Around 500 delegates and observers from 118 different groups attended Stop the War's annual Conference on Saturday. Conference launched a day of action against an attack on Iran on November 24th (November 22nd in the colleges), and a major mobilisation for the World Against War International Peace Conference in London on December 1st.

The conference showed the continuing breadth of the Coalition. Among the speakers from the platform were Annas Al Takriti from the British Muslim Iinitiative, the Guardian's Seumas Milne, Lawyer of the Year Phil Shiner, currently exposing British torture in Iraq, as well as Kate Hudson from CND, Lindsey German, George Solomou from Military Families against the War, Iraqi journalist Sami Ramidani, Campaign Iran's Somayeh Zadeh, and MP's George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn.

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A wide range of delegates spoke from the floor on issues from islamophobia and civil liberties to growing western intervention in Africa.

The discussion reflected Stop the War's recent successes including a breakthrough in the colleges. There were more student delegations at conference than ever before. 80 student delegates stayed behind for an activist meeting after the conference.

A media worker spoke about the progress of Media Workers against the War whose upcoming conference on November 17 will be lead off by Andrew Gilligan and Nick Davies and Peter Wilby from the Guardian.

The two major initiatives agreed were a national day of action against an attack on Iran on Saturday November 24th, with a student day on Thursday 22nd. It was decided to use these days for die-ins, pickets, protests and public meetings, but also to start planning and organising protest action if an attack becomes imminent.

The second central initiative is the World Against War conference at Central Hall Westminster on Dec 1st. Conference called for a massive mobilisation for the conference which will aim to be a launchpad for co-ordinated global campaigns over Iran and Afghanistan.

The World Against War Conference,
Westminster Central Hall
Saturday Dec 1st.

This conference will serve two main purposes, first to build links between the anti occupation movements in the Middle East and the anti war movements in the west. There will be a series of speakers from Iraq including union leader Hassan Juma and Jawad Al Khalisi from the Iraqi Foundation Congress, but also from Iran, Egypt and the Lebanon from where we are expecting representatives from Hezbollah and the Lebanese Communist Party.

The second crucial function of the conference will be to try and launch a co-ordinated campaign over Afghanistan and Iran. Stop the War has already been contacted by peace groups from Spain, Canada, South Korea and Germany to start this process.

All Stop the War groups need to start building it now, pushing for delegations from unions, colleges, mosques, churches, political organisations, including local Labour, Libdem, Green party, and Respect branches, councillors groups, local campaigns and every single anti war organisation.This conference can be critical in taking the next step for the anti war mobvement both in Britain and across the world.

There is a new leaflet out for the conference, designed by David Gentleman with a first list of speakers which can be ordered from Stop the War, and you can now sign up to the conference on line.