Bring soldiers home now, Canadian anti-war activists urge

As the US contemplates escalating the war in Afghanistan, pending whenever the Magic Announcement is finally made...

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Saturday, in the park, but it sure wasn’t the Fourth of July.

It was a bare-tree, autumnal afternoon and protesters young and old gathered in little Cornwallis Park in south-end Halifax for an anti-war rally. They were there because the powerful targets of their sincere scorn were in a police-protected building across the street.

The rally was held as delegates at the Halifax International Security Forum, a symposium being held at the Westin Hotel this weekend, were inside at a 90-minute "networking lunch." The next order of business following their catered meal was a panel discussion on Arctic sovereignty.

Protesters in the park included members of the Halifax Peace Coalition, students, trade unionists, human rights activists, Muslims and Quakers. They were calling for Canadian troops to get out of Afghanistan and for Ottawa to pull out of NATO....

The war in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 133 Canadians since the former Chretien government first sent troops there in 2002. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada’s combat role in the war-torn country will end in 2011.

Support for Canada’s military mission there has dipped below 50 per cent, a survey done last month suggests, marking a decline over the past three years.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1154044.html

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