Iraqi Oil Law Protested

Labor and anti-war activists - rolling oil barrels and leaving a trail of "oily" black footprints - will march Friday at noon in opposition to the Iraq Oil Law (Iraqi Worker, Activists Demand Hands Off Iraqi Oil 6/6/07 UC) and to demand an end to the occupation of Iraq. "One year ago the US managed to pressure the Iraqi cabinet to pass an oil law that would allow big oil corporations to steal Iraqi oil," Denice Lombard of US Labor Against the War tells UNION CITY. But "with international support, and the Iraq Federation of Oil Unions leading the way, the Iraqi parliament has resisted passing the law." Although workers face violent repression and have no legal protections, they continue to fight against the law and occupation, reports Lombard. "Iraqi union leaders have been killed and threatened with arrest in their fight for labor rights and to keep their oil under their control," says Lombard. The DC event is one of dozens scheduled in the US and around the world as part of the International Day of Solidarity with the Iraqi People.