Hackney Stop the War

UPDATE: Defending the right to protest on 20 November

2010-11-14T12:54:00.001Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION
UPDATE
11 November 2010
Email office@stopwar.org.uk Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

UPDATE:
1) DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO PROTEST ON 20 NOVEMBER
2) HOW TO JOIN OR SUBSCRIBE TO STOP THE WAR'S FACEBOOK
3) AFGHANISTAN: REASONS TO DEMONSTRATE VIDEOS

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1) DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO PROTEST ON 20 NOVEMBER

We asked our supporters to complain by email to the Hyde Park
authorities, who are trying to stop the AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO GO
demonstration from assembling at Speakers' Corner to "protect" a
commercial event called Winter Wonderland, which is taking place
half a mile away. (SEE http://bit.ly/bdyMSr )

Such has been the overwhelming number of complaints that the Hyde
Park authorities are now blocking all emails to their chief
executive.

If you wish to make a complaint, this should now be to Chris
Smith, business manager of AEG, who are the organisers of Winter
Wonderland: chris.smith@aegworldwide.co.uk

As we reported in our last newsletter, we will be defying this
ban, as we did successfully for previous attempts to restrict our
right to protest in 2003 and 2007. Please join us.

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION * AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO GO
SATURDAY 20 NOVEMBER * ASSEMBLE 12 NOON
SPEAKERS' CORNER * HYDE PARK * LONDON
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and British Muslim
Initiative.

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2) HOW TO JOIN STOP THE WAR'S FACEBOOK

We have had a number of requests for instructions on how to join
Stop the War's new Facebook.

i) If you are not a member of Facebook, go to
http://www.facebook.com/ and sign up.

ii) Once you've signed up, the quickest way to find our Facebook
is to go to:
http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

iii) To receive our Facebook updates, click the Like button next
to the heading Stop the War Coalition.

iv) We post messages every day, which you will now automatically
receive. You can also comment on messages, tell us which postings
you like (or not!) etc.

IMPORTANT:
If you joined the old Stop the War Facebook group, please note
that we no longer post on this. Join us on our new Facebook as
described above.

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3) AFGHANISTAN: REASONS TO DEMONSTRATE VIDEOS

The first three of our one minute videos Afghanistan: Reasons to
Demonstrate are now available on our website, as well as on
YouTube.

* Afghanistan: Reasons to Demonstrate No.1 featuring Tony Benn:
http://bit.ly/cemTFE

* Afghanistan: Reasons to Demonstrate No.2 featuring Joe Glenton:
http://bit.ly/9hDz6l

* Afghanistan: Reasons to Demonstrate No.3 featuring Rory Stewart
MP: http://bit.ly/dkQG2M

2010-11-13T13:46:00.000Z

Kabul conference shows the war at an impasse

2010-07-21T10:57:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
20 July 2010
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

1. KABUL CONFERENCE SHOWS THE WAR AT AN IMPASSE
2. 'AFGHANISTAN:TIME TO GO'. PUBLIC MEETING MONDAY 26TH JULY

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********

1. KABUL CONFERENCE SHOWS THE WAR AT AN IMPASSE

The Kabul conference discussing the war in Afghanistan has only served to
demonstrate the impasse which the war has now reached. Even the US
administration has conceded that talks with the Taliban – so far resisted by
Obama - are going to happen. The recognition that the war is losing contradicts
the statements, still reiterated by foreign secretary William Hague, that there
is a gradual improvement in the situation in Afghanistan.

The much-touted date for withdrawal in 2014 shows the desperation of the Nato
governments, faced with defeat in Afghanistan and growing unpopularity of the
war domestically. The fact that they are talking about a withdrawal date
reflects the growing costs of the war, in human life and in billions of
dollars. The death rate of British soldiers now stands at similar levels to
those of Russian soldiers just before their withdrawal 20 years ago. The death
rate of Afghans has increased over the past year. The Afghan army, supposedly
being trained to take over the war from the Nato forces, has a 25% desertion
rate.

But the conference today answers nothing. Why is fighting continuing in Helmand
and the south when a likely outcome of negotiations to end the war will be to
hand over that area to the Taliban? How can western governments claim the war
is about human rights when it backs a government ranking among the most corrupt
in the world? Why are these same governments ignoring public opinion, which is
for rapid withdrawal of troops and an end to the war?

The role of the British government in this war has been shameful, from John
Reid’s claim four years ago that the troops might be able to leave Helmand
without a shot being fired in anger, to Hague’s current increasingly
desperate justifications for the war.

How many more people will die before the proposed withdrawal date? How many
billions will be spent on an unjustifiable war while the welfare state is
slashed by the Coalition government. And which government minister will have to
tell the families of the dead what exactly they were fighting for?

We are asking all our supporters to redouble their efforts campaigning to bring
the troops home. Now is a moment when the movement can really make a
difference. Our timetable for withdrawal starts now, with campaigning in every
locality, involving military families, trade unions, school students and
students, faith groups and anti war campaigners. We are aiming for a big
national demonstration to coincide with the next Nato summit on November 20th
saying it’s time to go –bring the troops home.
Please start spreading the word about the demonstration – leaflets will be
available on Monday and get in touch with your local group or check the website
for local activities.

**************************************

2. 'AFGHANISTAN:TIME TO GO'. PUBLIC MEETING MONDAY 26TH JULY

7pm, Monday, 26th July
Conway Hall
25 Red Lion Square
London, WC1R 4RL

Joe Glenton, jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan, speaks out against
the war. With Caroline Lucas, Jeremy Corbyn and Mark Steel.

The war in Afghanistan is in crisis. The strategy is crumbling, with Obama's
sacking of General McChrystal and an increasingly corrupt Karzai government.
The violence is intensifying with No clear goals and even fewer results.
ThousandS of Afghan civilians are dying every year and very little rebuilding
is being done. Despite the 77% of people being opposed to Britain's
involvement in Afghanistan, this government continues to send troops to kill
and die in a war that is being lost.

This war is wrong, this war has failed and it's Time To Go--

Sat 26 June protest against Army Show Room: withdraw troops from Afghanistan

2010-06-11T16:49:00.000+01:00

SHUT DOWN THE ARMY SHOWROOM

BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN

PROTEST

1.30pm SATURDAY 26 JUNE

KINGSLAND SHOPPING CENTRE, KINGSLAND HIGH ST, DALSTON E8

(opposite Dalston Kingsland station)

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Ten Nato soldiers, including seven Americans, were killed on 7 June 2010, the day Afghanistan overtook Vietnam to become the longest war in US history.

The US has spent over $300 billion on the war in Afghanistan, where it currently has over 100,000 troops, at a cost of a million a year for each one.

Britain is spending £6 billion on close on 10,000 troops, who, at an escalating rate of deaths and injuries, have no other purpose than to bolster failed US war policies and to save the face of the politicians who took this country into an unjustified and unwinnable war.

Most people in Britain, according to the opinion polls, want the troops withdrawn. President Karzai's government is thoroughly corrupt. The continuing occupation only makes terrorist outrages more likely.

26 June is Armed Forces Day. We don't want any more soldiers being recruited or being sent to kill and to die. Young people should not feel forced to join up to escape rotting on the dole. Instead of cuts in public services, end the spending on the war in Afghanistan and on nuclear missiles. Put the money into education and jobs.

**************************************************

Please join us at our protest outside the Army Show Room in Dalston and tell the Con Dem government to bring the troops home.

If you can help publicise the protest please contact me for leaflets.

**************************************************

There will be similar protests outside army contact points in Hounslow and Bromley.

Justice Not Vengeance is organising other activities, including a peace walk between 25 June and 1 July from London to Colchester in support of soldier Joe Glenton, who is being held in military prison in Colchester for refusing to return to Afghanistan to fight in a war he longer believes in. For details of this, and other activities, go to http://unarmedforcesday.wordpress.com or ring Maya on 01424 431088.

**************************************************

Gareth Jenkins
Sec. Hackney Stop The War

07764 616960

Demonstration Against Israeli brutality, Saturday

2010-06-02T22:16:00.000+01:00

Israel’s unprecedented massacre of peace activists on the Gaza flotilla has produced an outrage around the world.

On Monday London saw a magnificent protest called at just a few hours’ notice, as did many other towns and cities across the country.

This Saturday there is another emergency demonstration, which we need to make a big as possible.

Attached to this email is a flyer. Please print or photocopy some copies and spread them around your workmates, your trade union and community groups and your streets.

Hackney Stop the War activists will be leafleting stations and shopping centres between now and Saturday, but everyone can play apart in making this the demonstration a big as possible.

GAZA FLOTILLA NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION

ASSEMBLE 1.30PM DOWNING STREET LONDON

Stop the war is also holding a conference on Islamophobia on Saturday. This was to have been an all-day event, but has now been shortened so that people can go on the demonstration.

Although only half a day now, the conference is important. The intensification of the EDL racist marches have highlighted the extent to which Muslims are demonised in our society and the Stop Islamophobia conference will bring together an impressive list of speakers to lead the discussion on how this can be countered.

Anyone who wishes to attend can still do so.

STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA CONFERENCE 9.30AM - 1.00PM

CAMDEN CENTRE LONDON WC1H 9JE

Stop the War needs your help urgently‏

2010-06-02T12:45:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
Newsletter No.1156
02 June 2010
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7801 2768 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) STOP THE WAR NEEDS YOUR HELP URGENLY
2) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW
3) EMERGENCY FUNDS NEEDED NOW
4) A TURNING POINT FOR GAZA

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1) STOP THE WAR NEEDS YOUR HELP URGENLY

GAZA FLOTILLA PROTEST MARCH SATURDAY 5 JUNE
ASSEMBLE DOWNING STREET 1.30PM
MARCH TO ISRAELI EMBASSY

We have only a few days to mobilise for Saturday's GAZA FLOTILLA
PROTEST MARCH and we need your help urgently.

When Stop the War organised emergency demonstrations during
Israel's Gaza onslaught in January 2009, which killed 1400
Palestinians, and in July 2006, when Israel launched full scale
war on Lebanon, the response of our supporters was phenomenal,
and we were able, within a few days, to organise two of the
largest demonstrations in recent years.

We urgently need your help now to ensure that we get the biggest
turnout possible on Saturday to reflect the widespread outrage at
Israel's heinous crimes in attacking the Gaza flotilla.

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2) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW

We urgently need vounteers to help in Stop the War's national
office, which is close to London's Victoria Station. We have
numerous tasks to cover in preparing for Saturday's
demonstration. If you have any time at all this week to help,
whether it's just a few hours or more, please contact us now:
EMAIL: office@stopwar.org.uk
PHONE: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7801 2768 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

*************************************
3) EMERGENCY FUNDS NEEDED NOW

Stop the War's finances are stretched to the limit. Funding the
demonstration and other emergency actions on top of our usual
office costs has stretched our finances to the limit.

We desperately need funding now to ensure we can meet the needs
of mobilising the largest possible turnout on Saturday. Please
make a donation of whatever sum you can afford.

Your contribution can make a big difference. Please rush your
donation to Stop the War now:
ONLINE: http://bit.ly/9seAbb
BY PHONE: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7801 2768 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
BY POST: Send a cheque payable to "Stop the War Coalition" to:
Stop the War Coalition, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1 1EH

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4) A TURNING POINT FOR GAZA

This week could be a turning point for the people of Gaza, if our
mealy-mouthed leaders, not least the British government, are
forced by public pressure to take action against Israel, which
has been allowed for too long to terrorise Palestinians and
violate countless international laws with impunity.

Please contribute in any way you can to building this pressure,
by spreading the word about Saturday's demonstration, by
vounteering if you have the time and by rushing to us your
donation towards our campaign fund.

GAZA FLOTILLA PROTEST MARCH SATURDAY 5 JUNE
ASSEMBLE DOWNING STREET 1.30PM
MARCH TO ISRAELI EMBASSY

Stop Islamophobia Conference: Book Now‏

2010-05-23T16:33:00.001+01:00



STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1154  
21 May 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA CONFERENCE - BOOK NOW  
2) STOP THE WAR APPEAL - PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY  
3) DEMOCRACY VILLAGE UNDER ATTACK

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1) STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA CONFERENCE - BOOK NOW

This conference is a crucial, long overdue event. Attacks on  
the Muslim community are at an all time high. The newspapers  
are full of abuse against Muslims. Physical attacks are  
rising. Muslim demonstrators are being sent to prison. The  
election of a right wing government will only mean more  
anti-Muslim policies while in Europe governments are lining up 
to ban the Burqa and impose restrictions on the Hijab.

The aim is to bring together all the organisations and 
individuals who want to stop the spread of the Islamophobic  
poison. The conference has been backed by Unite the Union, the 
NUJ, CND and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a number of  
Mosques, Friends of al Aqsa, the Muslim Safety Forum, the  
Islamic Forum of Europe and many other organisations.

Speakers include Moazzam Begg, Daud Abdullah, Salma Yaqoob,  
Peter Oborne, Lindsey German, Imran Khan, Seumas Milne and  
many more.

Please book now and spread the word. Tickets are available  
here: http://bit.ly/al64ru

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2) STOP THE WAR APPEAL - PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY
 
Stop the War Coalition needs your support.  We have launched  
an appeal for £10,000 for our two most urgent initiatives -  
the Troops Out of Afghanistan tour and the conference to Stop 
Islamophobia. Both projects are expensive. Both are crucial.  
NATO is poised for its biggest military offensive since  
Obama's surge, the attack on Kandanar. This could lead to  
massive suffering in what uis Afghanistans second city.

£50 buys 2000 leaflets, £500 pays for a workshop at the  
conference. Please give generously.

HOW TO DONATE:
ONLINE:  http://bit.ly/FeWuS
BY PHONE: Call 0207801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0207801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
BY POST: Send a cheque made out to "Stop the War Coalition" to 
Stop the War, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1 1EH

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3) DEMOCRACY VILLAGE UNDER ATTACK

Activists in Parliament Square, who have been camping out in  
protest against the war in Afghanistan, are being threatened  
with eviction in the run up to the Queens Speech next week.  
They are asking for people to visit them to show support. Send 
messages to:  supportdemoracyvillage@gmail.com

They can also be followed on Twitter at:  
http://twitter.com/Democracyville

2010-05-12T13:37:00.003+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 1151 
04 May 2010 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk 
Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting 
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 
1) NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PALESTINE 
2) ELTON JOHN NOT APPEARING AT PALESTINE PROTEST

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1) NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PALESTINE

Saturday 15 May is a day of action for Palestine, including a
demonstration in London, calling for:

* An end to Israel's violations of international law 
* An end to Israel's illegal occupation and settlements 
* Israeli war criminals to be brought to justice 
* An end to the siege on Gaza
* A ban on all settlement goods 
* Suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement 
* An end to the arms trade with Israel

LONDON FREE PALESTINE DEMONSTRATION 
SATURDAY 15 MAY, 12-2PM 
OPPOSITE 10 DOWNING STREET, LONDON SW1
(nearest tube Westminster)

Organised by: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim 
Initiative, Stop the War Coalition, CND, Palestinian Forum in
Britain.

Supported by: Association of the Palestinian Community UK, 
Friends of Al Aqsa, Friends of Lebanon, the Green Party, ICAHD
UK, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Liberal Democrats 
Friends of Palestine, Pax Christi, Public and Commercial 
Services Union, UNISON, UNITE the Union, Zaytoun

DOWNLOAD LEAFLET: http://bit.ly/bNg9J4

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2) ELTON JOHN NOT APPEARING AT PALESTINE PROTEST

Elton John will not be appearing at Saturday's demonstration 
for Palestine. Instead he's getting ready for a concert in Tel
Aviv on June 17, unlike Gil Scott Heron and Santana, who both
cancelled concerts in Israel, following a widespread call for
them to respect the boycott of Israel for its countless 
violations of international law.

When Elton John performs in Israel, we doubt that he will be 
singing the song we've posted on Stop the War's website:

How to use your vote against the war‏

2010-05-05T15:08:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1151  
04 May 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) HOW TO USE YOUR VOTE AGAINST THE WAR  
2) STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA: DEFEND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY  
3) FUND RAISING DRIVE: PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY

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1) HOW TO USE YOUR VOTE AGAINST THE WAR

Stop the war's lobbying database can help you decide how to  
vote against the war in Thursday's election. Thousands of  
people have used it to question their candidates on a range of 
issues concerning the "war on terror".

Of those who replied so far, 17 per cent of Labour and 17 per 
cent of Liberal Democrat candidates support our call for the  
troops to come home. Many of the smaller parties have higher  
pecentages of candidates opposing the war. Not one  
Conservative candidate has supported the call for the troops  
to be withdarwn.

HOW TO LOBBY YOUR LOCAL ELECTION CANDIDATES  
* Go to http://bit.ly/91ATZw  
* Enter your post code 
* Complete the survey (takes one or two minutes)

**********************************  
2) STOP ISLAMOPHOBIA: DEFEND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY  
ONE DAY CONFERENCE SATURDAY 5 JUNE 10AM TO 5PM 
CAMDEN CENTRE LONDON WC1H 9JE

Muslims are under attack on many fronts.  Media demonisation, 
pro-war propaganda , government surveillance, imprisonment of 
Muslims peacefully protesting against Israel's invasion of  
Gaza --  all have contributed to a sense that the whole  
community is being scapegoated.

One result has been a frightening increase in physical attacks 
on mosques and individuals.

Stop the War is organising a conference against Islamophobia, 
alongside the British Muslim Initiative, to discuss how best  
to campaign and organise against this growing threat.

The conference already has the support of a range of unions  
and organisations  including the National Union of  
Journalists, UNITE, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Islam Channel and a number 
of Mosques.

Speakers include:  
* Daud Abdullah, Muslim Council of Britain  
* Mohammed Ali, Islam Channel 
* Anas Al-Tikriti, British Muslim Initiative  
* Tre Azam, ex of The Apprentice  
* Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo Bay prisoner 
* Lindsey German, convenor Stop the War Coalition  
* Muhammad Habibur-Rahman, vice-president Islamic Forum of  
Europe 
* Kate Hudson CND,  
* Imran Khan solicitor,  
* Dr Robert Lambert, former head of Scotland Yard's Muslim  
Contact Unit  
* Seumas Milne, journalist  
* Peter Oborne, journalist  
* Salma Yaqoob, Respect Party

TICKETS £5 OR £3 UNWAGED  
Book Online: http://bit.ly/al64ru  
Book by phone: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

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3) FUND RAISING DRIVE: PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY

As well as taking the initiative for the conference against  
Islamophobia, Stop the War will this Summer step up its  
campaign against the war in Afghanistan. We are organising a  
national tour of meetings starting in June.

We are also planning a range of publications and other 
resources to help promote the anti-war case.

Stop the War's work is as necessary as at any time in our nine 
year history, not least because the political establishment  
has closed ranks to try and bury the issue of the war.

Stop the War has no rich sponsors and receives no grants. All 
of our campaigning is funded by the support we get from our  
network of supporters across the country.

To help fund our campaigning in the coming months, we are  
launching a fund drive to raise £10,000 by the end of July and  
we are urging our supporters to donate what they can.

How your donations can help: £100 pays for travel for one  
stage of the Afghanistan speaking tour we are planning, £50  
buys 2000 leaflets, £20 pays for 30 placards.

Please donate generously to the campaign. You can donate by  
cheque, online, or on the phone.  
ONLINE: http://bit.ly/APlKX  
BY PHONE: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting  
BY POST: Cheques made payable to "Stop the War Coalition" and 
sent to Stop the War Coalition, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road,  
London UK, SW1V 1EH

Events this week on "war on terror", Palestine & nuclear warfare

2010-04-21T14:22:00.001+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
17 April 2010
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk ;;
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

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**
LOBBY YOUR ELECTION CANDIDATES ON AFGHANISTAN:
IT TAKES ONLY 1-2 MINUTES, HERE: http://bit.ly/8X35fk
********************************

TO ALL LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS

DIARY OF EVENTS 19-24 APRIL 2010

TUE 20 APR 6.30PM
IMPERIAL CONTROVERSY: CHALLENGING THE EMPIRE APOLOGISTS
Author event at Bookmarks bookshop. Andrew Murray Chair of Stop the War, will
talk about his new book which uncovers the intimate links between the war on
terror and the history of empire. Email events@bookmarks.uk.com or call 020
7637 1848 to reserve your free place.

TUE 20 APRIL 8PM
A NIGHT OF COMEDY MUSIC AND MAGIC FOR PALESTINE
All proceeds go to The International Solidarity Movement, The Russell Tribunal
on Palestine and The Lajee Centre in Bethlehem. With Ivor Dembina, Jeremy
Hardy, Ian Saville, Maureen Younger and Music by The Amigans. The Dogstar, 389
Coldharbour Lane, Brixton SW9 8LQ. Tickets £8, Concessions £6

FRI 23 APR 6.30PM
MY FATHER WAS A FREEDOM FIGHTER: GAZA'S UNTOLD STORY
Author event: Ramzy Baroud, author and editor of PalestineChronicle.com will be
speaking at Bookmarks about his new book, a deeply personal account of the
theft and occupation of Palestine by the Israeli state. Email
events@bookmarks.uk.com or call 020 7637 1848 to reserve your free place.

SAT 24 APRIL 3PM
NEW FILM: BEATING THE BOMB - THE PEACE MOVEMENT, NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND GLOBAL
JUSTICE.
First screening The Prince Charles cinema, Leicester Square, London. Followed
by Q&A with Tony Benn, Lindsey German, Kate Hudson (CND chair) and others. Fund
raiser for Medact and its work on health issues amongst those affected by
severe poverty, war and environmental damage. Booking:
http://www.maddmovies.co.uk/

Stepping up Stop the War's election campaign‏

2010-04-13T14:51:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1149  
12 April 2010 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) STEPPING UP STOP THE WAR'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN  
2) LONDON DEBATE: SHOULD THE TROOPS BE IN AFGHANISTAN? 
3) ASTOUNDING RESPONSE TO ELECTION SURVEY  
4) SPECIAL ELECTION RESOURCES 
5) CRUEL PRISON TREATMENT OF SOLDIER JOE GLENTON  
6) IT'S OFFICIAL: THROWING SHOES AS A PROTEST IS ALLOWED  
7) WATCHING THIS VIDEO ANGER CALCIFIES THE HEART

************************************** 
1) STEPPING UP STOP THE WAR'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Hardly any of the politicians vying for our votes in this  
election have mentioned the war in Afghanistan, even as the  
country sinks further into a quagmire of destruction and  
wasted lives, with the rate of British soldiers being killed  
double what it was a year ago.

