| Home |
| Events |
| News & Analysis |
| Get Involved |
| Resources |
| Merchandise |
Press Enquiries |
Tony Blair and freedom of speech
NEWSLETTER No. 1038
31 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) TONY BLAIR AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
2) THE ONSLAUGHT ON BASRA
3) ASYLUM SEEKERS SENT BACK TO IRAQ
4) PARLIAMENT VOTES AGAINST IRAQ INQUIRY
********************************
1) TONY BLAIR AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Is Stop the War denying Tony Blair the right of free speech?
We have asked our supporters to create a "wall of sound"
outside Westminster Cathedral at 7.00 pm on Thursday 3
April, when Blair gives his lecture on "Faith and
Globalisation". He will be making the case for an "activist"
foreign policy -- in other words, for acts of aggression
against other people's countries.
We believe a noisy protest, which has a long and honourable
history, is appropriate in these circumstances, particularly
as the nightmare of Iraq, which is Blair's legacy, continues
to worsen by the day (see below). If the anti-war movement
did nothing, our silence would be seen as endorsing Blair's
own plea that we "move on" from highlighting some of the
worst war crimes in recent history, for which no one --
least of all Blair, as one of the prime architects -- has
been held accountable.
It is not Blair's right of free speech that we are attacking
but his right to be regarded as a pillar of respectability,
when he is in fact a war criminal. Instead of the ever
dutiful mainstream media indulging Blair and his
sanctimonious posturing, we want the voice of the anti-war
majority to accompany every word he speaks, as he attempts
to justify his warmongering in the name of what he calls
"our values".
Please join us, if you agree that Tony Blair should not be
in a cathedral pulpit but in the dock of a criminal court.
Bring musical instruments and sound making implements of
every kind -- drums, trumpets, saxophones, violins, cymbals,
whistles, sirens, horns, rattles, saucepans and cans. Every
type of band, choir and musical group will be very welcome.
SOUNDING OUT TONY BLAIR
THURSDAY 3 APRIL 7.00PM
WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
FRANCIS ST, LONDON SW1P 1QW
JUST SOUTH OF VICTORIA STREET
Nearest tube: Victoria Station
For updates see:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The campaigning Catholic group Pax Christi, which has been a
consistent supporter of Stop the War and the anti-war
movement, will be opposing Blair's lecture with a silent
vigil outside the cathedral from 6.30 pm to 7.00 pm. We will
respect this vigil and start our wall of sound in unison for
maximum impact when Blair starts to speak at 7pm.
********************************
2) THE ONSLAUGHT ON BASRA
A year ago Tony Blair said the British "mission" in Basra
was "completed" and "successful". Now the British army is
back in action in the city and RAF warplanes have been
flying alongside American bombers, as they pound Basra,
Hilla, Nassiriya and Baghdad. As Sami Ramadani reports in
The Guardian, "Hundreds, and, some report, thousands, of
people are believed to have been killed or injured." (see:
A week ago, George Bush told us, "The corner has been
turned. The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable".
A few days later and we can see what "success" is, with the
US and British trained forces of the puppet Iraqi government
facing mass resistance across Iraq; tens of thousands
protesting against the occupation on the streets of Baghdad;
Iraqi police refusing to follow orders and defecting to the
side of the resistance; the Green Zone -- the heavily
fortified centre of American power in Iraq -- under daily
attack by rockets and mortars. (See
There is no "success" in Iraq, only anarchy and horrific
suffering. In Baghdad, says one resident, ""We are trapped
in our homes with no water or electricity. We can't bathe
our children or wash our clothes."
A corner may well have been turned, but not the one Bush
imagines. The British army that Gordon Brown told us would
be gradually withdrawn this year is once again at the
frontline of attacks on the Iraqi people. The reality
remains, as has been consistently argued by the anti-war
movement: there will be no peace in Iraq while foreign
troops remain.
EMERGENCY PICKET: DOWNING STREET
WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL 2.00 PM - 4.00 PM
This protest calls for an immediate end to Iraqi government,
US and UK military hostilities. The Picket is called by
Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation and supported by the Stop
the War Coalition, Naftana (UK Support Committee for the
Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions) and Hands off Iraqi oil.
