STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No 2006/12: May 24 Email office@stopwar.org.uk Telephone 020 7278 6694 Web www.stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* IN THIS NEWSLETTER 1) THE WORSE IT GETS, THE BETTER IT IS 2) BRIAN HAW'S PLACARDS REMOVED 3) LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR DESERTION 4) MALCOLM BENEFIT TICKETS NOW ON SALE 5) ANNUAL CONFERENCE WITH A DIFFERENCE 6) PUBLIC MEETING WITH NOBEL PRIZE WINNER: DON'T ATTACK IRAN 7) EVENTS DIARY ON THE WEBSITE 8) STOP THE WAR PICTURE AND VIDEO ARCHIVE

************************************************* 1) THE WORSE IT GETS, THE BETTER IT IS "We have now reached a turning point," says George Bush, celebrating the formation of a "unity" government (not united enough, however, to fill the key posts of security and defence.)

There have been so many of Bush's "turning points" in Iraq that we don't have space to list them all here. Examples are: the bringing down of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad in April 2003; the capture of Saddam in December 2003; the killing of his sons in July 2003; the "handover of sovereignty" to a provisional Iraqi government in June 2004; the national assembly elections in January 2005; the adoption of an Iraqi constitution in October 2005; the start of Saddam's trial in December 2005; the parliamentary election the same month; and now, in May 2006, the announcement of a "unity" government, which, in the words of Tony Blair, is a "new beginning" that will allow Iraqis "to take charge of their own destiny".

Meanwhile, the United Nations reports that in the last two months alone, 2500 Iraqis have suffered violent deaths and over 85,000 have been have been forced to flee their homes (http://tinyurl.com/knhus).

If you listen to Bush and Blair, the worse it gets, the better it is. The reality is that they have achieved the impossible in Iraq. In the words of Iraqi Anas Al- Tikriti, "Not only have they managed to contribute to a climate in which human rights can be violated in far worse ways than they were under Saddam's Ba'athist regime, they have actually driven Iraqis, all Iraqis, into openly stating that life was much better under Saddam, something that this writer, like most Iraqis, never, ever imagined possible only a few years ago." (http://tinyurl.com/p65dl)

The "unity" government is the last throw of the dice for the US/UK occupation. Their armies now spend almost all of their time protecting themselves and the myth of "nation building" has been conclusively exposed as the reverse of the truth.

The idea that a sovereign and independent government is now established in Iraq is nonsense. According to the New York Times, the US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, was the "tireless midwife in the birthing of the new government" (http://tinyurl.com/qcpu9).

Nuri al-Malik, the latest US placeman to become prime minister, has wasted no time in announcing what his American patrons want from him: he will use "maximum force" to pacify a country which has become one of the least safe places on the planet. Clearly, the idea is for Iraqis to exert "maximum force" in killing each other, instead of the US army doing the mass slaughter in person. Bush and Blair's talk of occupation troops being withdrawn is a sham. They are hoping they can command Iraqis to do more of the killing and being killed, which may enable a cosmetic withdrawal of a small number of troops to give the impression that Iraqis are taking "charge of their own destiny".

An ex-US soldier, 20 year-old Jessie Macbeth, having returned from Iraq sickened by his experiences, spells out in a truly shocking video what the "maximum force" activities of the US army have entailed over the past three years. It is essential viewing. Macbeth says, "We are the terrorists. We're the ones terrorising a whole nation. I didn't sign up to kill women and children. Occupation Iraqi Freedom is Operation Iraqi Slaughter." (To watch the 20 minute video, go to: http://tinyurl.com/eshbx)

This is what we need to recall when Tony Blair flies to Washington to meet George Bush this week to rejoice over a "new beginning" for Iraq. There will be nothing new in Iraq while a single foreign soldier continues to occupy the country. There will only be ever increasing levels of killing and chaos, which is all the Bush and Blair war has brought to the Iraqi people.

