TWO CORRECTIONS TO STOP THE WAR NEWSLETTER NO. 1024

1) WAR, TRUTH AND THE MEDIA TODAY
We gave details of speakers at an important half-day conference,
WAR, TRUTH AND THE MEDIA TODAY, which is organised by Media
Workers Against the War (MWAW), but unfortunately gave no details
of date, time and venue. These are given below and can also be
found on the MWAW website: http://mwaw.net/conference/

WAR, TRUTH AND THE MEDIA TODAY
Half-day conference hosted by Media Workers Against the War
SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER 17 2PM-6.30PM
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
ALDWYCH, LONDON WC2A 2AE

SPEAKERS:
* PETER WILBY columnist for the Media Guardian, former editor of
the Independent on Sunday
* MICHELLE STANISTREET, president, National Union of Journalists;
MoC, Daily Express and Star
* SEAN LANGAN, maker of BBC documentaries on Iraq and Afghanistan
* CATHERINE MAYER, correspondent for Time magazine, president of
the Foreign Press Association 2003-2005
* SAMI RAMADANI, political exile from Saddam's regime and senior
lecturer at London Metropolitan University
* PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY author of The First Casualty: The War
Correspondent From the Crimea to Iraq
* ANDREW GILLIGAN, sacked by the BBC
* MOAZZAM BEGG, illegally detained for three years in Guantanamo
Bay
* AMIR AMIRANI, Iranian documentary maker
* ANDREW MURRAY, National Chair, Stop the War Coalition

TICKETS £10 / £7 concessions
FULL DETAILS AND BUY ONLINE:
http://mwaw.net/conference/

WHY THIS CONFERENCE IS NEEDED
A proper debate about reporting the "war on terror" is long
overdue. Many leading journalists now acknowledge that too often
our industry has swallowed government spin over the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Academic studies confirm an overwhelming pro-war
bias in media coverage post 9/11.

The drums of a new war, this time with Iran, are beating. Will we
allow the media to be used to sex up the Iranian "threat"?
Sometimes it seems like the Iraqi WMD fiasco never happened.

Amid all the current agonising about media integrity - and at a
time when BBC management is preparing to cut news resources even
further - can there be any area more worthy of scrutiny than
reporting the war? Is there any issue over which the press and
broadcasters have so dramatically failed the public, and with
such serious consequences?

This conference will set out the issues and debate how best to
campaign to improve standards. It will seek to identify the main
sources of pro-war bias as a first step to providing media
workers with tools and resources for combating it.

* Have the media learned the lessons of Iraq?
* What are the pitfalls in reporting Iran?
* What can the BBC do to stand up to government bullying?
* What should accurate coverage of modern war look like?
* Are Muslims being unfairly targeted in the media?

*****************************
2) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The date of the conference is next Saturday 27 October and NOT,
as stated in one place in the newsletter, 27 December.--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Sunday, October 21, 2007 | Permalink

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2) TORTURING IRAQIS TO DEATH
3) WORLD AGAINST WAR CONFERENCE
4) NOT TO BE MISSED: RHYTHMS OF PEACE CONCERT
5) WAR AND THE MEDIA TODAY
6) NEW STOP THE WAR BOOK: WAR WITH NO END

**********************************
1) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER 9.30-5PM
FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
EUSTON ROAD, LONDON

This is an important time for the anti-war movement. The role of
the British in Iraq is clearly changing, with the complete
withdrawal of the army to barracks being a tacit admission of
defeat. The quagmire in Afghanistan, still the phantom war to
much of the media, is continually worsening. George Bush's
administration seems intent on attacking Iran and Gordon Brown
has apparently given assurances that this attack will have his
support.

