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Anti-Bush protesters hospitalised
NEWSLETTER No. 1051
17 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) ANTI-BUSH PROTESTERS HOSPITALISED
2) MORE BRITISH TROOPS FOR AFGHANISTAN
3) THIS IS WHAT LIBERATION LOOKS LIKE
4) NO STAR WARS BASES IN EUROPE
5) CAMPAIGN AGAINST 42 DAYS WITHOUT TRIAL
6) YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP: NO 5847
7) JOIN STOP THE WAR OR MAKE A DONATION
********************************
1) ANTI-BUSH PROTESTERS HOSPITALISED
Many thanks to everyone who joined the George Bush Not
Welcome Here demonstration last Sunday. Called at short
notice and with Bush's movements kept secret till the last
moment, we still mobilised over 3000 protestors.
Disgracefully, and for the first time, a Stop the War
demonstration was denied the right to march peacefully up
Whitehall and past Downing Street, where George Bush was
having dinner with Gordon Brown and -- among the other
guests -- Rupert Murdoch.
Enforcing the ban on our march, the police attacked
protestors with metal batons. At least three protestors
received head wounds and many others were battered and
bruised by blows to their arms, shoulders and backs. One
protester, who was hospitalised with a gashed head,
described what happened, "First I was yelled at to move back
from the barrier, but I couldn't move because there were so
many behind me. Seconds later, I was hit by a number of
policemen and policewomen. It was a very frightening
experience."
Another said, "I was here for a peaceful protest -- this was
our chance to show George Bush how despicable his war crimes
are. The police were blood hungry -- it was absolutely
unprovoked."
To make matters worse police arrested 25 protestors and held
many of them overnight, charging just three with minor
offences. A few others were bailed pending possible charges.
This aggression marked a new departure in policing of the
anti-war movement. The Stop the War Coalition has formally
complained to the home secretary Jacqui Smith and requested
a meeting (full text of the letter:
FOR MEDIA REPORTS, PICTURES, VIDEO
Until we have some resolution of our complaints, Stop the
War has suspended relations with the Metropolitan police. If
you witnessed the police attacks, please send reports or
photos to the Stop the War national office, email
office@stopwar.org.uk.
TO MAKE A COMPLAINT:
Police: Tel: 020 7230 1212
Home Office:
* Tel: 020 7035 4848
* Fax: 020 7035 4745
* Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
********************************
2) MORE BRITISH TROOPS FOR AFGHANISTAN
Tea with the Queen in Windsor Castle and dinner in Downing
Street was intended to make the visit look like a social
occasion, a farewell tour for an outgoing president.
The real purpose of Bush's European trip was in fact to
secure support for sanctions and a possible future attack on
Iran, to cajole other countries to send more troops to
Afghanistan and to back the plan to make the occupation of
Iraq permanent with over 50 US military bases.
Gordon Brown confirmed instantly his craven support for all
aspects of Bush's "war on terror" and his defence minister
Des Browne announced that hundreds more British troops will
be sent to Afghanistan. This follows a week in which five
British soldiers were killed, two of them just eighteen
years old, having been recruited to the army when still at
school.
Stop the War will be campaigning for an end to to the
British government's support for US war policies which have
led to the deaths of over one million people and -- as
reported this week by the United Nations -- to one of the
worst refugee crises in history, with at least six million
displaced in Iraq and Afghanistan.
********************************
3) THIS IS WHAT LIBERATION LOOKS LIKE
Recently published documents show that the US military is
seeking an agreement with the Iraqi government, to be rushed
through by the end of July. It would create a virtually
permanent occupation of Iraq. The plan is for more than 50
US military bases and would provide complete freedom of
action to conduct military operations, to arrest and detain
Iraqis, as well as granting US forces and contractors total
immunity from Iraqi law. Growing awareness of the
implications of the pact have fuelled such widespread
opposition in Iraq that even the usually subservient Prime
Minister al-Maliki announced recently that discussions with
the Bush government were deadlocked.
FOR MORE DETAILS SEE:
********************************
4) NO STAR WARS BASES IN EUROPE
A global day of solidarity has been called for Sunday 22
June by Czech opponents of the United States Missile
Defence. Often known as "Star Wars", this missile system is
part of the US strategy for global military dominance and is
a means for waging "pre-emptive" wars, like that against
Iraq.
Britain already has US Missile Defence bases at Menwith Hill
and Fylingdales in Yorkshire. These make Britain a front
line target in future US wars.
Over 70 per cent of the Czech people oppose the missile
defence bases planned for their country and activists have
been staging a hunger strike for weeks as part of their
campaign.
