In Kodaikanal, a small hill town in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, about 400 people from six different organizations came together to protest US plans for war and the Indian government's implicit support for them. The protest was organized by the People's Union for Civil Liberties and the Ad Hoc Peace Rally Committee.

We marched for about a 2 kilometer distance. Chants called on the Indian government to maintain its independence and pay attention to suffering at home, and on the US government to not kill innocents or fight a war of revenge. Rally participants also held a two minute silent vigil in memory of those killed. At the end we heard speeches about the IMF, previous US government crimes, and other attempts to give some perspective to this 'war'. The rally passed several resolutions, which are below.

Local support was strong. On a personal level almost everyone I talked to was behind the idea, though many did not attend the rally. The participating organizations were the Women's Rights Collective, the People's Union for Civil Liberties, the Palanimalai Adivasi Viduthellai Iyakam (Palani Hills Adivasi Freedom Movement), DMI Convent, and the district unit of the Congress Party. Before the protest we were also given support by two schools, a few unions, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), local environmentalists, and many other individuals from all faiths.

We hope others in India follow the lead of this rally, the peace vigil in Delhi, and the CPI(M) demonstrations across the country in calling on the Indian and US governments to show some humanity and remember the history behind the events of September 11. Good luck, everyone, these are trying times.

Rally Resolutions:

We call on the government of the United States to:

Avoid injuring civilians or damaging civilian targets, such as roads, farms, factories, media, power stations, and water plants, in all circumstances.

Attempt to avoid military action and instead concentrate on legal, political and diplomatic avenues for its response to the September 11th attacks.

Support, fund, and refrain from interfering in humanitarian and UN operations, including allowing fuel, food, medicines, ordinary goods, and refugees to cross borders with neighboring countries.

Respect international law and the role of international institutions, especially the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, in any military operation that it does undertake.

Take active steps to protect minority religious and ethnic communities, particularly Muslims, Sikhs, and those of Arab ethnicity, within its borders.

Recall and review the role of its foreign policy in promoting social injustice, supporting repressive governments, committing and abetting war crimes and genocide, and otherwise helping anti-democratic forces in large parts of the world. The US role in Afghanistan’s two decades of civil war requires even closer attention.

We call on the government of India to:

Recall that so-called ‘terrorist’ movements are by and large political phenomena requiring a political solution, not a military one.

Take active steps to prevent violence and hate crimes against any religious community, particularly minorities, which may follow from the atmosphere produced by these attacks.

Avoid attempts at renewing lapsed ‘anti-terrorist’ legislation or expanding the powers already granted to security forces by present legislation. Experience shows that such laws are usually abused by the government in power and have contributed little to resolving situations of conflict.

Fulfill its original commitment to dialogue, non-alignment, multilateralism, and non-violence wherever possible as the basic principles of its foreign policy. Avoid granting uncritical support to any government or force in this current war.