STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1065 16 December 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
MANY THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
The Stop War Coalition would like to thank all our
supporters for your anti-war efforts in 2008. Clearly our
work will be as necessary as ever in 2009 and we aim to
redouble our efforts in the cause of peace. Below is an
outline of some of our upcoming activities. Seasonal
greetings to all.
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) SHOE PROTEST AT US EMBASSY
2) AFGHANISTAN -- LEARNING NOTHING FROM IRAQ
3) ANTI-WAR CAMPAIGNING IN 2009
4) CAGE PRISONERS TOUR
5) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE MARCH 14-15
6) COUNTDOWN TO OBAMA APPEAL
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1) SHOE PROTEST AT US EMBASSY
The shoe protest at George Bush's press conference in the
Baghdad Green by Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi has made
him a hero across the Middle East. When he shouted at Bush
"This is for the widows and orphans of Iraq", he expressed
the unreported feelings of millions in Iraq and beyond that
the Bush occupation has been a disaster and that it should
end immediately.
Since the protest Muntadar al-Zaidi has been held in custody
and according to the BBC has been subject to brutal
treatment. His brother has said that since his arrest he has
a broken wrist, broken ribs and internal bleeding.
Stop the War Coalition will be supporting Media Workers
Against the War when they deliver a protest letter to the US
Embassy this Friday. We are asking people to join the
protest and bring shoes to be delivered to the Embassy with
the letter in solidarity with the Iraqi people.
SHOE PROTEST AT US EMBASSY
1PM, FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER,
US EMBASSY, GROSVENOR SQUARE WC1
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2) AFGHANISTAN -- LEARNING NOTHING FROM IRAQ
Gordon Brown's response to the deaths of four British
soldiers in Afghanistan last week -- another death since
then has taken the total to twelve in just over one month --
was to promise more troops and weaponry. In this he
demonstrates yet again that he will follow wherever US war
policies take him.
Barack Obama's election in the US expressed an enormous
desire for change, not least for an end to George Bush's
warmongering. Instead what his voters are to get is a
"surge" in troop numbers in Afghanistan and Obama has
already indicated that he is sympathetic calls by US
military leaders for an escalation of attacks on Pakistan.
With Barack Obama and Gordon Brown now focussing on
intensifying the war in Afghanistan, Stop the War is asking
its local groups to organise rallies in February/March with
the title AFGHANISTAN: WHY WE SHOULD GET OUT.
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3) ANTI-WAR CAMPAIGNING IN 2009
Anti-war campaigning will be as important as ever in 2009
and Stop the War has a busy few months ahead. We are working
towards two big events in particular - a Peace and Social
Justice march at the G20 in London on Thursday 2 April and
the international protests when NATO meets in Strasbourg on
4-5 April, the 60th anniversary of the organisation's
foundation.
* MARCH TO THE G20
Stop the War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament have
called a PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE DEMONSTRATION at the G20
meeting in London on Thursday 2 April. We will be demanding
that the G20 break from the policies of wars and
neo-liberalism which have caused such devastation around the
globe. We will be organising the widest possible
co-ordination to mobilise for the protest.
* NO TO NATO PROTESTS, STRASBOURG 4- 5 APRIL
The day after the G20 demonstration in London, Friday 3
April, transport will be leaving for the international
protest at NATO's 60th birthday conference. NATO is playing
the central role in the occupation of Afghanistan and its
eastward expansion is causing growing tension in the
Caucasus and beyond. Antiwar and peace organisations from
across Europe have called protests, a demonstration and a
counter conference from 2-5 April. The mass demonstration is
on Saturday 4 April and the Counter Conference on Sunday 5
April.
Coach tickets are on Sale now from the Stop The War office.
Postcards for promoting the NO TO NATO event are also
available and an information brochure can be downloaded from
our website.
There will be an activists meeting in Strasbourg on 14-15
February to finalise plans for the protest and accompanying
events. Contact the office for more details.