A solidarity vigil, called by CND and supported by Stop the
War Coalition, will be held at Downing Street, 12 - 2pm, on
Sunday 22 June, as part of a global 24 hour fast in support
of the Czech hunger strikers. See http://tinyurl.com/5pu8eq
********************************
5) CAMPAIGN AGAINST 42 DAYS WITHOUT TRIAL
The banning of our march last Sunday was clearly part of a
wider assault on civil liberties, most obviously the attempt
to extend detention without charge to 42 days, which only
scraped through the House of Common following Gordon Brown's
shameful combination of bribes and threats to get it passed
by just nine votes. Stop the War will be supporting the
campaign to stop this extension to 42 days becoming law.
********************************
6) YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP: NO 5847
Defence minister Des Browne, when announcing this week the
sending of hundreds more British troops to wage war in
Afghanistan, expressed his outrage at the tactics of the
Taliban, who he says now use "paid foreign fighters" -- what
Browne called "the ten dollars a day Talibans."
Not to be confused of course with the "foreign fighters" of
the British Army, paid on average an annual salary of over
£30,000.
Or of course the 150,000 foreign mercenaries in Iraq, paid
an average twelve hundred dollars a day, by US private
military contractors like Blackwater, to help keep the
occupation going. See video: http://tinyurl.com/4a5mv4
********************************
7) JOIN STOP THE WAR OR MAKE A DONATION
This has been a packed year for Stop the War, with two
national demonstrations, our Wall of Sound protest against
Tony Blair in April, national rallies touring the country,
including speakers from Iraq and the Middle East, our
campaigns in defence of civil rights and to defend the
Muslim community, etc.
All of this activity depends on donations from our
supporters, as does the funding of Stop the War's tiny
national office.
One of the best ways to support the funding of our campaigns
is to join Stop the War as a member, which can cost as
little as £2 a month (please give more if you can.) If you
are not a member, we urge you to consider becoming one now.
TO DONATE OR TO BECOME A MEMBER:
ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
TELEPHONE: Stop the War national office - 020 7278 6694.
CHEQUES: Made payable to "Stop the War Coalition"and sent to
Stop the War Coalition
27 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JP
********************************--
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | Permalink
Anti-Bush demo goes ahead - Lib Dems support right to protest
NEWSLETTER No. 1050
13 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
ANTI-BUSH DEMO GOES AHEAD
LIB DEMS SUPPORT RIGHT TO PROTEST
The demonstration against George Bush's state visit to the
UK on Sunday 15 June will definitely take place, now the
police have accepted that we can assemble in Parliament
Square.
The campaign to get the ban lifted on us marching from
Parliament Square to Downing Street continues. Today, the
Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary, Chris Huhne, wrote
to the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, calling on her to
overturn the ban on the anti-Bush march.
Calling the ban 'the final straw' after Wednesday's vote on
42-day detention, Huhne says, "Just because the votes of
these protesters cannot be bought, it does not mean that
their voices should not be heard by those in 10 Downing
Street. In this country we have a long tradition of peaceful
protest and I would be shocked if British civil liberties
were curtailed at the request of a foreign government." (See
full text of the letter below.)
This is a very important demonstration against a war
criminal who should be on trial rather than "honoured" by a
state visit. But it is now also a key event in the battle to
reclaim our civil liberties, which have been under continual
attack under the guise of the "war on terror". The shameful
farce of Gordon Brown bribing through parliament his
detention without trial legislation and the ban on our march
to Downing Street are just the latest examples.
Stop the War urges all its supporters to join us in
Parliament Square on Sunday 15 June at 5.00pm, when we will
insist that war criminals are not welcome here and asserting
our right to demonstrate peacefully. It is still our
intention to defy the ban on our march from Parliament
Square to Downing Street.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEFEND OUR RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST
END UK SUPPORT FOR US WAR POLICIES
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 5.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament and British Muslim Initiative
THE FULL TEXT OF LIBERAL DEMOCRAT SHADOW HOME SECRETARY
CHRIS HUHNE'S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY:
Dear Home Secretary,
I am writing to urgently request that you review the
decision of the Metropolitan Police to ban the anti-Bush
march taking place this Sunday 15 June from marching down
Whitehall. As you will be aware the Stop the War Coalition
have organised dozens of peaceful marches past Downing
Street, and I am deeply concerned that the request has been
denied.
In this country we have a long tradition of peaceful protest
and I would be shocked if British civil liberties were
curtailed at the request of a foreign government. I hope
that you can also confirm that the decision of the
Metropolitan Police was not made at the request of the US
authorities.
A static demonstration in Parliament Square is no
replacement for a protest march down Whitehall and I urge
you to work with the police and the protesters to ensure
they are able to make their voices heard outside Downing
Street. Just because the votes of these protesters cannot
be bought does not mean that their voices should not be
heard by those in 10 Downing Street.
