VANCOUVER: On Tuesday August 22nd, the 28th Canadian military death in Afghanistan was followed mmediately by the shooting death of a 10 year old Afghan child by a Canadian solider. As warnings ring through the Canadian media of the Afghan ‘backlash’ that the Canadian occupation forces fear in response to the killing of this child, Vancouver anti-war, anti-occupation coalition Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) calls for a demonstration on Saturday August 26th to demand: “No more casualties of the Canadian war drive! Canada out of Afghanistan now!”

Corporal David Braun of CFB Shilo, Manitoba was killed just outside of Kandahar Afghanistan in the late afternoon of Tuesday August 22nd in a bombing attack on a Canadian military convoy.

The attack came one day after the Canadian military killed more than 72 Afghan people in the farmlands surrounding Kandahar. According to Lt.-Col. Omer Lavoie, who took over as Canada's battle group commander in Kandahar the same day as this major battle, these deaths constituted “an extremely big blow (to the Taliban's) combat effectiveness."

“In less than 24 hours since this so-called extremely big blow to the Afghan resistance one Canadian soldier has been killed and at least 5 have been injured in attacks in the same region,” said MAWO Co-Chair and protest organizer Shannon Bundock.

“Canada is at war against the people of Afghanistan. This makes 8 Canadian military deaths this month alone.”

“The murder of an innocent 10 year old Afghan boy is a sign of the desperation and panic in the Canadian occupation forces in Afghanistan because of their failure to take control over Southern Afghanistan,” Bundock continued. “Too many lives have been lost to this war and occupation mission that has brought only blood, death, and destruction to the people of Afghanistan.

Canada is part of the problem in Afghanistan – that’s why we are demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Canadian forces from Afghanistan now.”

Saturday’s protest will also focus on opposing Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and Gaza and will demand the immediate withdrawal of all occupation forces from Iraq. Speakers will condemn and oppose Israel’s ongoing attacks on the people of Lebanon in violation of the ‘ceasefire’ agreement signed on August 14th. While laying siege to Lebanon, Israel has continued their raids and attacks on the people and infrastructure of the Gaza Strip, including sweeping house demolitions, targeted assassinations, missile attacks on civilians, and kidnappings of government ministers – marked this week by last Saturday’s abduction of Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Shaer.

The demonstration will also condemn the US/UK occupation forces record breaking month of death and destruction in Iraq – more than 3,500 people died in Iraq in July alone, with more than 110 deaths each day raising the average of daily deaths by 9% since June and more than 50% since the beginning of the year.

“Everywhere that the US, Canada, and Israel put hteir ‘boots on the ground’ we find war, occupation, death, and destruction,” concluded Bundock.

“The vast majority of people in Canada share interests with the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. We do not gain anything from the slaughter of the Afghan, Iraqi, Lebanese, and Palestinian people or the occupations of their lands. We stand, rally, march and join with them in demanding: CANADA OUT OF AFGHANISTAN! ISRAEL OUT OF LEBANON AND PALESTINE! US/UK OUT OF IRAQ! HANDS OFF THE MIDDLE EAST! STOP THE CANADIAN WAR DRIVE!”

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Rosie Karkari, speaks of her experience
doing reconstruction in Lebanon between
1996 and 2003


Dalal Noor, Iraqi activist speaks against
the US-led occupation of Iraq


Lindsay Clarke, Capilano College Social
Justice Coordinator and Vancouver Communities
in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC)Organizer


Aaron Mercredi, Indigenous Activist,
Member of Redwire Native Youth Media
Board of Directors, Organizer with
Mobilization Against War and Occupation


Alison Bodine, UBC Student and activist
with the UBC Social Justice Centre,
Coalition Against War on the People
of Iraq and Internationally - UBC, and
Mobilization Against War & Occupation(MAWO)


Max Tennant, MAWO activist, closes
the rally with a firm resolution
against war & occupation