Seminar on US War on Terror and Counterinsurgency and IFPRIS Solidarity Night

It is “fireworks” time for the United States of America as they celebrate the 4th of July. But for social activists and peoples’ organisations, it is timely to discuss and tackle US militarism and imperialism. Students, teachers and scholars join the basic sectors from across the globe as they sit, listen and interact inside UP Bahay ng Alumni, Tuesday afternoon.

The seminar on US War on Terror and Counterinsurgency was filled with attendees who were engaged in two panels, one is on War on Terror and People’s Rights, and the other one is on the Implications and Resistance to Counterinsurgency. Prof. Francois Houtart, an internationally distinguished human rights advocate, Prof. Roland Simbulan of the University of the Philippines, and Prof. Michel Chossudovsky of the Center for Research on Globalization, comprised the first panel. On the next panel, BAYAN’s Dr. Carol Araullo, India’s Chennaiah Poguri and International Action Center’s Bill Doares talked about the effects of counterinsurgency and how people respond to it through resistance and struggles.

The forum ended with a quote from Peter Murphy, moderator of the seminar, “let’s celebrate the struggles that brought us all here today.” A solidarity night featuring peoples’ struggles, through music and other forms of art, started at 8:00PM and lasted for more than three hours. It filled the UP Bahay ng Alumni with people from different origins and races, dancing and singing in the spirit of international solidarity. The night ended up in high note as people chanted “Long live international solidarity!”

The IFPRIS is a space for peoples from Asia and the Pacific, Africa, North America, Europe, Latin America to share and learn from each other about new and longstanding threats to people’s individual and collective rights. It is an occasion to draw lessons from and celebrate the victories of people’s struggles to claim and assert their rights.

The International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRIS) is co-organized by IBON Foundation, Inc. along with different local and international peoples’ organizations. Also included in the IFPRIS are seminars, forums, mass actions and cultural activities happening simultaneously in different venues in UP Diliman from July 2 to 6, 2011.

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