Kind Regards,
Chris Huhne
Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
CONTACT THE HOME SECRETARY AND CALL ON HER TO OVERTURN THE
BAN ON THE MARCH TO DOWNING STREET:
* Tel: 020 7035 4848
* Fax: 020 7035 4745
* Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
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Friday, June 13, 2008 | Permalink
Defy police ban on anti-Bush march
NEWSLETTER No. 1049
12 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) DEFY POLICE BAN ON ANTI-BUSH MARCH
2) NO AFTERNOON TEA FOR WAR CRIMINALS
3) THE 42 DAYS FARCE
*********************************
1) DEFY POLICE BAN ON ANTI-BUSH MARCH
There will be two demonstrations this Sunday 15 June against
the state visit by the world's war criminal-in-chief George
Bush. The first will call for his arrest for war crimes when
he has afternoon tea with the Queen in Windsor (full details
below).
The second demonstration will be in London, now that the
police have accepted that the we can assemble in Parliament
Square at 5.00pm. However, the police are still insisting on
banning our march from Parliament Square to Downing Street,
where Gordon Brown will be providing dinner for Bush.
We continue to challenge the ban, which is particularly
worrying against the background of a further attack on our
civil liberties in the disgraceful vote to extend detention
without trial to 42 days (see below).
We are asking our supporters to telephone the Metropolitan
Police on 020 7230 1212 to complain about the denial of our
right to protest peacefully by marching to Downing Street.
George Bush himself has been reminding us this week as to
why the opposition to his warmongering has to be as active
and vocal as possible. On his farewell tour round Europe,
top of Bush's agenda was intensified missile rattling
against Iran. Asked repeatedly by the media if he was
contemplating a military attack, he said it was definitely
one of the options being considered.
Please encourage everyone you know to join the BUSH NOT
WELCOME HERE demonstration on Sunday 15 June, assembling at
5.00pm in Parliament Square and called by Stop the War
Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British
Muslim Initiative.
We want this to be a noisy demonstration, so every bite that
Bush takes of his meal in Downing Street is accompanied by
the sounds of our protests. Please bring noise making
implements of every kind: drums, trumpets, saxophones,
cymbals, whistles, sirens, horns, rattles, etc.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEFEND OUR RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST
END UK SUPPORT FOR US WAR POLICIES
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 5.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament
For details of coaches bringing protestors from outside
London, see: http://tinyurl.com/6by8rv
*********************************
2) NO AFTERNOON TEA FOR WAR CRIMINALS
George Bush is taking afternoon tea with the Queen in
Windsor as the first stop of his state visit on Sunday 15
June. We are organising a protest in Windsor calling for his
arrest for war crimes. Protestors are asked to bring
whistles, drums, union banners, placards and messages to let
Bush know he is not welcome here.
NO AFTERNOON TEA FOR WAR CRIMINALS
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE ASSEMBLE 1.30PM
WINDSOR & ETON RIVERSIDE TRAIN STATION
March to King Henry VIII Gate, Castle Hill
FOR MORE DETAILS:
Call or Text BUSH to 07958 034 181
*********************************
3) THE 42 DAYS FARCE
Gordon Brown got a tiny parliamentary majority for the
extension to 42 days detention without charge for terrorist
suspects, but only by bringing parliament into further
disrepute by his use of blatant bribery and overt threats.
No doubt he was hoping this farcical "victory" would
demonstrate his "war on terror" credentials and impress his
visiting partner-in-war-crimes this Sunday. The worry is
that, if Bush decides to bomb Iran this Summer, Gordon Brown
will click his heels and give his unqualified support, in
another desperate attempt to show he is a "strong" leader.
In her speech during the debate in parliament, MP Diane
Abbott's speech spelt out why the 42 days extension was so
pernicious in its implications:
"I came into politics because of my concern about the
relationship of the state to communities that are
marginalised and suspected… It is not easy to stand up for
the civil liberties of people who are unpopular, suspected
and look suspicious -- people the tabloids print a horror
story about every day… Everybody knows that the provisions
will impact disproportionately on the Muslim and ethnic
minority communities… Ministers are talking about people
such as my constituents, so when Muslim boys and black
converts are in prison and their mothers, some of whom may
not even be able to speak English properly, come to me and
say, "They have had my son for five weeks and nobody will
tell me why", what do ministers suggest I tell them about a
measure that has been brought in only for short-term
political convenience?" (For the full speech, see:
The campaign to stop the extension to 42 days becoming law
continues, with the likelihood that it will be rejected by
the House of Lords. MPs will then vote again on the issue.