We are stepping up our campaign to raise the profile of the  
war as an election issue and to get the candidates to state  
their views publicly on Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and other  
anti-war issues, which many people will want to know when  
deciding how to cast their vote.

Local Stop the War debates, question times, hustings etc are  
now rolling out across the country. We are posting details of 
these on our website as soon as we receive them: SEE  
http://bit.ly/crQiHe

A major all-London debate will take place this Wednesday 14  
April (details below) .

Stop the War now has available a range of election special  
resources (see below). Our Cost of War briefing card has  
proved so popular that it sold out within a few days and is  
now being reprinted.

************************************** 
2) LONDON DEBATE: SHOULD THE TROOPS BE IN AFGHANISTAN?

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL 6.30 PM  
OLD CINEMA LECTURE THEATRE  
WESTMINSTER UNIVERSITY 
309 REGENT STREET, LONDON W1B 2UW

Participants include Mehdi Hasan from the New Statesman,  
Professor Christopher Coker from the London School of 
Economics, Martin Cakebread from the National Defence 
Association, and Lindsey German, Convenor of Stop the War.

Arguments for and against the war will be presented and there 
will be plenty of opportunity for contributions and questions 
from the floor.

************************************** 
3) ASTOUNDING RESPONSE TO ELECTION SURVEY

In just a few days, we have had an astounding response to our 
Election Candidates Survey. Close to 4000 emails to candidates 
have been sent already, asking where they stand on  
Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and other anti-war issues.

This is a reflection of the anger many voters must feel seeing 
all the main parties ignore what should be a key issue in the 
election.

If you haven't sent a message to your local candidates yet,  
requesting they tell you what their view is of this country's 
current war policies, we urge you to do so now. It takes just 
1-2 minutes here:  http://bit.ly/8X35fk

The more people pressure candidates, the more they will feel  
they have to respond. Please forward the link to or Candidates 
Survey to everyone you know and encourage them to send their  
message.

As we get the responses from candidates, they will be 
publicised on the Stop the War website, and we will name and  
shame those who have remained silent.

************************************** 
4) SPECIAL ELECTION RESOURCES

Stop the War has produced a range of election special 
resources for our campaign to force the war in Afghanistan  
onto the election agenda. These are all available from the  
national office: Tel: 020 7801 2768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              020 7801 2768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

* AFGHANISTAN: THE COST OF WAR This briefing card has proved  
so popular that it sold out within days. It is now being  
reprinted.

* PETITION: DON'T THEY KNOW THERE'S A WAR ON - BRING THE  
TROOPS HOME A petition for downloading to print and collect  
signatures in your work, school, college, community etc.  
Download here:

* AFGHANISTAN: 10 REASONS WHY THE TROOPS SHOULD COME HOME  
A new pamphlet written by Steve Bell with a preface by Paul  
Flynn MP. £2.50 incl p&p. BUY ONLINE: http://bit.ly/bGJTi3

* STOP THE WAR'S PRINTED NEWSLETTER We produce a by-monthly  
printed edition newsletter, the latest issue of which is an  
election special (50p. Reduced rate for 5 or more copies). If 
you've not seen the printed newsletter before, back issues are 
available here: http://bit.ly/c4r9Ot

************************************** 
5) CRUEL PRISON TREATMENT OF SOLDIER JOE GLENTON  
.  
Joe Glenton, the British soldier who refused to return to  
fight in Afghanistan because he believed the war to be 
unjustified and unwinnable, is receiving cruel treatment at  
the hands of military prison staff, following his court  
martial and sentence to nine months imprisonment.

The prison authorities are trying to force him to sleep under 
an unwashed or dirty blanket - a punishment that often leads  
prisoners to get body lice - and to wear boots despite the  
fact he has broken his toe. This follows a disciplinary  
hearing following what his legal team say is the trumped up  
claim that Joe insulted an officer.

Please send complaints about the way Joe is being treated in  
prison to: mctcwelfare@hotmail.com.

To send Joe a message of support and for background and  
updates on his case, go to: http://bit.ly/dgLAck

Joe's legal team is lodging an appeal against his jail 
sentence, at which Stop the War will be organising a protest  
calling for his immediate release.

PROTEST AT JOE GLENTON'S APPEAL HEARING  
CALLING FOR HIS IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 9.30AM  
ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE  
STRAND, LONDON WC2

************************************** 
6) IT'S OFFICIAL: THROWING SHOES AS A PROTEST IS ALLOWED

Seventy protestors face imprisonment for their involvement in 
the demonstrations in January 2009 against Israel's onslaught 
on Gaza, but one after another the cases are falling apart.

In the latest, Student Aquib Salim, 21, was likely to face  
prison for throwing a shoe at the Israeli Embassy but, as the 
Sunday Times reported (see http://bit.ly/b6b2h0 ), not now it 
has been revealed that the Metropolitan Police had said  
previously that throwing shoes as a sign of protest was  
permitted.

For background and updates to the Gaza Protestors Defence  
Campaign, see: http://bit.ly/d1FqIA

************************************** 
7) WATCHING THIS VIDEO ANGER CALCIFIES THE HEART

The video released by Wikileaks showing airmen in US  
helicopters slaughtering Iraqi civilians with unrestrained  
glee, is shocking enough in itself, but it is only unique in  
the footage we can now watch and hear which makes the atrocity 
irrefutable, unlike the countless occasions when Iraqis -- and 
Afghans -- have reported equivalent atrocities and were  
ignored.

See the video and the comments of Haifa Zangana, Iraqi 
novelist and former prisoner under Saddam Hussein, who tells  
how watching it made anger calcify in her heart:  
http://bit.ly/9iUnkT

************************************** 
LOBBY YOUR ELECTION CANDIDATES HERE: http://bit.ly/8X35fk  
**************************************

Forthcoming events in London

2010-04-06T23:09:00.000+01:00

1. Debate: Should the Troops be in Afghanistan?

Wed 14 April 7pm.

Old Cinema lecture theatre, Westminster University, 309 Regent Street, W1B 2UW

In the weeks leading to the general election Stop the War is organising debates around the country on the war in Afghanistan.

The London debate is on Wednesday 14 April. The participants include Mehdi Hasan from the New Statesman, Professor Christopher Coker from the London School of Economics, Martin Cakebread from the National Defence Association, and Lindsey German, Convenor of Stop the War.

Please make every effort to attend. It's important that supporters of the occupation are in no doubt about the scale of the opposition to keeping the troops in Afghanistan.

2. Defending the Welfare State and Public Services

March and Rally

Saturday 10 April

Assemble 12 noon for 1pm

Temple Place, Embankment

Rally 2pm, Trafalgar Square (with speakers, music and entertainment)

Whoever wins the next general election will be looking at the welfare state and public services as a way of cutting public expenditure. This demonstration must therefore send a clear message to all the political parties that the majority of people do not want to see further cuts and privatisation.

As Stop the War has pointed out this government has spent £12 billion on the Afghan war since 2001 and spent at least £45 billion on defence last year.

That's money that could be spent on welfare, pensions and benefits.

The demonstration is supported by the TUC, by all the major trade unions, by the BMA and by NHS: Keep our NHS public

3. London Conference: What Now for Iraq?

Date: Saturday, 10 April 2010
Time: 10:30 - 16:30
Location: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL

A one day conference organised by WSIUI (Women Solidarity For Independent & Unified Iraq).

Iraq is moving towards a neo-colonial era of indirect rule. This is based on the Anglo and US - Iraq Status of Forces Agreement and the long-term US "strategic framework", to establish "cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and security fields". A situation similar, in many aspects, to the British neo-colonial rule in the aftermath of signing the 1930 treaty.

The conference will address the recent developments identifiable in the neo-colonial era especially through key areas of human rights, gender, damaged environment, the effects of the use of unconventional weapons, and cultural cleansing. It concludes by addressing the highly important issue of what should be done to establish justice for Iraq.

The Sessions are;

1- Human rights
2- Culture, Gender and occupation
3- Environment; the deadly reality.
4- The future starts now; International law and Justice for Iraq

About the speakers:

The four sessions feature Iraqi commentators including Dr Sana al Khayat (Academic), Dr Sawsan Al Assaf (Academic), Sabah al Mukhtar (President of the Arab Lawyers Association), Professor Zuhair Al Sharook (Academic), Mundher al Adhami (Academic), Salah al Hashimi (Lawyer), and Haifa Zangana (author & activist). Speakers from international organisations and activists including Dr Said Boumedouha (Amnesty International), Lindsey German (Convenor - Stop the War Coalition), Dirk Adriaensens (The B Russell s Tribunal), Mike Phipps (Iraq Occupation Focus), Tahrir Swift (Activist), Julie Flint (Journalist & film maker) and Nicholas Wood (author - Joint Secretary to The Blair War Crimes Foundation).

Women Solidarity For Independent & Unified Iraq (WSIUI)
http://solidarityiraq.blogspot.com

--
Hackney Stop The War

Afghanistan day of protest: 27 march‏

2010-03-24T10:48:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1146  
22 March 2010 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) AFGHANISTAN DAY OF PROTEST: 27 MARCH  
2) JOE GLENTON DEFENCE CAMPAIGN  
3) PALESTINE PROTEST AT MAYOR OF JERUSALEM VISIT  
4) DEFEND THE GAZA PROTESTORS 
5) LONDON DEBATE ON AFGHANISTAN

*********************************  
1) AFGHANISTAN DAY OF PROTEST: 27 MARCH

NATO forces are gearing up for a massive offensive on Kandahar 
in the next few months. Even in advance of that the death toll 
is rising -- 30 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan  
since the start of the year.

As the general election approaches, Stop the War groups will  
be campaigning to force the issue of Afghanistan onto the  
political agenda.

On March 27 there will be a Troops Out of Afghanistan day of  
action. Local Stop the War groups will be organising protests 
and petitioning local MPs. Many local groups are organising  
hustings debates and public meetings in the next few weeks.  
Contact the Stop the War office for details of events in your 
area: Email: office@stopwar.org.uk.  Call 020 7801 2768.

As part of our campaigning, Stop the War is producing a "Costs 
of War" leaflet, a questionnaire to put to all candidates  
standing in the election and a new pamphlet on Afghanistan.  
They will be available this week from the national office.

*********************************  
2) JOE GLENTON DEFENCE CAMPAIGN

Colchester Stop the War is organising a weekend of protest  
27/28 March in support of Joe Glenton, the British soldier who 
has been jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan (DETAILS, 
UPDATES & PETITION)

SATURDAY 27 MARCH  11.30AM-1PM 
MASS LEAFLET AND PETITION FOR RELEASE OF JOE GLENTON  
ELD LANE, COLCHESTER  
ESSEX CO1 1LS

SUNDAY 28 MARCH 1.30PM 
PROTEST OUTSIDE JOE'S PRISON  
MILITARY CORRECTIVE TRAINING CENTRE  
BERECHURCH HALL ROAD  
ESSEX CO2 9NU

For more details and to get involved, contact Kate, tel: 07834 
218 711, email: stwcolchester@hotmail.co.uk

*********************************  
3) PALESTINE PROTEST AT MAYOR OF JERUSALEM VISIT

Despite international pressure, the Israeli government 
continues its persecution of the Palestinians, making a  
mockery of any talk of a peace process. Not only did they  
announce a huge new settlement in East Jerusalem last week,  
but the Israeli police have been brutally attacking people  
protesting against plans for a new synagogue right next to the 
Al Aqsa Mosque. In addition, four Palestinian youths have been 
shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the last few days.

On Monday 22 march, Nir Barkat -- the Mayor of Jerusalem  
directly responsible for the new settlements -- is visiting  
London. We are urging all our supporters in London to join the 
protest outside Chatham House, where he is speaking.

MONDAY 22 MARCH 5PM  
CHATHAM HOUSE 
10 ST JAMES'S SQUARE  
LONDON SW1Y 4LE

*********************************  
4) DEFEND THE GAZA PROTESTORS

A defence campaign has been set up for the protestors who have 
been charged with offences at the Gaza demonstrations in  
January 2009. (DETAILS, UPDATES, PETITION:  
http://bit.ly/d1FqIA )

More than 20 of the 78 people charged have been sent to prison 
in an unprecedented campaign by the police. Almost all of  
those charged are Muslims. The campaign to defend the 
protestors has resulted in some good press coverage, and one  
of the first defendants to plead not guilty was acquitted last 
week.

Please sign the petition in defence of the protestors, which  
will be delivered to the Home Office at a protest on Tuesday  
30 March, 4.30pm.

SIGN THE PETITION ONLINE:  http://bit.ly/ccjdN8

DOWNLOAD THE PETITION FOR PRINTING: http://bit.ly/b1KAxH  
We are asking our supporters to download the petition for  
collecting signatures as widely as they can. Please send them 
to the Stop the War office in time for the 30 March protest at 
the Home Office.

*********************************  
5) LONDON DEBATE ON AFGHANISTAN

In the run up to the imminent general election, in which all  
the main parties will be supporting the war in Afghanistan,  
Stop the War is organising a series of debates around the  
country. Details for the debates will be posted on our website 
as they become available.

The details of the London debate are:

WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL 7PM 
DEBATE: Should the Troops be in Afghanistan?  
SPEAKERS: Mehdi Hasan from the New Statesman, Professor  
Christopher Coker from the London School of Economics, Martin 
Cakebread from the National Defence Association, and Lindsey  
German Convenor of Stop the War  
VENUE: The Old Cinema lecture theatre, Westminster University, 
309 Regent Street, W1B 2UW.

*********************************
--

Hackney Stop the War Film Show WINTER SOLDIERS II Wed 31 March, 7.30pm

2010-02-25T21:56:00.002Z

Hackney Stop the War is pleased to present a showing of Winter Soldiers II.

This is a rare opportunity to hear powerful and moving testimony by US soldiers condemning the occupation of Iraq and the part they played in it. We also hear from analysts and Iraqis about the motives for the occupation and the resistance to it.

This film, released in 2008 and not previously shown in Britain, also predicts continuity in US foreign policy - something the Obama regime has confirmed in respect of Afghanistan.

********************************************

Hackney Stop the War

Film Show

WINTER SOLDIERS II

Wed 31 March, 7.30pm

Abney Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church Street N16

(down alley way, virtually opposite fire station)

Buses: 73, 393, 476; 106, 276. Rail: Stoke Newington

Tickets on the door; £3 (£1.50 concessionals)

Jailed for protesting against Israeli war crimes‏

2010-02-24T23:37:00.001Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1142  
24 February 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk


IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) JAILED FOR PROTESTING AGAINST ISRAELI WAR CRIMES  
2) GORDON BROWN APPEARING AT IRAQ INQUIRY  
3) JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY  
4) IRAQ: THE PEOPLE'S DOSSIER PAMPHLET SELLING OUT

************************************  
1) JAILED FOR PROTESTING AGAINST ISRAELI WAR CRIMES

Young people who took part in the mass demonstrations against 
Israel's attack on Gaza in January 2009 are being handed down 
jail sentences for minor offences. A protest has been called  
this Friday 26 February at Isleworth Crown Court and there  
will be a public meeting, open to all, in Parliament next  
Tuesday 2 March (details below).

Friday's protest and Tuesday's public meeting will be in  
support of those now being treated so harshly by the courts,  
and to defend our democratic right of protest.

Israel's barbarism -- which devastated Gaza and left 1400 dead 
-- brought tens of thousands on to London's streets, including 
the demonstration of over 100,000 on 10 January 2009.

Numerous complaints were made about police aggressive 
behaviour on the Gaza demonstrations. Thousands of protestors 
were 'kettled' -- illegally held for hours and only released  
after the police had obtained their names and addresses.

In the months that followed the demonstrations, over 90  
protestors were arrested -- most of them Muslims, many of them 
teenagers, often in intimidating dawn raids. More than seventy 
of those arrested were charged with disorder offences.

The courts are now hearing these cases. The defendants 
pleading guilty are being tried first and the sentences have  
been draconian. The judge has made clear that he is issuing  
deterrent sentences.

We are seeing first-time offenders receiving two and a half  
years imprisonment for minor offences which would not normally 
face custodial sentences.

It is hard not to conclude that this is a concerted attempt by 
the police and judiciary to  criminalise protest, intimidating 
in particular young Muslims.

Meanwhile, there has been no investigation into the aggressive 
and often violent policing on the Gaza demonstrations, despite 
the high level of complaints.

And while these young people are facing years in prison for  
protesting against Israel's war crimes, no one is being held  
to account for those crimes, which have been fully documented 
by reports from the United Nations, Amnesty International,  
Human Rights Watch and others.

FOR MORE BACKGROUND TO THE COURT CASES, GO TO: 
http://bit.ly/daqyC7

FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY, 9.30AM  
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST  
SUPPORT THE GAZA PROTESTORS  
ISLEWORTH CROWN COURT 
36 Ridgeway Road, Isleworth TW7 5LP  
(nearest tube Osterley on the Piccadilly Line)

For more info: contact the Stop the War office: 020 7801 2768, 
office@stopwar.org.uk

NEXT TUESDAY 2 MARCH 6.30 PM - 8.30 PM 
PUBLIC MEETING ON JAILING OF GAZA PROTESTERS  
Speakers include Jeremy Corbyn MP, George Galloway MP, Andrew 
Murray (Stop the War), Betty Hunter (Palestine Solidarity  
Campaign), speaker from British Muslim Initiative  
COMMITTEE ROOM 19, HOUSE OF COMMONS, LONDON SW1  
(St Stephens entrance, allow plenty of time to get through  
security).  
Organised by Stop the War, PSC, BMI and supported by CND.

************************************  
2) GORDON BROWN APPEARING AT IRAQ INQUIRY

Stop the War has called a protest at the Iraq Inquiry on  
Friday 5 March when Prime minister Gordon Brown appears to  
give evidence on his role in the run up to the Iraq war.

Our protest when Tony Blair appeared on 29 January received  
world wide media coverage (SEE http://bit.ly/avPIQP ). Gordon 
Brown has as much blood on his hands as Blair for an illegal  
war that slaughtered around one million Iraqis. As chancellor 
of the exchequer, he bankrolled the war and never publicly  
distanced himself from plans as they were hatched for the  
invasion of Iraq.

Since becoming prime minister, Brown has been zealous in  
continuing the war policies of his predecessor, not least in  
his support for the unwinnable war in Afghanistan, which the  
latest BBC poll shows is opposed by two thirds of the British 
public (SEE http://bit.ly/9meRQf ).

STOP THE WAR PROTEST AT THE IRAQ INQUIRY  
BLOOD ON GORDON BROWN'S HANDS 
ASSEMBLE 8.30 AM, QUEEN ELIZABETH CONFERENCE CENTRE,  
BROAD SANCTUARY , WESTMINSTER  SW1  
(Nearest tubes St James's Park or Westminster)

************************************  
3) JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY

On the same day that Gordon Brown appears at the Iraq Inquiry, 
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton will face his court martial hearing 
in Colchester for refusing to return to fight in Afghanistan.

Stop the War will be protesting in support of Joe at the  
court. Anyone in London wishing to know about transport for  
travelling to the protest should contact the Stop the War  
office: Email office@stopwar.org.uk, Tel: 020 7801 2768

SUPPORT L/CPL JOE GLENTON  
FRIDAY 5 MARCH 9.30AM 
MILITARY COURT CENTRE 
MERVILLE BARRACKS, OFF BUTT RD 
COLCHESTER C027UT

FOR MORE DETAILS OF JOE'S CASE AND FOR FURTHER UPDATES, SEE:  
http://bit.ly/2vHCKR

************************************  
4) IRAQ: THE PEOPLE'S DOSSIER PAMPHLET SELLING OUT

Stop the War's latest pamphlet Iraq: The People's Dossier is  
selling out fast. Order now to avoid disappointment. £2 + 50p 
postage (£1 a copy for bulk orders of five or more).

TO ORDER GO TO:  http://bit.ly/bJCnhs

************************************

When the enemy vanishes -- kill civilians‏

2010-02-15T21:37:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER No. 1141  
15 February 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk


IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) WHEN THE ENEMY VANISHES - KILL CIVILIANS  
2) YOUR CHANCE TO MEET DAVID MILIBAND ON TOUR 
3) VIDEO: THE DAY THE WORLD SAID NO TO WAR  
4) PROTEST AT JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL  
5) IF YOU LIVE IN CENTRAL LONDON OR… 
6) SONG OF THE WEEK WITH VIDEO

****************************** 
1) WHEN THE ENEMY VANISHES - KILL CIVILIANS

Nato's current offensive in the town of Marjah is being  
portrayed as a low casualty mission in the "good war" to get  
rid of the Taliban.

If you were to believe the news broadcasts, it's already a  
success.

Since the assault was always intended to be as much a 
publicity stunt as serving any military objective, Barack  
Obama and Gordon Brown will certainly be pleased at how the  
media has snapped into line and acted as stenographers for  
Nato press releases.

The truth is, most of the few hundred Taliban fighters in  
Marjah vanished well before the much touted offensive began,  
not being stupid enough to face up to 15,000 of the most  
heavily armed troops on the planet.

Much of what we've seen on the TV screens looks like random  
firing into empty space to give the cameras footage for the  
evening news bulletins.

But with very few enemy to engage it wasn't long -- two days  
in fact-- before tragedy struck when a missile attack looking 
for Taliban to kill managed to slaughter 12 civilians, five of 
them children -- the very people this war was supposedly  
tailored to keep out of harm's way.

The attack on Marjah is no different from the numerous other  
Nato "clear, hold and build" missions -- except in the amount 
of media ballyhoo.

And there's no reason why this should be different in the  
outcome, with the Taliban withdrawing tactically and biding  
its time, before infiltrating back into the town, once the  
overblown Operation Moshtarak, and its accompanying media  
circus, has moved on to some other flashpoint of resistance to 
foreign occupation.

