1:30 p.m. Meet at Republic Park on Guadalupe St. between 4th & 5th. March to the Federal Building
 
2:30 p.m. Rally at the Federal Building
(Between 8th & 9th and San Jacinto and Trinity)

Help Spread The Word!
 
Please help spread the word about the "Texans United Against War" march & rally.
 
Download a pdf flyer (248k) that you can print, copy, and distribute

 
Sponsored by Austin Against War
 
Endorsed by: Houston Act Now To Stop War And End Racism (ANSWER); Houston Coalition for Justice, Not War; Houston Global Awareness Collective; University of Houston Global Democracy Forum; Peace Action Texas; Dallas Peace Center; and Texas NOW.
 
If your group endorses the Oct. 28 Texans United Against War march & rally and wants to help, contact mcorwin@mail.utexas.edu.

Need Housing?
If you need a place to stay in Austin the night before the Oct. 28 march & rally, contact iranon@ccsi.com with "Housing" in the subject line.

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Dear friends,
 
We in Austin Against War have been building the opposition to war abroad, racism at home, and the curtailment of our civil liberties, and we know that similar efforts are being undertaken across the state of Texas. Now we need to pull together these strands of resistance to show that there are people deep in the heart of Texas who reject Bush's war.
 
With the commencement of the bombing of Afghanistan this month, many of us are seeing our worst fears unfold. We are seeing once again how so-called smart weapons do in fact kill civilians, adding tragedy upon the tragedy of September 11. And a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions is already underway, with the U.S.'s feeble efforts at providing food aid doing little for the millions of Afghanis facing starvation and exposure to winter weather.
 
The need is greater than ever for those of us who oppose this war to stand together.
 
We are planning for a march and rally on Sunday, October 28 under the theme of "Texans United Against War" with the hope that we will bring together opponents of the war from Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and many other Texas cities and towns. The Sunday march will be preceded by a networking meeting in the morning so that we can begin to get to know each other and work together. These events will take place the day after an anti-death penalty march in Austin which is also expected to draw participants from across the state.
 
We in Austin Against War are asking people to:
 
1) Endorse the October 28 "Texans United Against War" march and rally. We want to pull together a list of dozens of organizations from across the state declaring their opposition to the war, racism, and the attack on civil liberties.
 
2) Come to Austin for the networking meeting (Sunday morning) and the march. We are hoping these events will draw together many individuals and civic, political, and religious groups to begin a discussion on how we can build a state-wide movement, and then display our unity to the world at the afternoon march.
 
3) Help financially support our efforts. The meeting and the march on the 28th will cost a considerable amount of money to put on, so we're asking for participants from outside of Austin to help shoulder the cost. Contact us to find out how you can help.
 
Many details are still being planned for these events, but it's never to soon to hear from you. We want to be able to make special arrangements as necessary for people traveling from outside of Austin, including housing for people coming into Austin before October 28.
 
If you can in some way support our efforts, please respond to mcorwin@mail.utexas.edu.
 
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you, and working together for a world of peace and justice.

In solidarity,
Austin Against War

We represent a wide diversity of individuals and groups who oppose the U.S. going to war for many reasons. If you believe in these principles, please show your support at the demonstrations, and voice your concerns with your representatives, news media, and neighbors about the U.S. waging an unjust war against innocent civilians.

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Monday, October 8
 
After a news conference at the Federal Building, a rally at Texas State Capitol with several hundred participants arrived and marched back to the Federal Building a couple of hours later.
 
Austin Against War and many other groups had a standing call to gather at the Capitol when air strikes against Afghanistan began. At least 300 people came together to call for an end to the bombings the day before, and even more arrived on Monday.

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Hundreds Gather in Austin to Oppose U.S. Airstrikes
Photo at: www.austin.indymedia.org
 
Hundreds gathered Sunday evening just hours after U.S. and British airstrikes began targeting Afghanistan cities. Speaking out at the Texas State Capitol people condemned the actions and called for a stop to the bombing.
 
The massive aerial bombardment on Afghanistan is likely to exacerbate the current crisis and unlikely to strike at the roots of terrorism.
 
So-called smart bombs aimed at "military targets" during the 1991 Gulf War resulted in the death of Iraqi civilians. We can only speculate, but it is highly likely that innocent Afghanis are being killed now, just like innocent civilians were killed in the World Trade Center towers.
 
Austin Against War Statement on U.S. Airstrikes

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From the NOWAR Collective
nowarcollective.com
 
As you know, the United States launched a war on Afghanistan yesterday. Early reports indicate civilians in Kabul killed by the bombing, and many thousands of people fleeing the cities, which have already seen a mass exodus in the past few weeks.
 
The humanitarian cloak given to this war is the thinnest in recent memory. British aid agencies have already said that the effect will be to disrupt existing humanitarian operations and worsen the condition of the Afghan people. See the full story.
 
The World Food Program has already halted its food convoys to Afghanistan. See the full story.
 
For more analysis of the humanitarian and other lies that this war is based on, "A War of Lies" See www.commondreams.org.