The Hague demonstration against US war planes
stopbush - 30.03.2002 21:36
Today, many people in The Hague protested against buying US Joint Strike Fighter war planes. On 2 April, Parliament will debate on this
Demonstration against buying US Joint Strike Fighter war planes in The Hague, The Netherlands
On Saturday 30 March, there was a big protest in the Dutch government city, The Hague, on the Plein, in front of the Parliament building. It was to oppose the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which US corporation Lockheed wants to sell as successor to the F-16 war plane; both for the US and The Netherlands the biggest arms deal ever. If The Netherlands would buy these planes, it would cost taxpayers at least 7 billion Euro. On 2 April (six weeks before the general election), there will be a debate in Parliament on this. A coalition of over 40 organizations had organized the protest.
More on actions against the JSF (in Dutch) at  http://www.vredessite.nl/jsf/2002/
The action started at the symbolic time of five minutes before twelve o´clock a.m. The central slogan was: No 7 billion Euro for JSF war planes. The Plein square was full of people, from two year olds in perambulators to eighty year olds. Many carried signs, some socialist red or anarchist red and black flags, or "targets" remembering the 1999 Yugoslavia war. Banners and signs said: We need to innovate the government, not the air force. Democracy, or NATO-cracy? Stop the arms trade. Capitalism is terrorism. War is death for some people, profits for others. Threats of a nuclear attack are against international law. Dutch government, stop recruiting child soldiers. JSF, no; environment and birds, yes! Stop Stork (Dutch corporation which hopes to profit from Lockheed JSF subcontracting). No JSF bloodbath. Many signs said: I am a member of the FNV (biggest Dutch trade union congress with over a million members) against the JSF. Or: Het kabinet ziet ze vliegen (Dutch language pun, meaning roughly that the government is crazy to buy these warplanes). A red Socialist Party van said: more money for health care and education. This party also handed out paper airplanes to fold for yourself; free, contrary to the 7 billion Euro Joint Strike Fighter.
"Give peace a chance" by John Lennon came through the sound system. A peace activist, Elise Leyten, did an impersonation of George W. Bush with a Bush face mask with pretzel stuck in "his" mouth, and inscription Support U$ industry. Besides "Bush" stood "Dutch Prime minister Wim Kok" with gaffa tape over his mouth.
At 11.55, live metal music started, by Captain Bob Fosko and his Strike Fighter Show. To the tune of hard rock oldie "Paranoid" by Steppenwolf, they sung a parody of Dutch Defence minister Frank de Grave, written by Karel Glastra van Loon, one of the best known Dutch authors and today also chair of the protest meeting. The MP3 file of this anti JSF song can be downloaded at http://www.sp.nl/captain_bob_and_the_jsf_show.mp3
After another Bob Fosko metal song, it was time for the first speaker: Frank Slijper, of the Campaign against the Arms Trade. He wanted neither the JSF nor the European competition warplanes. These new warplanes would have a NATO nuclear task, just like the F-16´s have now. Nuclear weapons should get out of The Netherlands, particularly Volkel air base. Dutch military industry, some of which wants to participate in the JSF, can only survive by robbing the taxpayers. The JSF would also be sold to dictatorships. Like the F-16´s, the Turkish government would use the JSF to kill Kurds, Ariel Sharon to kill Palestinians. Look at Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan: they all prove that bombing does not bring peace. We need social and economic justice, not war.
At that point, a military (at least military looking) vehicle arrived on the Plein. "Senior officers" got out of the car, with JSF models in their hands. Like waiters, they went around asking people: Did you order this JSF for 7 billion Euro? Everyone said No. In front of the stage was a bigger "war plane" with a child with a gas mask on sitting in it.
