STOP THE WAR COALITION
12 November 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
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CONFERENCE: ALL WELCOME: BOOK NOW
UNDER SIEGE: ISLAM, WAR AND THE MEDIA
SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER, 2.00PM TO 6.30PM
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, LONDON WC2A
http://mwaw.net/conference/2008
(More details below)
Media Workers Against the War is hosting this conference in
London, titled Under Seige: Islam, War and the Media. The
conference is open to all and advance booking for tickets
has been brisk, which is hardly surprising, given the very
impressive list of speakers, including Peter Oborne from the
Daily Mail, Nick Davies from the Guardian, ex-Guantanamo
prisoner Moazzam Begg, Inayat Bunglawala from the Muslim
Council of Britain, campaigning civil rights lawyer Louise
Christian and journalist Eamonn McCann, who is also a member
of the Raytheon 9 campaign. (See below for more details of
speakers.)
This conference comes at a crucial time. The election of the
first black US president has raised expectations of change,
but the "war on terror", now in its eighth year, continues.
The war in Iraq is often spun as a "good news story",
ignoring the desperate conditions suffered my most of its
people. The war in Afghanistan is being escalated, despite
the commander of the British troops stating recently, "We're
not going to win this war". These wars have been extended
into Pakistan by illegal US airstrikes, carried out with
increasing frequency. A largely unreported proxy war rages
in Somalia. The Caucasus remain a cauldron of instability
after the war this Summer in Ossetia.
At home, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to
vilification of Islam and the scapegoating of Muslims.
Journalists who investigate extremism have been targeted by
the courts, while the police have used "terror" laws to
harass photographers. A proper debate about reporting Islam
is long overdue. Many leading journalists now acknowledge
that too often the media has resorted to crude stereotypes
of Muslims that fuel racism and extremism.
There was never a greater need for responsible, informed and
investigative journalism. This conference will debate the
role of the media in a world wracked by wars and economic
breakdown. Tickets will be available on the day of the
conference but, given the high interest already generated,
pre-booking is advisable (see below).
UNDER SIEGE: ISLAM, WAR AND THE MEDIA
SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER, 2.00PM TO 6.30PM
THE OLD LECTURE THEATRE
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
HOUGHTON ST, LONDON WC2A
Hosted by Media Workers Against the War. All welcome.
TICKETS AND FULL DETAILS: http://mwaw.net/conference/2008
Email info@mwaw.net
Tel 07801 789 297
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
* PETER OBORNE: Daily Mail columnist, former editor of The
Spectator, author of "The Rise of Political Lying" and
"Muslims under siege: alienating
vulnerable communities".
* MOAZZAM BEGG: Who was imprisoned at Guantanamo, co-author
of Enemy Combatant: A British Muslim's Journey To Guantanamo
and Back.
* INAYAT BUNGLAWALA: Leading figure in the Muslim Council of
Britain and Advisor on Policy and Research at ENGAGE
(http://www.iengage.org.uk/), an initiative designed to
encourage British Muslims to interact more effectively in
politics and the media in the UK
* LOUISE CHRISTIAN: Campaigning solicitor who has acted
tirelessly for families of rail crash victims and prisoners
held in Guantanamo Bay
* NICK DAVIES is an award-winning investigative reporter for
The Guardian whose new book Flat Earth News has caused a
storm in British journalism.
* EAMONN MCCANN: Longstanding Irish civil rights leader,
campaigning journalist and member of the Raytheon 9
campaign, which successfully challenged Raytheon's
involvement in supplying weapons to Israel.
* LINDSEY GERMAN: National Convenor of Stop the War
Coalition
* JEREMY DEAR, General Secretary of the National Union of
Journalists, will chair the conference.
CONFERENCE: ALL WELCOME
UNDER SIEGE: ISLAM, WAR AND THE MEDIA
SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER, 2.00PM TO 6.30PM
THE OLD LECTURE THEATRE
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
HOUGHTON ST, LONDON WC2A
Hosted by Media Workers Against the War. All welcome.
TICKETS AND FULL DETAILS: http://mwaw.net/conference/2008
Email info@mwaw.net
Tel 07801 789 297
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STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1061 24 October 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) US ELECTION, ECONOMIC CRISIS AND WAR
2) AFGHANISTAN: OCCUPATION IN CRISIS
3) ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION: CORRECTION
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1) US ELECTION, ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE WAR
A STOP THE WAR ELECTION SPECIAL
This year's election in the US is the most anticipated in
decades. A surprise McCain victory would have truly
frightening foreign policy implications. An Obama victory
would be in large part due to anti war sentiment in the
US and if he wins peace loving people round the world
will at least heave a sigh of relief. But many of his
foreign policy statements have been less than reassuring.