The only reason the invading armies continue fighting a war  
that cannot be won is in the hope that some escape route can  
be found, from Obama and Brown's "war of necessity", which  
will leave in tact the credibility of the Western powers'  
ability to invade other countries with impunity.

The deaths of the 12 civilians this weekend is a brutal  
reminder of the heavy price many Afghans will pay in the  
months and years to come to save the face of those responsible 
for prosecuting a futile and unjustifiable war.

****************************** 
2) YOUR CHANCE TO MEET DAVID MILIBAND ON TOUR

Foreign Secretary David Miliband will be touring Britain in  
the coming weeks, holding Labour Party meetings to discuss  
Britain's foreign policy.

He has been much in the news recently, having failed in his  
protracted attempt to cover up British involvement in 
kidnapping and torturing -- a defining feature of the "war on 
terror".

Britain is long past that era when a minister caught deceiving 
the British public on this scale, would have had to resign.  
All the more reason why everywhere he goes to speak he is met 
by protests over his collusion with torture and his continuing 
advocacy of a war which in the past week alone has seen seven 
British soldiers killed.

Stop the War is asking its local groups to organise protests  
in towns and cities where Miliband is speaking. His first  
meeting is in London this Friday.

DAVID MILIBAND PROTEST 
TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN  
FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 6.00PM  
ST PAUL'S CHURCH  
HAMMERSMITH BROADWAY  
LONDON W6

****************************** 
3) VIDEO: THE DAY THE WORLD SAID NO TO WAR

Today is the seventh anniversary of the biggest demonstration 
in history  that took place on 15 February 2003.

A must watch trailer for a feature length documentary, which  
will be both a historical record and a celebration of an  
unforgettable day, is now available on the Stop the War  
website (see http://bit.ly/FeWuS). The film is titled WE ARE  
MANY and the brilliantly directed trailer certainly whets the 
appetite for the film to come.

The filmmaker, Amir Amirani, writing with playwright Caryl  
Churchill in the Guardian, sums up the central theme of the  
film: "The legacy of 2003 is that today many feel that it  
would be impossible for any government, even one convinced of 
a case for a just war, to carry the nation with it. Wars  
corrode our political system. But protest is the engine of  
democracy." (Read here: http://bit.ly/bGRHpA)

It's a lesson drawn by Lindsey German, national convenor of  
Stop the War, who says, "It's still hard to believe how many  
marched, and looking at the pictures now it brings back  
memories which will be with me forever.

"If we had succeeded on that day, the world would have been a 
better and safer place. But that demonstration was not the end 
of the story. We have kept campaigning over Iraq and over  
Afghanistan, Palestine and Iran.

"The warmongers have been disgraced in the public mind but  
still need to be held to account. Most importantly we must  
keep organising to end the existing wars and occupations and  
to stop future ones."

VIDEO: WE ARE MANY: http://bit.ly/FeWuS  
SEE ALSO: http://www.wearemany.tv

****************************** 
4) PROTEST AT JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the British Soldier who refused to 
return to Afghanistan, faces court martial on Friday 5 March. 
As a result of his brave public campaigning against the war  
and the support he has received from the anti-war movement,  
the Ministry of Defence has dropped the most serious charge of 
desertion.

However, Joe still faces the possibility of a prison term of  
up to two years and Stop the War is calling a protest at the  
court martial when he appears.

The court martial will be held in Colchester and Stop the War 
is asking its supporters to publicise the protest as widely as 
possible.

Anyone wishing to join us and who requires transport from  
outside London should contact our national office: Call 020  
7801 2768 or email office@stopwar.org.uk.

Protest To Defend Joe Glenton 
9.30am Friday 5 March 
The Military Court Centre  
Merville Barracks  
Off Butt Rd  
Colchester CO2 7UT

FOR UPDATES ON JOE'S CASE SEE: http://bit.ly/2vHCKR

****************************** 
5) IF YOU LIVE IN CENTRAL LONDON OR…

Stop the War has numerous local groups across the country and 
covering most areas of London. A Stop the War supporter in  
central London is planning to set up a group and urges anyone 
who lives there and would like to get involved to contact her 
through our national office.

If there is no local Stop the War group where you live, or in 
the college where you study, and you would like to set one up 
, the national office can provide advice, resources, speakers 
for meetings etc.

STOP THE WAR NATIONAL OFFICE: 
Call 020 7801 2768 or email office@stopwar.org.uk.

****************************** 
6) SONG OF THE WEEK WITH VIDEO

This week's anti-war song of the week is a new version of 19  
by Paul Hardcastle, an anti-war track selling in its millions 
in the 1980's. Paul says: "The similarities between Vietnam  
and Afghanistan are quite alarming." Here the song with video 
here: http://bit.ly/bXD59p

Hackney Stop the War Public Meeting CRISIS IN THE 'WAR ON TERROR': home and abroad

2010-02-11T14:01:00.001Z

1) Please come to our next public meeting (which is also our AGM).

The new year brings a worsening of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a result of increased military intervention in that area. Iran is under renewed threat and the Yemen is now under attack. Most people want the troops brought home. The government is desperately attempting to regain the initiative by banging on about the threat of terrorism.

That means that our next public meeting will be a chance to discuss the situation and debate what we do.

Public Meeting

CRISIS IN THE 'WAR ON TERROR': home and abroad

Speaker: Andrew Murray, chair of Stop the War Coalition

Tuesday 23 February @ 7.30pm

Round Chapel, Powerscroft Road, E5, Lower Clapton

Buses: 38, 48, 55, 106, 242, 253, 254, 425, 488.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************
This meeting is open to everyone even though it is our AGM.

2) Please see attachment. This is a petition asking for donations to help Ibrahim Avcil's legal defence. The charge against Ibrahim relates to our protests against the Army Show Room in Dalston. If you are free, please come and support Ibrahim when he appears in court this Wed 10 February. Meet at 9.30am, Bow Magistrates Court, Bow Road, near Bow Road tube station.

Gareth Jenkins
Hackney Stop The War

SUPPORT IBRAHIM AVCIL

STOP POLICE HARASSMENT

DEFEND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Ibrahim Avcil, chair of Refugee Workers Cultural Association, faces serious charges following an incident involving security guards in Kingsland Shopping Centre last June. His arrest by the police is an attempt to intimidate Stop the War protests against the Army Showroom in Dalston.

Please help defend Ibrahim by donating to his legal costs.

NAME	ADDRESS	DONATION	SIGNATURE

Haiti Disaster Relief: A Fundraiser @ The Rio Cinema 6th February

2010-02-05T00:23:00.000Z

Occupation by the US military is not just in the Middle East...
******************************

************************

Haiti Disaster Relief: A Fundraiser @ The Rio Cinema 6th February

Please join us for a special screening of A Charmed Life - a documentary examining the life and times of London resident Eddie Martin Noble (1917-2007). The film gives a historical perspective to the issues around colonisation of the Caribbean. Racism, the colour bar and racial inequality equality in post-war Britain are also covered in this comprehensive analysis of the life of the man that inspired the best-selling novel Small Island by Andrea Levy. Further details:

http://charmedlifecampaign.wordpress.com/about <http://charmedlifecampaign.wordpress.com/about>

The documentary will be followed by a discussion with guest speaker Diane Abbott MP on the issues raised and how we can best aid the current situation in Haiti. By joining us you will help us raise money for Haiti Disaster Relief. This event is organised by Every Generation, Rio Cinema and supported by BEMA Network and Artists in Support of Haiti. Further information contact BEMA Arts e: bemainfo@hcvs.org.uk or egeninfo@tgis.co.uk Tel: Cllr Patrick Vernon 07976 731 539

Date: Saturday 6th February

Time: 1.30pm - 3pm

Venue: The Rio Cinema, Dalston

Booking: Contact the Rio box office on 0207 241 9410 or www.riocinema.org.uk <http://www.riocinema.org.uk/>

IRAN: WHAT LIES AHEAD - meeting central London 3 Feb

2010-02-02T06:51:00.000Z

IRAN: WHAT LIES AHEAD

Was Tony Blair given prior notice of Barack Obama's decision to site Patriot missiles in four Gulf states? This might explain his repeated warmongering last Friday, when no less
than 58 times he pointed the finger at Iran.

Obama's 'defensive shield' is in reality an act of aggression against Iran, which has faced repeated aggression from the US and its allies in the region, in particular Israel -- the only nuclear armed state in the Middle East.

Stop the War is committed to campaigning against any attack on Iran. Lindsey German, Stop the War's convenor will be speaking at an important meeting in London on Wednesday 3 February, organised by Campaign Iran.

IRAN: WHAT LIES AHEAD?
THE MOVEMENT, SANCTIONS AND THE WEST.
WEDNESDAY 3 FEBRUARY, 7.30PM
BLOOMSBURY BAPTIST CHURCH
235 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE,
LONDON WC2 H8E

For more details see: http://bit.ly/4Izh6F

Attempt to ban protest outside Blair inquiry‏

2010-01-27T00:16:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1137 26 January 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) ATTEMPT TO BAN PROTEST OUTSIDE BLAIR INQUIRY  
2) AFGHAN MEETING HAS ADDED URGENCY  
3) PROTEST AT GORDON BROWN'S AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE

**********************************  
1) ATTEMPT TO BAN PROTEST OUTSIDE BLAIR INQUIRY

Negotiations between the police and Stop the War broke down  
today when it became clear that the government is trying to  
hide our legitimate peaceful protest from Tony Blair when he  
gives evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry on Friday.

After days in which we were told by the police that they would 
try to facilitate our protest, Stop the War has been told we  
will not be allowed to protest on the grass outside the QEII  
Conference Centre.

This is a denial of our democratic rights and Stop the War  
will now call for the widest possible mobilisation, not just  
to express the majority view in this country that Tony Blair  
should be held to account for war crimes, but in defence of  
the right to protest.

Why should the public be denied the right to peaceful protest, 
particularly when the latest evidence given to the Chilcot  
Committee shows beyond doubt that Tony Blair knew he was  
taking Britain into an illegal war, and that he doctored legal 
advice to deceive his Cabinet, Parliament and the British  
public.

Stop the War is calling on all its supporters, local groups  
and affiliated organisations to mobilise the widest possible  
support for the Blair protest on Friday.

We urge everyone who can to join the demonstration at the QEII 
Conference Centre from 8am. Full details for the planned  
events are here: http://bit.ly/8mKM0T

Spread the word as widely as you can among your family,  
friends, work colleagues, fellow students etc, etc

TONY BLAIR'S "JUDGEMENT DAY"  
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST  
Friday 29 January from 8.00am onwards 
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre  
Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE  
Nearest tube: Westminster

**********************************  
2) AFGHAN MEETING HAS ADDED URGENCY

The public meeting From Iraq to Afghanistan on Wednesday 27  
January has added urgency, given government attempts to  
curtail our right to protest.

Included in the discussion on Afghanistan will be the issue of 
how we can build the widest mobilisation possible to defend  
our democratic right to protest peacefully.

Speakers include Tony Benn, George Galloway MP, Seumas Milne  
from The Guardian, German MP Christine Buchholz, Kate Hudson  
from CND and Lindsey German from Stop the War Coalition.

STOP THE WAR/CND PUBLIC MEETING  
FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN  
WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 7.00PM  
CAMDEN CENTRE, BIDBOROUGH STREET  
LONDON WC1H 9DB

The limited edition JAIL TONY t-shirt, specially designed by  
Katharine Hamnett for Stop the War, will be on sale at this  
meeting. For a picture, see: http://bit.ly/72lcYY

The new Stop the War pamphlet, Iraq: The People's Dossier,  
will also be on sale.

**********************************  
3) PROTEST AT GORDON BROWN'S AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE

Thursday 28 January, 8.30am,  
Lancaster House, Stable Yard, 
St James's, London SW1A 1BB

Protest when Gordon Brown hosts his international conference, 
attended by Hilary Clinton, President Karzai, Ban Ki-moon from 
the UN, and representatives of all the US-led countries that  
are waging war in Afghanistan.

**********************************

To Shoot An Elephant screening in Hackney tomorrow

2010-01-25T11:18:00.002Z

The people's voice on Blair's judgement day‏

2010-01-24T10:40:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1135 24 January 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) THE PEOPLE'S VOICE ON BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY 
2) NEW PAMPHLET - IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER  
3) PUBLIC MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN  
4) GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE  
5) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING  
6) FUNDING A WEEK OF ANTI-WAR PROTEST

*******************************  
1) THE PEOPLE'S VOICE ON BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY

Writers, musicians, relatives of the dead, Iraqi refugees,  
poets, human rights  
lawyers, comedians, well known actors, MPs and ordinary  
citizens are joining a day of protest, performance and 
politics outside the Iraq Inquiry on Friday 29 January, as  
Tony Blair faces his judgement day.

People who oppose Britain's foreign wars are coming from all  
corners of the country. The verdict on Blair will affect  
present and future wars. It needs to be made clear to the  
world that people here regard him as a man guilty of taking  
Britain into an illegal war.

The approximate timetable for Tony Blair's Judgement Day at  
the QE2 Conference Centre, is as follows:

8.00: PROTEST STARTS AS BLAIR ARRIVES 
A delegation including Iraqi citizens and grieving military  
families take the People's Dossier of questions for Tony Blair 
to Sir John Chilcot.

9.00-10.00: NAMING OF THE DEAD CEREMONY  
When Blair's testimony begins, names of Iraqis killed in the  
war will be read by novelist A.L Kennedy, Musician Brian Eno, 
actor and director Sam West, actor and director Simon 
McBurney, playwright David Edgar, Lancet editor Richard  
Horton, former UK ambassador Craig Murray, Iraqi author Haifa 
Zangana, comedian and author Alexei Sayle, actor Miriam  
Margoyles, and more.

10.00-11.00: SPEECHES, READINGS AND PERFORMANCES  
Including by many of those participating in the Naming the  
Dead ceremony.

12.00-13.00: PERFORMANCE FROM LOWKEY, KING BLUES AND  
OTHER MUSICIANS.

13.00-14.00: MILITARY FAMILIES NAMING OF THE DEAD  
Members of military families who lost loved ones in the Iraq  
war will read the names of all 179 British soldiers who died.

16.00: PROTEST AS TONY BLAIR LEAVES THE INQUIRY

Tony Blair's Judgement Day  
Friday 29 January from 8.00am 
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre  
Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE  
Nearest tube: Westminster

*******************************  
2) NEW PAMPHLET - IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER  
A new Stop the War pamphlet, IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER, will be 
available on Blair's Judgement Day. It is a compilation  
representing the voices that have been excluded from the Iraq 
Inquiry - that is, the majority of people in Britain who  
consistently opposed Tony Blair's war.

*******************************  
3) PUBLIC MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN

WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 7PM  
CAMDEN CENTRE, BIDBOROUGH STREET  
LONDON WC1H 9DB

At this Stop the War/CND public meeting leading figures will  
focus on another war initiated war by Tony Blair, and expose  
the lies behind the "good war" in Afghanistan.

Speakers include  Tony Benn, Seumas Milne (The Guardian),  
George Galloway MP, a speaker from the German movement, Kate  
Hudson (CND) and Lindsey German (Stop the War) .

*******************************  
4) GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE

The day before Blair appears at the Chilcot inquiry, on  
Thursday 28 January, Gordon Brown has called a war conference 
on Afghanistan, which will be attended by Hilary Clinton,  
President Karzai and representatives from all the Nato 
countries supporting the US-led occupation. Stop the War and  
CND are organising a protest demanding an end to a war which  
is every bit as immoral and devastating as the war in Iraq.

Protest on Thursday 28 January, 8.30am, Lancaster House,  
Stable Yard, St James's, London SW1A 1BB

*******************************  
5) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING

It is ironic that Tony Blair is facing an inquiry into his  
decision to send soldiers to an illegal war which has 
slaughtered hundreds of thousands on the same day that a  
soldier who refuses to fight what he regards as another  
unjustifiable war started by Blair is facing court martial.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, faces the first hearing of his  
court martial on Friday 29 January at Bulford in Wiltshire.  
Stop the War has called a picket to support Joe. Supporters  
travelling from London will meet with anti-war activists in  
Wiltshire.

It is essential that the only soldier to stand up and say  
publicly what many soldiers privately admit - that the war in 
Afghanistan is both unwinnable and unjustifiable - gets the  
widest possible support from the anti-war movement. Messages  
of support can be sent to Joe at defendjoeglenton@gmail.com.

For more information and updates on his case, see:  
http://bit.ly/2vHCKR

*******************************  
6) FUNDING A WEEK OF ANTI-WAR PROTEST

Stop the War has had a hectic beginning to 2010, with three  
major events and the publication of a new pamphlet this week. 
We are now gearing up for the general election campaign, to  
ensure that the war in Afghanistan is not sidelined by the  
major political parties, all of which supported the recent  
troop surge that will inevitably lead to further escalation  
following eight years which have brought nothing but ever  
increasing levels of death and destruction.

We have had a tremendous response to our emergency appeal for 
funds this month, but we still urgently need financial support 
to help sustain our activities and events for peace. We rely  
entirely on the contributions of our members and supporters  
for funding. If you have not donated to the current appeal,  
please consider doing so now:

How to donate: 
   * Donate online: http://bit.ly/8g4iQ4  
   * By credit/debit card: Call 020 7801 2768 
   * By post: Send cheque made out to "Stop the War  
Coalition":  
     231 Vauxhall Bridge Road 
     London UK  
     SW1V 1EH

Protest days in January

2010-01-19T00:53:00.000Z

23 January, 1.30pm: Protest outside Army Show Room at Kingsland Shopping Centre, opposite Dalston Kingsland Station.

Come and give out leaflets to publicise the blocade of Brown's Afghanistan Conference on 28 January and Blair's judgement day on 29 January. Helping us will be a masked Tony Bliar (no, not the real one) to answer any questions you have.

27 January: Central London Public Meeting
Why we should get out of Afghanistan

Speakers: Tony Benn, Seumas Milne, George Galloway MP, a speaker from the German movement, Kate Hudson (CND), Lindsey German (Stop the War)

7pm, Camden Centre, Bidborough Street, London WC1H9DB

28 January: Blockade Gordon Brown's Afghanistan conference

Gordon Brown's international conference on Afghanistan is part of a concerted effort to revive the brand Afghanistan as "the good war". In reality the warmongers are gathering for a war council masquerading as a peace conference, which is why Stop the War has called for a blockade.

Blockade Gordon Brown's War Conference
Thursday 28 January 8.30am
Lancaster House, Stable Yard, St James's
London SW1A 1BB

29 January: Tony Blair's Judgement Day

Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE

On Friday 29 January, Tony Blair try to explain to the Iraq Inquiry the lies he used to take Britain into an illegal war. Stop the War will hold an all-day protest outside the inquiry, which will include a naming the dead ceremony, street theatre, poetry readings, music and other performances.

Many military families will be there for the appearance of the man responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.It is time for the voice of the majority to be heard. Over 60% of the British public opposed the invasion in 2003. Today 52% say Blair deliberately misled parliament and the country. One in four say he should face trial for war crimes. On 29 January we will demand no whitewash by the Iraq Inquiry.

Join us from 8.00am onwards

The people's dossier versus the dodgy dossier‏

2010-01-17T15:54:00.003Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
17 January 2010 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk 
Tel: 020 7801 2768 
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

THE PEOPLE'S DOSSIER VERSUS THE DODGY DOSSIER

Have you submitted your question to Tony Blair for the 
People's Dossier, which Stop the War will be presenting to the 
Iraq Inquiry? Hundreds of questions have been sent in, 
including contributions from Hans von Sponeck, the former UN 
coordinater in Iraq, musician Brian Eno and a number of 
military families.

Sami Ramadani, from Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation, has 
sent in this question:

Mr Blair, you have often said that you "strongly believed" you 
were doing "the right thing" when you sent British troops to 
invade and occupy Iraq. Considering that Hitler and other war 
criminals strongly believed that what they were doing was 
right, do you think that strongly believing in something makes 
it right, or pardonable if it proved to be terribly wrong?

Last week Alistair Campbell told the Iraq Inquiry he defends 
"every single word" of the dossier presented to parliament in 
September 2002. Blair wrote in the forward that it showed 
"beyond doubt" that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, when 
both he and Campbell knew full well that the intelligence had 
not produced any evidence that they existed.

The second "dodgy" dossier" published in February 2003 was an 
even more blatant fabrication intended to justify war crimes.

If you haven't sent in your question yet, please do so now. 
Blair will be appearing at the Iraq Inquiry within the next 
three weeks and we want the People's Dossier to be 
representative of everyone who protested in such vast numbers 
against his warmongering under the slogan "not in our name".

HOW TO SEND YOUR QUESTION 
Send it by email to Stop the War. Write "Blair question" in 
the subject title of the email and send to 
office@stopwar.org.uk

SEE UPDATES TO THE PEOPLE'S DOSSIER 
We have posted a selection of questions received so far here: 
http://bit.ly/5lfaSN 
We will be posting the full list of questions received soon, 
which will be update daily.

PROTEST THE DAY BLAIR GIVES EVIDENCE 
Stop the war will call a protest outside the Iraq Inquiry when 
Blair appears to insist there is no whitewash of his war 
crimes. There will be events all day, including a naming the 
dead ceremony, poetry readings, music and other performances.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on public trial‏

2010-01-13T23:55:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1134 13 January 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ON PUBLIC TRIAL  
2) BLOCKADE GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE  
3) TONY BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY 
4) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING  
5) BRITISH  GAZA PROTESTORS IMPRISONED 
6) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING  
7) KEEP THE MONEY COMING IN

*********************************  
1) WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ON PUBLIC TRIAL

The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are on public trial in the  
next few weeks. In January we will have the opportunity to  
give high profile expression to the opinion of the  
overwhelming majority of people in this country, that these  
wars are wrong and that they have to end. Stop the War is  
calling demonstrations at both Gordon Brown's International  
Conference on Afghanistan and for the day Tony Blair gives  
evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. See below for details.