************************************************* 2) BRIAN HAW'S PLACARDS REMOVED Brian Haw's one-man protest in parliament square for the past five years has been such an irritant to the warmongers inside parliament that they passed a law to get rid of him and his placards, which were a permanent reminder of the slaughter Tony Blair and the MPs who supported him brought to the people of Iraq. At 2.30am on 23 May, Brian's placards were removed by the police. In the words of the civil rights group Liberty, "The government's intolerance has surely reached a fever-pitch when 50 police are sent in to dismantle one man's peaceful protest in the middle of the night." (http://tinyurl.com/n7f8y)

But Brian's protest is not over yet. He plans to maintain his vigil outside parliament and anyone wishing to support him can find details on his website; go to: http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/

************************************************* 3) LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR DESERTION The number of soldiers absconding from the British Army has trebled since the invasion of Iraq. Recruitment to the British army � particularly the territorial army � is at an all-time low, again due largely to the Iraq war. (http://tinyurl.com/g22dl)

The high profile case of RAF officer Malcolm Kendall-Smith, who has been jailed for refusing to return to Iraq to fight what he regarded as an illegal war (see below), is another indication of the deep discontent within the armed forces. (http://tinyurl.com/z5vsx)

With hardly a mention in the press, the British parliament has now passed, with very few votes against, a new Armed Services Act, under which soldiers who desert the armed forces because they refuse to serve in a foreign military occupation could now face life imprisonment (http://tinyurl.com/lyllm).

The aim is clearly to deter soldiers from following their conscience, whether by going absent without leave or by refusing to participate in an illegal invasion. This law is, in the words of Labour MP John McDonnell � one of the few MPs to vote against the act � "inhuman and barbaric".

************************************************* 4) MALCOLM BENEFIT TICKETS NOW ON SALE Malcolm Kendall-Smith is the RAF officer now serving an eight month prison sentence for refusing to return to duty in Iraq because he believes the war is illegal. His case has clearly struck a deep chord with many people. Within days of the announcement of a Stop the War benefit to help Malcolm pay his �20,000 legal costs, we have been flooded with requests for information on ticket availability.

On Wednesday 28 June at 7.30pm, at St James Church in London's Piccadilly, Tony Benn will be joined in A NIGHT OF CONSCIENCE by comedians Mark Thomas and Mark Steel, composer Michael Nyman, actress Janet Suzman, playwright Caryl Churchill, film director Ken Loach, singer Ed Harcourt and many others from film, stage, television and politics.

Tickets are now on sale at �15 and can be bought in one of three ways: ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/z5vsx BY TELEPHONE: 020 7278 6694 BY CHEQUE made payable to "Stop the War Coalition" and sent to 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP

A NIGHT OF CONSCIENCE A benefit for Malcolm Kendall-Smith WEDNESDAY 28 JUNE 7.30PM ST JAMES CHURCH PICCADILLY, LONDON

FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE BENEFIT AND HOW TO GIVE YOUR SUPPORT TO MALCOLM, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/z5vsx

************************************************* 5) ANNUAL CONFERENCE WITH A DIFFERENCE Every Stop the War group and affiliated organisation which has not already done so, should now reserve their delegate places for the fifth national annual Stop the War conference, which takes place on Saturday 10 June. The conference is attracting higher interest than in previous years from individuals wishing to attend as observers. This is because as well as the plenary sessions for elections and for voting on resolutions we're including workshops on a range of issues lead by well known speakers.

The conference is open to all but only delegates from organisations or groups affiliated to Stop the War will have voting and speaking rights in plenary sessions. Non-members can attend the plenary sessions as observers and will be able to participate fully in the workshop sessions.

Don't miss this conference with a difference. To ensure reservation of delegate places Stop the War groups and affiliated organisations should contact the office now (the names of delegates can be given later). The deadline for registering delegates and individual observers is 2 June and places are filling up fast. The deadline for submitting resolutions for discussion at the conference is 26 May.