* NATO/G20 LONDON ACTIVISTS' MEETING
A meeting for London Stop the War activists has been
organised to discuss mobilisation for the NATO and G20
protests:
WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY
INDIAN YMCA, 41 FITZROY SQUARE
LONDON W1T 6 AQ
(Warren Street tube)
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4) CAGE PRISONERS TOUR 11 January-3 February
Ex-Guantanamo prisoner Moazzam Begg is touring the country
with Chris Arendt, a refusenik US army guard from
Guantanamo, and Sami Al Haj, an Al Jazeera Cameraman who was
also detained in Guantanamo. The tour is billed as TWO SIDES
- ONE STORY and is supported by Stop the War. We are asking
all Stop the War Groups to build support for what will be a
very important and high profile tour.
To see if the tour is visiting your town, for further
information and contact details, GO TO:
http://www.cageprisoners.com/
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5) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE MARCH 14-15
SOUTH CAMDEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
CHARRINGTON STREET LONDON NW1 1RG
Our annual conference will be a one and a half day event to
include time for political analysis of a fast changing
situation as well as conference business. Stop the War
groups and affiliated organisations are asked to plan now
for electing delegates.
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6) COUNTDOWN TO OBAMA APPEAL
To make all this happen the coalition urgently needs funds,
Our Countdown to Obama appeal has got a tremendous response
and we have collected close to half of our target figure of
£10,000, which we aim to reach by 20 January, the day Obama
is inaugurated as president. Please give generously. You can
donate online, by cheque (payable to the stop the War
Coalition) or by credit/debit card (phoning the Stop the War
office, 020 7278 6694).
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STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1063 18 November 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) 68% SAY OUT OF AFGHANISTAN NOW
2) BUSH-BLAIR: CRIMINAL VIGILANTES
3) COUNTDOWN TO OBAMA: APPEAL
4) NOAM CHOMSKY SPEAKING AT NATO PROTEST
5) LEADING MUSICIAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WAR
6) VOLUNTEERS WITH IT SKILLS NEEDED
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1) 68% SAY OUT OF AFGHANISTAN NOW
With the occupation of Afghanistan mired in crisis, a BBC
opinion poll last week showed that 68% of the British
population want the troops out of Afghanistan. For under 24s
the figure was 75%. Despite this Gordon Brown looks set to
support calls for an intensification of the war by NATO
forces, with Britain sending more troops. The three British
soldiers killed in the last few days indicate where this
policy is going.
Stop the War is asking all its supporters to join the
campaign to expose the brutal truth of the occupation in
Afghanistan. This Thursday 20 November will be the seventh
anniversary of the so called liberation in 2001, which has
seen tens of thousands of civilians and 125 British soldiers
killed. United Nations' reports show that in the past seven
years life expectancy has gone down, child mortality has
gone up and life for women has become intolerable. Afghan
aid agencies are warning of mass starvation this winter
because violence is spiralling and aid can't get through.
Stop the War groups across the country are organising
protests, vigils and naming of the dead ceremonies this
Thursday to mark the anniversary of an invasion which has
brought so much death and devastation to Afghanistan. Please
get details locally or from our website:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/.
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
The Stop the War website is hosting an exhibition of photos
recording the desperate plight of refugees in Afghanistan by
photo journalist Guy Smallman, who has just returned from
the country.
AFGHANISTAN: WHY WE SHOULD GET OUT
The Stop the War pamphlet, Afghanistan: Why we should get
out, with an introduction by John Pilger, is being
reprinted, following the first print run selling out very
quickly. The pamphlet takes apart the 'good war' arguments
used to justify the carnage in Afghanistan. The pamphlet
costs £1.50 including p and p, with reductions for bulk
orders.
TO ORDER ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
BY PHONE: 020 7278 6694.