He sounds positively hawkish on Afghanistan. The night
before the US election Stop the War is hosting a forum in
London to discuss the likely impact of the election and
the economic crisis on the war.
PUBLIC FORUM
US ELECTION, ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE WAR.
MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 7PM,
CONWAY HALL, RED LION SQUARE, HOLBORN
Nearest tube Holborn.
SPEAKERS:
LINDSEY GERMAN Convenor of Stop the War Coalition
TONY BENN,
JONATHAN STEELE, Guardian Journalist and author of
Defeat: why America and Britain Lost Iraq.
MOAZZAM BEGG ex Guantanamo detainee
NICK BROOMFIELD, award winning director of Battle For
Haditha.
Entrance to this event will cost £2. To reserve your seat
phone Stop the War on 0207278 6694 or e-mail
office@stopwar.org.uk
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2) AFGHANISTAN: OCCUPATION IN CRISIS
The NATO operation in Afghanistan is spilling over in to
Pakistan with devastating results. On Wednesday this week
a US air strike hit a Pakistani school in North
Waziristan, killing eleven. Unbelievably the response
from intelligence officials was that the school had links
with the Taliban. The attack appears to have been the
result of US frustration with the Pakistani government
strategy of dealing with extremism which the US believes
is too soft.
The occupation of Afghanistan is increasingly brutal.
Reports of civilian deaths are mounting as air
bombardments become more intense. This week coalition
bombers hit an Afghan army checkpoint in Khost killing at
least nine soldiers.
The occupation is in crisis, but the main reaction from
Whitehall and Washington seems to be to order an
escalation of the aggression. A week ago it was announced
the outspoken General Dannatt is resigning early as chief
of the General Staff and be replaced by the hawk Sir
David Richards who supports a surge in Afghanistan
including sending 5,000 extra British troops.
In the US, Barack Obama's aides are outlining a foreign
policy centred around escalation in Central Asia.
The Stop the War Coalition continues to call for all
foreign troops to leave the region immediately. We will
be supporting the anti NATO protests at Strasbourg next
April 3th-6th. For more information go to:
http://tinyurl.com/5ts438
NAMING THE DEAD
We are also asking all local groups and supporters to
organise vigils, protests and naming of the dead
ceremonies on Thursday 20 November -- the seventh
anniversary of the so called liberation of Afghanistan.
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3) ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION: CORRECTION
In our last newsletter, we gave a broken link to the
website for Asian Dub Foundation, the renowned British
band which is supporting Stop the War. The correct link
is below.
Asian Dub Foundation's new album, PUNKARA, is out now on
CD and digital download and features guests IGGY POP and
EUGENE HUTZ (Gogol Bordello). For track previews and
further info: http://tinyurl.com/23ckgf
Stop the War Coalition will be represented at ADF's only
gig in the UK this year:
Electric Ballroom
Tube: Camden Town, London
Tuesday, 28 October at 7.30 pm
Tickets: 0844 576 5483
www.livenation.co.uk
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STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1059 08 October 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) ANTI-WAR CAMPAIGN NEEDED MORE THAN EVER
2) “WE ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THIS WAR”
3) NO TO NATO DEMONSTRATION
4) BECOME A NATIONAL STOP THE WAR MEMBER
5) SET UP A STOP THE WAR GROUP IN YOUR TOWN
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1) ANTI-WAR CAMPAIGN NEEDED MORE THAN EVER
As economic crisis spreads round the globe, the world is becoming a more
dangerous place. The conflict in Georgia raised the prospect of big power
confrontation. For all the talk of success in Iraq, the country has been
brutally segregated and violence is still at 2004 levels. In Afghanistan,
violence is spiralling and even the UK military admit failure. There is every
chance that the US and NATO will respond by intervening elsewhere.
Anti war campaigning is more important than ever. Stop the War has organised a
wide range of events across the country over the next three months.
DIARY OF EVENTS:
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OCTOBER 2008: WORLD AGAINST WAR RALLIES: With Sami Ramadani of Iraqi Democrats
Against The Occupation. Judith LeBlanc from the US Peace Coalition United for
Peace and Justice, Hossam el-Hamalawy, Egyptian Journalist & Activist, Mohamed
Asif from the Scottish Afghan society and a speaker from Stop the War
Coalition.