The Stop the War annual national conference on Saturday 27
December will discuss these and other issues facing the anti-war
movement and has a very impressive line up of keynote speakers to
lead our discussions:
* Iraqi exile and academic SAMI RAMADANI, Iraqi exile and
academic will analyse the situation on the ground in Iraq.
* Human rights lawyer PHIL SHINER will outline new allegations of
torture by British soldiers (see below)
* A speaker from the NATIONAL GUANTANAMO CAMPAIGN will give an
update on efforts to close the prison camp
* ROSE GENTLE will report on the continuing campaign by military
families against the war
* SEUMAS MILNE from The Guardian and SOMAYE ZEDAH from Campaign
Iran will speak on Iran
* AMA UZOWURU from the NUS executive will lead a discussion on
growing anti
war activity on university and college campuses
* LINDSEY GERMAN and JEREMY CORBYN will outline the state of the
war on terror.

The conference is open to all but speaking and voting rights are
reserved for delegates from affiliated organisations and national
members of Stop the War (to join now, see the Stop the War
website: www.stopwar.org.uk)

BOOK NOW: FEE £10
EMAIL: office@stopwar.org.uk
TELEPHONE 020 7278 6694

STOP THE WAR'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER 9.30-5PM
FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE
EUSTON ROAD, LONDON

**********************************
2) TORTURING IRAQIS TO DEATH
The government denies that there is evidence of systematic
torture by British soldiers in Iraq, despite many instances
having been revealed by lawyers representing relatives of Iraqis
who have been the victims.

Now we learn, that horrific as previous evidence has been, the
use of torture was even worse than previously thought. Lawyer
Phil Shiner has been granted legal aid to pursue a case to the
High Court with evidence of the most horrific abuses, that led to
at least 22 Iraqi deaths. The evidence includes witness
statements, death certificates and a video. Witnesses say they
saw evidence of gouged-out eyes, serious injuries to genitals,
asphyxiation and hanging. (See The Guardian:
http://tinyurl.com/yt7c9n ).

Senior British commanders have frequently condemned American
military tactics in Iraq. In the words of one senior British
commander, "The Americans' use of violence is not proportionate
and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't
see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They are not concerned
about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are. Their
attitude towards the Iraqis is tragic, it's awful." (See
http://tinyurl.com/2oxzt)

How "awful" the American occupation has been - and how
generalised the systematic use of torture -- was again
demonstrated this week in the powerful HBO, US production, (shown
on Channel 4), Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, which can be viewed online
here: http://tinyurl.com/yqeqjr

And what the evidence from Phil Shiner, and the other lawyers
representing the families of Iraqi victims shows, is that the
British occupation has not been more "humane" than that of their
American mentors. They are both guilty of perpetrating one of the
worst war crimes in human history, with over one million Iraqis
killed, one in six of the population displaced, the country's
infrastructure dismantled and public services destroyed.

Phil Shiner will be one of the keynote speakers at Stop the War's
national annual conference on Saturday 27 October, which is open
to all (see below for details).

READ PHIL SHINER'S GUARDIAN ARTICLE, A Catalogue of Abuse:
http://tinyurl.com/25y4ra

**********************************
3) THE WORLD AGAINST WAR CONFERENCE
LONDON, SATURDAY 1 DECEMBER
WESTMINSTER CENTRAL HALL
The World Against War Conference will be an opportunity for the
global movement to respond to the new situation of the War on
Terror. Delegates from the Middle East, Asia and around the world
will participate in discussions on the situation in Iraq, the
occupation of Afghanistan and the threats against Iran. The
conference will also examine the US's growing aggression around
the world from Eastern Europe to Latin America.

DELEGATES WILL ATTEND FROM FIVE CONTINENTS. SPEAKERS ALREADY
CONFIRMED INCLUDE:
Dennis Halliday, Hans Von Sponeck, former humanitarian
co-ordinators in Iraq, Hassan Juma, President Basra Oil Workers
Union, Jawad Al Khalassi, General Secretary Iraq Foundation
Congress; Hannah Ibrahim, Women's Will Iraq, Ivona Novomestská
Czech No Bases Campaign, A campaigning journalist from Iran, Mark
Thomas, campaigning comedian, Craig Murray, ex-British Ambassador
to Uzbeckhistan, Sami Ramadani, representatives from United for
Peace and Justice (US), Communist Party of Lebanon, UNT union
confederation,Venezuela,
Others to be confirmed.