The next speaker was Ms Elske ter Veld, member of the Eerste Kamer (Senate) for the PvdA (Labour Party, part of the government coalition. If the PvdA in the Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber; "House of Representatives") will decide on Tuesday 2 April to vote against, buying the JSF will probably not go ahead. They might do this, as supporting the government on the JSF might mean losing votes at the May 15 General Election to parties to their Left). To applause, she said all PvdA senators opposed buying the Joint Strike Fighter. The JSF is absolutely unnecessary. Also the European Parliament members of the PvdA opposed buying the JSF. Their chair, Max van den Berg, had said to the government: "Stop being the military poodle of the US." The PvdA forum (party council) had unanimously said No. So, Ms Ter Veld said, do not buy the JSF. "I say to PvdA Second Chamber leader Melkert: Don´t do it, don´t"; to which the chorus came back from the crowd "Don´t do it, don´t". Ms Ter Veld said: supporters of this arms deal talk about 1200 jobs. Are these maybe 1200 new Melkert jobs (low paid "workfare" jobs; an idea of Melkert when he was Minister of Social Affairs)? The Joint Strike Fighter is a gigantic financial risk to the taxpayers. Minister of Finance Zalm always talks about not spending too much tax money, he cuts money for education and health. Now, however, this Zalm wants to throw money into the bottomless JSF pit. PvdA Second Chamber members, when you meet on how to decide next Tuesday, remember that one [marihuana] joint in your hand is not as bad as ten Joint Strike Fighters in the air.
After music by Van Alles en Nog Wat, came the next speaker, Jan Marijnissen, chair of the Socialist Party in Parliament. Where, he asked, is the enemy we are supposed to fight with this Joint Strike Fighter? The Cold War is over for over ten years. In the Middle East you can see, no justice, no peace; an eye for an eye makes everyone blind. We want justice, not still more profits for the big shareholders of the armaments industry. We need more money for education, for health care, for senior citizens. Now, you hear the big Philips corporation may profit from the Joint Strike Fighter; good for jobs, proponents say. Well, that same Philips has been continually exporting jobs from The Netherlands; where were these talkers about jobs then? Prime Minister Kok, when he was still a trade union leader twenty years ago said production for war was unacceptable. Where is Kok now? We should show there are genuine Left policies, as an alternative to both the present government and the extreme Right of Pim Fortuyn.
After Marijnissen had finished, it was announced that police had arrested two demonstrators for a banner saying "Free market means exploitation and war" near the Ministry of Defence.
After poems by Harry Zevenbergen came Rik Hindriks, PvdA Member of Parliament. He said there was no price guarantee for the JSF, which was very risky financially. If the government does not have more arguments for the JSF, the PvdA parliamentary group would vote against. However, the audience clearly preferred an unequivocal announcement of a No vote to this still ambiguous statement.
After Hindriks, people danced to the band Caimán from Cuba. Then came Ab Harrewijn, Member of Parliament for GroenLinks (Green Left). He said that saying yes to the JSF would be putting the head of The Netherlands into a noose. Calculations by the government´s own officials had shown all that money for the JSF would not improve employment.
After Harrewijn, and a poem by poetess Diana Ozon, Mient Jan Faber of the Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad said the JSF planes were clearly not for defending The Netherlands. And how about international law? International law is now becoming the casualty of the "war against terrorism". And how about humanitarian law, about civilians being killed? I do not just want no 7 billion Euro for the JSF; I don´t want one cent.
After this, Karel Glastra van Loon read an anti war poem, written by an Iraqi. After this came a speaker of the Young Socialists, the youth branch of the PvdA. He said the PvdA leaders often took the wrong decisions. They were no socialists; often not even real social democrats. Let those leaders listen to the PvdA members; they are very opposed to the JSF. If you vote for the JSF, that will enhance cynicism on politics among the people, who will say there is no difference between Left and Right. This cynicism will drive people to the extreme Right of Pim Fortuyn.
Elise Leyten announced at 10.30 pm there would be a peace vigil at the US embassy. To loud cheering, she announced that police had released the two arrested demonstrators. Finally, Karel Glastra van Loon advised people to bring all signs to the Ministry of Defence building; as it would be impossible for police to arrest many hundreds of people. The demonstrators acted according to that advice, and soon the whole front side of the ministry building was covered with hundreds of pro peace signs and banners.
Two days after today´s demonstration, on Monday 1 April, there will again be a big peace demonstration in The Hague. Again, it starts at five minutes before twelve a.m. This time at the Vredespaleis (World Court building), Carnegieplein. It is the annual Easter Peace March, which is in a different place each year. Last year, it was to the NATO headquarters in the South East of The Netherlands.
 Website: http://www.vredessite.nl/jsf/2002
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