For further information, contact Sabah Jawad, T: 07985
336886 E: sabah.jawad@googlemail.com
For more background on the Basra situation see:
********************************
3) ASYLUM SEEKERS SENT BACK TO IRAQ
The British government is forcibly returning asylum seekers
to Iraq, despite it being one of the most unsafe countries
in the world. There are 1400 Iraqis in Britain, who have
flown from a country devastated by US and British war
policies. Now a leaked government report proposes starving
the asylum seekers back to Iraq if they do not agree to go
voluntarily, by making them homeless and refusing all state
support. (See http://tinyurl.com/2s2syq)
55 Iraqis were forcibly deported in handcuffs last week
against the advice of the United Nations, which says that
Iraq cannot be considered a safe place. Human rights
organisations are appalled that the British government
refuses to monitor what happens to the returned asylum
seekers, even though it knows that one a refugee it returned
before Christmas was killed soon afterward by a car bomb.
As well as capitulating to the hysterical campaign against
asylum seekers in the tabloid press, the British government
is sacrificing the lives of Iraqi refuges by forcibly
returning them in an effort to create an illusion of
progress and improved stability in Iraq, when in reality the
opposite is true.
For more information and details of the campaign to defend
Iraqi and Kurdish asylum seekers, email Dashty Jamal,
International Federation of Iraqi Refugees :
d.jamal@ntlworld.com
********************************
4) PARLIAMENT VOTES AGAINST IRAQ INQUIRY
On 25 March the House of Commons rejected yet again a motion
to hold an inquiry into the Iraq War. The government's
majority was only 28, with 12 Labour MPs rebelling against
Gordon Brown. The motion for an inquiry could easily have
been won, if all those MPs opposing the war had voted.
Contact your MP to find out how they voted and to urge
him/her to support the next call for an inquiry in
parliament.
To find out how your MP voted on the Iraq inquiry motion and
for contact details, go to: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/
********************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Monday, March 31, 2008 | Permalink
Wall of sound to silence Tony Blair
NEWSLETTER No. 1037
26 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) WALL OF SOUND TO SILENCE TONY BLAIR
2) WHAT PLANET IS GEORGE BUSH ON?
3) TEACHERS VOTE TO KEEP MILITARY OUT OF SCHOOLS
4) HOW IT WAS ON 15 MARCH
5) MICHAEL NYMAN, NIGEL KENNEDY PLAY FOR PEACE
6) HOW THE MEDIA SELLS WAR AND WHY
7) STILL TIME TO WIN A TRIP TO PARIS
***********************************
1) WALL OF SOUND TO SILENCE TONY BLAIR
Stop the War Coalition is asking as many people as possible
to help create a wall of sound to accompany Tony Blair as he
gives a lecture on Faith and Globalisation at Westminster
Cathedral in London on Thursday 3 April. (See
http://www.rcdow.org.uk/lectures/)
No doubt Blair will be pontificating about the "values" and
"morality" of his "faith" and how they guided him in making
"difficult" decisions, like the slaughter of up to one
million Iraqis and the total destruction of their country in
an illegal war.
Blair is a war criminal who should have been silenced five
years ago by MPs in parliament, when they had the chance to
vote against a war which they knew was opposed by the vast
majority of people in this country. On Thursday 3 April, we
will meet every hypocritical word he utters with a wall of
sound representing the values and morality of that majority,
which was against the war in 2003 and wants all the troops
withdrawn now.
We want people to bring musical instruments and sound making
implements of every kind -- drums, trumpets, saxophones,
violins, cymbals, whistles, sirens, horns, rattles,
saucepans and cans to bang; we want every type of band,
choir and musical group to join us, all with the aim of
drowning out the speech of a man who should not be in a
cathedral pulpit but in the dock of a criminal court.
Please come at 6.30pm. Blair will speak at 7pm. Spread the
word among as many people as you can and encourage them to
join us on the night we aim to drown out Blair's shameless
lecture.
WALL OF SOUND TO SILENCE BLAIR
THURSDAY 3 APRIL 6.30PM
WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
FRANCIS ST, LONDON SW1P 1QW
JUST SOUTH OF VICTORIA STREET
Nearest tube: Victoria Station
***********************************
2) WHAT PLANET IS GEORGE BUSH ON?