TO BOOK
National delegates £25, Local delegates £15, individuals £10 / £8
Phone 0044 (0)207278 6694
Or send cheques made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' to Stop
the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP. Online
booking available shortly.

**********************************
4) NOT TO BE MISSED: RHYTHMS OF PEACE CONCERT
Friday 30 November, 7pm, St James's Church, Piccadilly, London

Early booking is advisable for the Stop the War benefit concert,
titled Rhythms of Peace, in London on Friday 30 November. ANDREW
MURRAY will be introducing an amazing array of artists and others
from the world of music, film, theatre, journalism and politics,
including
* Actors, JULIE CHRISTIE, DAVID SOUL, JANET SUZMAN, PRUNELLA
SCALES AND TIMOTHY WEST
* Campaigning journalist, JOHN PILGER
* US comedian DAVE LIPPMAN
* South African percussionist, EUGENE SKEEF
* Novelists, AHDAF SOUEIF and HAIFA ZANGANA
* Ex-Ambassador, CRAIG MURRAY
* Mezzo soprano, JANET SHELL
* Pianist & composer, KEITH BURSTEIN
* Cellist, CHARLES WATT
* Musician, DAVE RANDALL, (Slovo and Faithless)
* LINDSEY GERMAN, convenor of Stop the War Coalition
* JOHN REES, from Respect Party,
* JEREMY CORBYN MP
* KATE HUDSON, Chair of CND

For further information and booking details, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/create.php
Or phone 020 7278 6694

**********************************
5) WAR AND THE MEDIA TODAY
Major media outlets are becoming markedly less questioning in
their coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan. Well-regarded academic
studies suggest an overwhelming pro-war bias after 9/11. The
drums of a new war, this time with Iran, are beating. Will we
allow the media to be used to sex up the Iranian "threat"?
Sometimes it seems like
the Iraqi WMD fiasco never happened. With all the recent turmoil
over media integrity, now is the time to look again at reporting
the "war on terror". This conference will set out the issues and
debate how best to campaign to improve
standards.

SPEAKERS:
PETER WILBY columnist for the Media Guardian, former editor of
the Independent on Sunday
MICHELLE STANISTREET, president, National Union of Journalists;
MoC, Daily Express and Star
SEAN LANGAN, maker of BBC documentaries on Iraq and Afghanistan
CATHERINE MAYER, correspondent for Time magazine, president of
the Foreign Press Association 2003-2005
SAMI RAMADANI, political exile from Saddam's regime and senior
lecturer at London Metropolitan University
PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY author of The First Casualty: The War
Correspondent From the Crimea to Iraq
ANDREW GILLIGAN, sacked by the BBC
MOAZZAM BEGG, illegally detained for three years in Guantanamo
Bay
AMIR AMIRANI, Iranian documentary maker
ANDREW MURRAY, National Chair, Stop the War Coalition

******************************************
6) NEW STOP THE WAR BOOK: WAR WITH NO END
On October 7th 2001, US-led forces invaded Afghanistan, marking
the start of George Bush and Tony Blair's "War On Terror".
Exactly six years on, and in collaboration with Stop the War
Coalition, Verso has published War With No End which brings
together some of the finest contemporary writers to explore the
impact of the "long war" throughout the world:

Joe Sacco, Arundhati Roy, John Berger, Haifa Zangana, Hanif
Kureishi, Phyllis Bennis, Ahdaf Soueif, Tram Nguyen, September
11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Naomi Klein. With
introduction by Lindsey German and Judith le Blanc
Full details : http://tinyurl.com/2rkcso