*********************************  
2) BLOCKADE GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE  
THURSDAY 28 JANUARY  
LANCASTER HOUSE, STABLE YARD, ST JAMES'  
LONDON SW1A 1BB

Gordon Brown has called a conference to discuss the  
Afghanistan War. It will be attended by leading players,  
including Hilary Clinton, stooge Afghan President Kharzai,  
President Sarkozy from France and Chancellor Angela Merkel  
from Germany.

The conference aims to parade support for Obama's second troop 
surge and to boost Gordon Brown in his general election  
campaign, for which the lives of Afghans and British soldiers 
are being cynically used .

Stop the War and CND are calling for the biggest possible  
protest to attempt to blockade the conference. We will be  
protesting as near as possible to the conference before it  
starts, probably in the morning. The government has not  
announced timings yes, so book the day off now and look out  
for update mailings or check our website:  
http://www.stopwar.org.uk

********************************  
3) TONY BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY 
QUEEN ELISABETH CONFERENCE CENTRE  
WESTMINSTER LONDON SW1P 3EE

Stop the War is calling a protest at the Chilcot Iraq inquiry 
from 8am on the day Tony Blair gives evidence. He is due to  
appear within the two weeks following 25 January and he will  
be questioned all day.

Stop the War is planning a "judgement day" for Blair, which  
will include protest, politics and performance. We aim to  
involve all the groups and individuals that came together to  
oppose Blair's criminal war, and which culminated in the  
demonstration by two million people on 15 February 2003.

Many military families who lost loved ones because of Blair's 
lies will be attending the Inquiry and joining our protest  
outside.

There will be a naming of the dead ceremony when Blair first  
appears at the morning session, followed by readings, 
speeches, music and performance throughout the time he is  
giving evidence.

Appearances  have already been confirmed by by playwrights  
Caryl Churchill and David Edgar, the band King Blues, rapper  
and poet Lowkey, novelist A.L. Kennedy, actor Tim  
Piggot-Smith, Bruce Kent from CND, Lancet editor Richard  
Horton and many more.

We welcome more suggestions for activities to dramatise the  
need for Blair to be brought to justice for his war crimes.

Student and local Stop the War groups are already calling  
activist meetings to build support for Blair's Judgement Day  
and to discuss proposals for activities. Please contact the  
Stop the War office if you would like to be put in touch with 
your local or college Stop the War group.

Please spread the word about these protests. Publicity will be 
available soon. In the meantime please use every means you can 
to publicise these events by forwarding this e-mail, texting  
or tweeting your contacts etc.

*********************************  
4) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the only serving British soldier  
refusing to fight in Afghanistan, was released from the  
Military Correction Training Centre in mid December and is now 
awaiting the legal hearings prior to his court martial. The  
initial legal arguments will be heard on Friday 29 January.

The army has decided that the hearing will be held at Bulford 
Camp , about 10 miles from Andover, probably because it thinks 
holding it in Wiltshire will diminish media coverage.

Stop the War will be organising transport to go to Bulford to 
give support to Joe on the day of his first court martial  
hearing. If you would be interested in going, please inform  
the Stop the War office: Call 020 7801 2768 or email  
office@stopwar.org.uk.

For background and updates on Joe's case see: 
http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1594/27/

*********************************  
5) BRITISH  GAZA PROTESTORS IMPRISONED

It is outrageous that while the United Nations Goldstone  
Report -- which listed Israel's war crimes in its attack on  
Gaza and called for those responsible to be held to account -- 
has been ignored, those who demonstrated against these crimes 
at the time are being imprisoned for their protests.

Over 60 protestors who joined the major demonstrations in  
January 2009, which brought over 100,000 on to London's  
streets, have been charged with 'violent disorder' offences.  
Prison sentences are now being handed down by the courts.

To help those that have been charged we need film footage,  
photographs or video of any of the protests outside the  
Israeli Embassy or of the demonstrations on the 3rd, 10th or  
17th January 2009.

If you can help, please contact Joanna Gilmore who is helping 
with the defence of the protestors who have been charged:  
Email joanna.gilmore@manchester.ac.uk 
Call 07813 797 853.

*********************************  
6) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING

END THE SIEGE OF GAZA TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 7PM  
CONWAY HALL, RED LION SQUARE  LONDON WC1R 4RL 
Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War  
Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British Muslim 
Initiative.

FULL DETAILS: http://bit.ly/4Oq31K  
Palestine Solidarity Campaign 0207 700 6192

*********************************  
7) KEEP THE MONEY COMING IN

We have had a fantastic response to our emergency financial  
appeal, receiving over three thousand pounds in the last 36  
hours. However we need much more than this to ensure we can be 
as effective as possible in the coming weeks.

If you have not already donated, please consider doing so now:

* Donate online: http://bit.ly/APlKX  
* By credit/debit card: Call 020 7801 2768  
* By post: Make cheque out to "Stop the War Coalition" and  
send to:  
     231 Vauxhall Bridge Road 
     London UK  
     SW1V 1EH

Download appeal letter as pdf: http://bit.ly/6kGWu1

Stop the War emergency appeal‏

2010-01-12T00:10:00.001Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

EMERGENCY FINANCIAL APPEAL  
11 January 2010

Dear Friend,

We are writing to ask to you to help our campaigning by  
donating to our emergency appeal. This month there are two  
events which should be high profile for the anti-war movement.

We know that Tony Blair is due to appear before the Chilcot  
inquiry one day in the two weeks from January 25th. We are  
organising protests on this day, including a naming of the  
dead from the Iraq war while he is giving evidence,  
demonstrations, street theatre and other events. We are sure  
that many people will want to mark this day and make it a  
'judgement day' for Blair. It is unlikely, given the lack of  
scrutiny shown by the inquiry so far, that he will face tough 
questions. Even more reason why the movement should make its  
feelings and those of millions in Britain very clear.

In addition, on January 28th Gordon Brown is hosting a 
conference on Afghanistan in London, attended by Hillary  
Clinton, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Hamid Karzai,  
which will be aimed at supporting the escalation of the war  
there. We, along with CND and European peace activists, will  
be protesting there as well.

All these activities cost money, and we rely totally on  
donations from our supporters and affiliated organisations. We 
are calling an emergency January appeal to ensure that these  
demonstrations are a success, and that the anti-war movement  
can make its voice heard as loudly as ever.

Please give as generously as you can.

Best wishes for a peaceful new year.  
Lindsey German 
Andrew Murray 
Stop the War Coalition

     How to donate:  
   * Donate online... 
   * By credit/debit card: Call 020 7801 276 
   * By post: Make cheque out to "Stop the War Coalition" and 
send to  
     231 Vauxhall Bridge Road 
     London UK  
     SW1V 1EH

Download this letter as pdf: http://bit.ly/6kGWu1

Protest when the warmongers gather in London‏

2010-01-06T22:45:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1133 06 January 2010  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) PROTEST WHEN THE WARMONGERS GATHER IN LONDON  
2) AT LAST TONY BLAIR MUST EXPLAIN HIS LIES  
3) LONDON STOP THE WAR ACTIVISTS MEETING  
4) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING  
5) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY ENTERS GAZA

*********************************  
1) PROTEST WHEN THE WARMONGERS GATHER IN LONDON

On Thursday 28 January the leaders of the NATO occupation of  
Afghanistan are coming to Central London for a conference  
organised by Gordon Brown to discuss the next steps in their  
war effort. President Karzai, Hilary Clinton, President  
Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are among those expected to attend.

Stop the War will organise a protest at the conference. We  
will publicise time and location as soon as they are  
announced.

The situation for the warmongers is deteriorating sharply.  
Last year was by far the worst since the invasion in 2001 for 
the invading forces, with 108 British soldiers and 319 US  
troops losing their lives in a war with no purpose.

The number of Afghan civilians killed in 2009 also rose  
dramatically, with the UN giving a figure of well over 2000,  
which is undoubtedly an under-estimate of the total, as many  
deaths go unreported.

Gordon Brown claims NATO is committed to a stable and secure  
Afghanistan, but  the war has only increased the suffering of 
ordinary people in the world's second poorest country.

This is the environment in which the Taliban continue to grown 
in strength -- with even the commander of the NATO forces  
admitting they control much of the country.

The Taliban infiltration of the Afghan army -- which according 
to Obama and Brown is the long term key to winning the war -- 
was highlighted at the end of 2009, when five British soldiers 
and seven CIA operatives were killed in separate incidents by 
Taliban supporters serving in the army.

The western backed Karzai government -- already discredited by 
the farcical presidential "election" -- is in utter disarray, 
following the rejection of Karzai's new cabinet by the Afghan 
parliament. This has made a mockery of Gordon Brown's slogan  
for the conference on 28 January: "Afghan leadership, 
international partnership".

We are told the purpose of the ever mounting death toll is to 
counter the danger of terrorism. But it is clear that far from 
combating terrorism , the 'war on terror' has created more  
enemies for the west and al-Qaeda has spread across the Middle 
East to Somalia, Yemen and beyond.

The one place it isn't, is in Afghanistan, where the US  
government admits there are less than 100 al-Qaeda operatives.

The leaders gathering on 28 January have only one response to 
the catastrophe their war has created. More war. With his  
latest troop surge Obama has doubled the number of troops in  
Afghanistan since he became president. As ever - and despite a 
majority of the British public calling for the troops to be  
withdrawn --  our government follows slavishly wherever US  
foreign policy takes it, and Brown has increased Britain's  
deployment to over 9500.

It is essential that we make clear on 28 January that these  
war policies are opposed by the majority of people in 
virtually every NATO country. Instead of discussing an 
escalation of the war in Afghanistan, Brown's international  
conference should be planning to bring all the troops home.

STOP THE WAR PROTEST  
STOP THE KILLING: BRING THE TROOPS HOME  
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN  
THURSDAY 28 JANUARY  
CENTRAL LONDON (venue tba)  
We hope you will be able to join us.

FOR UPDATES:  
http://www.stopwar.org.uk

*********************************  
2) AT LAST TONY BLAIR MUST EXPLAIN HIS LIES

It's not often that war criminals have to account for their  
crimes in public.

Tony Blair will appear for a full day at the Iraq war inquiry 
sometime in the two weeks after January 25.

Stop the War is calling for the biggest possible mobilisation 
at the QE2 Conference Centre in London on the day Blair tries 
to explain the lies which took Britain into an illegal and  
unjustified war.

The outrage that so many people feel because Blair has not  
been held to account must be given full voice. The more public 
pressure there is, the more difficult it will be for the  
inquiry's report to be the complete whitewash that Gordon  
Brown intended when he handpicked Chilcot and his committee  
members.

Many military families will be coming to London to witness the 
evidence of the man responsible for the loss of their love  
ones. Our protest activities will include a naming of the dead 
ceremony, to coincide with Blair giving evidence.

We urge everyone who can, to join the protest at the Iraq  
Inquiry which will demand that Blair is held to account for  
his participation in war crimes which led to the deaths of one 
million Iraqis and 179 British soldiers.

STOP THE WAR PROTEST  
TONY BLAIR AT THE IRAQ INQUIRY 
QUEEN ELISABETH CONFERENCE CENTRE  
WESTMINSTER LONDON SW1P 3EE  
DATE TBA  
For updates see: http://www.stopwar.org.uk

*********************************  
3) LONDON STOP THE WAR ACTIVISTS MEETING

There will be a London activists meeting, open to all, to plan 
for both Tony Blair's appearance at the Iraq Inquiry and for  
the International Conference on Afghanistan:

Tuesday 12 January  
Bloomsbury Baptist Church  
235 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8EP 
(Nearest tube station Tottenham Court Road)  
All welcome.

Contact the Stop the War office for more details:  
Email: office@stopwar.org.uk; Tel: 020 7801 2768

*********************************  
4) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING

END THE SIEGE OF GAZA 
BRING ISRAELI WAR CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE 
TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 7PM 
CONWAY HALL, RED LION SQUARE  
LONDON WC1R 4RL  
Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War  
Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British Muslim 
Initiative.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:  
Dr Karma Nabulsi, Oxford University  
Bruce Kent, Vice President Pax Christi 
Sir Gerald Kaufman MP - Just returned from Gaza  
Phyllis Starkey MP  
Lowkey 
Hugh Lanning, Deputy General Secretary PCS  
Daud Abdullah, Palestinian Return Centre  
Jeremy Corbyn MP

For more information: PSC 0207 700 6192  //  
www.palestinecampaign.org

*********************************  
4) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY ENTERS GAZA

One month, thousands of miles, ten countries, one ship and a  
four flights later, the Viva Palestina convoy has begun to  
enter the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Viva Palestina aid convoy, which planned to enter Gaza on 
27 December but has been blocked by the Egyptian government  
and was viciously attacked by Egyptian riot police.

For lots of video coverage and reports and how you can send  
messages of protest to the Egyptian embassy, go to:  
http://bit.ly/pPrky

Message to all Stop the War Coalition supporters‏

2009-12-24T16:47:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1132 23 December 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) A MESSAGE TO ALL STOP THE WAR SUPPORTERS  
2) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER 
3) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY GAZA 27 DECEMBER  
4) STOP THE WAR'S SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK

*********************************  
1) A MESSAGE TO ALL STOP THE WAR SUPPORTERS

Dear Friends,

We are writing to thank you for all your work and support over 
the past year.

The Stop the War Coalition began 2009 by mobilising to stop  
the attack on Gaza, which included the biggest demonstration  
for Palestine ever held in Britain, when over 100,000 
protested on 10 January.

We have ended it campaigning to get the troops out of 
Afghanistan and remembering Gaza on the anniversary of 
Israel's attack.

Over this week alone we organised a protest by military  
families at Downing St, where we handed in our petition  
calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan;  
we held a successful Beats Beat Bullets gig for Gaza, and --  
together with PSC, CND and BMI -- we will be holding a vigil  
at the Israeli Embassy in London on 27 December (see below).

Over the year we have organised -- both nationally and locally 
around the country --  a series of demonstrations, vigils,  
meetings, rallies, cultural and fundraising events. We will  
begin the new year with two important initiatives.

In London on 28 January, Gordon Brown has convened an 
international conference to discuss further escalation of the 
war in Afghanistan. Stop the War will be organising a protest, 
details of which will be available at the beginning of 
January.

Also in January or possibly February, it is expected that Tony 
Blair will appear at the Chilcot inquiry on Iraq. We want to  
mobilise the biggest possible protest against the man now  
widely regarded as having broken international law in taking  
Britain to war.

There is likely to be a major national demonstration in March 
as part of an international day of action, calling for all  
foreign troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

A general election will be called in the first half of 2010  
and Stop the war will be organising a campaign to ensure that 
the war in Afghanistan is a prominent issue.

Our priority for 2010 will be to intensify the pressure on the 
government to bring the troops home, reflecting the view of an 
ever increasing majority of people in Britain. The recent US  
and British troop surge, the extension of the Afghan war into 
Pakistan and Yemen, and the threats against Iran, make our  
campaign more important than ever.

The coming year is clearly going to be as busy for Stop the  
War as any in our eight year history. Please continue to  
support our work and our activities.

We rely entirely on contributions by our supporters to fund  
our small office and all of our campaigns. If you are not  
already a member of Stop the War, we urge you to consider  
becoming one now, or make a donation to help us sustain our  
anti-war work as effectively as we can. You can join or donate 
online, here: http://bit.ly/APlKX

We wish you a happy holiday and new year, and we hope that by 
active opposition to our government's war policies, together  
we can help make 2010 more peaceful than the year just ending.

Best wishes,

Lindsey German 
National Convenor, Stop the War Coalition

Andrew Murray 
National Chair, Stop the War Coalition

*********************************  
2) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER

To mark that anniversary of Israel's attach and to protest at 
the continuing siege of Gaza,  there will be a vigil outside  
the Israeli Embassy, 3.00 - 5.00pm 5pm, High Street  
Kensington, London W8, called by Palestine Solidarity 
Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative  
and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

REMEMBER GAZA: END THE SIEGE  
SUNDAY 27 DECEMBER 2009 3-5PM 
HIGH STREET KENSINGTON LONDON W8  
(High St Kensington tube station)

*********************************  
3) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY GAZA 27 DECEMBER

The Viva Palestina convoy taking 100 vehicles full of aid from 
Britain to break the siege plans enter Gaza on 27 December,  
when it will be joined by convoys from Turkey and the United  
States. For updates on the convoy,  
http://www.vivapalestina.org or Twitter: viva_palestina

*********************************  
4) STOP THE WAR'S SONGS FOR XMAS WEEK

We've chosen two songs for Christmas week.

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon, which is about  
Christmas Day 1914 when all sides in World War I laid down  
their weapons and made peace by playing a game of soccer.

Barra Barra by Rachid Taha is the soundtrack to a video called 
Israel - An Apartheid State, which powerfully captures life  
for Palestinians under Israeli occupation and siege. Plus  
we've included a bonus video of Rachid Taha and Brian Eno  
performing Barra Barra live at the great benefit concert they 
did for Stop the War in 2005.

FOR BOTH SONGS, GO TO: http://bit.ly/6vnfKN

Mon 21 Dec: join military families handing in petition to Downing Street

2009-12-19T23:39:00.002Z

Please come to these two protests, next Monday and the Sunday after Xmas.

** Join Military Families against the war when they hand in petition to bring troops home from Afghanistan at Downing St at 5pm Mon 21 Dec. (Details below.)

** Gaza protest one year on outside Israeli embassy, 3-5pm Sun 28 Dec. (Details below.)

1) DECEMBER 21 MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
2) GAZA PROTEST AT THE ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER

3) Thanks to everyone who supported the protest outside Kingsland Shopping Centre 12 Dec.

4) Activity in the New Year

***************************
1) DECEMBER 21 MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

With another two soldiers killed, bringing the total in 2009
to 102, the delivering of our Bring the Troops Home petition
to Downing Street on Monday 21 December, 5pm, could not be
more timely.

Military families are coming from around the country, with
their supporters, to take the petition to Gordon Brown's door.
They will be joined by former soldiers.

The families have asked for as much support as possible.

Hackney Stop the War banner will be present.

Stop the War thanks everyone for their efforts in collecting signatures for the
petition. It doesn't yet have a total figure because petition
sheets are still coming into the office, but tens of thousands
of signatures have been collected.

MILITARY FAMILIES DELIVER PETITION TO GORDON BROWN
BRING THE TROOPS HOME
MONDAY 21 DECEMBER, 5PM
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, SW1A 2AA
PLEASE SUPPORT IF YOU CAN
For more information see: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

***************************
2) GAZA PROTEST AT THE ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER

Sunday 28 December will be exactly one year since the start of
Israel's attack on Gaza and there will be worldwide protest
marking the anniversary.

The UK protest will be at the Israeli Embassy in London from
3-5pm. It has been called by Palestine Solidarity Campaign,
Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative, Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament and many other organisations and
campaigns (For full list here:and details of Remember Gaza
events around the UK, go to http://bit.ly/5bxUAn )

With a British Court having issued a summons for the arrest of
Tzipi Livni (see http://bit.ly/8b11ul) - one of the three
Israeli ministers who led the Gaza onslaught - the issue of
war crimes, the need for Israel to be brought to account for
war crimes now documented by the UN's Goldstone report, is as
urgent as ever.

The protest at the Israeli embassy will also be calling for an
end to the Gaza siege, through which Israel is strangling all
aspects of civil life for one million Palestinians.

Please publicise the protest as widely as possible.

REMEMBER GAZA: END THE SIEGE
SUNDAY 27 DECEMBER 2009 3-5PM
HIGH STREET KENSINGTON LONDON W8
(High St Kensington tube station)

***************************

3) Thanks to everyone who came to the 40 strong protest outside the Army Show Room at the Kingsland Shopping Centre on Sat 12 Dec.

We collected signatures to bring the troops home and got people to sign a xmas card for Joe Glenton, the soldier who courageously refuses to fight in Afghanistan and who faces the prospect of up to 10 years in prison.

We also remembered the 100 British soldiers killed this year, together with the many Afghan civilians who have lost their lives in this pointless war, and demanded the Army Show Room be shut down.

We got a very good response.

****************************

Finally....

4) Tony Blair is likely to appear at the Iraq Inquiry in January
and Stop the War's officers are discussing plans for how best
to give him a warm reception.

On 28 January, Gordon Brown's international conference on
Afghanistan, which will be attended by Hamid Karzai, president
of Afghanistan in name but not legitimacy. Stop the War will
of course be organising protests and other events, details of
which will be published soon.

It may not have been called, but the general election campaign
has effectively started, with suggestions the date may be as
early as March. Stop the War intends to ensure that the wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq are central issues in the election.

*********************************

Hackney Stop The War sends best wishes to all our members and supporters for the New Year.

Final push for Bring the Troops Home petition‏

2009-12-15T22:32:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1131 15 December 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk   ; 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

1) FINAL PUSH FOR BRING THE TROOPS HOME PETITION  
2) TONY BLAIR CONFESSES HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL  
3) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER 
4) VIVA PALESTINA AID CONVOY TO GAZA  
5) BEATS BEAT BULLETS GAZA SPECIAL  
6) SONG FOR GAZA  
7) POSTSCRIPT: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

*********************************  
1) FINAL PUSH FOR BRING THE TROOPS HOME PETITION

If you haven't signed Stop the War's Bring the Troops Home  
petition, we urge you to do so online now:  
http://bit.ly/8jLhRk. You will then be included when military 
families and former soldiers deliver the petition to Gordon  
Brown in Downing Street on Monday 21 at 5pm.

Military families are coming with their supporters from around 
the country and they have asked for the widest support when  
they go to Downing Street. If you are able to join them, it  
will be very much appreciated.

Please note that if you have been collecting signatures for  
petition sheets, these need to arrive at the Stop the War  
office by 17 December to be included in Monday's submission to 
Gordon Brown.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us accumulate tens of  
thousands of signatures.

MILITARY FAMILIES DELIVER PETITION TO GORDON BROWN  
BRING THE TROOPS HOME 
MONDAY 21 DECEMBER, 5PM  
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, SW1A 2AA  
PLEASE SUPPORT IF YOU CAN

For more information see: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

*********************************  
2) TONY BLAIR CONFESSES HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL

Tony Blair's admission in a BBC interview that he would have  
made up some other lie other than weapons of mass destruction 
to topple Saddam Hussein has raised the stakes considerably  
for his appearance at the Iraq Inquiry, probably in January.