5TH ANNUAL NATIONAL STOP THE WAR CONFERENCE SATURDAY 10 JUNE FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE EUSTON ROAD, LONDON WC1 Registration is at 9.30am. The conference ends at 8.00pm.

FULL DETAILS OF THE CONFERENCE ARE AVAILABLE AT: http://tinyurl.com/s2g9f

************************************************* 6) PUBLIC MEETING WITH NOBEL PRIZE WINNER DON'T ATTACK IRAN FRIDAY 2 JUNE 6.30PM FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE EUSTON ROAD, LONDON, WC1 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi will be joined by Tony Benn, Lindsey German (StWC), Jeremy Corbyn MP, Zibir-Mir Hosseini and Elaheh Rostami-Povey (Action Iran) at this public meeting to discuss the threatened attack on Iraq. There will also be music from Somaye Zadeh. For more information, email: actioniran@hotmail.com.

READ SHIRIN EBADI'S ARTICLE "ANY ATTACK ON IRAN WILL BE GOOD FOR THE GOVERNMENT": http://tinyurl.com/q4je7

************************************************* 7) EVENTS DIARY ON THE WEBSITE The website now has a diary page for events, which aims to cover the full range of anti-war and related activities, whether public meetings, rallies, vigils, street stalls, cultural events or fund-raising gigs: http://tinyurl.com/q3y4k

Email your event to the Stop the War national office and we will include it in the Events Diary: office@stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* 8) STOP THE WAR PICTURE AND VIDEO ARCHIVE We have had a brilliant response to our request for pictures and videos to be sent to us for inclusion in the online picture and video archive we are planning for the website, which will chart the history of our anti-war activities over the past five years. Please keep sending them in.

Manchester Stop the War Group has set up a picture gallery linked to key dates in our anti-war activities since 2002. This will eventually become part of the Stop the War online archive. You can view the Manchester picture gallery here: http://tinyurl.com/ja6yz

(Many thanks again to Richard Searle, Communications Officer of Greater Manchester Coalition to Stop the War)

*************************************************

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STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No 2006/11: May 18 Email office@stopwar.org.uk Telephone 020 7278 6694 Web www.stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* IN THIS NEWSLETTER 1) BOOK YOUR CONFERENCE PLACE 2) IRAQ: TIME TO GO 3) PALESTINE: A CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE 4) TRADE UNIONS AND STOP THE WAR 5) IRAN: THE NEXT WAR CRIME? 6) A NIGHT OF CONSCIENCE FOR MALCOLM 7) VIDEOS ON THE WEBSITE 8) THEIR HISTORY / OUR HISTORY

************************************************* 1) BOOK YOUR CONFERENCE PLACE The fifth annual Stop the War national conference takes place in three weeks time, on Saturday 10 June. It will be a day of discussion and decisions, with a very impressive list of speakers, including Tony Benn, Craig Murray, Dilip Hiro, Salma Yaqoob, Adam Price MP and Caroline Lucas MEP. They will be speaking or leading workshops on the Iraq occupation, the planned attack against Iran, the defence of civil liberties and a wide range of other topics. The conference is open to all nut only delegates from Stop the War affiliated groups and paid up individual members will have speaking and voting rights in plenary sessions. Non-members are also welcome to attend as observers and to participate in the workshop discussions. FULL DETAILS OF THE CONFERENCE AND ONLINE REGISTRATION ARE HERE: http://tinyurl.com/s2g9f

If you would like to receive conference details and a registration form by post, contact the national office: Email: office@stopwar.org.uk Tel: 020 7278 6694

************************************************* 2) IRAQ: TIME TO GO Here are just a few statistics about Iraq today under US/UK occupation: * The bodies of 1,100 people who had suffered violent deaths were taken to the Baghdad morgues in the month of April. * According to the Iraqi government and UNICEF, a quarter of all Iraqi children suffer from chronic malnutrition. * Public order in Basra, Iraq's second city, has virtually collapsed and one person is being assassinated every hour. * Attacks on American and British troops are increasing dramatically and the casualty figures are now the highest for over a year. * Baghdad is slipping into civil war -- with dozens of mutilated bodies discovered every day -- almost certainly killed by death squads connected to the Iraq government. * 100,000 people have fled their homes in Baghdad for fear of sectarian killings at the hands of the death squads.