According to George Bush, the war in Iraq is "a major
strategic victory" and "the successes we are seeing are
undeniable". The reality for Iraqis is somewhat different,
as described by Seumas Milne in The Guardian: "They have
seen the physical and social destruction of their country,
mass killing, tens of thousands thrown into jail without
trial, rampant torture, an epidemic of sectarian terror
attacks, pauperisation, and the complete breakdown of basic
services and supplies." Iraq is ranked as the most violent
and dangerous place in the world and, with four million
refugees, it has become the greatest humanitarian crisis on
the planet.
Just to underline Bush's delusion, Iraq's second biggest
city - supposedly so successfully pacified that the British
army could remove itself - has erupted into widespread
violence. Across Iraq over 25 American troops have been
killed in the last two weeks, bringing the total to 4000,
nearly all of them dying since Bush announced "Mission
Accomplished" in May 2003. There has been a sharp upturn in
the number of Iraqi civilians killed in the same period,
with the latest surveys confirming that a million may have
died in the last five years.
And now we have the looming prospect of more war to follow
these disasters, as Bush and his government blame Iran on a
daily basis for the continuing attacks on the occupation
armies - without producing a shred of evidence. The ground
is clearly being laid for an attack on Iran which will
escalate the suffering and instability of the region and
have unimaginable consequences for the safety of the world
at large.
The anti-war movement is as essential as ever in continuing
to build active opposition to the war policies of our
government, as Gordon Brown continues to support
unreservedly the warmongering of the most unpopular US
president in history. (See the new Stop the War pamphlet
"Five Years On: Why We Keep Marching". Copies available from
the national office, call 020 7278 6694.)
***********************************
3) TEACHERS VOTE TO KEEP MILITARY OUT OF SCHOOLS
Congratulations to the National Union of Teachers - the
country's largest teacher union -- in voting at its national
conference to keep the military out of our schools. The
resolution passed states:
"Military intervention in schools customarily presents a
partisan view of war, largely by ignoring its fatal
realities in favour of promises of travel, skill training
and further or higher education course sponsorships
otherwise often unavailable to young people, especially in
areas of high unemployment. Conference believes that
teachers and schools should not be conduits for either the
dissemination of MoD propaganda or the recruitment of
military personnel. Conference therefore agrees to actively
oppose military recruitment activities in schools."
***********************************
4) HOW IT WAS ON 15 MARCH
An excellent and inspiring short documentary of the World
Against War demonstration on 15 March is now available to
watch on the Stop the War website. Stop the War, CND and
BMI, the organisers of the demonstration, congratulate the
GungHo Media Collective for their film, which captures the
atmosphere of the day and includes interviews with a number
of speakers at the rally and with marchers from across the
country.
WATCH THE FILM HERE: (http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)
Gungho's website is at http://www.gunghomedia.co.uk/.
***********************************
5) MICHAEL NYMAN & NIGEL KENNEDY PLAY FOR PEACE
Composer Michael Nyman and violinist Nigel Kennedy join a
tremendous cast of performers for ILLUMINATIONS - a Stop the
War fund-raising CONCERT FOR PEACE at St James's Church in
Piccadilly on Thursday 24 April at 7pm. Also appearing will
be writers: A L Kennedy, Haifa Zangana and Timberlake
Wertenbaker; musicians: Eugene Skeef, Keith Burstein and
Janet Shell; poet Adrian Mitchell; journalists: Martin Bell,
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (The Independent) and Dr. Richard
Horton (editor, The Lancet); and Stop the War convenor
Lindsey German.
ILLUMINATIONS: CONCERT FOR PEACE
THURSDAY 24 APRIL AT 7PM
ST JAMES'S CHURCH, PICCADILLY, LONDON
Full details and online booking here:
Tickets are £15 and £12 concessions. Book online or call the
Stop the War office on 020 7278 6694 for credit card
booking.
John Pilger, who participated in our last concert, says:"All
success with the event. The last one was a beauty."