As John Rentoul, Blair's biographer and the Independent's  
chief political commentator, put it, "Tony Blair's interview  
was the front-page lead in The Guardian and prominently  
reported in all available outlets, all along the lines 
summarised by the Stop the War Coalition press release this  
morning: Tony Blair confesses to war crimes."

Stop the War will ensure that Blair gets a very warm reception 
at the Iraq Inquiry. We will undoubtedly be joined by many of 
the families who lost loved ones because of Blair's war  
crimes.

Reg Keys, who stood against Blair in the 2005 general 
election, has already said he will be on the Inquiry's 
doorstep the day Blair is there. After hearing Blair's latest 
justification for his war crimes, Reg gave a withering and  
unmissable interview to the BBC about losing his son, who was 
killed in Iraq, due to Blair's lies. You can watch the video  
here: http://bit.ly/6Gw9h2

*********************************  
3) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER

On Sunday 27 December, it will be exactly one year since the  
start of Israel's attack on Gaza, in which 1,400 Palestinians 
were killed, 5,000 injured and 50,000 homes destroyed.

To mark that anniversary and to protest at the continuing  
Israeli siege of Gaza, which denies the one million population 
of Gaza the basic necessities, there will be a vigil outside  
the Israeli Embassy, 3-5pm, High Street Kensington, London W8.

The vigil has been called by Palestine Solidarity Campaign,  
Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative and Campaign 
for Nuclear Disarmament.

REMEMBER GAZA: END THE SIEGE  
SUNDAY 27 DECEMBER 2009 3-5PM 
HIGH STREET KENSINGTON LONDON W8  
(High St Kensington tube station)

*********************************  
4) VIVA PALESTINA AID CONVOY TO GAZA

As well as the vigil at the Israeli embassy in London, Sunday 
27 December is the day that the Viva Palestine aid convoys  
from Britain, the United States and Turkey will enter Gaza,  
bringing essential resources to its people that are deniedthem 
by the Israeli siege.

The Viva Palestina convoy is getting a tremendous response in 
every country it crosses on the way to Gaza. You can follow  
its progress on the Viva Palestina website, which has lots of 
videos, pictures and reports, and on Twitter. 
* Website: http://bit.ly/pPrky 
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/viva_palestina  
* George Galloway on Twitter: 
http://twitter.com/georgegalloway

*********************************  
5) BEATS BEAT BULLETS GAZA SPECIAL

On Tuesday 22 December, Start the Music has a Gaza Special in 
its series of highly successful Beats Beat Bullets fundraising 
gigs for Stop the War.

Another impressive line-up will be performing in memory of the 
atrocities committed by Israel and the worldwide protests that 
took to the streets in every corner of the world (see Stop the 
War's Song of the Week below).

Top of the bill is rapper-poet Lowkey, who made such an impact 
on Stop the War's Stop the Massacre demonstration on 10  
January 2009 - the biggest protest for Palestine ever held in 
Britain - with his "Long Live Palestine - Long Live Gaza" (see 
http://bit.ly/Q7jEd).

Joining Lowkey will be Reveal and Shadia Mansour.

BEATS BEAT BULLETS TUE 22 DECEMBER  
A GAZA SPECIAL FEATURING:  
LOWKEY, REVEAL AND SHADIA MANSOUR  
8-11pm at Vibe Live, Vibe Bar Tickets £5  
91 - 95 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

See Start the Music website for more details: 
http://startthemusic.org.uk/

*********************************  
6) SONG FOR GAZA

With the Viva Palestina aid convoy on its way to Gaza, and the 
anniversary of Israel's attack approaching, we've chosen Song 
for Gaza by Michael Heart as song of the week, which has  
become a YouTube phenomenon, with millions of hits and many  
people creating their own videos to go with the song.

The video we've used is a moving testament to the worldwide  
outpouring of rage against Israel's attack, with pictures of  
demonstrations from every corner of the globe. You can watch  
the video and hear the song here: http://bit.ly/7YhW1D

Many thanks to everyone sending in suggestions for song of the 
week, which have all been excellent and very varied. Keep them 
coming. Sometime soon we'll try and have a multiple posting on 
the website so we can begin to catch up with the backlog of  
suggestions.

*********************************  
7) POSTSCRIPT: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Rage Against the Machine are one of the biggest bands in the  
world and they are uncompromisingly anti-war. In 2007, their  
lead guitarist Tom Morello did a memorable benefit gig in  
London for Stop the War.

An extraordinary internet rebellion has broken out to try and 
get Rage Against the Machine's protest track, "Killing in the 
Name", as Christmas No.1, in front of the latest X  
Factor/Simon Cowell single.

It seems to be working, with nearly one million joining the  
Facebook group which started the campaign (see 
http://bit.ly/4pwYdT) and downloads of the song putting it  
currently ahead of the X Factor song. Simon Cowell is not  
pleased! Sales also generate donations to the housing charity 
Shelter, which has already receive £30,000 as a result. The  
singles chart will be published on 20 December.

SEE THIS VIDEO FOR MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/4vnt7q

Military families petition Gordon Brown to bring the troops home‏

2009-12-14T10:03:00.001Z

Stop the War Coalition Friday
14 December 2009
Web: www.stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
CONTACT: Andrew Burgin 07939 242 229
Lindsey German 07810 540 584

PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
Military families petition Gordon Brown to bring the troops home.

On Monday 21 December at 5pm military families, who have either lost loved ones
or have relatives serving in Afghanistan, will deliver a petition to Gordon
Brown in Downing Street, calling for all British troops to be withdrawn. They
will be joined by former soldiers.

The military families and former soldiers will hold a press conference an hour
prior to delivering the petition, at 4pm in the Silver Cross, Whitehall, SW1
2BX.

Graham Knight, whose son was killed in Afghanistan, said, "We will hold a vigil
at Downing Street for those who have been killed. We have suffered terrible
personal loss in this war and we don't want any more families to go through the
same pain."

Joan Humphries, whose grandson was killed in August 2009, said, "Everyone knows
now this is a pointless war, deeply unpopular in Britain and Afghanistan. Young
lives are being sacrificed so that politicians can save face."

Lindsey German, Convenor of Stop the War Coalition said, "Tens of thousands of
people from across Britain have signed this petition, and 71% of the population
oppose the war. 100 British soldiers have been killed this year in a senseless
and unwinnable war. Gordon Brown should listen to the families of those who
have lost loved ones in the war and bring the troops home."

For further information, contact:
Andrew Burgin 07939 242 229
Lindsey German 07810 540 584

Why have 100 soldiers died in Afghanistan this year?‏

2009-12-07T23:23:00.001Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER 
No. 1130 07 December 2009 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk 
Tel: 020 7801 2768 
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

********************************** 
IN THIS NEWSLETTER 
1) WHY HAVE 100 SOLDIERS DIED IN AFGHANISTAN THIS YEAR? 
2) MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST AT DOWNING STREET 
3) MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN 
4) PICKET AT JOE GLENTON'S COURT HEARING 
5) FREE JOE GLENTON T-SHIRT 
6) LIVE IN LONDON? COME TO OUR XMAS PARTY 
7) SONG OF THE WEEK

********************************** 
1) WHY HAVE 100 SOLDIERS DIED IN AFGHANISTAN THIS YEAR

The hundredth British soldier to die in Afghanistan this year 
was killed because Gordon Brown refuses to learn the lesson of 
history: that the people of Afghanistan never accept 
occupation by foreign powers.

He died fighting to support one of the most corrupt 
governments in the world, which is dominated by war lords and 
drug barons and which has no legitimacy following a 
breathtakingly fraudulent election.

Gordon Brown says he died to safeguard Britain against 
terrorist attack. But no Afghan has ever attacked Britain or 
any other country.

He died, says Brown, to help defeat al-Qaeda. But more British 
soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in 2009 than the 
total number of al-Qaeda in the country, which the US 
government admits is just a few dozen.

By increasing the number of British troops sent to kill and be 
killed in Afghanistan to over 10,000, Gordon Brown has 
condemned many more soldiers and countless Afghans to die in 
this unjustified and unwinnable war.

NAMING THE DEAD VIGILS

To mark the 100th death this year, Stop the War groups across 
the country will hold vigils and naming the dead ceremonies, 
at which the names of all 100 soldiers killed will be read 
out, together with the names of 100 Afghans, to represent the 
countless thousands who have died. If you would like to join 
an event in your area, please contact the Stop the War office 
for details: office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7801 2768.

********************************** 
2) MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST AT DOWNING STREET

The tragically inevitable death of the 100th soldier to die in 
2009 gives even more focus to the military families protest at 
Downing Street, 5pm, on Monday 21 December.

The families, who have either lost loved ones in Afghanistan 
or have relatives currently serving, together with friends , 
supporters and former soldiers, will deliver to Gordon Brown 
Stop the War's Bring the Troops Home petition, numbering tens 
of thousands of signatures.

The families have asked for the widest possible support for 
their protest. If you live in London, please join them if you 
can.

MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST AT DOWNING STREET 
MONDAY 21 DECEMBER AT 5PM 
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, LONDON 
For more details: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

BRING THE TROOPS HOME PETITION: 
Sign online: http://bit.ly/8jLhRk 
Download to print and collect signatures: http://bit.ly/rNaTZ

If you would like to help collect signatures in your area, 
please contact the Stop the War office: Email 
office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7801 2768.

********************************** 
3) MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN

Paul Flynn MP hosts a Stop the War briefing meeting at the 
House of Commons on Wednesday 9 December. The meeting is open 
to all and will provide up to date discussion of the 
Afghanistan War, following Gordon Brown's troop surge, and an 
expert briefing on the Iraq Inquiry.

FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN 
WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER 7PM 
HOUSE OF COMMONS 
PORTCULLIS HOUSE, WESTMINSTER BRIDGE ROAD 
LONDON SW1 
Hosted by Paul Flynn MP 
Speakers include Sabah Jawad and Sami Ramadani from Iraqi 
Democrats Against Occupation and Carol Turner from Stop the 
War Coalition.

To download flyer, go to: http://bit.ly/8s0tjh

********************************** 
4) PICKET AT JOE GLENTON'S COURT HEARING

Stop the War has called a picket of the court hearing on 16 
December, which will decide if Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who 
faces court martial for refusing to serve in Afghanistan (SEE 
http://bit.ly/2vHCKR), is to be released from prison to spend 
Christmas with his family. If you live in London and are able 
to attend, your support will be much appreciated.

STOP THE WAR PICKET: 
WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER, 9.30AM, 
OFFICE OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL 
81 CHANCERY LANE, LONDON WC22A 1BQ

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT TO JOE 
* Email: defendjoeglenton@gmail.com 
* Write letters, cards etc to: 
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton 
Military Corrective Training Centre 
Berechurch Hall Camp 
Colchester CO2 9NU

********************************** 
6) FREE JOE GLENTON T-SHIRT

Stop the War has produced a Free Joe Glenton t-shirt. Picture, 
more information and to order, go to: http://bit.ly/1u7UJF

********************************** 
7) LIVE IN LONDON? COME TO OUR XMAS PARTY

Stop the War's Xmas Party on Friday 11 December is open to all 
our supporters. Admission is free. This will also be the 
launch event for Stop the War's archive, which is being housed 
at the Bishopsgate Institute. There will be a showcase 
representing Stop the War's campaigns for peace over eight 
years, since its founding in 2001.

STOP THE WAR'S XMAS PARTY AND LAUNCH 
EXHIBITION OF STOP THE WAR'S ARCHIVE 
FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER 7-10 PM 
BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE 
230 BISHOPSGATE LONDON EC2M 4QH 
(Opposite Liverpool Street Station)

********************************** 
7) SONG OF THE WEEK

Universal Soldier, written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, performed by 
Donovan. To hear, go to: http://bit.ly/6SHteY

Free Joe Glenton Bring the troops home from Afghanistan Close down the Army showroom

2009-12-07T10:30:00.002Z

Free Joe Glenton

Bring the troops home from Afghanistan

Close down the Army showroom

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton has refused to serve in Afghanistan and led the national Stop the War demonstration in October. He has now been imprisoned for speaking out against the war.

He needs our support for his brave stand.

What better place to protest at his imprisonment than at the Kingsland Shopping Centre where the Army showroom is attempting to disguise the reality of the war.

Come along and help campaign to end the occupation of Afghanistan. Thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of British soldiers have lost their lives in a pointless war to defend a corrupt regime. Sending more troops will do nothing but increase the threat of terrorism.

Come and protest. We shall be leafletting, petitioning and asking for support for Joe Glenton.

1.30pm

Saturday 12 December

Kingsland Shopping Centre

Kingsland High Street

(opposite Dalston Kingsland Station)

STOP THE WAR MEETING AT PARLIAMENT WED 9 DEC

2009-12-06T19:47:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR MEETING AT PARLIAMENT

Paul Flynn MP and Sabah Jawad from Iraqi Democrats Against
Occupation are among the speakers at a Stop the War briefing
meeting on Afghanistan and the Iraq Inquiry at the House of
Commons on Wednesday 9 December.

The meeting is open to all and will provide up to date
discussion of the Afghanistan War, following Gordon Brown's
troop surge, and an expert briefing on the Iraq Inquiry.

STOP THE WAR BRIEFING ON AFGHANISTAN & IRAQ INQUIRY
Hosted by Paul Flynn MP
WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER 7PM
HOUSE OF COMMONS
PORTCULLIS HOUSE, WESTMINSTER BRIDGE ROAD
LONDON SW1.

Viva Palestina

2009-12-04T00:07:00.003Z

The next Viva Palestina convoy, supported by Stop the War, is going to be a huge international gathering delivering aid to the people of Gaza on 27 December, the anniversary of Israel's barbaric invasion at the turn of 2009.

The Israeli seige of Gaza prevents essential resources reaching Palestinians trapped in the world's most densely populated area. Convoys from Britain, the United States and Turkey, packed with aid donated by the people of those countries, will converge on Gaza to break that seige.

The UK convoy departs on 6 December. For more details and to donate, go to: www.vivapalestina.org

In addition a local Stop the War supporter is joining the convoy....

Dear all

I'm joining the upcoming Viva Palestina convoy. We will be leaving London on 5 December with lorries, minibuses and ambulances full of medical and other supplies and hoping to enter Gaza on 27 December. All our vehicles and equipment, as well as the aid, will be left in Gaza.

There are only 7 days to go, and we urgently need YOUR MONEY! Please please please, consider giving something to help us break the siege and bring urgently-needed medical aid to the people of Gaza.

Everything you can give really will make a difference, so please give extremely generously! And if you're short of dosh, consider asking someone to donate an early Christmas present on your behalf :)

Peace, love and freedom fighting

------------------------
Joti Brar

The only serious exit strategy for Afghanistan‏

2009-12-01T17:22:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1128 30 November 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

**********************************  
IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) THE ONLY SERIOUS EXIT STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN  
2) THE IRAQ INQUIRY CATCH PHRASE: "NOT ME, GUV'"  
3) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY TO GAZA: 5 DECEMBER  
4) SUPPORT GROWING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST  
5) THURSDAY 28 JANUARY: DATE FOR YOUR DIARY  
6) DON'T FORGET JOE GLENTON  
7) XMAS PARTY: FROM BLIAR TO STOP BUSH 
8) STOP THE WAR SONG OF THE WEEK

**********************************  
1) THE ONLY SERIOUS EXIT STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN

Inevitably the news of yet another British soldier dying in  
Afghanistan coincided with Gordon Brown's announcement that he 
is sending 500 more British troops to fight in a war which in 
the latest poll 71 per cent of the British public opposes.

We are witnessing a very dangerous escalation of the war. With 
Barack Obama likely to announce a surge of around 30,000  
troops, and other Nato allies adding a further five thousand, 
the total number of foreign troops occupying Afghanistan will 
equal that deployed by the Soviet Union in the 1979-89 Afghan 
war, which ended in its catastrophic defeat.

Gordon Brown's troop surge is a response to failure after  
eight years of war. All the various war aims have been shown  
to be false. The war has not made Britain safer from  
terrorism, but has made it more dangerous. The war is not  
being fought for democracy, but to protect one of the most  
corrupt governments in the world. The troops are not engaged  
in a humanitarian mission, but in a war of occupation opposed 
by the majority of Afghans.

Brown and Obama both claim that this dramatic increase in the 
number of troops is the  beginning of an exit strategy. It is 
nothing of the sort. It is the signal that the major powers  
are planning to continue a war -- which after Vietnam is the  
second longest in American history -- for years to come.

Just as in Vietnam the US claimed that sending more troops was 
the key to bringing peace, Obama and Brown are proposing more 
war as necessary for their "exit strategy".

There is only one serious exit strategy: that is to recognise 
that Britain and the other Nato powers have no right to be in 
Afghanistan, and -- far from escalating the numbers -- Gordon 
Brown should be withdrawing all British troops now.

**********************************  
2) THE IRAQ INQUIRY CATCH PHRASE: "NOT ME, GUV'"

The evidence given to the Iraq Inquiry in its first week saw a 
series of establishment figures trying to absolve themselves  
of any blame for their part in the build up to war, implying  
all responsibility lay with Tony Blair.

It appears that Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General who  
notoriously changed his advice about the legality of the war  
just days before the invasion, is getting his "not me, guv'"  
in early -- even before he appears at the inquiry. The details 
of a letter he wrote to Blair eight months before the 
invasion, in which he stated categorically that the war was  
illegal, were revealed over the weekend. You can read the  
details here: http://bit.ly/6Tk6w7

Apparently Gordon Brown is worried that in the run up to the  
general election all these revelations about Iraq will remind 
people of why they opposed  the war in the first place.

Stop the War is taking every opportunity to ensure that the  
issues remain in the public eye -- not least the key question 
of holding the war criminals to account.

Stop the War held a protest on the first day of the Chilcot  
inquiry, which received worldwide media coverage. (See 
http://bit.ly/5IYYCK). We will announce soon a major public  
meeting on the issue.

And we await with much anticipation the appearance of Tony  
Blair before the Iraq Inquiry -- likely to be in January or  
February -- when we will organise a large scale protest to  
ensure he is warmly welcomed.

**********************************  
3) VIVA PALESTINA THIS WEEKEND

On 27 December, the anniversary of Israel's barbaric invasion 
at the turn of 2009, convoys from Britain, the United States  
and Turkey, packed with aid donated by the people of those  
countries, will converge on Gaza to break the inhuman siege  
which prevents essential resources reaching Palestinians in  
the world's most densely populated area.

The British convoy leaves London this weekend. Details of the 
departure place and time will be available shortly on the Viva 
Palestina website: http://www.vivapalestina.org/

**********************************  
4) SUPPORT GROWING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES PROTEST

Support is continuing to build for the Military Families  
Against the War protest at Downing Street at 5pm on Monday 21 
December.

As well as many families who have lost loved ones in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, or have relatives serving in the Afghan war,  
there will be a number of former soldiers joining the protest, 
when the Bring the Troops Home petition will be handed in to  
Downing Street.

The military families also plan to demand to see Gordon Brown.

All the local Stop the War groups across the country have been 
asked to sponsor military families in their area to come down 
to the Downing Street protest and to send delegations in  
support.

The families are asking for the widest support possible.  
Please help publicise the event as widely as you can.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

**********************************  
5) THURSDAY 28 JANUARY: DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Gordon Brown has announced that he is organising an  
international conference on Afghanistan in London on Thursday 
28 January 2010.

As well as organising a protest at Brown's conference, Stop  
the War will in response hold its own alternative meetings and 
conference. Please note the date now. We will publicise  
further details soon.

**********************************  
6) DON'T FORGET JOE GLENTON

Send messages of support to Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, in  
prison for speaking out against the Afghan war and facing  
court martial for refusing to return to Afghanistan.

* Email messages of support to: defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

* Write letters, cards to:  
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton  
Military Corrective Training Centre  
Berechurch Hall Camp  
Colchester CO2 9NU

**********************************  
7) XMAS PARTY: FROM BLIAR TO STOP BUSH 
If you live in London, Stop the War's Xmas party on Friday 11 
December is not to be missed. As well as food, drinks and  
music, the party takes place surrounded by a showcase of Stop 
the War's history, drawn from our archive which is now housed 
at the Bishopsgate Institute.

The displays will include many of the posters and placards  
going back to our earliest demonstrations, including the now  
iconic designs by artist David Gentleman, leaflets, pamphlets, 
press cutting, photographs etc.

Admission is free.

STOP THE WAR'S XMAS PARTY  
FRIDAY 11 DECEMBER 7-10 PM  
BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE 
230 BISHOPSGATE LONDON EC2M 4QH  
(Opposite Liverpool Street Station)

**********************************  
8) STOP THE WAR SONG OF THE WEEK

Our song of the week is I Come And Stand At Every Door by This 
Mortal Coil. The song puts to music the English translation of 
a poem by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, which is a plea for peace 
from a seven-year-old girl who has perished in the atomic bomb 
attack at Hiroshima.

HEAR SONG OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/6gufI1

Israel the Palestinians and apartheid - central London meeting Friday 4 December

2009-12-01T17:15:00.001Z

Israel, the Palestinians and apartheid

There will be a major event on the issue of boycott, disinvestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel in SOAS, University of London, Malet St, on Friday 4 December at 7pm.

The lecturers' union UCU is hosting an international conference on BDS and the London event is a "spin off" with many of the key note speakers from the UCU conference.

What now? Secret Government reports prove Tony Blair lied

2009-11-23T12:33:00.001Z

Leaked secret Government reports show that hiding Tony Blair's lies meant some troops were sent to Iraq with only five bullets each. The supply chain was such a farce that one container was sent full of skis to use in the desert. Some troops who were deployed to Iraq by civilian airlines took their equipment as hand luggage and had their weapons confiscated by airport security.
By Robin Beste
Stop the War Coalition
22 November 2009

The Iraq inquiry, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, begins its public hearings on Tuesday 24 November. Whether it turns out to be the whitewash clearly intended by Gordon Brown’s choice of the inquiry's committee members will be determined by how it deals with the latest revelations of secret Government reports, leaked to the Telegraph.