Stop the War is asking all its supporters to maintain the
pressure on their MPs to oppose this law if it comes back to
the House of Commons.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR MP:
**********************************--
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Thursday, June 12, 2008 | Permalink
George Bush UK visit: Sunday 15 June 2008
NEWSLETTER No. 1048
10 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
GEORGE BUSH UK VISIT ON SUNDAY 15 JUNE 2008
George Bush visits the UK this Sunday 15 June, and not
January, as stated at one point in our last newsletter. The
George Bush Not Welcome Here demonstration assembles in
Parliament Square at 5.00pm
ANTI-GEORGE BUSH POLICE BAN TO BE DEFIED
The police have banned our march from Parliament Square to
Downing Street, where Gordon Brown will be entertaining
George Bush. It seems that when George W Bush visits this
country traditional rights of assembly and movement are
removed from the people. This would be unacceptable for the
visit of any foreign leader, but for this one - a war
criminal - it is doubly unacceptable and we will defy the
ban. We are calling on all those who care for our democratic
rights to come to Parliament Square at 5.00 pm on Sunday 15
June.
Some of those who signed statements accusing Bush of war
crimes will be leading this protest. Here are the comments
of human rights activist Bianca Jagger and actor Roger Lloyd
Pack:
"It is outrageous that George W Bush - a war criminal who
has caused so much damage to our world - is to be protected
from those who dare raise their voices against his crimes.
The 'Green Zone' that will be set up around 10 Downing
Street next Sunday, preventing the people of Britain from
exercising their legitimate democratic right to assmble and
march, must be opposed" - BIANCA JAGGER
"I feel affronted that George Bush is coming over here, and
even more affronted that I'm not allowed to march in
protest. This is a new thing isn't it, this banning of
peaceful marches? What's going on? I thought we were
supposed to be living in a free country. Isn't that why they
said we went to war with Iraq?" - ROGER LLOYD PACK
We are challenging this ban with the Home Office and
Metropolitan Police. Please send messages of complaint to
the Home Secretary:
* Telephone: 020 7035 0198
* Fax: 020 7035 0900
* Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Complain to the Metropolitan Police:
* Telephone: 020 7230 1212.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 5.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
;
Called by Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament and British Muslim Initiative
Please publicise the demonstration as widely as you can.
Posters and leaflets available from the Stop the War office:
Tel 020 7278 6694.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | Permalink
Bush Demo: Time change and police ban
NEWSLETTER No. 1047
9 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) BUSH DEMO: TIME CHANGE AND POLICE BAN
2) NO MORE WASTED LIVES IN AFGHANISTAN
3) PARLIAMENT MUST SAY NO TO 42 DAYS
*********************************
1) BUSH DEMO: TIME CHANGE AND POLICE BAN
George Bush's itinery for his visit on Sunday 15 January is
now confirmed. He is going to Downing Street for dinner and
the Stop the War/CND demonstration has therefore been changed.
The protest now assembles at 5.00pm in Parliament Square.
Please publicise the changed time as widely as you can and
encourage everyone you know who opposes George Bush's endless
warmongering, and the servile support he receives from the
British government, to join us.
We have applied to demonstrate down Whitehall but so far the
police, presumably under instructions from US security, are
banning us. We are challenging the ban. Please send messages
of complaint to the Home Secretary:
* Telephone: 020 7035 0198
* Fax: 020 7035 0900
* Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
You can also complain to the Metropolitan Police about the
proposed ban: Telephone: 020 7230 1212.
Stop the War will also be organising a protest when George
Bush goes to Windsor for tea with the Queen at 3.00pm.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 5.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament
*********************************
2) NO MORE WASTED LIVES IN AFGHANISTAN
Three British soldiers were killed on Sunday 8 June, taking
the total to one hundred. Chris Nineham from Stop the War,
interviewed by The Guardian, said, "Afghanistan is becoming a
disaster all too reminiscent of Iraq. It is quite clear that
the Nato forces are bogged down, deeply unpopular, facing more
and more resistance and causing mayhem rather than bringing
democracy. We want the troops to be withdrawn because there is
no possibility of progress in Afghanistan while it is occupied
by foreign forces." (See http://tinyurl.com/4bafws)
Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the British Army
used the occasion of the 100th soldier killed to say that it
was making "progress" and had "turned the corner" in
Afghanistan. On the same day, The Observer newspaper, in an
article titled "Fear, disillusion and despair", gave details
of the reality for the Afghan people, suffering from six years
of US led war and occupation:
* Number killed in 2007: 8,000
* Number who do not have enough to eat: 33 per cent
* Number of unemployed: 40 per cent
* Estimated total of amputees from the war: 40,000
(See http://tinyurl.com/4q9mpe)
NAMING THE DEAD CEREMONIES, VIGILS
IN MEMORY OF ALL WHO HAVE DIED IN AFGHANISTAN
EVENING OF TUESDAY 11 JUNE
Stop the War is asking all its local groups to hold vigils,
naming of the dead ceremonies and other protest events on
Tuesday 10 June in memory of all those -- Afghan and British
-- who have been killed. Nahella Ashraf, the chair of
Manchester Stop the War Coalition, which has already announced
its vigil at the city's war memorial, states why we will be
holding these events across the country: "We will lay a wreath
to remember the loss of 100 British soldiers and the millions
of other lives lost needlessly in the 'war on terror'".
