Canadian Students Organize Anti-War Conference writes "Students Against Sanctions and War in Iraq (SASWI)

Open call to all students across Canada and Québec

Pan-Canadian Student Anti-War Conference
January 30 to February 2, 2003
University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario

Opposition to a new war on Iraq is growing worldwide. In Britain, over
400,000 people marched against war at the end of September, including
thousands of students from all over Britain. The mobilization on October
26 of 100,000 in Washington, D.C. and 60,000 in San Francisco brought many
thousands of students onto the streets to oppose the war against Iraq. And
in Britain on October 31, dozens of protests took place at universities
and colleges, including occupations at Cambridge University, Liverpool,
Manchester, Brighton, and Leeds. In Sheffield, 500 students occupied a
faculty building sponsored by Boeing. In London there were occupations at
Goldsmith's, King's College, the London School of Economics, and many
others.

In Canada and Québec, anti-war coalitions are springing up on almost every
campus with students building both their own campus anti-war actions and
the January 18 North American day of action against war on Iraq. More
recently, thousands of students just participated in the pan-Canadian day
of action against war in Iraq on November 16-17 which mobilised 35,000
people in Canada and Québec.

At a recent teach-in at the University of Toronto, students from fifteen
different universities, colleges, and high schools took part in a
discussion called "Students against war: Building an anti-war movement on
the campuses". A consensus emerged that it is not only possible but also
necessary to begin building an anti-war movement among students all across
the country.

With the threat of war looming larger every day, we feel it is now time
for students across Canada and Québec to pull together in a unified
network that can build a massive student movement against war in Iraq.
Students Against War and Sanctions in Iraq (SASWI) would like to make an
open call to all students to participate in a pan-Canadian student
anti-war conference at the University of Toronto from Thursday, January 30
to Sunday, February 2, 2003. The conference will be accessible both to
English- and French-speaking students.

Already a number of student anti-war coalitions have expressed interest in
supporting, participating in, and endorsing the conference. We welcome any
anti-war coalition, peace organisation, student union, cultural
organisation, faith group, or student club that would like to get involved
to send your endorsement to saswi2003@yahoo.ca.

In the coming weeks, we will be circulating a tentative conference
programme, including a timetable. We look forward to your feedback and
hope to post final details as soon as they are ready on our website:
www.project3media.com/iraq/.

We will also be organising committees of student volunteers to organise
registration, housing, food, transportation, fundraising, and social
events. All students in the Toronto area who are interested in working on
one of the committees should contact saswi_logistics@yahoo.ca.

The possibilities are huge of building a broad, inclusive student movement
against war right across the country. We think that a pan-Canadian
student anti-war co-ordination can play a role in helping to reach deeper
into every school, every classroom, and every campus with the message that
we can and must stop this war!

To endorse the conference or for more information:
e-mail saswi2003@yahoo.ca or phone 416.533.6026.

To get involved in one of the student committees (for students in the
Toronto area):
e-mail saswi_logistics@yahoo.ca or phone 416.533.6026.

SASWI online: www.project3media.com/iraq/.

To join the pan-Canadian student anti-war listserve:
e-mail saswi@yahoogroups.ca."