The price paid for Tony Blair's lies.

The reports show beyond dispute that Tony Blair had decided as early as February 2002 that Britain would join George Bush in waging an illegal war on Iraq, which began a year later in March 2003.

Despite this decision having been taken, throughout 2002 and up to the invasion, Blair lied repeatedly to MPs and the public, claiming that Britain’s objective was "disarmament, not regime change" and that there had been no planning for military action.

Because the lies had to be concealed from Parliament, only a tiny number of officials were involved in the planning process for war.

The result, say the Government reports, was a "rushed operation" "lacking in coherence and resources" which caused "significant risk" to troops.

Operations were so under-resourced that some troops went into action with only five bullets each. Others had to deploy to war on civilian airlines, taking their equipment as hand luggage. Some troops had weapons confiscated by airport security.

Skis in the desert

One army commander described the supply chain as "absolutely appalling", saying: "I know for a fact that there was one container full of skis in the desert."

The reports describe the war itself as a "significant military success" but only because the British forces faced a "third-rate army," adding that "a more capable enemy would probably have punished these shortcomings severely."

It was Blair’s lies and concealment that explain the almost complete absence of contingency planning once the military operations were completed. British forces were so "ill-prepared and equipped to deal with the problems in the first 100 days" that they could not safeguard Iraqi civilians.

Military commanders are expected to tell the inquiry that this was because preparations were sabotaged by Blair's government in its attempts to mislead the public. They believe members of the British and US governments at the time could be prosecuted for war crimes, for breaching the duty of occupying armies, as stated in the Geneva convention, to safeguard civilians in a conflict.

These secret Government reports show why Gordon Brown initially intended that the Iraq Inquiry should be held in private.

When he was forced by public uproar to make the inquiry public -- albeit with the inquiry chairman’s discretion as to how much -- Brown then chose a committee for the inquiry which was clearly aimed at exonerating the warmongers. On the evidence of these leaked reports, Tony Blair is incriminated in war crimes that have left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and 179 British soldiers dead.

Sir John Chilcot was apparently shocked by the unanimity of the military families who lost loved ones in the the Iraq war and who, in giving evidence to the inquiry, insisted there should be no "whitewash" and that if the accusation of war crimes is proven then Tony Blair must be held to account, as must others in the government at the time who knew the scale of the lying Blair was using to justify an illegal war.

That said, Stop the War is not holding its breath as to the outcome the inquiry.

Bring them home by Christmas‏

2009-11-17T23:07:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1126 17 November 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) BRING THEM HOME BY CHRISTMAS  
2) PROTESTS, VIGILS WHEN 100th SOLDIER KILLED IN 2009 
3) BRING THE TROOPS HOME POSTCARD  
4) CALLING ALL STUDENTS IN LONDON  
5) MILITARY FAMILIES GO TO DOWNING STREET  
6) DEFEND L/CPL JOE GLENTON - LET SOLDIERS SPEAK  
7) STOP THE WAR AT CHRISTMAS

*******************************  
1) BRING THEM HOME BY CHRISTMAS

It is a sign of the strength of anti war opinion in Britain  
that Gordon Brown has been forced to say that he is thinking  
about an 'exit strategy' from Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, instead of announcing a date for withdrawal of 
British troops -- in line with majority public opinion in this 
country - his vague remarks smack more of a pre election  
manoeuvre than of a serious change in policy.

Brown's speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet last night reflects 
the political divisions in the US and Britain over the war,  
and the realisation that the antiwar movement is growing as  
calls increase for the troops to come home. Brown's claim that 
the war is helping to defeat al Qaeda is also disingenuous.

The killings of al Qaeda leaders have been carried out by the 
CIA in Pakistan. They are not the result of the war in 
Afghanistan.

We are almost at the tragic figure of 100 British soldiers  
killed in Afghanistan in this year alone. Thousands of Afghans 
have died. The only commitment worth anything from Gordon  
Brown is to get the troops out by Christmas.

*******************************  
2) PROTESTS, VIGILS WHEN 100th SOLDIER KILLED IN 2009

Local groups of the Stop the War Coalition are organising  
protests, vigils and namings of the dead on the day that the  
100th soldier this year dies. The figure currently stands at  
97. Check the website for your local contacts.

*******************************  
3) BRING THE TROOPS HOME POSTCARD

Stop the War has produced Bring the Troops Home postcards for 
sending to your local MP. To order call 020 7801 2768.

*******************************  
4) CALLING ALL STUDENTS IN LONDON

Students across London are organising a DIE-IN protest  
calling for the troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan at  
Parliament  Square on Wednesday 25 November at 1.30pm. For  
more details contact Stewart: stewart@stopwar.org.uk or call  
020 7801 2768.

*******************************  
5) MILITARY FAMILIES GO TO DOWNING STREET

Military families and veterans are going to Downing Street at 
5pm on Monday 21 December to demand to see Gordon Brown and  
hand in the Bring the Troops Home petition. They would like to 
see as many people as possible join them to show support.

Two family members who have lost loved ones in the war have  
asked us to send out this invitation to all Stop the War  
supporters.

MESSAGE FROM GRAEME KNIGHT AND JOAN HUMPHRIES 
Graeme Knight is the father of Sergeant Ben Knight who died in 
Afghanistan in 2004 Joan Humphries is the grandmother of  
Private Kevin Elliott who died on foot patrol in Afghanistan  
2009.

"We have suffered terrible personal loss in this war in  
Afghanistan and we don't want one more family to go through  
the same pain. Everyone knows now this is a pointless war,  
deeply unpopular in Britain and Afghanistan. Young lives are  
being sacrificed so that politicians can save face.

"Britain is slavishly supporting the US just to keep up the  
so-called special relationship. Meanwhile the death toll is  
mounting.  It is high time the troops came home.

"We are going to Downing Street with other Families who have  
loved ones or have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and ex  
soldiers on Monday 21 December. We will be demanding to see  
Gordon Brown and give him a petition signed by tens of 
thousands calling for the troops to be brought home . Candles 
will be lit for those who have died.

"Please join us at Downing Street if you can and publicise 21 
December as widely as possible."

*******************************  
6) DEFEND L/CPL JOE GLENTON - LET SOLDIERS SPEAK

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton who is currently in prison for  
speaking out against the war in Afghanistan faces a hearing  
tomorrow morning at 10pm. Join the protest to support him 9.45 
am, The Official Solicitors' Office, 81 Chancery Lane WC2A 1DD

Messages of support for Joe are pouring in. You can see a  
selection here: http://bit.ly/7AhDN

Send your message to: defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

*******************************  
7) STOP THE WAR AT CHRISTMAS

Stop the war is offering some  Christmas gift ideas to help  
fund the campaign to get the troops home. We have Afghan  
slipper socks for only £9 plus postage and packing. Plus a  
special offer of the illustrated history of the Stop the War  
Coalition for just £5 plus postage.

To order and see all Stop the War merchandise, go to: 
http://bit.ly/1u7UJF

Dear L/Cpl Joe Glenton, you are an inspiration to us all

2009-11-14T19:51:00.000Z

Messages of support are pouring in for Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who has been arrested for refusing to return to Afghanistan, leading an anti-war demonstration in London on 24 October 2009 and speaking to the media in defiance of orders. The charges carry a maximum of ten years imprisonment.
14 November 2009

Send your message of support to defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

Selection of messages of support for Joe Glenton

Malalai Joya, Afghan MP, often called "the bravest women in Afghanistan": Dear Joe, Stay strong! The majority of the Afghan people are with you and we respect and admire the stand you have taken. When there is no justice, it is better for honest people to go even to jail rather than go to war. Down with the occupation. I send you my warmest greetings and solidarity.

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the Green Party: Dear Lance Corporal Glenton, I would like to express my admiration for your decision to take a courageous and principled stand against the war in Afghanistan. You have the support of the many people in the UK and abroad who passionately oppose this ongoing conflict, which increasingly appears unwinnable. I hope your heroic resistance to the reckless and misguided foreign policy played out in Afghanistan will increase the pressure on the UK Government to accelerate an exit strategy and withdraw our troops.

12 November 2009: Demonstration in support of Joe Glenton, Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, London

Gareth Hill: Only one in 5 people in this country believe that the war in Afghanistan is just and is about defending our freedom and successfully protecting us from terrorism. Your moral stand against the war is both heroic and reflects the views of our entire country.

Dr Douglas Reid: Chin up, Joe! Good for you! You are one of a long line of British people who have followed their consciences and sooner or later changed government policy.

Joe Jenkins: There are literally millions of people who approve of what you are doing. The military-industrial complex will try all it can to dishearten you and dishonour what you’re trying to achieve. Your courageous action is an inspiration.

B. Ormondroyd: Full support for Joe. l served in the RAF - to defend Britain, not to invade other countries on questionable grounds.

Lisa Anning: I've the utmost admiration for the stand you're taking, and for the part you're playing in galvanising public opinion against this awful war. I come from a military family myself, and can fully understand the gravity of your decision to defy orders. But I believe there's a huge latent groundswell of public opinion in this country against endlessly continuing this futile campaign, which is wrecking so many families and taking so many young lives. We need figureheads like yourself to act as a public focus for that opposition, to help mobilise and articulate protest to the powers that be. I wish you every success, and hope common sense will prevail. Your efforts aren't in vain and you should be proud of what you've achieved.

Kay: I and everyone I know, plus the majority of the country, support you and your decision not to risk your life by returning to the futile, pointless and horrific war in Afghanistan. We all admire your courage and your principles. If only other young soldiers took your stand, this war would come to an end and there would be no more wasted young lives. Why shouldn't you speak out and follow your principles? Good luck to you! I shall be following your progress and if there are any protest meetings I'll do my best to get there.

Peter Waterman: I had to do my compulsory military service some 50 years ago. Because of my left political background (of which I made no secret) I was confined to the rank of private and the function of truck-driving. Fortunately I was not required to take part in any war being waged by British military and political elites against any 'disobedient natives' or 'evil empires'. If I had been, I am not sure I would have had the courage you have shown. In the conflict between duty and truth, you have chosen the right one: truth trumps obedience or we are on our way to 1984. It may be a long and lonely struggle, mate. But my guess is that a lot of good people are going to support you.

Sharmila Sengupta and Ela Sengupta: We support you,with all our hearts. We want to do all we possibly can for you. You are a true soldier,one who fights for peace and justice. Try and hang in there. It must be hard,awfully hard, but you will come out the other side. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

Robin Carvell: You've stood up when so many others have not. Your actions are admirable and I believe you are a soldier in the truest sence as you are fighting now, without a gun, in order to bring peace and safety. Your involvement in the information war is of great value. I support you in your actions and want you to know that many others do too. Please remember this if times get hard. You're grasping the nettle for all of us here and those in Iraq and Afganistan - for millions. If there's a heaven, this action would surely let you in.

Dr. Beata Binkowska: I'm fully supporting your fight against the war and your rights to refuse to be forced to go to war in Afghanistan! I also appealed to some of my colleagues in Gateng Health Department to support your plea! Here in Africa,now, we also urgently need to create awareness campaign against war criminals who benefit from selling death all over the world and create never ending areas of conflict and killing fields! This mass murder called war, must stop! With my great respect for your courage and determination.

Anne & Richard Watson: We think it is appalling that you have been arrested simply for telling the truth and refusing to fight in Afghanistan. This is an absolute travesty of democracy and we are protesting to the Ministry of Defence and anyone else we can think of. We heard you speak at Trafalgar Square and consider you to be a very brave man. If only there were more like you. Stay strong.

Stephen Watson: Years ago I read a quote which said "War will end only when men refuse to fight" and it has always remained with me. I admire your decision enormously and I wish you the very best in helping our government, and others, to see sense where there seem to be none at present. I believe that the invasion of Iraq was cooked up under a false pretext, as was Afghanistan and it is clear with all the talk around Iran and their 'nuclear programme' (despite no evidence) is sounding eerily familiar. The world is hurting enough from the way we currently live our lives and the one thing humanity does not need are more wars to pile on the agony.

Ghada Razuki: I heard you speak on the demo on the 24th October and thought that you were brilliant. It takes a brave person to speak out and go against the main stream but I want you to know that there are many people like me who really appreciate the sacrifice that you have made so that hopefully others do not have to die or be brutally injured whether British Soldiers or Afghanis. If sometimes you feel alone in your cell please don't as we are all thinking of you and Clare.

Ghazala: I would just like to express my admiration to you for making a stand against the war. Keep up the good work, you truly are a man of bravery. I shall hope and pray for your wellbeing.

Andree Duguy: I admire you for standing for what you believe is right regardless of the consequences. I fully support your actions and wish that more sloldiers felt like you. Blair and Brown are criminals and should be tried for their crimes. They should be the ones to go to prison and not you. How can Brown and the likes of him still support a war which cannot be won and is unjust. soldiers as well as civilians die everyday for no reason so that supposedly we in Britain feel more secure . How can we be so arrogant and attack a country which has done nothing to us.

Gerry Poole, co-chair Merseyside CND: Well done Joe, a soldier has the right to speak out against actions which he finds repugnant and not glibly obey orders. At Nuremberg the Nazis stated they were only obeying orders when charged with war crimes, but they were still sentenced.Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your other comrades who are opposed to this debacle in Afghanistan.

Kev White: It's a lot eaisier to go with the flow than what it is to do the right thing. Total respect to yourself, Ben Griffin, and others who have had the courage to say no. Anything I can do to help, let me know.

Annette Lillig: I salute you for your courage to do what many would like to do. That's why they prosecute you, but others will follow you. One day you'll be a national hero, so, chin up! This mess will not go on for ever. With love and prayers.

Richard Jones & Kath Eilbeck: Take heart - you have spoken out for all of us. Let us know what we can do to help.

Alun Llewelyn: I was on the Stop the War march last month and I was proud the be led by a soldier that is prepared to stand up and say what I believe many of the troops in Afghanistan and in Britain think. It is the only way this government will be forced to abandon their role in that country if the soldiers will support your brave stance.

Fabrizio: I would just like to express my admiration for your courage to stand up against the government and all its institutions. In my opinion speaking out at a time like this despite all opposition is truly a courageous act standing up for justice which few, in the view of being singled out, are able to do. I think that your opposition to the occupation of afghanistan has won the anti war movement many supporters who were before either easily manipulated by the government and the media or just afraid of stepping out from the flock. Your opposition to war is a giant step towards ending these wars of aggression and ultimately, for democracy.

Hasina Khan: You are a true hero for standing up for what you and we believe in and you are much cherished by all those who oppose brutality and wish for peace, justice and equality. Peace and respect.

Eric Westacott, Ret. Lance Corp. 43/1st Swiss Army Medical Corp: Joe, myself and my family send you our full support in what actions you are taking. It is a crime what the military and governemnt is doing to you and your fellow soldiers. One day soon you will be free again, until then try to stay calm and relaxed and find ways to fill your time with good thoughts also towards those who make you suffer. Imagine yourself free and walking away and you will very soon.

Paula Clare Yates: You are a great inspiration to everyone for protesting and speaking out against the futile war in Afganistan which most people now believe is increasing terrorism.

David McQueen: I'm really sorry to hear about your arrest. The best way we can honour our dead is to not fight any more wars, especially unwinnable wars. Like the US soldiers who protested against Vietnam you are being punished for speaking the truth, but like them your struggle will be remembered as the most courageous stand in the face of a military machine that can't understand that it will never conquer Afghanistan.

Dan Viesnik: I just wanted to express to you, Joe, my admiration for your incredibly brave stand against the war in Afghanistan and the establishment and to wish you all the very best. I think it is fair to say that peace activists all around the world are with you all the way.

How to support Lance Corporal Joe Glenton

Email: Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth: defencesecretary@mod.uk or ainsworthr@parliament.uk
Write: Secretary of State for Defence, Floor 5, Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB • FAX: 020 7218 6538
Petition: Download the Defend Joe Glenton petition...
Messages of Support: defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

Anti-war soldier arrested: Protest now‏

2009-11-11T15:09:00.000Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1125 11 November 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) ANTI-WAR SOLDIER ARRESTED: PROTEST NOW  
2) MILITARY FAMILIES DELIVER PETITION TO GORDON BROWN

*******************************  
EMERGENCY PROTEST AT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
DEFEND LANCE CORPORAL JOE GLENTON  
THURSDAY 12 NOVEMBER, 5PM  
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, WHITEHALL 
(OPPOSITE DOWNING STREET)  
Facebook Event - Please circulate: http://bit.ly/2h9IOf

*******************************

1) ANTI-WAR SOLDIER ARRESTED: PROTEST NOW

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the soldier who faces desertion  
charges for refusing to return to Afghanistan, has been  
arrested and charged with five further offences for leading  
Stop the War's demonstration in London on 24 October and for  
expressing his opposition to the media in defiance of orders.

The new charges carry a maximum of ten years imprisonment in  
addition to the sentence of three to four years that Joe could 
get if the desertion charge is upheld.

Joe's mother, Sue Glenton, has spoken out against his arrest: 
"You've got government ministers, army commanders and MPs  
speaking every day in support of the war. What's so scary  
about a Lance Corporal having his say? My son is only speaking 
out for what he thinks is right."

Joe's arrest and imprisonment are signs of panic by the  
government and military commanders, faced with an ever growing 
majority of the British public opposing the war and an 
increasing number of prominent voices in the media calling for 
the withdrawal of British troops.

A poll published in the Independent shows that only one in  
five voters believes that Britain's military presence in  
Afghanistan is helping to protect the country from terrorism, 
as Gordon Brown insists. The same poll shows that 48 percent  
of voters think the war in Afghanistan increases the risk of  
domestic terrorist attack.

Stop the War has launched a campaign to defend Joe Glenton and 
his right to freedom of speech. (For updates see  
http://www.stopwar.org.uk.)

A protest has been called outside the Ministry of Defence in  
Whitehall on Thursday 12 November at 5pm and we list below  
what you can do to support the only serving soldier who has so 
far had the courage to stand up for what many in the army  
believe; that this is a futile and unwinnable war.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* EMERGENCY PROTEST AT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 
If you live in London, please try to join the protest on  
Thursday 12 November, 5pm, at the Ministry of Defence, 
Whitehall (opposite Downing Street)  
FACEBOOK EVENT (Please circulate): http://bit.ly/2h9IOf

* WRITE TO DEFENCE SECRETARY BOB AINSWORTH  
EMAIL: defencesecretary@mod.uk or ainsworthr@parliament.uk  
WRITE: Secretary of State for Defence, Floor 5, Main Building, 
Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB  
FAX: 020 7218 6538

* COLLECT PETITION SIGNATURES 
The Defend Joe Glenton petition can be downloaded here:  
http://bit.ly/10gDKb

* WRITE LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO JOE GLENTON  
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton  
Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC)  
Berechurch Hall Camp  
Colchester  
Essex CO2 9NU

* EMAIL SUPPORT  
defendjoeglenton@gmail.com

*******************************  
2) MILITARY FAMILIES DELIVER PETITION TO GORDON BROWN

On 21 December, Stop the War's Bring the Troops Home Now  
petition will be delivered to Gordon Brown at Downing Street  
by soldiers, ex-soldiers and military families.

More than 15,000 have already signed,  but we want to get many 
more signatures  
before 21 December. You can sign online but we are also  
encouraging our supporters to download the petition and  
collect signatures among friends, work colleagues, fellow  
students, neighbours etc.

If you live in London, make a note of 21 December, as the  
soldiers, ex-soldiers and military families would welcome the 
widest support from the anti-war movement when they deliver  
the petition to Gordon Brown. (More details to follow soon.)

Action stations over Afghanistan‏

2009-11-09T21:10:00.001Z

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1124 09 November 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

The war effort in Afghanistan is starting to fall apart at the 
seams. We will shortly reach the hundredth British soldier's 
death this year,  and there is talk in military circles of  
withdrawing British troops from the frontline.

There is growing opposition amongst MPs as well as unease  
amongst senior military figures. The Independent on Sunday  
called for the end of the war on its front page yesterday and 
other papers are becoming very critical of the war.

Most important of all, 73% of the population now believe the  
troops should be brought home soon and there is growing  
opposition to the war amongst the troops.  
Now is the time to step up the pressure on government to bring 
the troops home.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

-We have produced a 'Bring the Troops Home' postcard designed 
to send to your local MP. It is available from the office.  
Please phone if you want us to send you some.

-Stop the War groups will be organising protests and vigils  
around the country on the tragic day when the hundredth  
British soldier this year dies. The figure now stands at 95.  
Please contact your local Stop the War group for details. You 
can find the contact details for the groups on the website.

-On December 21st, members of soldiers, ex-soldiers and  
military families will be taking our Bring the Troops Home  
Petition to Gordon Brown in Downing Street. More than 15,000  
have already signed,  but we want to get many more signatures 
before December 21st. You can sign online at  
http://bit.ly/ft6BP, but we are also asking everyone to  
download a hard copy of the petition, get your colleagues and 
friends to sign and return to the office.

Also mark down the date December 21st, and get ready to come  
down and support the families at Downing Street that evening.

SPECIAL LONDON ACTIVIST MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN 
We have called an urgent activist meeting to discuss the  
crisis and the campaign tomorrow night (Tuesday 10th  
November). We are asking as many of our supporters as possible 
to attend.

SPECIAL MEETING  
6PM TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER  
INDIAN YMCA, 41 FITZROY SQUARE W1T 6AQ 
NEAREST TUBE WARREN STREET.

To most of the world, we are the terrorists

2009-11-08T23:26:00.001Z

WARNING: This video contains disturbing images

American soldiers don't sacrifice for honour, duty, country. They don't fight for America, they fight for their lives and their buddies before them because we put them in a war zone. They're not defending our freedoms in Iraq, they're laying the foundations for 14 permanent military bases to defend the freedoms of Exon Mobil and British Petroleum.

They're not establishing democracy, they're establishing the basis for an economic occupation which will continue after the military occupation is ended.

Dr Dahlia Wasfi is an American doctor who campaigns for the the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of American troops and mercenaries from Iraq.