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE FROM STOP THE WAR
of £6.00 + £1.00 postage (£7.00)
Send cheques to Stop the War Coalition marked on reverse with
'War With No End' together with your address for delivery, or pay
by credit card and call 020 7278 6694

Also available at £7.99, from all good bookshops

**********************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Friday, October 19, 2007 | Permalink

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) THE DAY WE BROKE THE BAN, 8 OCTOBER
2) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 27 OCTOBER
**********************************************

1) THE DAY WE BROKE THE BAN, 8 OCTOBER
Yesterdays demonstration was a tremendous success and a big victory for our
movement. It was attended by at least 5,000 people, a hugely impressive turnout
for a weekday. Coaches came from far and wide and the number of students on
the march was particularly impressive. Many colleges brought their biggest
delegations since the Febuary 15 2003. Many people have sent e-mails or phoned
over the last few days sending support and saying they wished they could
attend.

The size and spirit of the march reflected the deep public disgust at the
government's continued support for Bush's wars. It also showed the
determination of the movement. The police's attempt to ban the march, no doubt
at the insistence of government ministers, served only to increase the turnout.
The scale of the response and the tremendous public stand taken by Tony Benn,
Walter Wolfgang, Brian Eno and others made it impossible for the police to stop
us on the day. And so a disturbing assault on our civil liberties was
overturned and the views of the anti war majority were delivered to Parliament.

The Stop the War Coalition would like to thank everyone who managed to attend
yesterday, everyone who helped organise and publicise the demonstration and the
many hundreds of people from around the country and the world who have e-mailed
and phoned their messages of support.

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

2) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 27 OCTOBER
The AGM of the Stop the War Coalition is at the end of this month on October 27
in Friends House, Euston Road, London. It will discuss our past work and plan
for the year ahead. The movement has been highly successful in maintaining an
anti war presence and in influencing the debate about troop withdrawal. We
outline the latest success above, where we successfully marched on Parliament
despite attempts to ban our right to do so. We face worsening conditions in
Iraq and Afghanistan and the threat to Iran, which has moved up the political
agenda.

All of these issues will be discussed at the conference. It is open to all
individual members of Stop the War and to delegates from affiliated groups and
organisations. Any such group or organisation can send one resolution for
discussion.

Delegations are on the following basis: Up to four delegates from each Stop the
War group; up to two delegates from affiliated organisations with less than
1,000 members; up to four delegates from affiliated organisations with
1,000-10,000 members and up to six delegates from affiliated organisations with
more than 10,000 members.
The cost for delegates is £10.

The conference is open to observers. Observers must register with the national
Stop the War office not later than 19 October but are advised to submit their
names as early as possible as there will be limited space. The cost for
observers is £10.

The conference will debate resolutions and elect the national steering
committee for Stop the War Coalition. Any affiliated group is entitled to enter
a resolution for discussion and voting on, which should be sent to the national
office by 12 October 2007. The Steering Committee may also submit resolutions.
Nominations for the Steering Committee elections can be made by affiliated
groups and names should be submitted to the national office no later than
Friday 12 October 2007. Only delegates and national members of Stop the War
Coalition will have voting rights.

Resolution, nominations, delegate and oberserver names can be submitted to
office@stopwar.org.uk / Stop the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London
WC1X 9JP. Fees can be paid by ringing 020 7278 6694 or sending cheques made out
to 'Stop the War Coalition'.

Please do your best to come and help plan the work of the Coalition in the
months ahead.

**************************************--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Tuesday, October 09, 2007 | Permalink

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) THE BAN WILL NOT STOP US ON 8 OCTOBER
2) BRIAN ENO'S GUARDIAN ARTICLE

******************************
1) THE BAN WILL NOT STOP US ON 8 OCTOBER
"The ban will not stop us on 8 October." These are the words of
musician Brian Eno in his Guardian article (see below). Brian is
joined by many in the world of the arts who are supporting our
anti-war cause, the latest being David Soul -- formerly star of
Starsky and Hutch and now highly respected actor. "Enough!" David
says. "Bring our soldiers home! I'll be there on Monday."