(For more details about the catastrophe Iraq is suffering, go to the NEWS and STATISTICS pages on the Stop the War website: www.stopwar.org.uk)

Not much of this news seeps through to the mainstream media, Even the recent deaths of seven British soldiers within one week got only passing reference, with the one comment reported coming from the new Defence Secretary, Des Browne, who "regretted" the "tragic" deaths but insisted that the British troops would stay in Iraq "as long as the Iraqi people wants them to stay", as if they have ever been asked(the answer, if they were, would be leave now, as all polls in Iraq show).

But the reality of the carnage and destruction in Iraq can't be completely hidden from the British or American people, who in overwhelming numbers want the occupation to end now. As Karl Rove, George Bush�s closest advisor, says, �The war looms over everything.� And the architects of the war can't escape the political consequences of their crimes, with both Bush and Blair experiencing unprecedented lows in their poll ratings. Tony Blair's 26 per cent is the lowest level recorded by any British prime minister since records began and no doubt the war had much to do with the drubbing New Labour got at the recent local government elections.

The aim of the anti-war movement is to ensure that the peace message keeps the highest possible profile, which is why our demonstrations, pickets of army recruitment centres, vigils, meetings and street stalls are as important as ever, particularly with Bush threatening an attack on Iran.

This is why Stop the War Coalition has called its second national demonstration this year. This is planned for 23 September in Manchester, at the beginning of the Labour Party conference, and the theme of the demonstration will be Time to Go. It was Tony Blair who took this country into an illegal war. It was Labour MPs who supported that decision. The dire election performance of Labour in all elections since then (the 2005 general election was the worst ever suffered by a government party) shows that the majority of people in this country want the warmongers held to account and for all British troops to be brought home now. This is the message that we will take onto the streets of Manchester, with transport bringing protestors from across the country. Make a note in your diary now.

NATIONAL TIME TO GO DEMONSTRATION SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER MANCHESTER ASSEMBLE 1PM PICCADILLY GARDENS

************************************************* 3) PALESTINE: A CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE The lack of media coverage given to the war and occupation in Iraq is bad enough but an even greater scandal is the conspiracy of silence over the suffering experienced by the Palestinian people. Palestinians are quite literally under a siege which is aimed to starve and bomb them into submitting to US foreign policy plans for the region.

This is why the MARCH FOR PALESTINE in London on SATURDAY 20 MAY, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, is so important. Coaches will be bringing people from across the country to the demonstration, which assembles at 12 noon on the Embankment. Full details are available here: http://tinyurl.com/mx8nl

If anyone needs persuading that all supporters of peace and justice should join this demonstration, read the following articles, which describe the horrific situation Palestinians face. More articles are available in the NEWS section of the Stop the War website.

STARVATION: http://tinyurl.com/hrwkq

HUNGRY AND SHELL SHOCKED http://tinyurl.com/mhdpp

TOO LITTLE AID TOO LATE http://tinyurl.com/gehdu

ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO HELP STEWARD SATURDAY'S MARCH FOR PALESTINE SHOULD CONTACT THE ORGANISERS: admin@palestinecampaign.org Tel: 020 7700 6192 Fax: 020 7609 7779

************************************************* 4) TRADE UNIONS AND STOP THE WAR The Association of University Teachers voted at its recent national conference to become the thirteenth national trade union to affiliate to Stop the War Coalition. StWC values this relationship very highly. These unions represent many millions of British workers and have long been strong supporters of the peace movement. We are also encouraged by the increasing number of local trade union branches that are affiliating to Stop the War. We are asking all of local Stop the War groups to approach local trade union branches and seek their affiliation to Stop the War. There is a new section on our website dedicated to trade unions and Stop the War, which you can find here: http://tinyurl.com/ofdzk