***********************************
6) HOW THE MEDIA SELLS WAR AND WHY
LONDON RALLY: THURSDAY 10 APRIL 7PM
Speakers:
DAHR JAMAIL, independent journalist in Iraq and author of
"Beyond the Green Zone"
NICK DAVIES, award-winning Guardian journalist and author of
"Flat Earth News"
KIM SENGUPTA, defence and diplomatic correspondent, The
Independent
LINDSEY GERMAN, national convenor, Stop the War Coalition
Venue: The Old Lecture Theatre
Westminster University, 309 Regent Street
(2 mins from Oxford Circus)
HOSTED BY: Media Workers Against the War: www.mwaw.net
Tickets: £5, £3 (concessions)
Buy your ticket for this event securely on line through
PayPal:
***********************************
7) STILL TIME TO WIN TRIP TO PARIS
There's still time to enter our fund-raising raffle with a
first prize of a weekend fully paid in Paris. Books of
tickets can be ordered from the national Stop the War office
(tel 020 7278 6694 or email
office@stopwar.org.uk).
***********************************--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 | Permalink
A thank you from Stop the War
NEWSLETTER No. 1036
13 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
1) A THANK YOU FROM STOP THE WAR
2) A MINUTE'S SILENCE ON THURSDAY 20 MARCH
3) ILLUMINATIONS: A CONCERT FOR PEACE
4) WIN A WEEKEND IN PARIS
***********************************
1) A THANK YOU FROM STOP THE WAR
Many thanks to all our members and supporters who made last
Saturday's World Against War demonstration in London such a
success. More than one hundred coaches brought demonstrators
from all over the country. Trafalgar Square was all but full
and with people joining the demonstration en route we
estimate around 40,000 attended. This was in excess of what
we had been expecting in advance. The sight of the front of
the march crossing Lambeth bridge while the middle was still
on Westminster bridge was inspiring. Hundreds of the
marchers carried flowers and other items to lay at the
Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square to remember all
those who have died over the past six years as a result of
the "war on terror".
The Scottish Stop the War Coalition also held a very
successful demonstration last Saturday in Glasgow, with more
than 5,000 attending.
************************************
2) A MINUTE'S SILENCE ON THURSDAY 20 MARCH
We are asking all local Stop the War groups to mark the
fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war by holding a
minute's silence at 12 noon in memory of more than one
million people who have died in Iraq as a result of the
invasion and occupation. We urge all our supporters to
remember these deaths by holding this silence in workplaces,
colleges and schools.
We are also asking local Stop the War groups to organise
protests, vigils or naming of the dead ceremonies,
preferably at 12 noon also or in the evening.
In London there will be a protest outside Downing Street
from 11.30am to 12.30pm and a delegation will deliver a
letter to Gordon Brown at midday calling for the troops to
be bought home and for an immediate enquiry into how we were
taken into war. Please join us if you can and spread the
word.
The Scottish commemoration will take place at a vigil in St
George's Square, Glasgow and will be led by Rose Gentle, who
has campaigned tirelessly against the war in memory of her
19 year old son Gordon, killed in Iraq.
************************************
3) ILLUMINATIONS: A CONCERT FOR PEACE
As part of Stop the War's fund raising campaign, a
tremendous cast of performers will be donating their
services free at the latest of our highly successful
concerts at St James's Church in Piccadilly on Thursday 24
April at 7pm. Confirmed acts include composer Michael Nyman,
writer A L Kennedy, musicians Eugene Skeef, Nigel Kennedy,
Keith Burstein and Janet Shell, poet Adrian Mitchell,
journalists Martin Bell and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, novelist
and Iraqi exile Haifa Zangana, editor of The Lancet Dr
Richard Horton, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German,
theatre director Timberlake Wertenbaker, with more to
follow. Full details and online booking here:
Participants have chosen a story, poem, song or piece of
music which has changed their life in some way, and which
they return to again and again.
Tickets are £15 and £12 concessions. Book online at
http://tinyurl.com/3ydfvso or call the Stop the War office
on 020 7278 6694.
John Pilger, who participated in our last concert, says:
"All success with the event. The last one was a beauty."
************************************
4) WIN A WEEKEND IN PARIS
Still on the theme of fund raising, many thanks to all of
our supporters who have donated so far toward our urgent
appeal. The response has been tremendous but we still need
to raise more to cover the costs of recent activities such
as our national tour of World Against War rallies and last
Saturday's demonstration.
As part of the continuing fund-raising appeal, we are
organising a raffle with the first prize of a weekend fully
paid in Paris. Books of raffle tickets can be ordered from
the national Stop the War office (tel 020 7278 6694 or email
office@stopwar.org.uk).
