flowers are growing on gently rolling hills. No wait, those are not hills, they are ammunitions bunkers buried in the ground behind three razor wire fences guarded by video cameras and regular patrols on a joint US and Spanish military base.
The Rainbow Warrior is in Cadiz in the southwestern part of Spain for its latest stop campaigning against war.
The region may be springing to life, but the Spanish government
is marching head long into a war in Iraq with the US and UK where
half of the casualties could be innocent children.
The Rainbow Warrior is now in Cadiz on the southwest coast of
Spain not far from the Rota naval base, a joint operation with the
US military. Everyday military and civilian ships are coming and
going from the port with supplies for the war, but you would't have
to look far to find opposition to the Spanish government's
involvement in the war.
Even in the little town of Rota built upon the wealth of the
base, there are many posters saying no to war. In fact, 94 percent
of the population of Spain is against this war, with or without the
backing of the United Nations. Only three percent support a war.
All over town in Cadiz as well there are posters and big hand made
banners on cotton sheets hanging off balconies saying "No a la
Guerra".
The people of Spain are against this war, all the government
opposition parties are against the war. But the Spanish government
continues to support Bush and Blair and is backing them at the UN
Security Council hoping to pass a second resolution in the coming
days.
But it seems the government is not oblivious to the opposition,
as reported by the national Spanish newspaper El Mundo:
"Also, the presence in Cadiz of the Rainbow Warrior, the
flagship of Greenpeace, has made the Ministry of Foreign affairs
somewhat nervous. The constant transit of EU military ships through
the Straight could produce a great incident. According to Juan Jose
Navarro, in Cadiz, Greenpeace has not ruled out any protests at the
naval base of Rota. 'The government must abandon their shameful
warmongering stance,' says Carlos Bravo of Greenpeace."
Carlos, a Greenpeace
nuclear and disarmament campaign for Greenpeace in Spain,
talks more about the Spanish government's support for the war
and the overwhelming public opposition.
Take action and show your opposition to the war by writing to the members of the UN Security Council and ask them to say no to war.