************************************************* 5) IRAN: THE NEXT WAR CRIME? The Pentagon's plans for a mass bombing campaign against Iran have been leaked and a summary can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/s9jug. Anyone who thinks there may be some distorted logic in supporting a US attack on Iran as a means of removing a repressive regime in the country, should read the article by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, which explains why an attack on Iran will only serve to strengthen the Iranian regime: http://tinyurl.com/q4je7

Shirin Ebadi will be speaking at a public meeting in London, organised by ActionIran, on Friday 2 June, 6.30pm, at Friends Meeting House, opposite Euston Station. Full details are available on the Stop the War website homepage.

************************************************* 6) A NIGHT OF CONSCIENCE FOR MALCOLM Tony Benn introduces comedians Mark Thomas and Mark Steel, composer Michael Nyman, actress Janet Suzman, film director Ken Loach, playwright Caryl Churchill, musician Ed Harcourt, Iraqi novelist Haifa Zangana, Walter Wolfgang, Kate Hudson (chair of CND), Lindsey German, John Rees and many others from film, stage, television and politics, who will appear at this benefit to raise funds to help pay RAF officer Malcom Kendall-Smith's legal costs, imposed on him when he was sent to jail for refusing to serve in Iraq. ST. JAMES CHURCH, 197 PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 9LL Tickets are �15 and available from Stop the War Coalition and may be purchased by credit card (telephone 020 7278 6694) or by cheque made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' and sent to:

Stop the War Coalition 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP office@stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* 7) VIDEOS ON THE WEBSITE We now have a VIDEO section on our website ARTS web page. These are videos which can be watched online and in some cases downloaded. They include full length documentaries. One which is not to be missed is the recent Channel 4 film "Iraq � The Women's View", which shows the realities of Iraq under US/UK occupation, through the eyes of a filmmaker who has had to keep her identity secret for fear of reprisals. Her film is a shocking indictment of a war which was supposed to bring the Iraqi people "freedom" and "democracy". It can be watched here: http://tinyurl.com/qycf4

************************************************* 8) THEIR HISTORY / OUR HISTORY Keep an eye on the Stop the War website RESOURCES page. We will shortly have an extensive picture archive which will record the history of the campaign against war and occupation over the past five years � the largest and most broadly based protest movement in British history.

If you have pictures of any national or local anti-war events that you think should be included in this archive, please send them as email attachments to the national office, preferably in .JPG format: office@stopwar.org.uk

Many thanks to Richard Searle from Manchester Stop the War for providing his large archive of pictures and for his work in devising the timeline of our movement's history. Richard's pictures can be viewed on the MancsAgainstTanks website: here: http://www.mancsagainsttanks.org/

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STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No 2006/10: May 1 Email office@stopwar.org.uk Telephone 020 7278 6694 Web www.stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* IN THIS NEWSLETTER 1) IRAN: THINK IT WON'T HAPPEN? THINK AGAIN. 2) THE COST OF ONE US SOLDIER IN IRAQ 3) REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE STW CONFERENCE 4) HEAR NEIL YOUNG'S ANTI-WAR BARRAGE FOR FREE

************************************************* 1) IRAN: WILL IT HAPPEN? Are they really going to attack Iran? The short answer is, yes, but only if we let them. 350,000 Americans filled the streets of New York on Saturday, with Don't Attack Iran being one of their main slogans, showing how the issue has begun to galvanise the US anti-war movement. (For reports on the US demo go here: http://tinyurl.com/eq6gc. For photos, go here: http://tinyurl.com/fvy7k)

The UK anti-war movement also needs to push Iran to the top of its agenda. Next Saturday 6 May there will be Don�t Attack Iran events around Britain, in response to the call for an international day of action. The details of the all-London event, with Tony Benn and Bruce Kent among the speakers, and of other 6 May events round the country are given on the Stop the War website: http://tinyurl.com/foc2l.