************************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Monday, March 17, 2008 | Permalink
Join the World Against War this Saturday
NEWSLETTER No. 1036
13 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
JOIN THE WORLD AGAINST WAR THIS SATURDAY
Tens of thousands of people will converge on Parliament on
Saturday calling for an end to Bush's wars. Another massive
demonstration will take place simultaneously in Glasgow.
Five years on almost everything the anti-war movement
predicted about the invasion of Iraq has come true, yet the
government continues to ignore the view of the overwhelming
majority in this country, who have consistently opposed the
war.
Demonstrations will be taking place in more than 50 cities
around the world on the anniversary of the invasion (see
www.theworldagainstwar.org). The London demonstration will
assemble at Trafalgar Square at 12am. It will surround
parliament and end in Parliament Square.
We are asking every one of our supporters to march with us.
Please bring flowers, wreaths, shoes or other symbols to
leave in Parliament Square to commemorate the victims of
these devastating wars.
We are also asking everyone to spread the word as widely as
possible in the hours remaining before the demonstration.
Please send e-mails, phone your friends, tell your
colleagues, leaflet your street or estate or station to
ensure the maximum possible turnout for this vital march.
The demonstrations come in a week in which:
* The so-called "progress" in Iraq following the troops
"surge" was exposed as a sham, with dozens of Iraqi civilian
fatalities and -- in one 48 hour period -- 12 American
soldiers killed.
* Admiral William Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the
Middle East, was sacked for his opposition to an attack on
Iran, proving that an escalation of war is very much on
George Bush's agenda.
* Gordon Brown was confirmed yet again as standing "shoulder
to shoulder" with Bush, following the revelation that
Britain's cost for the Iraq war will double this year and
Brown's promise of troop reductions in the Spring is
unlikely to be met.
WORLD AGAINST WAR DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2008
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI
Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. No Attack on Iran
End the Siege of Gaza
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON TRAFALGAR SQUARE FOR RALLY
Speakers include Tony Benn, ex-SAS trooper Ben Griffin,
Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, Lindsey German from Stop the
War, John Mcdonnell MP, George Galloway MP, film director
Nick Broomfield and representatives from Palestine.
MARCH ROUTE:
Down Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge, down Lambeth Palace
Road, across Lambeth Bridge, down Millbank to Parliament
Square for a short closing rally.
MAP:
http://tinyurl.com/2bfoa9 (scroll to bottom of page)
FOR UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
***************************************
GLASGOW DEMONSTRATION:
Assemble 11.30, Blythswood Square, Glasgow.
Full details:
***************************************
ONE MINUTES SILENCE ON MARCH 20TH.
Stop the War is asking people to organise and observe one
minutes silence on the exact anniversary of the invasion of
Iraq Thursday March 20 at Midday. There will also be a
protest at Downing Street on that day starting at 11.30am.
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Thursday, March 13, 2008 | Permalink
Join the World Against War this Saturday
NEWSLETTER No. 1036
13 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
JOIN THE WORLD AGAINST WAR THIS SATURDAY
Tens of thousands of people will converge on Parliament on
Saturday calling for an end to Bush's wars. Another massive
demonstration will take place simultaneously in Glasgow.
Five years on almost everything the anti-war movement
predicted about the invasion of Iraq has come true, yet the
government continues to ignore the view of the overwhelming
majority in this country, who have consistently opposed the
war.
Demonstrations will be taking place in more than 50 cities
around the world on the anniversary of the invasion (see
www.theworldagainstwar.org). The London demonstration will
assemble at Trafalgar Square at 12am. It will surround
parliament and end in Parliament Square.
We are asking every one of our supporters to march with us.
Please bring flowers, wreaths, shoes or other symbols to
leave in Parliament Square to commemorate the victims of
these devastating wars.
We are also asking everyone to spread the word as widely as
possible in the hours remaining before the demonstration.
Please send e-mails, phone your friends, tell your
colleagues, leaflet your street or estate or station to
ensure the maximum possible turnout for this vital march.
The demonstrations come in a week in which:
* The so-called "progress" in Iraq following the troops
"surge" was exposed as a sham, with dozens of Iraqi civilian
fatalities and -- in one 48 hour period -- 12 American
soldiers killed.
