Demonstrate for Darfur

Here is a joint appeal on behalf of the people of Darfur by a set of writers who normally find little they can all agree about--some of whom spend a fair amount of time denouncing each other. They include the scholar-activist Eric Reeves, who has worked tirelessly to arouse the conscience of the world about the Darfur atrocity, several figures from the British democratic left like Norman Geras and Nick Cohen, the right-of-center "libertarian" US Republican Glenn Reynolds (aka Instapundit), the human-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ... and, most astonishing, Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain (which has up to now had little to say about the mass murder of Muslims in Darfur).

They "urge everyone to support the the Global Day for Darfur [Sunday, September 17] For more information about the day of action visit here." And while you're at it, please sign the on-line PETITION (at the bottom of the web-page)

--Jeff Weintraub

(P.S. Most of the on-line "Comments" responding to this posted appeal on the CiF website are depressing, even at times disgusting, in their tone and content--e.g., "Why? What has it really got to do with Britain anyway? Why can't the African Union do it? Are we responsible for all the world's problems?" or "You're a group of dummies who are campaigning so that the US can continue to start civil wars in Sudan to pressure the government into cancelling China's oil contracts and signing over the oil fields to Chevron." But precisely for that reason, reading them may be illuminating and instructive.)
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Guardian on-line ("Comment is Free")
September 15, 2006
Demonstrate for Darfur

A group of Cif bloggers urges people to support the global day for Darfur on Sunday.

We are a group of writers who have blogged at the Comment is free site on the conflict in Darfur. Some of us have argued with each other intensely about different aspects of the conflict, all of us agree that there is major humanitarian disaster taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan right now and that the United Nations must be supported in every way possible to bring it to an end and to reconstruct the region.

On Sunday September 17 we will be united in supporting the Global Day for Darfur. We all believe that United Nations resolutions should be upheld and that the people of Darfur be protected by the international community. If the African Union force withdraws without being replaced by UN peacekeepers then over 3 million people are at greater risk because humanitarian workers would also be likely to withdraw. The Sudanese government should now agree to UN deployment. We urge everyone to support the Global Day for Darfur. For more information about the day of action visit here.

Brian Brivati
Glenn Reynolds
Daniel Davies
Eric Reeves
Norman Geras
Alan Johnson
Inayat Bunglawala
Nick Cohen
Peter Tatchell