MPs too have been sending messages of support. Labour MP John
McDonnell writes to say, "The attempt to ban this demonstration
is an unacceptable assault on our civil liberties and I will be
joining the march to exercise my right to protest at the
continuing presence of British troops in Iraq."

We urge everyone who can, to join us on Monday 8 October for this
crucial demonstration to ensure that the anti-war message, which
the government is trying to silence by banning our march, is
heard loud and clear, when Gordon Brown makes his statement to
Parliament on Iraq.

WE WILL MARCH MONDAY 8 OCTOBER
ALL TROOPS OUT NOW: NOT ONE MORE DEATH
ASSEMBLE 1PM TRAFALGAR SQUARE FOR RALLY
(Speakers include Tony Benn, Brian Eno, Mark Thomas, Walter
Wolfgang, George Galloway and Ben Griffin (ex SAS trooper)
MARCH TO PARLIAMENT
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

******************************
2) BRIAN ENO'S GUARDIAN ARTICLE
This government wants to show itself as clean and new, and
doesn't want attention drawn to the mess it has left on the
carpet…It would take courage for Gordon Brown to say: "This war
was a catastrophe." It would take even greater courage to admit
that the seeds of the catastrophe were in its conception: it
wasn't a good idea badly done (the neocons' last refuge - "Blame
it all on Rumsfeld"), but a bad idea badly done. And it would
take perhaps superhuman courage to say: "And now we should
withdraw and pay reparations to this poor country."

I don't see it happening. But the demonstration will, legal or
not: on Monday Tony Benn will lead us as we exercise our right to
remind our representatives that, even if Iraq has slipped off
their agenda, it's still on ours. Please join us.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, GO TO:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2184924,00.html

******************************--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Saturday, October 06, 2007 | Permalink

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) BANNED MARCH IS LEGAL SAYS LIBERTY
WE WILL MARCH MONDAY 8 OCTOBER
ALL TROOPS OUT NOW: NOT ONE MORE DEATH
2) HELP STEWARD OCTOBER 8 DEMONSTRATION
3) NEW BOOK: WAR WITH NO END

************************************
1) BANNED MARCH IS LEGAL SAYS LIBERTY
WE WILL MARCH MONDAY 8 OCTOBER
ALL TROOPS OUT NOW: NOT ONE MORE DEATH
We will be marching to Parliament on Monday 8 October, despite
the government insisting that our protest is banned. Human rights
group Liberty says our march is legal and we will be exercising
our democratic right to protest peacefully on the day Gordon
Brown makes his long awaited speech on Iraq to the House of
Commons.

Stop the War has been flooded with messages of support and a
commitment to join our protest, including from Shami Chakrabarti
(Liberty), Tony Benn, Walter Wolfgang (Labour Party NEC, Bob
Wareing MP, musician Brian Eno, comedian Mark Thomas, author Iain
Banks, poet Benjamin Zephaniah and playwright David Edgar (SEE
QUOTES BELOW).

We urge everyone who has opposed the British government's support
for George Bush's war, and who agrees that our right to peaceful
protest must be defended, to join us on Monday

ASSEMBLE 1PM TRAFALGAR SQUARE FOR RALLY
(Speakers include Tony Benn, , Brian Eno, Mark Thomas, Walter
Wolfgang, George Galloway and Ben Griffin (ex SAS trooper)
MARCH TO PARLIAMENT

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN US:

In the run up to this much anticipated general election, the
leaders of each major political party have claimed to champion
our civil liberties. No doubt they will now unite to ensure that
this peaceful demonstration takes place.
SHAMI CHAKRABARTI, Director of Liberty

The authority for this march derives from our ancient right to
free speech and assembly enshrined in our history. It is only
fair to tell you that the march will go ahead, in any case, and I
will be among those marching.
TONY BENN, in letter to the Home Secretary