* Admiral William Fallon, the top U.S. commander in the
Middle East, was sacked for his opposition to an attack on
Iran, proving that an escalation of war is very much on
George Bush's agenda.
* Gordon Brown was confirmed yet again as standing "shoulder
to shoulder" with Bush, following the revelation that
Britain's cost for the Iraq war will double this year and
Brown's promise of troop reductions in the Spring is
unlikely to be met.
WORLD AGAINST WAR DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2008
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI
Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. No Attack on Iran
End the Siege of Gaza
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON TRAFALGAR SQUARE FOR RALLY
Speakers include Tony Benn, ex-SAS trooper Ben Griffin,
Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, Lindsey German from Stop the
War, John Mcdonnell MP, George Galloway MP, film director
Nick Broomfield and representatives from Palestine.
MARCH ROUTE:
Down Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge, down Lambeth Palace
Road, across Lambeth Bridge, down Millbank to Parliament
Square for a short closing rally.
MAP:
http://tinyurl.com/2bfoa9 (scroll to bottom of page)
FOR UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
***************************************
GLASGOW DEMONSTRATION:
Assemble 11.30, Blythswood Square, Glasgow.
Full details:
***************************************
ONE MINUTES SILENCE ON MARCH 20TH.
Stop the War is asking people to organise and observe one
minutes silence on the exact anniversary of the invasion of
Iraq Thursday March 20 at Midday. There will also be a
protest at Downing Street on that day starting at 11.30am.
***************************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Thursday, March 13, 2008 | Permalink
Surround Parliament to stop the war
NEWSLETTER No. 1035
10 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) SURROUND PARLIAMENT TO STOP THE WAR
2) DEMONSTRATION DETAILS & MARCH ROUTE
3) STEWARDS REQUIRED URGENTLY
4) MINUTE'S SILENCE ON THURSDAY 20 MARCH
**********************************
1) SURROUND PARLIAMENT TO STOP THE WAR
Next Saturday15 March, the fifth anniversary of the Iraq
invasion, will see a day of global WORLD AGAINST WAR
protests, giving voice to the majority view across the world
which has consistently opposed George Bush's "war on
terror". There will be demonstrations from Norway to Japan,
from Cuba to Poland, and not least in the two countries
which have been the key warmongers - the US and Britain.
The London WORLD AGAINST WAR demonstration -- called by Stop
the War, CND and the British Muslim Initiative - comes just
as the government is about to announce that the cost of its
war policies in Iraq and Afghanistan will soar in 2008 to
3.3 billion pounds, double the cost in 2007, proof if it was
needed that a change of prime minister has made no
difference to the level of warmongering.
The London demonstration will assemble at 12 noon in
Trafalgar Square and march down Whitehall on a route which
will surround Parliament. The rally in Trafalgar Square will
highlight the disasters of five years and more of war.
Speakers will include Tony Benn, ex-SAS trooper Ben Griffin,
representatives from Palestine, Green Party MEP Caroline
Lucas, Lindsey German from Stop the War Coalition and film
director Nick Broomfield. Joining us on the stage will be
Omar Deghayes, recently released from the Guantanamo torture
centre, where he was held for five years.
Stop the War has asked all its local groups to maximise
their campaigning in the few days remaining to ensure the
widest publicity for our protest, by leafleting tube and bus
stations, shopping centres, community centres, mosques (at
Friday prayers), colleges and schools etc. We need these
activities to continue right up to Friday evening as past
experience shows us that leafleting is the most important
means for publicising our events.
We are also urging all our supporters to do what they can to
spread the word among their friends, work colleagues, fellow
students etc. To help achieve this, bundles of 50 leaflets
are available free of charge from the national Stop the War
office. Call 020 7278 6694 now to get your leaflets posted
to you for next day delivery.
Coaches have been organised in most major cities and towns
to bring protesters to London from across England and Wales
(Scotland has its own WORLD AGAINST WAR demonstration in
Glasgow). For details of coaches in your area, see:
http://tinyurl.com/2da68c or call 020 7278 6694
**********************************
2) DEMONSTRATION DETAILS & MARCH ROUTE
WORLD AGAINST WAR DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2008
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI
Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. No Attack on Iran
End the Siege of Gaza
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON TRAFALGAR SQUARE FOR RALLY
Speakers include Tony Benn, ex-SAS trooper Ben Griffin,
Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, Lindsey German from Stop the
War, film director Nick Broomfield and representatives from
Palestine.