The names of all the British soldiers and some of the
thousands of Afghans who have died is available on the Stop
the War website: http://tinyurl.com/4gzcqo
**********************************
3) PARLIAMENT MUST SAY NO TO 42 DAYS
An increasing number of senior police officers are publicly
opposing the government's plans to increase detention without
charge for terrorist suspects to 42 days. The reasons they
give are:
* Damage to relations with Muslim communities;
* Fears that detectives will face pressure to find, even
manufacture evidence, against those held for 42 days;
* Damage to the police's reputation by becoming involved in
such a controversial issue.
Despite wide condemnation by virtually all informed opinion,
the government is intent on forcing this increase through
parliament on Wednesday 11 June, supposedly to demonstrate
that Gordon Brown is a "strong" prime minister. Labour MPs are
being pressured to vote in favour with talk of fatal damage to
Brown's credibility if the law is defeated. As Frank Dobson,
the former Labour health minister says, "The last time
colleagues did that was over the invasion of Iraq."
Stop the War is asking all its supporters to contact their MPs
through any possible means to lobby them not to vote on 11
June for yet another attack on our civil liberties under the
guise of the "war on terror".
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR MP:
**********************************
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Monday, June 09, 2008 | Permalink
A pair of handcuffs for George Bush
NEWSLETTER No. 1046
7 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) A PAIR OF HANDCUFFS FOR GEORGE BUSH
2) WE ACCUSE…
3) WHO WANTS 42 DAYS? ONLY GORDON BROWN
4) JOIN STOP THE WAR OR DONATE
******************************
1) A PAIR OF HANDCUFFS FOR GEORGE BUSH
"Who's the last visitor Gordon Brown needs at a time like
this?" asks The Independent newspaper. "Step forward George
Bush." During his state visit on Sunday 15 June, Bush will
be "entertained by the Queen at Windsor Castle" and "have
dinner with Gordon Brown at Downing Street".
He will also face a national demonstration organised by Stop
the War Coalition and CND. As Andrew Murray, national chair
of Stop the War told The Independent, "George Bush should be
in The Hague facing war crimes charges over the hundreds of
thousands of civilians killed in Iraq since 2003, not being
entertained in Downing Street. Gordon Brown doesn't need a
policy brief for this meeting, just a pair of handcuffs."
The demonstration, which assembles in Parliament Square at
1pm, will include the delivery to Downing Street of numerous
handcuffs, attached to which will be quotations from leading
voices in the world of politics and the arts, giving their
reasons why mass murderers like Bush are not welcome here
(see below).
The United States' government says George Bush's visit is
"to strengthen the transatlantic partnership and to
celebrate the enduring friendship between our nations". Our
demonstration will represent the vast majority in this
country who have always opposed the Iraq war and we will be
saying loud and clear that rather than welcoming George
Bush, the British government should be denouncing his war
crimes and Gordon Brown should be fulfilling his promise to
develop an independent foreign policy by withdrawing British
troops.
Please publicise the demonstration as widely as you can and
encourage your friends, work colleagues, fellow students etc
to join the demonstration on Sunday 15 June. Leaflets and
posters are available from the Stop the War office
(telephone 020 7278 6694).
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 1.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament
******************************
2) WE ACCUSE…
Leading voices from the world of politics and the arts are
publicly denouncing the "welcome" George Bush will get from
the Queen and Gordon Brown on 15 June. The latest is Clare
Short, the former Labour government minister, who says,
"Where is Brown on this issue? Has Britain got any bottom
line? All that rhetoric about Brown being the change after
Blair has been exposed as nonsense."
We print below, some of the statements sent to Stop the War
by writers, composers, political campaigners, artists and
lawyers.
TIMBERLAKE WERTENBAKER, playwright:
Not just responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands
of people, George Bush seized the very word Democracy
illegally, mocked it, tortured it and did his best to kill
it. This is a crime against the future.