Five more soldiers die in an unwinnable war

2009-11-04T12:23:00.002Z

from Stop The War Coalition:
On 4 November, five soldiers were killed by one or more Afghan policemen. 229 soldiers have now died since the 2001 invasion, 92 of them this year. Gordon Brown insists, "They fought to make Afghanistan more secure, but above all to make Britain safer from the terrorism and extremism which continues to threaten us." The truth is, they are dying in an unwinnable war which has no other purpose than to save the reputation of politicians like Brown, who slavishly follow the dictates of US foreign policy, even when it's obvious that the world's second poorest country is no threat whatever to British interests. The blood of these five soldiers is on the hands of Gordon Brown. How many more British soldiers and Afghan civilians will die before he is forced to accept the inevitable and bring all the troops home?

Responding to the Afghan election farce‏

2009-11-04T12:17:00.001Z


IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 
1) RESPONDING TO THE AFGHAN ELECTION FARCE 
2) LONDON STOP THE WAR ACTIVISTS' MEETING

*************************** 
1) RESPONDING TO THE AFGHAN ELECTION FARCE

NATO's operation in Afghanistan has descended into farce. 
Gordon Brown and Barack Obama have both congratulated Hamid 
Karzai - a man they installed as Afghanistan's ruler in the 
first place - for winning an election they themselves have 
condemned as corrupt.

The result of this charade will be to further weaken support 
for the war here. The fact that there are now establishment 
voices arguing the war is pointless also strengthens the hand 
of those of us who want to bring the troops home altogether.

Following the excellent Bring The Troops Home demonstration 
ten days ago we need to use the weeks up to Christmas to put 
maximum pressure on the government.

We are asking all our supporters to do as many of the 
following as possible:

- PETITION: 
Get everyone you know to sign the Bring the Troops Home 
petition. We plan to hand it in very publicly to Gordon Brown 
in December,  so we need the maximum possible number of 
signatures by then. You can sign it online 
(http://bit.ly/ft6BP) or download a copy (http://bit.ly/rNaTZ) 
and take it round your workmates, neighbours,  friends etc.

- LOBBY YOUR MP: 
Lobby your MP and demand he or she does everything possible to 
end the occupation. Send a Bring the Troops Home postcard 
(available from the office) to your MP.

- ANNIVERSARY OF AFGHAN "LIBERATION": 
Join local protests on Bring the Troops Home day Friday 13th 
November - the anniversary of the so-called liberation of 
Afghanistan.

- MILITARY FAMILIES: 
If you have family connections with the military or know 
anyone who does and is against the war, please contact the 
Stop the War office. More and more military families are 
getting in touch. As Michael Clarke, Director of the Royal 
United Services Institute is quoted as saying in Today's 
Guardian  'The cynicism that eventually corroded the morale of 
US forces in Vietnam is a spectre that is beginning to haunt 
the whole Afghanistan enterprise'.

5) DONATE: 
Donate to the Bring the Troops Home appeal. In order to 
maintain a high profile campaign, the Stop the War Coalition 
we need money, for leaflets and postcards, for office and 
transport costs.

HOW TO DONATE: 
* Online: http://bit.ly/APlKX ; 
* By credit / debit card: Phone 020 7801 2768 
* By cheque: Made out to 'Stop the War Coalition' and sent to:
  Stop the War Coalition 
  231 Vauxhall Bridge Road 
  London SW1V 1EH

*************************** 
2) LONDON ACTIVISTS' MEETING: OPEN ALL

If you are based in or near London, a Stop the War activists 
meeting has been organised for Tuesday 10 November at the 
Indian YMCA 41, Fitzroy Square London W1T 6AQ. Nearest tube 
Warren Street.

The meeting will give us a chance to assess the situation in 
Afghanistan, brainstorm about the campaign to bring the troops 
home and protest ideas in the run up to Christmas and to 
exchange ideas about strengthening the local groups. We are 
keen to make sure we get newer activists along to the meeting 
to get them fully involved.

For more details, see: http://bit.ly/1rMvCE

Video- Troops out of Afghanistan demo

2009-11-02T18:26:00.000Z

Afghanistan demonstration update, BNP, etc‏

2009-10-23T10:46:00.001+01:00

Watch this and know why we demonstrate on 24 October

This two-minute video shows what a futile and unjustified war means for the Afghan people and gives yet another reason why we're demonstrating on 24 October. The US army predictably claimed that the civilians died because the occupying forces came under Taliban attack. Afghan witnesses and grieving relatives say this is a lie.




STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1120 22 October 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk   ;  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) FRIDAY IS LONDON TUBES DAY 
2) SPEAKERS AT DEMONSTRATION RALLY  
3) WAR CRIMINAL STRAW FACES "ANTI-WAR" FASCIST 
4) IMPORTANT: MARBLE ARCH TUBE STATION 
5) ROBB JOHNSON'S AFGHANISTAN WAR SONG 
6) KEEP WEAPONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION GOING  
7) LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS' CONTACT DETAILS

****************************** 
1) FRIDAY IS LONDON TUBES DAY

The campaign tempo for Saturday's Bring the Troops Home  
demonstration has been raised dramatically this week. So many 
leaflets have been distributed, particularly in London, that  
the office ran out and had to do an urgent re-order.

This was particularly important because Stop the War has  
designated Friday 23 October as London tube station day, when 
we've asked our local groups to leaflet as many tubes stations 
as possible.

We have listed at the end of this newsletter all London  
groups, together with contact names and telephone numbers. If 
you have any time at all to help leaflet the tubes, please  
contact your local group for details of when and where this is 
taking place.

****************************** 
2) SPEAKERS AT DEMONSTRATION RALLY  
There is a varied list of speakers at the demonstration rally, 
who will make contributions in a range of formats. Speakers  
include:

* Serving soldier JOE GLENTON, facing court martial for  
refusing to return to Afghanistan;  
* Ex-soldier PAUL MCGURK, who left the army last month because 
he refused to continue fighting an unjustified war in 
Afghanistan;  
* A number of relatives from military families, including  
PETER BRIERLEY, who famously refused to shake Tony Blair's  
hand because it "has my son's blood on it";  
* TARIQ ALI, GEORGE GALLOWAY MP and ANDREJ HUNKO MP from the  
German Die Linke party 
* Musicians ROBB JOHNSON (see below), LOWKEY and the KING  
BLUES; 
* Actors BILL PATERSON, KIKA MARKHAM and CORIN REDGRAVE, who  
will do readings and Naming the Dead commemorations.

CHECK THE STOP THE WAR WEBSITE FOR DEMONSTRATION UPDATES:  
http://stopwar.org.uk

Assemble 12 noon Hyde Park: March to Trafalgar Square 
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI 
The march will be lead by anti-war soldiers, ex-soldiers and  
military families

****************************** 
3) WAR CRIMINAL STRAW FACES "ANTI-WAR" FASCIST

If there were any accountability for the Iraq war, Jack Straw 
- who was British foreign secretary at the time - would be  
indicted for war crimes. (See http://bit.ly/RmX66)

On the BBC's Question Time programme, Straw will debate with  
Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party,  
which opposes both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

No doubt Nick Griffin will have a field day highlighting Jack 
Straw's war crimes, but whatever the BNP says about Iraq and  
Afghanistan, it is not an anti-war party. It is a fascist  
organisation and its policies can only be carried through by a 
civil war against ethnic minorities and all those it regards  
as inferior.

Stop the War supports the campaigns which reveal the true  
nature of the BNP and which mobilise opposition to its fascist 
policies. Many of Stop the War's supporters will join the  
protest on Thursday 22 October against the BBC's decison to  
invite a fascist party to participate in its Question Time  
programme.

FOR STOP THE WAR'S STATEMENT ON THE BNP, SEE: 
http://bit.ly/6X2EI

****************************** 
4) IMPORTANT: MARBLE ARCH TUBE STATION

Marble Arch Station, which is the nearest to the demonstration 
assembly point in Hyde Park, is closed all day Saturday.  
Please use Lancaster Gate, Bond Street or Hyde Park Corner  
tube stations.

****************************** 
5) ROBB JOHNSON'S AFGHANISTAN WAR SONG

Renowned songwriter Robb Johnson will be appearing at the  
demonstration rally on Saturday. Stop the War has made his new 
song North West Frontier -- which is about the Afghanistan war 
-- our song of the week. You can hear it on the Stop the War  
website:  http://bit.ly/116gTa

****************************** 
6) KEEP WEAPONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION GOING

Another British soldier was killed today in Afghanistan,  
highlighting yet again the importance of Saturday's  
demonstration. Please do all you can to spread the word in the 
last couple of days, not forgetting the weapons of mass  
communication to everyone you know: emails, texts, tweets,  
Facebook, etc.

****************************** 
7) LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS CONTACT DETAILS

Live in London? Get involved with your local Stop the War  
Group. Help leaflet the tube stations on Friday 22 October.  
Find your local group below:

NORTH
* Bloomsbury, Isobel McMillan, 07951 199 672  
* Brent, Sarah Cox 07951 084 101  
* Camden, Liz Wheatley 07525 846 520  
* Haringey, Simon Hester 0773 606 4045 
* Wembley, Hind 07944 267 272 
* Islington, Shirley Franklin 07958 745 802

SOUTH
* Southwark, Laura Harvey 07976 911 887  
* East Dulwich, Nicola Fields 07790 330 142  
* Croydon Dima, 07917 475 748 
* Lambeth, Chris Blake 07766 601 777  
* Lewisham,  Michael Coulsten 07753 185 732  
* Wandsworth, John Clossick   020 7223 3483  
* Tooting (Wandsworth) Dave Esbester, 0208 646 5545, 07913 468 
659  
* Putney (Wandsworth) Pat Shearin 07931 679 459

EAST
* Tower Hamlets,  Jo Gough    07730 612 105  
* Newham, Andy Brown 07736 812 366  
* Waltham Forest, Carole Vincent 07982 875 032 
* Hackney,  Despina 07932 714 833

WEST
* Wimbledon James   07926 742 907  
* Richmond Sam Oxby, 07960 770 835  
* Kingston, Noel, 0208 395 2656  
* Twickenham, John Whits.     07812 348 845  
* Acton/Ealing, Iqbal  07773 577 461 
* Hounslow, Richard 07774 936 556  
* Ladbroke Grove, Giavanni  
* Hammersmith, Victoria 07887 943 194

Soldiers and their families lead Saturday's march

2009-10-21T07:17:00.002+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER 
No. 1119 20 October 2009 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk 
Tel: 020 7801 2768 
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER 
1) SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES LEAD SATURDAY'S MARCH 
2) MUSICIANS AND ACTORS PERFORM AT THE RALLY 
3) HELP STEWARD THE DEMONSTRATION ON 24 OCTOBER

****************************** 
1) SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES LEAD SATURDAY'S MARCH

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton (http://bit.ly/eO3V0 )will become 
the first serving British soldier to openly attend an anti-war 
demonstration when he leads marchers from Hyde Park to 
Trafalgar square on Saturday 24 October calling for all troops 
to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Joe, who is currently fighting a court martial for refusing to 
return to Afghanistan, will be joined by families of soldiers 
who have given their lives during the occupations in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.

Joan Humphries' grandson Kevin Elliott, 24, from Black Watch, 
was killed while on on foot patrol in the southern Afghan 
province of Helmand on August 31 of this year. She says:

"I have supported CND all my life and have been involved in 
Stop the War since the march in 2003 when more than a million 
people were on the streets. Kevin knew my feelings. But there 
were no jobs, education was poor and the politicians down 
south were dishonest and there was simply nothing else he felt 
he could do but join the army."

Peter Brierley ( http://bit.ly/C7atg ) will attend the 
demonstration in memory of his son, Lance Corporal Shaun 
Brierley, who was killed while on duty in Iraq. Peter refused 
to shake the hand of Tony Blair at a memorial service for 
those who died in Iraq at St Paul's Cathedral earlier this 
month, explaining that it had "my son's blood on it."

Paul McGurk, 25, served in Helmand province until April 2008 
but left the army last month because he could not support the 
war with Afghanistan. "My regiment has been posted back to 
Afghanistan and I will be attending the demonstration for 
them, calling for them to come home because this conflict 
cannot be justified.

"Morale in the army was very low when I was serving and this 
can only be getting worse. Those who intend serving for the 
next 22 years face being posted to Afghanistan six more 
times."

DEMONSTRATE SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER 
BRING THE TROOPS HOME 
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON HYDE PARK 
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE 
Called by Stop the War, CND and BMI

Full details and map of march route: http://bit.ly/2pZlGD

Please use email, texts, tweets, Facebook etc to help 
publicise the demonstration as widely as possible.

****************************** 
2) MUSICIANS AND ACTORS PERFORM AT THE RALLY

Up and coming band King Blues and the rapper Lowkey will be 
among the perfomers at the end of march rally in Trafalgar 
Square. Actors Bill Paterson, Corin Redgrave and Kika Markham 
will do readings, including naming the dead commemorations. 
Other speakers include Bianca Jagger, George Galloway MP and 
Andrej Hanko, who is an MP for Die Linke party in the German 
Parliament.

A full list of speakers will be posted soon on the Stop the 
War website: http://bit.ly/2pZlGD

****************************** 
3) HELP STEWARD THE DEMONSTRATION ON  24 OCTOBER

Stop the War has always been fortunate in the number and the 
commitment of the volunteers who help us organise our 
demonstrations. If you would like to join the team organising 
the demonstration on Saturday 24 October, please email your 
name and contact details to office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 
7801 2768

Weapons of Mass Communication for 24 October‏

2009-10-18T22:50:00.002+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER 
No. 1118 18 October 2009 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk 
Tel: 020 7801 2768 
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

WEAPONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION FOR 24 OCTOBER

Full details of the national Bring the Troops Home 
demonstration on 24 October are now on our website (see 
http://bit.ly/2pZlGD), including a map of the march route, 
latest details of coaches from outside London (see 
http://bit.ly/FGook), and details of keynote speakers at the 
rally in Trafalgar Square.

Every day this week there are activities and events taking 
place across the country to build support for the 
demonstration. Virtually every corner of London is being 
covered, with leafleting of tube stations, mosques, colleges, 
shopping centres etc. For details and to get involved, see 
http://bit.ly/3cPI3i

There is a way we can all make a difference. The mainstream 
media gives acres of coverage to the warmongers but does no 
favours to the antiwar movement. We have to use our own 
networks to publicise our events. And it works. If we all 
commit ourselves to using the weapons of mass communication at 
our disposal, we can make a real difference.

Emailing, texting, sending Twitter tweets, posting on Facebook 
-- if we all use every communication means we have to spread 
the word about the demonstration and urge everyone we contact 
to do the same, we will reach a mass audience very quickly, 
despite the vitual news blackout by the mainstream media.

Then no one will be able to say after 24 October that they 
weren't on the demonstration because they didn't know about 
it.

The stakes couldn't be higher, with Gordon Brown having just 
announced an increase in the number of British troops fighting 
an unwinnable and pointless war -- and almost certain to send 
even more when Obama announces his second troop "surge".

The latest poll shows that 68 percent of the British public 
want all the troops brought home. The bigger the turnout on 
Saturday, the more pressure we will put on all those MPs who 
have closed their ears to the majority view of their 
constituents. We're only a few months away from a general 
election. We have to ensure that the war in Afghanistan is a 
central issue. Saturday's demonstration will be the best 
springboard to ensuring that happens.

* SEND THIS MESSAGE BY EMAIL, TEXT, FACEBOOK ETC: 
Join the National Demonstration. 
Bring the Troops Home from Afghanistan. 
You can make a difference. 
London: Saturday 24 October 
Assemble Hyde Park 12 noon 
March to Trafalgar Square 
Full details here: http://bit.ly/2pZlGD 
Please pass on this message to everyone you know.

* TWEET THIS ON TWITTER: 
You can make a difference. Join the Troops Out of #Afghanistan 
demo: London 24 October http://bit.ly/2pZlGD

WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK: 
Last week dozens of bereaved relatives who lost loved ones in 
the Iraq war gave evidence to the Iraq War Inquiry. The 
committee was stunned when the relatives demanded -- with 
almost complete unanimity -- that the illegality of the war 
should be a central issue for the inquiry, and that Tony Blair 
should be indicted for his war crimes.

Our demonstration on Saturday and our continuing campaign to 
end the war in Afghanistan, are aimed to prevent any more 
futile loss of life, by Afghans and soldiers alike. Please act 
now to publicise the demonstration in every way you can. And 
please join us on Saturday.

Why Saturday 24 October matters

2009-10-16T00:31:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1117 15 October 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk   ;   ;  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) WHY SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER MATTERS  
2) PETER BRIERLEY: WHY I'LL BE THERE ON 24 OCTOBER  
3) CALLING ALL LONDONERS  
4) MEDIA COVERAGE FOR 24 OCTOBER  
5) TREMENDOUS RESPONSE TO OUR FINANCIAL APPEAL

************************************* 
1) WHY SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER MATTERS

Next Saturday October 24th is one of the most important anti  
war demonstrations Stop the War has  ever organised.

It comes at the moment when the war in Afghanistan has lost  
all credibility but the governments on both sides of the  
Atlantic are sending more troops.

It comes at a time of widespread revulsion against the war  
across the country. Amongst others, many soldiers, ex soldiers 
and military families are contacting us to express their  
outrage at the terrible waste of life it is causing.

It comes at a time when the reasons given for the war have  
been exposed as lies. As violence spirals in Afghanistan who  
can now believe the war is making the world a safer place?  
After the sham elections who can believe it is bringing  
democracy to Afghanistan?

Members of military families, including those of serving  
soldiers, are travelling from as far afield as Dundee and  
Exeter. They will be at the head of the demonstration, 
alongside Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the soldier who is  
facing a court martial for refusing to go back to Afghanistan 
(see http://bit.ly/1b5cb5), and Peter Brierley, the father who 
lost his son in Iraq and refused to shake Tony Blair's hand in 
St Paul's Cathedral a week ago (see below: Why I'll be there  
on 24 October).

Over the following week, we are asking all local Stop the War 
groups to use all opportunities to publicise the demonstration 
in every way they can. The tremendous response of the London  
groups is a very encouraging sign (see below: Calling All  
Londoners), as are the new student Stop the War groups 
springing up in colleges where we have never had one before.

Transport to bring protestors from outside London has been  
organised across the country from Glasgow in the North to  
Portsmouth in the South. (See http://bit.ly/FGook).

Both Obama and Gordon Brown are clearly worried by the growing 
opposition to the war. The latest poll shows 68 percent of the 
British public want the troops brought home. Our  
demonstration, called in conjunction with the Campaign for  
Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative, could  
not have been more timely.

Please use every means you can to publicise the demonstration: 
texts, emails, tweets (for the Twitter users), letters to the 
local press are things we can all do. If you would like to  
help in your local Stop the War group's activities see 
http://bit.ly/3cPI3i.

DEMONSTRATE: BRING THE TROOPS HOME  
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER ASSEMBLE 12 NOON  
HYDE PARK: MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE  
For updates including the march route: http://stopwar.org.uk

************************************* 
2) PETER BRIERLEY: WHY I'LL BE THERE ON 24 OCTOBER

Peter Brierley, whose son died in Iraq, became the subject of 
a worldwide news story when he refused to shake Tony Blair's  
hand at a commemoration service for British soldiers killed in 
Iraq, with the words: "Don't you dare. You have my son's blood 
on your hands." Peter, who is a member of Stop the War,  
explains here why he will be on next week's demonstration.

"I believe marching makes a difference. By being on the  
streets we get closer to the point of bringing the troops  
home. Everyone should bring one or two other people - people  
who have never been on a demonstration before, who aren't  
activists. I used to be the person who sat in the chair. I'd  
watch the protests and think, I want to be part of that. It  
took my son's death to push me into doing something.  
Demonstrate to show the government that we are strong."

SEE: "My son's blood is on your hands": http://bit.ly/C7atg

************************************* 
3) CALLING ALL LONDONERS

Over the next week, London Stop the War groups are pulling out 
all the stops mobilising support for the demonstration. The  
list of dozens of activities in all corners of the capital  
city has been posted on the Stop the War website. If you live 
in London and have any time to help in your area, please look 
for details of events here: http://bit.ly/1fcykL

************************************* 
4) MEDIA COVERAGE FOR 24 OCTOBER

Stop the War is getting numerous requests for interviews on TV 
and radio but we still find it difficult to get the mainstream 
newspapers to give us coverage prior to a demonstration  
(Seumas Milne's excellent article in today's Guardian is an  
exception: http://bit.ly/1ziQez).

One possibly more accessible media is the local press and we  
are encouraging our supporters to write to their local 
newspaper, linking a local issue with the demonstration (the  
cost of the war when local services are facing draconian cuts, 
is an obvious topic).

************************************* 
5) TREMENDOUS RESPONSE TO OUR FINANCIAL APPEAL

Many thanks to everyone who has responded to our urgent appeal 
for funds. These contributions are essential for us to cover  
the costs of next week's demonstration and for continuing our 
campaign in the coming months, as we aim to ensure that the  
war in Afghanistan features prominently in the run up to the  
general election, which is only a few months away.

We still need urgently to raise more funding, so if you have  
not donated yet, any contribution you can make will be very  
much appreciated.

HOW TO DONATE: 
* Online: http://bit.ly/APlKX ;  
* By credit / debit card: Phone 020 7801 2768 
* By cheque: Made out to 'Stop the War Coalition' and sent to

   Stop the War Coalition  
   231 Vauxhall Bridge Road  
   London SW1V 1EH

What you can do to help build 24 October‏

2009-10-11T08:44:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1116 09 October 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk   ;  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP BUILD 24 OCTOBER  
2) RETHINK AFGHANISTAN: IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARY 
3) SONG OF THE WEEK: PALESTINE WILL BE FREE

*****************************************  
1) WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP BUILD 24 OCTOBER

Stop the War is now working at full throttle to ensure that no 
one can say after the national demonstration on 24 October  
that they were not there because they did not know it was  
taking place.

