A keynote address by rebel British MP George Galloway will kick off Xpression Against Oppression week tomorrow at Convocation Hall.
The week of workshops, meetings and speeches centred on anti-oppression and social justice themes is an annual event sponsored and coordinated by The Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) and runs from September 19 to the 23.
“SAC wanted to bring to campus an internationally renowned speaker who could stimulate debate amongst students, raise the profile of SAC and attract wider support for Xpression Against Oppression,” said Estefania Toledo, SAC Vice-President, University Affairs.
Galloway has been a member of the British Parliament since 1987 and in 2003 was ousted from the Labour Party for his outspoken rejection of Britain’s place in the war in Iraq. Even before that he was a vocal member of the British Parliament, Galloway claims to have had close to 2000 public speaking engagements since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In January 2004 Galloway, among others, formed RESPECT The Unity Coalition, a socialist party formed by opponents to the war in Iraq. Since then he has become the party MP for Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, “one of the poorest constituencies in the county,” according to Galloway.
In May 2005, Galloway appeared before the U.S. Senate over allegations that he profited from the U.N. ‘oil-for-food’ scandal. Even, while he testified, he questioned the US inquisition about the legality and morality of the U.S.-led war.
The stop at U of T comes as Galloway is touring the US promoting his new book, Mr. Galloway goes to Washington, an account of his experiences before the U.S. senate.
Since leaving Labour, Galloway says he has realized much.
“I’ve certainly learned parliamentary democracy is only one part of the struggle for social change and I have a greater respect for what some might call single-issue activism than I did have.”
“I still believe every country needs a Labour party and Respect is striving to be that.”
“The British people, the majority, opposed the war and these innocents are paying with their lives for Blair’s criminal follies,” Galloway said regarding the attacks in London’s subways this past July. “We know that the war – and the betrayal of the Palestinians – are the causes of the attacks.”
“I warned that it would happen and I’m afraid I was right. I totally abhor the methods but one can sympathise with the grievances.”
“Tony Blair believes, as he once told me, that being close to the U.S. allows Britain to ‘punch above its weight,'” Galloway said about why Britain went to and continues to be in Iraq, “Tony Blair was and is the driving force [to go to war]. One of the few things a British PM can do alone is send his country to war.”
“Blair is also a messianic Christian, like Bush, and I think he is on a latter-day crusade.”
If there was such vast opposition to the war and to Labour in general, than how did they win the last election?
“Labour won on the worst mandate in history, largely because the opposition, the Conservatives, were and are in total disarray. A huge swathe of the public couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Blair’s Labour and couldn’t bring themselves to vote Tory.”
“All of the public opinion polls in the run-up to the war in Britain showed the vast majority of the public were against the war. They were ignored.”
Galloway, when asked what changes he and those like him have made in the lead-up to the war and in the years following the first shots in the Iraq War, points to the mobilization of activists and awareness generated.
“We managed to pull two million people onto the streets of London, although we didn’t stop the war, an increasing majority – almost the entire country – thinks we made a catastrophic mistake.”
“Our activism, and that of others throughout the world, has definitely changed the climate. You just have to look at all the opinion polls. Even in the U.S. the tide has turned.”
Galloway describes gaining political change as neither just grassroots activism nor in closed-door democracy.
“A majority party cannot succeed without taking to the majority of the electorate with it on crucial issues. Elections aren’t fought on single issues, like the war.”
In Canada, we didn’t join the Coalition of the Willing. Is it possible to mobilize and be heard from afar about issues like the Iraq war?
“You Canadians have done pretty well and surely don’t need any homilies from me.” Galloway continued by saying, “I’m just encouraged that people, young people in particular, are seized with passion and idealism unmatched in my lifetime.”
“Your generation is a finer one than mine, I’m afraid.”