BIANCA JAGGER, human rights advocate:
George W Bush is responsible for flagrant violations of
human rights and international law. His immoral, illegal and
unwinnable wars have cost the lives of more than a million
people. Bush is responsible for extraordinary renditions,
detentions without trial and the atrocities at Guantanamo
Bay and Abu Ghraib, and he must be held accountable. An
international tribunal must be established, along with the
inquiry into US war crimes that Amnesty International has
called for. If Bush and Blair had presided as CEOs over
comparable fraudulent and deceptive practices in the City,
they would have been immediately and unceremoniously
sacked.
HAIFA ZANGANA, Iraqi writer & novelist:
If democracy is to return to America and Britain, both Bush
and Blair have to be charged with war crimes against the
Iraqis. As the US Commander-in-Chief, he is guilty of the
crimes committed in Abu Ghraib, and those committed by his
soldiers; in particular, the rape of A'beer Qassim Hamza al
- Janaby, the fourteen year old girl who was gang-raped and
set on fire by US marines after they had killed her parents
and her four year old sister.
KATE HUDSON, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament:
I charge George Bush with illegally attacking Iraq on
trumped up charges, imposing a brutal occupation, wrecking
the infrastructure and public services, using chemical
weapons on civilian populations, littering the country with
cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions, causing
hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold human sorrow and
suffering. He must be brought to justice.
WILLIAM BLUM, US writer and journalist:
I charge George W. Bush with breaking the hearts and
crushing the idealism of an entire generation of young
Americans who have been forced into the realization that
America, their beloved America, has no regard for
international law and human rights, and worst of all,
tortures people, routinely and cruelly. They are
compelled to wonder: What kind of world is this we've been
born into?
SABAH JAWAD, Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation:
We call for George Bush and his criminal gangs on both sides
of the Atlantic to stand trial for the unimaginable war
crimes they have committed against Iraq and the Iraqi
people. If there is any justice in the world they should be
locked up.
DAVID EDGAR, playwright:
Powerful UN members are refusing to agree a definition of
terrorism unless it excludes the actions of states. Our own
Terrorism Acts define terrorism as the use of force for a
political objective, against the state. Thank goodness the
Nuremberg trials - and now the International Court of
Justice at the Hague - provide an alternative way to get the
heads of government who order illegal acts of indiscriminate
violence against other people's countries.
IAIN BANKS, novelist:
Please charge Dubya with being a war criminal, a peace
criminal and unfit to be in charge of anything larger or
more important than a pretzel. Actually, including a
pretzel.
KEITH BURSTEIN, composer:
George Bush - with the assistance of Tony Blair- has
demolished any moral authority formerly commanded in the
world by the US and the West. The veil has been torn open
on the true nature of US global power, never to be replaced.
When Bush comes to Britain he should be detained like
Pinochet and sent for trial for crimes against humanity.
MOAZZAM BEGG, former Guantanamo detainee and spokesman for
Cageprisoners:
History will judge G.W. Bush as the man who wreaked
devastation and destruction on the earth even as he was
having men tortured in the world's most notorious and secret
prisons. Justice cannot be done until such men are brought
to book for their crimes.
LOUISE CHRISTIAN, lawyer:
George Bush bears a heavy responsibility as the leader of
most powerful country in the world who has comprehensively
turned his back on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
of 1948 and the whole concept of international law, has
authorized world wide oppression, detention without charge
and torture and has attempted to put himself and his army
beyond the reach of the rule of law. He has betrayed the
Founding Fathers of America who were inspired by liberty,
fraternity and equality.
DAVID GENTLEMAN, artist:
George Bush criminally lied and deceived a panicky United
States into starting an illegal, bungled, shameful and
counter-productive war. Bush also persuaded the eagerly
gullible Blair to believe anything that might seem to
justify needlessly dragging Britain in as well. These two
men, forever handcuffed together by history, will be
remembered only for the futility, the terrible consequences
and the unnumbered victims of their joint folly.
BEN GRIFFIN, former soldier:
President George W Bush, a vile war criminal, visits a
subservient client state to be feted as "The Leader of the
Free World". Meanwhile the subjects of said client state get
pissed, buy junk and watch TV. Wake up.
AL KENNEDY, writer and novelist:
Mr. Bush continues to contravene human rights law in his
treatment of prisoners in US custody across the world, in
his abduction of "suspects" and in his enthusiastic
endorsement of torture. He has dragged the US and its allies
into two illegal wars of pre-emptive aggression, using
illegal weapons and repeatedly contravening laws set in
place to protect non-combatants.
ROGER LLOYD PACK, actor:
To add to the extensive list of crimes committed by the
heinous war criminal George Bush, I charge him with being
responsible for the birth of hundreds of babies deformed as
a result of the chemical bombs dropped on Basra and other
cities during the Iraq War.
