STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1067 31 December 2008
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
1) IF BRITAIN WAS GAZA…
2) WHAT YOU CAN DO
4) LOCAL PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
3) STATEMENT FROM TONY BENN
4) TEN REASONS TO SUPPORT THE DEMONSTRATION
5) FINANCIAL APPEAL
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1) IF BRITAIN WAS GAZA… 16,000 DEAD
In the last four days, Israel has killed close to 400
Palestinians in Gaza, which has a population of one and a
half million. A proportionately similar death toll in
Britain, with a population of 60 million, would be 16,000
dead in four days. If Britain was Gaza, Israel would be
condemned by the whole world for monstrous crimes against
humanity and forced to stop the carnage. The mealy mouthed
statements by governments so far are pitiful. Israel is only
able to act in this barbaric manner because of the support
it gets from governments who habitually turn a blind eye to
its war crimes. We must create a tidal wave of opinion
demanding an immediate end to the Israeli massacre.
This is why the demonstrations in Britain and around the
world this Saturday are so important. A national emergency
demonstration has been called for Saturday 3 September by
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, British Muslim
Initiative, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and many other
organisations, assembling at 12.30pm at Embankment WC2.
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION: SATURDAY 3 JANUARY
HANDS OFF GAZA: STOP THE BOMBING: FREE PALESTINE
ASSEMBLE 12.30 PM EMBANKMENT, LONDON WC2
Nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross
LEAFLET FOR DOWNLOADING: http://tinyurl.com/97udra
DEMO UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)
SEE BELOW FOR LOCAL PROTESTS.
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2) WHAT YOU CAN DO
Time is short but, as we showed in the two emergency
demonstrations organised to oppose Israel's attack of
Lebanon in 2006, tens of thousands will support a protest
against such mass slaughter and devastation, if it is
publicised widely and quickly. Please help in any way you
can, e.g.:
* Encourage your family, friends, neighbours, work
colleagues, fellow students etc to join the national
demonstration;
* Download the demonstration leaflet from the Stop the War
Website (http://tinyurl.com/97udra) for printing or
photocopying. Distribute it as widely as you can in your
community;
* Visit community and church groups, mosques etc and
encourage support for the demonstration;
* Organise with friends to leaflet tube stations, bus
stations, shopping centres etc.
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3) LOCAL PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
Everyone who can should join the national demonstration in
London. For those who cannot, there are local protests in
Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds,
Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Norwich,
Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Swansea and Tunbridge
Wells. Details are on the Stop the War website and we will
post details for other local demonstrations as we receive
them.
FOR FULL DETAILS OF LOCAL DEMONSTRATIONS, SEE:
http://tinyurl.com/9e4ecb
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4) STATEMENT FROM TONY BENN
Tony Benn, President of Stop the War Coalition, writes:
The Israeli Government, armed and supported by President
Bush, with its savage attack on the people of Gaza now
represents the greatest threat to security in the Middle
East and the world peace movement is mobilizing on a massive
scale to defeat this aggression. I appeal to everyone who
can possibly do so to attend the many demonstrations that
are being held here so that the British government is left
in no doubt as to the strength of opposition there is to
this war.
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5) TEN REASONS TO SUPPORT THE DEMONSTRATION
* 1. Close to 400 people have already been killed and Israel
is committed to continuing the mass murder. With Israeli
elections due in two months, all Israeli leaders are
competing over who is the toughest and who is ready to kill
more in Gaza.
* 2. Most of those killed have been civilians. The figure of
60 civilians which has been given out is nonsense, based on
the exclusion of all male victims from the dead.
* 3. Over 1000 people have been injured, many of them
seriously, with loss of limbs, eyes etc.
* 4. Despite letting in a little aid one day this week,
Israel is maintaining the most severe blockade seen anywhere
in the world for over 50 years, which starves Gaza of food,
medical supplies, water, fuel and other essential resources.
* 5. UN commissioner-general, Karen AbuZayd, says the
situation in the region is desperate: "There's no fuel,
there's no power plant, there's no electricity working now."
* 6. Medical services in Gaza, already depleted by the
Israeli siege over the last year, are close to collapse,
with doctors and nurses only able to deal with the most
serious cases, many injured left to die in hospital
corridors, the morgues full and ambulances not working for
lack of fuel and spare parts.
* 7. The UN, on which under the Israeli siege most people in
Gaza depend for food, has stopped distributing food because
its agencies have run out of fuel for vehicles. Nine out of
ten Gazans live below the poverty line, with many families
forced to eat grass to survive.
* 8. The infrastructure in many areas has been so destroyed
that residents have no access to water or electricity. The
UN says the Israeli blockade has resulted in Palestinians
receiving running water only once every five to seven days
* 9. Israel is in breach of many Geneva Conventions and
international laws amounting to war crimes, including,
wilful killing, extensive destruction of property not
justified by military necessity and collective punishment.
* 10. The condemnation of Israel's actions must become so
overwhelming that it is forced to stop its policy of mass
murder and collective punishment against a defenceless
people.
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6) FINANCIAL APPEAL
Stop the War urgently needs funds to help organise
Saturday's emergency demonstration and for the peace
activities we have planned for the coming months. Please
donate if you can. There are three ways to donate:
* ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn
* BY POST: Cheques made to "Stop the War Coalition". Send to
27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
* BY CREDIT/DEBIT CARD (from 5 January):
Telephone 020 7278 6694
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NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION: SATURDAY 3 JANUARY
HANDS OFF GAZA: STOP THE BOMBING: FREE PALESTINE
ASSEMBLE 12.30 PM EMBANKMENT, LONDON WC2
Nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross
LEAFLET FOR DOWNLOADING: http://tinyurl.com/97udra
DEMO UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)
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