A protest demanding all the troops out now is of national
significance. To try and stop that protest is a major
interference with free speech. The march should go ahead whether
it is formally permitted or not.
WALTER WOLFGANG, Labour Party NEC

The government want to bury the issue of their disastrous war.
They will not succeed. We will be marching in our thousands on
Monday.
LINDSEY GERMAN, Convenor Stop the War Coalition

In a democracy we expect peaceful protest to be permitted. We are
not yet in the kind of tyranny that the Burmese people have to
suffer, I hope the authorities will reconsider.
BOB WAREING MP

Gordon Brown cannot praise protesters in Burma and then ban a
protest in London. I will be protesting on Monday, regardless of
whether Police permission is granted.
BEN GRIFFIN (ex SAS trooper)

If people aren't allowed to have their say on all our streets,
what kind of Parliament are we meant to be defending?
MICHAEL KUSTOW, theatre director

This is rather a ham-fisted attempt to prevent us from
demonstrating. What the government and police do is up to them.
We will just ignore them and we have the moral and logical
high-ground. I will be marching on Monday 8 October.
MARK THOMAS, comedian

It's becoming remarkably hard to escape the feeling we're ruled
by people who are basically paranoid authoritarian incompetents.
IAIN BANKS, author

It is depressing that our democratic rights are being whittled
away bit by bit. We will look back and wonder how this happened.
They wouldn't get away with this in one go. First an arrest for
reading names, then a ban on marches. What will be next?
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH, poet

The stop the war demonstration on 15 February 2003 was arguably
the most politically influential march in Britain since the
1970s, so it's no surprise that politicians are immobilising
anti-war demonstrations now. At a time when the political debate
at Westminster occupies ever narrower ground, it's vital that
voices from outside are heard.
DAVID EDGAR, playwright

************************************
2 HELP STEWARD OCTOBER 8 DEMONSTRATION
If you would like to help steward our Troops Out Now
demonstration on Monday 8 October, please come to the stewards
meeting at 12 noon in Trafalgar Square.

************************************
3) NEW BOOK: WAR WITH NO END
Stop the War's new book WAR WITH NO END has now been published by
Verso. The book brings together some of the finest contemporary
writers to explore the impact of the "long war" across the world:
Joe Sacco, Arundhati Roy, John Berger, Haifa Zangana, Hanif
Kureishi, Phyllis Bennis, Ahdaf Soueif, Tram Nguyen, September
11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Naomi Klein

The book has an introduction by Lindsey German (national convenor
Stop the War) and Judith le Blanc (Chair United for Peace and
Justice)

The book is published to coincide with the Troops Out National
Demonstration on Monday 8 October, called by Stop the War
Coalition: see www.stopwar.org.uk

Retail price: £7.99, from all good bookshops, or
From Stop the War Coalition at special price of £7.00 including
p&p
Send cheques to Stop the War Coalition marked on reverse with
'War With No End' together with your address for delivery, or pay
by credit card and call 020 7278 6694--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Friday, October 05, 2007 | Permalink

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 1020
02 October 2007
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) WE WILL DEFY GOVERNMENT BAN ON ANTI-WAR MARCH
JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION. SPREAD THE WORD
2) TONY BENN'S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY
3) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER

****************************************
1) WE WILL DEFY GOVERNMENT BAN ON ANTI-WAR MARCH
JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION. SPREAD THE WORD
Stop the War President Tony Benn has delivered a letter to the
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to make clear why our Troops Out
demonstration at Parliament on Monday 8 October will take place,
despite the ban by the government and police. It is essential
that the voice of the antiwar majority in this country is present
at Parliament when Gordon Brown makes his long awaited statement
on Iraq.