ADRIAN MITCHELL, poet:
George W Bush you face disgrace
For crimes against the human race.
Put these handcuffs on your wrists -
Terrorist of Terrorists.
ANDREW MURRAY, Chair of Stop the War Coalition:
George Bush bears the moral responsibility for the violent
deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq alone.
He should be in the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, not
Downing Street and if Gordon Brown wants to speak for
Britain, he will tell him so.
HAROLD PINTER, playwright and Nobel Prize winner:
There is no more suitable candidate for Leading War Criminal
than George Bush. The only person that comes anywhere near
him is Tony Blair. They are both beneath contempt. Bush
should certainly be arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay
where he can rot forever.
WALTER WOLFGANG, Labour Party NEC:
George Bush is a war criminal who has murdered uncounted
hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 1.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament
******************************
3) WHO WANTS 42 DAYS? ONLY GORDON BROWN
Next Wednesday MPs will vote on the government's plans to
extend detention without charge for terrorist suspects from
four weeks to six weeks. It is opposed by virtually everyone
except Gordon Brown - including the head of public
prosecutions, most chiefs of police and even Lord Goldsmith,
the attorney general in Tony Blair's government. Europe's
commissioner for human rights says the "British government's
suggestion to allow terrorism suspects to be detained for 42
days without charge would be way out of line with equivalent
detention limits elsewhere in Europe". (See
There are no serious arguments to support this legislation,
which Gordon Brown is trying to force through parliament to
prove he is "strong and decisive". This is yet another
attack by this government on our civil liberties and Stop
the War is asking all its supporters to contact their MPs
through any possible means to lobby them not to vote for
this legislation.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR MP:
******************************
4) JOIN STOP THE WAR OR DONATE
If you would like to become a member of Stop the War
Coalition, which costs as little as £2 a month, or to make a
donation to help fund our campaigns against the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan and all other aspects of the "war on
terror", you can do so online or by calling the Stop the War
national office:
JOIN STOP THE WAR OR MAKE A DONATION:
ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
;
TELEPHONE: Stop the War national office - 020 7278 6694.
******************************--
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Saturday, June 07, 2008 | Permalink
Protest against George Bush's visit to London
NEWSLETTER No. 1045
5 June 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) PROTEST AGAINST GEORGE BUSH'S VISIT TO LONDON
2) WHY WE SAY BUSH IS NOT WELCOME HERE
3) WE'RE "WINNING" IN AFGHANISTAN
4) BIG AUDIENCES FOR ANTI-ISLAMOPHOBIA RALLIES
5) YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP: NO. 5943
6) JOIN STOP THE WAR TO HELP FUND OUR CAMPAIGNS
******************************
1) PROTEST AGAINST GEORGE BUSH'S VISIT TO LONDON
When journalist George Monbiot was asked last week why he
had tried to exercise a citizen's arrest on neocon John
Bolton - one of the prime instigators of the Iraq war - he
replied, "We must ensure that people do not forget. This is
not an ordinary political mistake which was committed in
Iraq. This was the supreme international crime, which led to
the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Those people
were not killed in the ordinary sense; they were murdered.
And they were murdered by the authors of that war, who are
the greatest mass murderers of the twenty-first century so
far." (http://tinyurl.com/3vvz6b)
On Sunday 15 June, the mass murderer-in-chief George Bush
will be visiting Britain to meet with Gordon Brown, who
continues to collude obediently with Bush's war crimes. Stop
the War, in conjunction with CND, has called a demonstration
on that day, which will assemble in Parliament Square at
1pm.
Our message will be, war criminals are not welcome here. We
have not forgotten the monumental crimes against Iraq and
its people, which -- as Independent journalist Patrick
Cockburn has revealed -- Bush is planning to extend into
perpetuity, by getting the puppet Iraqi government to rush
through a law making the US occupation permanent. Under this
law, US troops would occupy permanent bases, conduct
military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity for
any crimes they commit. (See http://tinyurl.com/5jhmu7)
Leading political, legal and cultural figures are joining
the campaign to say that George Bush is not welcome here and
that he should be conducted to a war crimes tribunal that
holds him to account for prosecuting an illegal war. They
include playwright and Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter,
human rights lawyer Louise Christian, former Guantanamo
detainee, Moazzam Begg, novelist Iain Banks and actor Roger
Lloyd Pack. Excerpts from some of the statements, are given
below.
George Bush should be left in no doubt that the majority of
people in this country have always opposed his war policies
and want the withdrawal of all British troops from Iraq now.
We are calling on Gordon Brown to end the British
government's servile collusion with the "war on terror",
which is in reality a war of terror waged across the world
by American foreign policy.
