The Anti-War Coalition (AWC) is a coalition of South African anti-war activists. It could have links to the international Stop the War Coalition but has instead chosen to involve itself with local politics, in particular the Workers International Vanguard League. AWC helped organise

protests against the 2003 Iraq war Beginning in late 2002, and continuing after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, large-scale protests against the Iraq War were held in many cities worldwide, often coordinated to occur simultaneously around the world. After the biggest series of demon ...

in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Formation

The AWC came about shortly after the formation of the international

Stop the War Campaign Stop may refer to: Places *Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dri ...

and the involvement by the governing

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC),

Communist Party of South Africa The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...

, and

South African Council of Churches The South African Council of Churches (SACC) is an interdenominational forum in South Africa. It was a prominent anti-apartheid organisation during the years of apartheid in South Africa. Its leaders have included Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naudé an ...

. It claims to be a more radical alternative coalition of independent community and solidarity groups endorsed by around 300 organisations.

Activities

The Anti-War Coalition is most widely known for its role in the protests that spanned from 20 to 24 of September, 2006. These protests took place in two parts at the Air Force Base in Ysterplaat, Cape Town. This was to oppose the International Weapons Fair.

Key messages

Slogans such as Stop the War, War is no Solution, and Stop United States Imperialism have been used at rallies.

Internal conflicts, ANC and WIVL criticism

An attempt to bring together AWC and ANC at a meeting in February 2003 failed. ANC policy director Michael Sachs told the meeting that the ANC leaders were uncomfortable with the more vigorously anti-imperialist language of the AWC. The rift grew bigger when Sachs falsely claimed that the Stop the War Campaign, rather than the AWC, had organized the February 15th protests. Because of this, the AWC refused to have ANC speakers on the stage of its Johannesburg anti-war rally. The AWC has also been criticised for being too closely allied to the Workers International Vanguard League WIVL at the expense of broader issues that affect international peace and justice. In effect, AWC is WIVL, and the organisation continues to operate without consulting of its membership or affiliates.

Allied groups

War is a Drag and Laugh not War

Two small, independent anti-militarist outfits that participated in the February 15th campaign and loosely associated with the AWC. Their aim was to introduce a more pacifist style to the revolutionary rhetoric of the AWC and power-mongering of the supposed Stop the War Campaign.

References

Anti–Iraq War groups Peace organisations based in South Africa {{Activism-stub