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2) BUSH-BLAIR: CRIMINAL VIGILANTES
The Guardian reports that "one of Britain's most
authoritative judicial figures last night delivered a
blistering attack on the invasion of Iraq, describing it as
a serious violation of international law, and accusing
Britain and the US of acting like a 'world vigilante'." (see
http://tinyurl.com/5sce3d).
"The invasion of Iraq by the US, the UK, and some other
states was unauthorised by the security council, " says
Bingham, "There was, of course, a serious violation of
international law and the rule of law." He also criticises
the US government's detention and torture policies in
Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib and the post-invasion record of
Britain as "an occupying power in Iraq", which he says was
"sullied by a number of incidents, most notably the shameful
beating to death of Mr Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist in
Basra in 2003".
Nothing here of course which the anti-war movement hasn't
highlighted repeatedly over the past five years. The
question Bingham doesn't raise is when we are likely to see
the perpetrators of these war crimes held accountable for
their illegal policies, which have led to the deaths of at
least one million people, over four million refugees and,
according to a recent report, "made life for most people in
Iraq unbearable". (see http://tinyurl.com/56musg)
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3) COUNTDOWN TO OBAMA: APPEAL
Stop the War urgently needs extra funds and we are
organising our own YES WE CAN financial appeal in the run up
to Barack Obama's inauguration. We have nearly seen the last
of George Bush, but we need to see also an end to his war
policies. This means a continuing campaign against our own
government's support for those policies, with a particular
focus on Afghanistan.
There are never any "bailouts" available for a campaigning
organisation like Stop the War. We rely entirely on
donations from our supporters to sustain our activities,
which in the immediate future include:
* A national tour in the new year entitled WHY WE SAY TROOPS
OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.
* Mobilising for the international demonstration at the NATO
conference in Strasbourg in April, which is gaining wide
support across Europe and beyond.
* Reprinting our popular pamphlet, Afghanistan: Why We
Should Get Out.
Please donate to our YES WE CAN financial appeal.
DONATE ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
BY CREDIT/DEBIT CARD: Phone 020 7278 6694
BY POST: Cheque payable to "Stop the War Coalition" to Stop
the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London, WC1X 9JP.
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4) NOAM CHOMSKY SPEAKING AT NATO PROTEST
Tens of thousands of anti war protestors will be marching in
Strasbourg next year against NATO expansion and the war in
Afghanistan. This is the location for the NATO conference on
the 60th anniversary of its formation. The anti-war protests
will include a counter conference, at which, among many
international speakers, will be Noam Chomsky. Stop the War
will be building the widest support for these very important
protests and is organising coaches to take protestors from
Britain. Coach tickets are on sale now. For tickets and more
information go to http://tinyurl.com/6yce3p
DEMONSTRATE AT NATO'S 60TH CONFERENCE
NO TO NATO, NO TO WAR
APRIL 4TH AND 5TH 2009,
STRASBOURG, FRANCE
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5) LEADING MUSICIAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WAR
Matthew Herbert is a celebrated musician, band leader,
record producer and dj, whose work in many areas of popular
music has consistently received five star reviews. Matthew
recently gave a video interview to Stop the War, in which he
talks about music and politics, the election of Barack Obama
and the importance of the anti-war movement. See the
interview here: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ (scroll down the
page.)
Singers and bands Matthew has worked with include REM,
Björk, Moloko, Serge Gainsbourg, Yoko Ono and John Cale. He
is also one of the most political musicians in Britain,
often including anti-war content in his live performances
and albums, not least his latest which is titled THERE'S YOU
AND THERE'S ME. (See: http://www.matthewherbert.com/)
The Matthew Herbert Big Band will be performing at the Royal
Festival Hall in London this Friday 21 November. For
information and tickets see: http://tinyurl.com/5cq77z
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6) VOLUNTEERS WITH IT SKILLS NEEDED
Stop the War is looking for volunteers with IT skills who
can help out one or two days a week in the national office,
which is located near Kings Cross Station, London. If you
are interested, please contact the Stop the War office for
more details: Tel 0207278 6694.
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