Please publicise the 15 June demonstration as widely as
possible. Leaflets and posters are available from the Stop
the War office (tel 020 7278 6694). Some cities and towns
outside London have already booked coaches and we expect the
number to grow significantly over the next week.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 1.00PM
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON
Called by Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament
******************************
2) WHY WE SAY BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE
Below are statements by three prominent figures joining the
campaign to say: George Bush not welcome here. Together with
many more, they will be handed in to Gordon Brown at Downing
Street as part of our demonstration on Sunday 15 June. We
are encouraging all our supporters to contact any leading
politician, trade unionist, member of the the legal
profession or celebrity in the world of the arts that they
know and ask them to add their statement.
HAROLD PINTER, playwright and Nobel prize winner:
"There is no more suitable candidate for Leading War
Criminal than George Bush. The only person that comes
anywhere near him is Tony Blair. They are both beneath
contempt. Bush should certainly be arrested and sent to
Guantanamo Bay where he can rot forever."
LOUISE CHRISTIAN, human rights lawyer:
"George Bush bears a heavy responsibility as the leader of
the most powerful country in the world who has
comprehensively turned his back on the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights of 1948 and the whole concept of
international law."
MOAZZAM BEGG, former Guantanamo detainee:
"History will judge G.W. Bush as the man who wreaked
devastation and destruction on earth even as he was having
men tortured in the world's most notorious and secret
prisons."
******************************
3) WE'RE "WINNING" IN AFGHANISTAN
Almost all we hear these days about the war in Afghanistan
is when the mainstream media reports a British army major
saying a "corner has been turned" and the occupation forces
are "winning" the battle to subjugate the country. The
reality is very different, according to analysts who go
beyond military propaganda handouts.
More than 1,500 people have been killed this year. They are
always described as "insurgents" or "the enemy" in official
reports, but most are in fact civilians killed under a "bomb
now, ask questions later" policy. The US government wants
more countries to send troops to bolster their aggression,
as the Afghan resistance continues to control large swathes
of the country. The deaths of British soldiers, now only
noted briefly in media reports, recently reached 97 and the
landmark total of 100 dead is likely to be reached in the
coming month.
Stop the War is asking all its local groups to plan for
vigils, protests, naming of the dead (Afghan and British),
public rallies, etc, to protest against the largely
unreported carnage that continues daily in Afghanistan.
******************************
4) BIG AUDIENCES FOR ANTI-ISLAMOPHOBIA RALLIES
The campaign reported in our last newsletter opposing the
instant deportation of Hicham Yezza was successful but he is
still detained and the fight to get his deportation quashed
continues. For further information and updates go to:
Hicham Yezza is a victim of the officially promoted
Islamophobia, which is causing great concern within the
Muslim community and on academic campuses. This is
reflected in the large audiences turning up for Stop the
War's national tour of rallies to hear speakers such as
David Edgar, Terry Eagleton, Moazzam Begg, Louise Christian,
George Galloway MP, Andrew Murray and Annas Al-Tikriti,
discuss "Racism, the War on Terror and the Muslim
Community".
The remaining meetings are:
* MANCHESTER: Thursday June 5. Friends Meeting House.
Speakers: Moazzam Begg, David Edgar, Nahella Asraf
* BLACKBURN: Wednesday June 11, 7pm, Speakers: Alice Mahon,
Anas Al - Tikriti, Chris Nineham, Blackburn Central Library,
Hornby Lecture Theatre
* LEEDS:Thursday June 12, 7PM. Speakers: Alice Mahon, Anas
al - Tikriti, Chris Nineham. Leeds Islamic Centre, Spencer
Place, Chapeltown, LS7
******************************
5) YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP: NO. 5943
"There is nothing more important than getting people of
different faiths and cultures to understand each other
better and live in peace and mutual respect."
- TONY BLAIR, 30/05/08
See: http://tinyurl.com/48fh8g
******************************
6) JOIN STOP THE WAR TO HELP FUND OUR CAMPAIGNS
There is no better way to support Stop the War in its
constant need to raise funds for our campaigns opposing all
aspects of the "war on terror" than by becoming a national
member, which costs as little as two pounds a month. If you
are not a member, we urge you to consider becoming one now.
JOIN STOP THE WAR OR MAKE A DONATION:
ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
TELEPHONE: Stop the War national office - 020 7278 6694.
FUND RAISING RAFFLE
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to our fundraising
raffle, for which the draw has been made. The prizes
included a trip to Paris, a digital camera and a mountain
bike and the winners are listed on the Stop the War website:
See http://tinyurl.com/432nnd
******************************
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Thursday, June 05, 2008 | Permalink