That is why we are asking every anti war activist to sign the
letter protesting against the ban, to join the demonstration on
October 8 and to do everything possible to publicise the protest.
(Sign here: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)

Stop the War has designated tomorrow, Wednesday 3 October, as a
day of action to build support for the demonstration and to
create a mass sign-in campaign, using a special NOT ONE MORE
DEATH postcard, designed by eminent artist David Gentleman. The
postcard calls for troops out now and for the British government
to break with US war policies. (See postcard here:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)

It is our basic right to demonstrate. As Tony Benn says, "The
authority for this march derives from our ancient right to free
speech and assembly enshrined in our history, of which we often
boast." This is why Tony will be joined on our march by Labour
Party NEC member Walter Wolfgang, musician Brian Eno and many
more soon to be announced.

Comedian and broadcaster Mark Thomas, announcing his
participation, said, "This is a ham-fisted attempt to prevent us
from demonstrating. We will ignore the ban. We have the moral and
logical high-ground. I will be marching on Monday 8 October."

Stop the War has been inundated by phone calls and emails from
across the country, expressing outrage at this attack on our
right to protest peacefully, many saying they will be travelling
to London to join the demonstration, both to insist that all
British troops are withdrawn from Iraq and to defend our civil
liberties.

The situation in Iraq is worsening by the day, with hundreds
being killed each week and the virtual collapse of most public
services. The cause of this horrific suffering is George Bush's
occupation and British troops are only in Iraq to give him
political cover. Every day the troops remain prolongs the death
and destruction for the Iraqi people.

Our demonstration will call for the immediate withdrawal of
British troops from Iraq. We will also call for all troops to be
withdrawn from Afghanistan, for an end to the British
government's subservience to US foreign policy and for Gordon
Brown to oppose George Bush's current threats to attack Iran.

We urge everyone who has opposed our government's war policies
and who has been appalled by the repeated attacks on our basic
rights to join our demonstration.

DEMONSTRATE: PARLIAMENT MONDAY 8 OCTOBER
NOT ONE MORE DEATH - BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW
ASSEMBLE FOR RALLY 1.0 PM TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Speakers include:
TONY BENN
MARK STEEL, comedian and writer
BEN GRIFFIN, ex-soldier who served in Iraq
BOB WAREING MP
GEMMA TUMELTY, president, National Union of Students
LINDSEY GERMAN, national convenor, Stop the War
BILLY HAYES general secretary, Communication Workers Union
More details and updates: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

****************************************
2) TONY BENN'S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY

To: The Right Hon Jacqui Smith MP
Home Secretary
House of Commons
London
SW1A OAA
Monday October 1st 2007

Dear Home Secretary,

I am writing to you as President of the STOP THE WAR COALITION,
to give you advance notice that there will be a demonstration in
Trafalgar Square the day Parliament meets calling for the
immediate withdrawal of all British troops from Iraq and
Afghanistan at which I shall be speaking along with others.

Afterwards many of those present - including myself - will be
marching along Whitehall to the House of Commons to meet MPs and
urge them to support this call for a withdrawal, as I shall be
doing in approaching Malcolm Rifkind my own local MP. We shall be
doing this in an orderly manner and I am making available to
those who wish to have one, a postcard over my printed signature
as a Privy Councillor, asking the police, and others to assist
them. I enclose a copy of this postcard.

The authority for this march derives from our ancient right to
free speech and assembly enshrined in our history, of which we
often boast and which we vigorously defended in two world wars.

I am copying this letter, and its enclosure, to Jack Straw, the
Commissioner of the Metropolis, and as a courtesy, to the Prime
Minister's
office.

I hope that you will be able to re-assure me that those who
demonstrate and march down Whitehall will enjoy your full support
and the support of the police. But it is only fair to tell you
that the march will go ahead, in any case, and I will be among
those marching.

Yours in peace
TONY BENN

****************************************
3) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER
Stop the War's open letter to Gordon Brown calling for the
withdrawal of all British troops from Iraq will be published in
The Guardian on Wednesday 3 October in a full page advert funded
by supporters of Stop the War (See http://tinyurl.com/3xafku).

****************************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net Wednesday, October 03, 2007 | Permalink