But will it happen? What more evidence do we need? The US government has branded Iran "public enemy number one" and called it "the world's most active sponsor of terrorism". Condoleezza Rice says the United Nations credibility is at stake if it doesn't act. Jack Straw says, "It is very serious that the Iranian regime has failed fully to cooperate with the United Nations". Rice added that the US will act with a coalition of "like-mined nations", if the UN doesn't do America's bidding. Sound familiar?

It was recently revealed that British army officers took part in US war games aimed at preparing for a possible invasion of Iran, despite Straw saying such an attack was "inconceivable".

Meanwhile, the Turkish foreign minister has revealed that Turkey has turned down a US offer of a sweetener in the shape of a free nuclear reactor if it will allow the Bush administration to use a Turkish air base for attacking Iran.

It's all very reminiscent of the build up to the Iraq war and the media has fallen for it again, as if the lies and deceptions used to lay the foundations for that illegal war never happened. As Edward Herman writes, "The media are going through the same routines of propaganda service in the build-up to a possible attack on Iran."

Add to all of this, Bush's fast plummeting poll ratings and the imploding of Blair's government. A foreign "adventure" may seem to them very inviting, whatever the cost in lives and further destabilisation of the world. We have all the ingredients for an attack taking place sooner rather than later.

Whether they can get away with it depends on what the anti-war movement does. It has to be our task to build the widest opposition to the plans to attack Iran, which will make it clear to Bush and Blair that any more of their warmongering will bring politically fatal consequences. The best place to start in this country is by organising and joining Don't Attack Iraq protests on Saturday 1 May (for details see http://tinyurl.com/foc2l)

To read key articles relating to the plans for attacking Iran, see the feature on the Stop the War website titled "Don't think an attack on Iran will happen? Think again", which you will find here: http://tinyurl.com/foc2l

************************************************* 2) THE COST OF ONE US SOLDIER IN IRAQ 73 US soldiers sent to kill and be killed in Iraq were killed in April, the highest monthly figure this year. This has been the fate of over 2400 US soldiers in the past three years, with close to 20,000 having been seriously injured, 10,000 of them so badly they are retired from the army, many of them with missing limbs, horrific facial injuries or brain damage.

How much does it cost to keep a single US soldier in Iraq with the increasing prospect of being killed or seriously injured? The figure was released this week: 350,000 dollars a year.

The new STATISTICS page on the Stop the War website carries continually updated information like this about every aspect of the Iraq war. Visit it here: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Statistics.htm

Send us any information you think we should include on our STATISTCS page to: office@stopwar.org.uk

************************************************* 3) REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE STW CONFERENCE Online registration for the Stop the War national annual conference on Saturday 10 June is now available. Delegates from affiliated organisations and individuals who wish to attend as observers can register here: http://tinyurl.com/oo5c9

Interest in the conference is very high, given the impressive range of speakers, to which has been added Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price, who lead the parliamentary attempts to get Tony Blair impeached for misleading the House of Commons over Iraq.

Full details of the conference are available on the website here: http://tinyurl.com/oo5c9

************************************************* 4) HEAR NEIL YOUNG'S ANTI-WAR BARRAGE FOR FREE Neil Young's latest album Living with War is, in the words of one reviewer, "a fierce, comprehensive indictment of the Bush administration". Song titles like "Shock and Awe" and "Let's Impeach the President" tell you all you need to know about the content of the album, and the lyrics couldn't be more blunt:

"Let's impeach the president for lying and leading our country into war abusing all the power that we gave him and shipping all our money out the door Let's impeach the president for spying on citizens inside their own homes breaking every law in the country tapping our computers and telephones."

Young has put the whole album on his website for a free listen. It will remain there for one week prior to its release. To hear it go here: http://www.neilyoung.com/

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