Bush touches down in Botswana - not told to go home as in other nations

[dArKeR]

Botswana has so far been the only country on United States President George Bush's African tour where he arrived without being told to go home by protesters.

Bush landed at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone around 10.35am on Thursday morning for a one-day visit to the country.

About 1 000 ordinary people from Botswana gathered at the airport to greet the US president. They appeared to be there out of curiosity rather than to mount a protest.

Bush's presence in South Africa and Senegal earlier in the week has been marked by protests against him in particular and US foreign policy in general.

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[SoCalDem]

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Hippies, Muslims and Yanks march against Bush

July 09 2003 at 01:15PM



What seemed to be an odd assortment of people joined forces in Pretoria on Wednesday to express strong opposition to the United States President George Bush's visit to South Africa. About a thousand people gathered under the banner of the Anti-War Coalition to march on the US embassy around lunchtime. Hippies, men and women in traditional Muslim dress, militant toyi-toying youngsters and even some Americans turned up for the event.

"Go away, we've got enough Bushes in Africa," read a poster held up by one middle-aged man.'Go away, we've got enough Bushes in Africa'
The group chanted "Who let the bombs drop - Bush, Blair, Sharon", to the tune of the pop song Who Let The Dogs Out.

They placed "wanted" posters of Bush along the street and displayed placards reading "Stop Bush", with the s of his surname in the form of a swastika and a Hitler moustache drawn on his face.

One banner read: "A village in Texas is missing its idiot."

There was also a placard saying: "I piss on Bushes."

In a memorandum to be presented to the US embassy, the coalition said Bush's visit was aimed at making South Africa the US's "policeman" on the African continent in the war against terror. It also charged Bush with coming to South Africa with "big juicy carrots" to get American hands on Africa's oil.

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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=68&click_id=13&art_id=qw1057755961983B212&set_id=1
'Alien' Bush and ANC attacked in Cape protest

July 09 2003 at 03:06PM



By Bill Blumenfeld and Wendell Roelf

About 1 500 people braved a cool winter's day in Cape Town on Wednesday to march to Parliament and the US Consulate to voice not only opposition to George Bush's visit to South Africa but also to ANC policies.

The large crowd spontaneously started a bonfire close to the main entrance of Parliament, feeding the fire with posters bearing Bush's face.

The crowd included black-garbed anarchists with an effigy of Bush looking like an alien, environmentalists, purdah-covered Muslim women and social activists.

'It is the duty of African people to remove the present South African government'
Some of the organisations which addressed the spirited crowd included the Islamic Unity Convention (ICU), the Pan Africanist Congress, the New Unity Movement and the Anti-Eviction Campaign.

In a fiery speech, ICU spokesperson imam Achmat Cassiem railed against "imperialism and capitalism as embodied by America" and, to a lesser extent, South Africa - a common theme among the speakers.

"It is the duty of African people to remove the present South African government. The ballot box is not the monopoly of the ANC and the anti-apartheid struggle is not the monopoly of the ANC," he said, exhorting the crowd to "correct issues" at the next election.


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