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On Sunday January 15th an attack carried out on a Canadian military convoy critically wounded 3 Canadian soldiers and killed the top Canadian political envoy to Afghanistan, the head of Foreign Affairs Canada in Afghanistan. This attack exposed the falseness of the Canadian government’s lies that Afghan people welcome the occupation; that Canadian troops are there re-building and showed that Afghan people are fighting back against the unwelcome, murderous and destructive occupying presence.

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This development required a response by the antiwar movement. Immediately after receiving the news, Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) called for a press conference and an emergency picket line to form outside the Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment Center. On Tuesday January 17, the MAWO protest picket line from 12 to 1 PM demanded the end to occupation and the immediate withdrawal of all foreign military forces including Canadian troops from Afghanistan.

The picket began with a press conference attended by major television and radio networks as well as the Toronto Star newspaper. This attendance was reflected in broad coverage of the press conference and picket with both CBC and CTV airing the coverage twice on that evening’s news.

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Shannon Bundock, MAWO Co-Chair, opened the press conference by reading a statement on behalf of the Mobilization Against War and Occupation coalition. “MAWO is holding this press conference and picket line in front of the Canadian forces recruitment centre here in downtown Vancouver in response to this attack as it reveals the intensity of the Canadian war drive in Afghanistan. In response to this attack MAWO is calling for an Independent Public Inquiry into Canada’s involvement in the occupation of Afghanistan and for an immediate withdrawal of Canadian troops and all troops from Afghanistan.” She stated.

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Guest speaker Lisa Barrett, Councilor & Former Mayor of Bowen Island Municipality and Code Pink Women for Peace Local Organizer then shared her perspective. “I’m here to support this MAWO demonstration and picket line of the Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment Center because right now we’re in the middle of the federal election and I think it is very important to have these issues at the debating table and at the all candidates debates. What this means is a diversion of our dollars to the federal so-called defense budget away from social programs, from healthcare, from education, from all of those things that we’ve determined and identified as needs for Canadians.”

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Around 25 people turned out downtown Vancouver to chant and protest and show their opposition to the occupation. Following the press conference, picketers marched and chanted, holding a very solid presence outside the recruitment office. Chants of "Canada Out of Afghanistan!", "Stop the Canadian War Drive!", “Bring the Troops Home Now” and "Independent Public Inquiry NOW!" rang out up and down the street during the busy lunch hour traffic.

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MAWO has organized 5 protest pickets outside the Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment Center since last July as a response to the major announcement by Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rick Hillier’s that 2,000 more Canadian troops would be added to the forces occupying Afghanistan.

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MAWO Co-Chair Kira Koshelanyk closed the picket and announcing the major week of antiwar/anti occupation action upcoming for the 4th Student Week Against War & Occupation (SWAWO) with events on major campuses in the lower mainland with the focus "Stop the Canadian War Drive!" The SWAWO events culminate on Saturday January 28th with the demonstration at the Vancouver Art Gallery, bringing people together in protest just as they did at the January 17 picket. This ongoing antiwar action is taking place as the necessary continuation of the picket action; action that will continue until the occupation ends and all troops are brought home.

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