MARCH STARTS APPROXIMATELY 2PM. ROUTE:
Down Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge, down Lambeth Palace
Road, across Lambeth Bridge, down Millbank to Parliament
Square for a short closing rally
COMMEMORATE THE DEAD
Please being flowers, wreaths, shoes etc to place in
Parliament Square to commemorate those killed in George
Bush's wars.
FOR UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
**********************************
3) STEWARDS REQUIRED URGENTLY
Stop the War is always fortunate in the number of our
supporters who offer to help us steward our major events and
we have had a good response to our earlier calls for
volunteers on 15 March. However, we still urgently require
more helpers. If you are able to volunteer please contact
the Stop the War national office: email
office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7278 6694.
Volunteers are encouraged to attend the stewards' planning
meeting if they can on Wednesday 12 March, 6.30pm, in Room
12, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road. If you would like
to volunteer but cannot make the planning meeting, you will
receive details by email or phone and there will be a
stewards' briefing in Trafalgar Square before the
demonstration assembles.
**********************************
4) MINUTE'S SILENCE ON THURSDAY 20 MARCH
Thursday 20 March is the exact anniversary of the attack on
Iraq. Stop the War is asking all its supporters in colleges,
schools, workplaces etc to organise and observe a minutes
silence at midday for all those who have been killed in
Iraq and in all of George Bush's wars. There will also be a
protest outside Downing Street from 11.30 on that day.
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Monday, March 10, 2008 | Permalink
All eyes on 15 March demonstration
NEWSLETTER No. 1034
05 March 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) ALL EYES ON 15 MARCH DEMONSTRATION
2) HOW YOU CAN HELP
3) STEWARDS NEEDED
4) GAZA PROTESTS THIS WEEK
5) WIN A WEEKEND IN PARIS
6) ILLUMINATIONS
7) THE WORLD SAYS NO TO WAR
8) FIVE YEARS ON: WHY WE'RE STILL MARCHING
**********************************
1) ALL EYES ON 15 MARCH DEMONSTRATION
If anyone needed reminding, events of the last week have
highlighted why the World Against War demonstration in
London on Saturday 15 March -- called by Stop the War
Coalition, CND and British Muslim Initiative to mark the
fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion -- is so necessary.
* After six years of war in Afghanistan, which has brought
ever increasing levels of death, destruction and chaos to
its people, the warmongers staged a preposterous PR
exercise with the warrior Prince Harry telling the world
how invading someone else's country and killing people was
"as normal as I'm ever going to get." Meanwhile the top
intelligence officer in the US military blurted out the
truth: the war is a disaster and the invading forces are
facing defeat. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/26wraq)
* Despite British troops being effectively confined to
barracks, the death of another British soldier in Iraq
reminded us that Gordon Brown continues to sacrifice
people's lives to bolster his political support for George
Bush's "war on terror". Meanwhile, Bush's poll rating in
the US has sunk to 19 per cent, the lowest ever recorded
for an American president.
* In Palestine, we were reminded of another policy
intrinsic to George Bush's endless warmongering - support
for Israel, even when there's worldwide condemnation for
the brutality and sheer inhumanity of its attacks on the
Palestinian people, as there was following the slaughter of
over 100 people in Gaza, the majority of them women and
children. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/3cppw6)
* We were reminded yet again of the serial lying the
government has used to cover up its collaboration with
George Bush, when it got the High Court to issue a gagging
order on ex-SAS officer Ben Griffin, who last week revealed
how extensively involved Britain is in the kidnapping and
torture policies used by the US in secret prisons around
the world. (SEE video of Ben explaining why he has spoken
out: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)
Evidence of the widespread outrage over these events was
shown in the large turnouts for the WORLD AGAINST WAR
rallies which have taken place across Britain over the last
few days, at which speakers from Iraq and Lebanon gave
eye-witness accounts of how the war policies of George Bush
and Gordon Brown are bringing unimaginable - and largely
unreported - suffering to the people of the Middle East.