TOWER HAMLETS London Monday evening October 20th
CAMBRIDGE Tuesday evening Oct 21st,
LEEDS Wednesday Oct 22nd,
NEWCASTLE Thursday Oct 23rd,
GLASGOW Friday Oct 24th
University Meetings
SUSSEX UNIVERSITY 1pm, Monday October 20
SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES, 1pm, Tuesday October 21st
LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY, 1pm Wednesday 22nd
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY, 1pm Thursday 23rd
EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY, 1pm Friday 24th
Please see the website for further details.
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US ELECTION SPECIAL: THE ELECTION, ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE WAR.
NOVEMBER 3, 7PM CONWAY HALL,
RED LION SQUARE, HOLBORN.
Stop the War has brought together a group of commentators and activists to
discuss the likely impact of the economic crisis and the election on US wars.
SPEAKERS: Tony Benn, Jonathan Steele - Guardian journalist, Moazzam Begg,
ex-Guantanamo Detainee, Nick Broomfield - film maker, Lindsey German, Convenor
of STWC.
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OCTOBER 31 - STWC HALLOWEEN PARTY FUNDRAISER
7pm-2am @ The Minories, 64 The Minories, London EC3N 1JL.
Tickets £5 from the STWC office or tansy@stopwar.org.uk
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November 29 STOP THE WAR CONFERENCE - AFGHANISTAN, NATO AND THE SPREAD OF WAR
11am to 4pm at University & College Union, Britannia Street, London WC1,
off Gray’s Inn Road, nearest tube Kings Cross.
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DECEMBER 5: STWC CHRISTMAS PARTY
6.30pm – 10.30pm at The Canal Museum,
12/13 New Wharf Road, London, N1 9RT.
Tickets £10 including food and available from the STWC office.
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2) “WE ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THIS WAR”
"We're not going to win this war." So said Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the
British general in charge about Afghanistan, on Sunday. He was effectively
admitting the Taliban and other anti occupation groups are winning and both the
occupation and the Karzai government are completely discredited.
What he didn’t mention is the root cause of all this. Life has quite simply
got much worse for Afghans since the occupation. There has been virtually no
reconstruction. All the research, including that of UN shows the same picture.
* Life expectancy has fallen since 2003 to 43.1 years;
* Since 2001, the infant mortality rate has risen to 135 per 1,000 deaths;
* Only 31% of the population have access to clean water;
* Adult literacy has fallen from 2003 figure to 23.5%.
Stop the War has produced a new pamphlet called AFGHANISTAN, WHY WE SHOULD GET
OUT. Introduced by John Pilger, the pamphlet covers the war, women’s rights,
the opium boom and the tremendous cost of the war to the Afghan people and the
British Exchequer.
We hope you will enjoy reading this important resource and try and sell some
copies. Winning the argument against the occupation of Afghanistan is one of
the most important jobs we face.
TO BUY THE PAMPHLET, PRICE £1:
ONLINE: Go to http://tinyurl.com/3no7sg
CREDIT/DEBIT CARD: Call 020 7278 6694
Bulk orders are also available: Up to 10 pamphlets cost £1 each, after that
they are 50p each. Contact Stop the War on 020 7278 6694 for single or bulk
orders.
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3) NO TO NATO DEMONSTRATION
NO TO NATO. STOP THE SPREAD OF WAR.
TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN
STRASBOURG, 3-5 APRIL 2009
Tens of thousands of anti war protestors are due to converge on Strasbourg in
early April next year for the sixtieth conference of NATO. NATO has become the
main vehicle for pursuing the ‘war on terror’ and is running the
catastrophic occupation in Afghanistan. The European anti-war and peace
movements have come together to call a massive demonstration and a series of
other protest events in Strasbourg.
Stop the War will be organising transport to the protests.
There will be an activists meeting to prepare the protests in Strasbourg on
February 14 and 15 next year. More details and a call for the protests is
available on the Stop the War website: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
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4) BECOME A NATIONAL STOP THE WAR MEMBER
Stop The War is asking all its supporters to turn themselves into members of
the Coalition. The anti-war movement can only thrive if people support the Stop
The War Coalition by joining it and making a small donation every month by
taking out a standing order with us or consider increasing your existing one
today.
We hope you are already in touch with your local Stop the War group, if this is
not the case and you would like to be informed about local activities, please
let the office know and we will send you contact details for your local group.
Once again thank you for your support and please do not hesitate to contact us
at the Stop the War Coalition office at any time.
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5) SET UP A STOP THE WAR GROUP IN YOUR TOWN
We have been contacted by a number of people wanting to set up a Stop the War
groups in their town, locality or college. If you think you could do the same,
please contact the office and we will send you a start up pack, help you
organise a launch meeting or film showing and give you any other advice and
support we can. The office number is 020 7278 6694.
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