We now need to do all we can to build the largest possible
turnout on the 15 March to ensure that the voice of the
majority is heard, specifically in the call to bring all
troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan now and for an end to
the atrocities that Israel inflicts every day on the
Palestinian people.
DEMONSTRATE SATURDAY 15 MARCH
Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan
Don't attack Iran. End the siege of Gaza
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War, CND and BMI
See http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
COACHES: For details of coaches in your area bringing
protestors to the demonstration, see:
http://tinyurl.com/2da68c or call 020 7278 6694
***********************************
2) HOW YOU CAN HELP
We know that, as much as we try, the mainstream media will
not give fair coverage to the anti-war movement, despite it
reflecting the views of the vast majority of people in this
country. We have to make our own publicity and use our own
networks to spread as widely as possible details of our
demonstration on 15 March. What each one of us does can
make a difference:
* Make sure all your friends, work colleagues, fellow
students at college and school etc know about the
demonstration and encourage them to join us and spread the
word themselves;
* Order leaflets and posters publicising the demonstration
from the national Stop the War national office, for
distribution and display in your community, workplace,
college or school (call 020 7278 6694);
* Contact your local Stop the War group and offer to help
build support for the demonstration (see below).
* Forward this email as widely as you can.
Our aim is that no one can say after the demonstration that
they weren't there because they didn't know about it. There
are local Stop the War groups in most cities and major
towns across the country, all of which are now doing all
they can to build support for the 15 March demonstration,
through street stalls and by leafleting tube, rail and bus
stations, shopping centres, workplaces, colleges, churches,
mosques etc.
If you would like to help your local Stop the War group
publicise the demonstration in your area, contact the StWC
national office for contact details. Email
office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7278 6694
***********************************
3) STEWARDS NEEDED
Many thanks to all those who have already volunteered to
help us organise the 15 March demonstration on the day. We
still need more stewards. If you are able to help, please
contact the Stop the War national office on 020 7278 6694
or email office@stopwar.org.uk.
***********************************
4) GAZA PROTESTS THIS WEEK
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is organising two
protests this week over the Israeli air attacks on Gaza:
* Wednesday 5 March, 12 noon, Parliament during Prime
Minister's Questions;
* Saturday 8 March, 4-6pm, opposite Downing Street.
For more details:
Tel: 020 7700 6192
Email: info@palestinecampaign.org
Website: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/
***********************************
5) WIN A WEEKEND IN PARIS
Stop the War Coalition urgently need funds to cover the
cost of the 15 March demonstration and our other events in
the coming months. Demonstrations are expensive to
organise. We have to pay for the hire of Trafalgar Square,
for stages in both Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square
(where the demonstration ends), for PA equipment, banners,
leaflets, posters etc.
You can donate to our campaign in a number of ways (see
below), including by buying tickets for a fund-raising
raffle (prizes include a weekend trip to Paris).
HOW TO DONATE: See http://tinyurl.com/yohl5f
FUND-RAISING RAFFLE (prizes include weekend in Paris):
Contact 020 7278 6694 for raffle tickets.
***********************************
6) ILLUMINATIONS: A STOP THE WAR BENEFIT
Tickets are selling fast for the third Stop the War
cultural event at St James Church in London's Piccadilly
("the last one was a beauty", says John Pilger), which
takes place on Thursday 24 April at 7pm. Composer Michael
Nyman, violinist Nigel Kennedy, journalists Martin Bell and
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, writers A L Kennedy and Adrian
Mitchell, are just some of the participants who have chosen
a story, poem, song or piece of music which has changed
their life in some way.
Tickets are £15 and £12 concessions. Phone the Stop the War
office on 020 7278 6694 for credit card booking or book
online: http://tinyurl.com/yq4gk4
***********************************
7) THE WORLD SAYS NO TO WAR
Our London demonstration on 15 March is part of a global
WORLD AGAINST WAR protest on the fifth anniversary of the
Iraq demonstration, with events being organised in all five
continents and in over thirty cities and towns. SEE:
***********************************
8) FIVE YEARS ON: WHY WE'RE STILL MARCHING
A new Stop the War pamphlet, Five Years On: Why We're Still
Marching, written by Chris Nineham and Andrew Burgin with
an introduction by Tony Benn, is proving very popular. It
costs just £1. To place an order, call 020 7278 6694.
***********************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
Friday, March 07, 2008 | Permalink