We need every one of our supporters to help us achieve this.  
At a minimum we are asking you to email, text or tweet your  
friends, relatives and contacts with details of the  
demonstration and ask them to do the same (details below).  
Regular updates for the demonstration are posted on our  
website: http://stopwar.org.uk

We have to be systematic in creating our own networks to  
publicise the demonstration because the mainstream media is  
rarely interested in giving us pre-publicity, even for events 
which represent majority opinion in this country

If all of our supporters do the following, we can spread the  
word about the demonstration to all corners of the country:

- 1 Leaflet your street with the demonstration leaflets, which 
includes our Ten Reasons Why We Should Get Out of Afghanistan. 
Available from the national office.  
- 2 Put a demonstration poster in your window and in local  
shops. Available from the national office.  
- 3 Write a letter to your local paper arguing the troops come 
home and publicising the demonstration 
- 4 Organise a leafleting session of your local tube, bus or  
train station, or the local high street  
- 5 Email, tweet and text all your friends and contacts to  
make sure they know the date, time and assembly point

If you would like to get involved with a Stop the War group in 
your area, look at the diary of local events on the Stop the  
War website, which gets updated every day. If there is no  
local event in your area, contact the national office, who  
should be able to put you in contact with local anti-war  
activists where you live.

The national Troops Out of Afghanistan demonstration on  
Saturday 24 October could not be more timely, with Gordon  
Brown expected to announce soon an increase in the number of  
British troops deployed, and the BBC reporting that the  
majority in Britain opposing the war has increased.

The demonstration on 24 October will be of crucial importance 
in raising the profile of the anti-war majority, as we enter  
the last few months before a general election, in which the  
politicians will hope to avoid the issue of their pointless  
and unwinnable war.

Please do all you can to help us publicise the demonstration  
as widely as possible.

DEMONSTRATE: BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW 
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER CENTRAL LONDON  
ASSEMBLE 12 NOON HYDE PARK: MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE 
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  Tel: 020 7801 2768  
http://stopwar.org.uk

*****************************************  
2) RETHINK AFGHANISTAN: IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARY

Rethink Afghanistan is an important must-watch documentary  
which lays bare the reality behind the politicans' and 
generals' "failure is not an option". WATCH HERE:  
http://bit.ly/qyR1R

*****************************************  
3) SONG OF THE WEEK: PALESTINE WILL BE FREE

This week's anti-war song of the week is Palestine Will Be  
Free by Maher Zain, which is illustrated with a brilliant  
animation. WATCH HERE: http://bit.ly/nJKxR

Thanks to everyone who has sent in suggestions for our song of 
the week, which are now in the pool for future selections. We 
welcome more suggestions which should be emailed to  
stwsong@stopwar.org.uk

BBC debate: Afghanistan - Is it Mission Impossible?

2009-10-07T16:04:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
7 September 2009
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

AFGHANISTAN: IS IT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
Wed 7 Oct 2009 20:00 BBC Radio 4
Sat 10 Oct 2009 22:15 BBC Radio 4

This BBC debate asks on the day the latest poll shows 56 per cent in Britain
oppose the war: What is the war's 'mission'? To close down terrorist cells in
the country, making the UK a safer place? To introduce democracy, greater
freedom for women, more electricity, water?

Lindsey German, national convenor of Stop the War, joins MP Eric Joyce, former
EU Special Representative for Afghanistan Francesc Vendrell, Brigadier Buster
Howes from the Ministry of Defence, and counter-insurgency expert Dr John
Mackinlay.

Talking about peace, thinking about war‏

2009-09-30T23:36:00.001+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1115 26 September 2009
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) TALKING ABOUT PEACE, THINKING ABOUT WAR
2) OCT 24 DEMONSTRATION DETAILS & MOBILISATION
3) PROTEST EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF AFGHAN INVASION
4) NATIONWIDE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON AFGHANISTAN
5) STOP THE WAR PRINTED NEWSLETTER: NO.2
6) STOP THE WAR'S SONG OF THE WEEK & OTHER LINKS

****************************************
1) TALKING ABOUT PEACE, THINKING ABOUT WAR

Much is being made of UN calls for nuclear disarmament this
week. Every missile nuclear or otherwise that is scrapped
is welcome. Anything which reduces tension between big
powers is to be applauded.

But the cuts proposed will leave enough nuclear weapons in
play to destroy the planet many times over and the changes
taking place amount to a shift to new military priorities
not a move away from intervention.

Long range nuclear weapons, even aircraft carriers and big
tanks may be de-prioritised because of the kind of wars the
west will be fighting.

The new British Chief of staff General Richards outlined
the new thinking last week. Afghanistan was a "signpost"
indicating the nature of wars in the future -- "asymmetric"
conflicts with less need for traditional military hardware
like tanks and warplanes.

"Future conflicts are more likely to involve non-state
actors and failed states, like Afghanistan, rather than
traditional wars between states... How we deal with the
threat posed by violent extremism, often embedded in
dangerously radicalised states, will be an issue that will
dominate our professional lives."

In reality the big powers will keep enough nuclear weapons
and hi-tech hardware to continue to intimidate potential
rivals, but they are clearing the way to spend more on
targeted, infantry-led interventions round the world.

General Richards also made clear the military sees no
choice but to fight to the end in Afghanistan - whatever
that is -- and he explained why defeat is not an option.

Imagine he said, the "enduring grand strategic impact on
the UK's authority and reputation in the world of the
defeat of the British Armed Forces, and its impact on
public sentiment here in the UK."

The war in Afghanistan is not about the well being of the
Afghan people, economic, social or political, it is about
the projection of American and British power abroad.

And we are reminded again by Barack Obama's latest threats
against Iran that little has changed from George Bush's war
policies under the new White House administration.

Seven years after Bush cited alleged weapons of mass
destruction as justification for attacking Iraq, we have
Obama issuing the same threats in the same language with
the same lack of evidence, as a prelude to waging war
against Iran, which is what "crippling" sanctions will be,
whether or not they are accompanied by military assault.

****************************************
2) OCT 24 DEMONSTRATION DETAILS & MOBILISATION

The national Bring the Troops Home demonstration on
Saturday 24 October will assemble at Hyde Park at midday.
It will be lead by anti-war military families, army
veterans and soldiers and will march to Trafalgar Square
for a mass rally.

There is a huge debate on both sides of the Atlantic about
the future of the occupation, with the growing casualty
rate among Afghan civilians and invading troops -- against
the background of the corrupt elections -- creating a
popular revulsion at the whole exercise. There are
majorities against the war in most countries across the
world.

We have a great opportunity to mobilise anti-war public
opinion on a huge scale. Our aim is to ensure that no one
can say after 24 October that they weren't there because
they didn't know there was a demonstration.

To help us achieve that, we are asking all our supporters
to do everything they can to publicise the demonstration.

Please email, text or tweet as many of your friends and
contacts as possible with information about the
demonstration and encourage them to do the following:

1 Order some leaflets from the Stop the War office to
leaflet their street and/or workplace or college. Call 020
7801 2768;
2 Order a few demonstration posters from the office for
display in a home window, ask a few local shops to display
etc;
3 Arrange with friends, colleagues or the local anti-war
group to leaflet a tube, train or bus station, or a local
High Street.
4 Make a donation to the Bring the Troops Home appeal, to
help us fund the cost of the demonstration, publicity
materials, etc (see below for how to donate).

DEMONSTRATE: BRING THE TROOPS HOME
SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER
ASSEMBLE HYDE PARK 12 NOON
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE

TRANSPORT DETAILS FROM OUTSIDE LONDON:
Coaches are being organised round the country to bring
protestors to London for the demonstration. See here for
details so far: http://bit.ly/FGook We will update this
information as we get more details.

HOW TO DONATE:
* Online: http://bit.ly/APlKX
* By credit / debit card: Phone 020 7801 2768
* By cheque: Made out to 'Stop the War Coalition' and sent
to Stop the War Coalition, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London
SW1V 1EH

****************************************
3) PROTEST EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF AFGHAN INVASION

Many local Stop the War groups will be organising street
protests between the 7th and the 10th of October. These
will help to spread the anti-war message and publicise the
demonstration on 24 October. If you would like to be
involved in these events, please call or email the national
Stop the War office for details of a your group in your
area: office@stopwar.org.uk, 020 7801 2768

****************************************
4) NATIONWIDE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON AFGHANISTAN

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, facing court martial for
refusing to return to the Afghan War; MPs George Galloway,
Paul Flynn, Neil Gerrard and Jeremy Corbyn; writers Tariq
Ali, Ghada Karmi and David Edgar; Guardian journalists
Seumas Milne and Simon Tisdall; Mohammed Asif, President of
the Scottish Afghan Society, and Tony Benn, are just some
of the keynote speakers in Stop the War meeting taking
place across the country in the weeks leading up to the
national demonstration on 24 October.

To find out if there is a meeting in your area, go to
http://bit.ly/3cPI3i

Meetings are still being added, so look out for updates on
this webpage.

****************************************
5) STOP THE WAR PRINTED NEWSLETTER: NO.2

Stop the War now has a regular printed newsletter. The
latest issue No.2 can be previewed here:
http://bit.ly/10Sbkr

Paper copies can be purchased through the Stop the War
office, 020 7801 2768 office@stopwar.org.uk. Orders of 10
or more newsletters are charged at the reduced rate of 30p
a copy.

****************************************
6) STOP THE WAR'S SONG OF THE WEEK & OTHER LINKS

Our song of the week is Bob Dylan's "John Brown":
http://bit.ly/41RZm2 , which was suggested by Stop the War
supporter Stephen Fisk.

Dylan's song is particularly relevant to an article about
the devastating injuries suffered by troops in Afghanistan,
which can be read here: http://bit.ly/18FlMM

All the speeches from the highly successful national Stop
the War students conference on 19 September are now online,
including the contributions from Israeli historian Ilan
Pappe, musician Lowkey and George Galloway MP:
http://bit.ly/heofB

Anyone unsure as to whether western troops should be
withdrawn from Afghanistan should read how a 7-year-old
Afghan child learned to hate when her whole family was
slaughtered by a US bombing raid: http://bit.ly/gKLfy

Ann Jones, just back from Afghanistan, explains why Gordon
Brown's "exit strategy" of building an Afghan army to take
the place of British and US troops in never going to
happen: http://bit.ly/2xOJBo

If you want notification of new articles and links as they
are published on the Stop the War website, join us on
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

****************************************

Afghanistan: Vital October Dates for your Diary

2009-09-09T12:01:00.000+01:00

Hackney Stop the War Public Meeting

Afghanistan: Why are we there?
Speakers:Seumas Milne, Guardian columnist

Clare Glenton, wife of soldier refusing to serve in Afghanistan

John Rees, Stop the War Coalition

Thursday 22 October @ 7.30pmRound ChapelPowerscroft Road E5Lower Clapton
Buses: 38, 48, 55, 106, 242, 253, 254, 425, 488

The government finds it more and more difficult to sustain the case for keeping the troops in Afghanistan. The death toll of soldiers continues to spiral - and for what? We are told this is a war for democracy. Yet the recent elections have revealed how corrupt the government is. We are told this is a war to protect women's rights. Yet the parliament has passed vicious anti-women legislation with the government's support. And we are told this is a war to prevent terrorism. Yet the longer Nato troops stay the greater the threat of terrorism.
Opinion poll after opinion poll in Britain shows that people are not taken in by government propaganda. A majority want the troops home either immediately or by the end of the year.
Come and hear the speakers at our public meeting and join in the discussion.

Also make sure that you, your friends, neighbours and workmates come to the national demonstration to get the troops out of Afghanistan, organised by Stop the War, CND and the British Muslim Initiative.

Saturday 24 OctoberCentral London*****************************************************************************
We need your help.
We need help publicising the meeting and the demonstration. We shall be having stalls in different parts of the borough on Saturdays in October. If you can help please let me know as soon as possible.
3 October, 1.30pm, Kingsland Shopping Centre (opposite Dalston Kingsland Station).(This will also be a protest against the continuing presence of the Army Showroom.)
10 October, 10.30pm, Stoke Newington Church Street (outside William Patten School/Farmers Market).
17 October, !.30pm, Narrow Way, top of Mare Street (outside Marks and Spencer).

Gareth JenkinsSec. Hackney Stop The War

Afghanistan: How you can help‏

2009-09-02T16:39:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No. 1112 01 September 2009 Email office@stopwar.org.uk Tel: 020 7801 2768Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 1) NEW PLAN SAME AS THE OLD PLAN 2) AFGHANISTAN: HOW YOU CAN HELP 3) "THIS COUNTRY HAS TURNED AGAINST THE WAR" 4) LOBBYING THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE 5) AMAZING LINE-UP FROM BEATS BEAT BULLETS 6) CALLING ALL STUDENTS 7) STOP THE WAR WEBSITE: RECENT ARTICLES *********************************

1) NEW PLAN SAME AS THE OLD PLAN US General Stanley McChrystal, describes the forces he commands in Afghanistan as like "a bull charging at a matador and getting weaker with each cut." This is shorthand for "we're losing". So McChrystal has produced another 'new strategy' to get the occupation armies out of their deepening crisis which made August the worst month for soldiers getting killed since the invasion in 2001. But there's nothing 'new' about this strategy. There will be another huge troop 'surge' -- predicted to be an additional 20,000 -- which will mean that Obama has doubled the troop deployment since becoming president. McChrystal says the foreign armies will need to stay in Afghanistan at least another three years, adding his prediction to all the others -- ranging from one year to 40 years -- we've had from politicians and military leaders. With Gordon Brown strongly hinting that he will follow Obama and announce an increase in British troop levels, the need for the national demonstration on Saturday 24 October to represent the voice of the majority in Britain that opposes the war - 69 percent in the latest poll - was never clearer. National Demonstration: London Troops Out of Afghanistan Now Saturday 24 October Central London Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI. For updates: http://stopwar.org.uk/ *********************************

2) AFGHANISTAN: HOW YOU CAN HELP * Spread the word as widely as possible about the Bring the Troops Home demonstration on Saturday 10 October; * Distribute demonstration leaflets to your family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, fellow students etc; * Display a poster for the demonstration in your home window; * Join the local Stop the War group in your area to help build support for the demonstration; * Donate to the 'Bring the Troops Home' fund raising appeal which we will be launching soon; FOR LEAFLETS, POSTERS AND STICKERS TO PUBLICISE THE 24 OCTOBER DEMONSTRATION: Phone 0207 801 2768 *********************************

3) 'THIS COUNTRY HAS TURNED AGAINST THE WAR' Stop the War groups have been out in force across the country campaigning to get the troops home and getting a very positive response, particularly to the Naming the Dead ceremonies. This quote from Doncaster Stop the War gives an indication of how there has been a sea change in public opinion over the Afghan war: "We were nervous and uncertain of the response we would receive. However, we found that our doubts and fears were completely unfounded. Even before we had finished setting up the stall, we had people queuing up to sign the petitions. The response from all was, it's time to bring the troops home." FOR TV, PRESS & LOCAL REPORTS OF NAMING THE DEAD EVENTS: http://bit.ly/Nm3lw *********************************

4) LOBBYING THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE A coalition of trade unions -- NUJ, NUT, UCU and PCS -- have come together nationally and joined with Stop the War Coalition and other campaigns to call a joint protest at the Labour Party conference in Brighton on 27 September 2009. JOBS, EDUCATION, PEACE LOBBY OF LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER FROM 12.30 BRIGHTON ASSEMBLE MADEIRA DRIVE Further details: http://bit.ly/vGHsk *********************************

5) AMAZING LINEUP FROM BEATS BEAT BULLETS Our regular London Stop the War / Start the Music fundraising gigs are a great success, every one so far having sold out. The next event on Thursday 10 September has another impressive line-up: * Get Cape Wear Cape Fly 'The highlight of Glastonbury 2009.' * Drew McConnell, Babyshambles * Special guest King Blues front man Itch * DJ Neotropic aka Riz Maslen. BEATS BEAT BULLETS THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2009. 8PM-11PM @ VIBE BAR, 91 BRICK LANE, E1 6QL * Full details: http://startthemusic.org.uk/ *Flyers available from 0207 801 2768 *********************************

6) CALLING ALL STUDENTS The Stop the War national student conference on Saturday 19 September is not to be missed, following a momentous year for student anti-war activity, not least the campus occupations following Israel's barbaric attack on Gaza. The conference has an inspiring line-up of speakers: * ILAN PAPPE, Israeli historian and anti Zionist; * GEORGE GALLOWAY MP, * LINDSEY GERMAN, Stop the War's national convenor * KARIM DENNIS (AKA LOWKEY), * JEREMY CORBYN MP * + EYEWITNESS REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN & PALESTINE Full details: http://bit.ly/3fxLpu Places are limited so pre-booking is advisable: CALL 0207 890 12768 *********************************

7) STOP THE WAR WEBSITE: RECENT ARTICLES The Stop the War website is updated daily with news, analysis, comment and reports from the anti-war movement. Recent articles have included: * Even the Sun newspaper asks why are we in Afghanistan http://bit.ly/15TCLv * If Israel has the "most moral army" in the world, explain these videos http://bit.ly/eboyQ * How the Afghan War increasingly looks like Vietnam http://bit.ly/3I7vPE * Six reasons why Afghanistan is not "a war of necessity" http://bit.ly/E1PPZ * Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush to be released soon: Celebrate by playing a game of Sock and Awe http://bit.ly/2sXkp GET NOTIFICATION OF STOP THE WAR WEBSITE UPDATES If you follow Stop the War on Twitter, you will have received notice of all updates to the website as they happen. If you haven't joined yet, it takes around one minute to do so here: http://twitter.com/STWuk

Protest Israeli PM Netanyahu meeting Gordon Brown‏

2009-08-24T20:53:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION   
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet British prime minister
Gordon Brown tomorrow in Downing Street.

PROTEST 1.30-3pm TOMORROW, Tuesday 25 August opposite Downing Street (nearest
tube Westminster)

Please come to send a clear message to Gordon Brown:
# Israeli settlements block peace – they must be dismantled, not just frozen
# End Israel’s siege on Gaza
# End Israel’s ethnic cleansing in East Jerusalem

If you are unable to come to the protest, write to Gordon Brown to insist that
real peace means delivering justice for the Palestinians. The British
government must act to ensure Israel ends its numerous violations of
international law.

# Fax a letter to 10 Downing Street : 020 7925 0918.
# Email David Miliband at the Foreign Office reaquesting his office convey your
message to the Prime Minister: msu.correspondence@fco.gov.uk

Naming of the Dead ceremonies, Sat 22 Aug in Hackney and Mon 17 Aug at the Cenotaph

2009-08-17T00:13:00.001+01:00

Hackney Stop the War will be holding a Naming of the Dead ceremony next Saturday 22 August at 1.30pm outside the Kingsland Shopping Centre, Kingsland High Street, E8 (opposite Dalston Kingsland Station).

Over 200 British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan. This is a terrible waste of life in an unjustifiable and unwinnable war. Most people agree that it's time to bring the troops home.

Please join us to commemorate the soldiers who have died - and the tens of thousands of Afghan civilians who have also died so needlessly.

***************************************************************************************

NAMING OF THE DEAD AT THE CENOTAPH

MONDAY 17 AUGUST 12 NOON

To commemorate all the soldiers who have died, Stop the War will hold a Naming of the Dead ceremony at The Cenotaph in Whitehall at 12 noon on Monday 17 August, when we will read out all 200 names, together with the names of Afghan civilians to represent the tens of thousands who have also died so needlessly.

Stop the War is asking those who can attend to bring flowers if possible.

***************************************************************************************

Naming the Dead in commemoration of 200 soldiers killed The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London. Monday 17 August, 12 noon

2009-08-16T01:01:00.000+01:00

The passing of the milestone of the 200th soldier to be killed in Afghanistan is no less tragic for being all too predictable. The Stop the War Coalition has mourned the death of every soldier sent into a war which we -- along with the majority of people in Britain -- regard as both unjustified and unwinnable.

Gordon Brown's insistence that sending British troops to die in Afghanistan is "the only way to make Britain safe" sounds ever more threadbare each time he and his ministers repeat it after the announcement of yet another senseless loss of life.

We are in complete agreement with MP Jeremy Corbyn, who, on hearing of the latest futile death of a British soldier, said: "What a tragedy, what a waste. And for what purpose? It's time to bring the troops home."

To commemorate all the soldiers who have died, Stop the War will hold a Naming of the Dead ceremony at The Cenotaph in Whitehall at 12 noon on Monday 17 August, when we will read out all 200 names, together with the names of Afghan civilians representing the tens of thousands who have died so needlessly.

Over the coming week, Stop the War's local groups will be holding Naming the Dead ceremonies in towns and cities across the country.

Details of local Naming the Dead ceremonies...

JERUSALEM DISPOSSESSED

2009-08-15T14:10:00.001+01:00

The "JERUSALEM DISPOSSESSED" exhibition of photos is going ahead at the Foundry on Gt. Eastern St/ Old Street second week of October, including a launch with a talk by the chair of ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions).

Put it in your diary and come to the launch event!

The exhibition will also be a part of Photomonth, which will hopefully attract a different group of people.

DETAILS:
JERUSALEM DISPOSSESSED
An exhibition by the Palestinian Israeli
collective ActiveStills documenting the
dispossession of indigenous Palestinians
from their native city, Jerusalem, amid
rapid expansion of Israeli settlements,
Separation Wall and home demolitions.
TUE 6th TO SUN 11th OCTOBER
The exhibition is produced by ActiveStills and the
ICAHD and organised by Hackney PSC
(Palestine Solidarity Campaign).
Talk on Wed October 7th, 8pm
With 20,000 Palestinian homes currently
under demolition orders in East Jerusalem,
the director of the Israeli Committee Against
House Demolitions (ICAHD) talks about the
on-going Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing.
T H E F O U N D R Y
84-86 Great Eastern St, London E2
www.foundry.tv
www.palestinecampaign.org
http://hackneypsc.wordpress.com

200 dead and no support on the home front?

2009-08-15T13:50:00.000+01:00

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1111 14 August 2009
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk ;
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) 200 DEAD AND NO SUPPORT ON THE HOME FRONT?
2) WE'RE LOSING SAYS US ARMY COMMANDER
3) RESOLUTION: OCT 24 NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
4) NATIONAL STUDENTS CONFERENCE: 19 SEPTEMBER
5) ORGANISING AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA
6) VIDEO: THE QUESTIONS THE IRAQ INQUIRY MUST ASK
7) LANCE CORPORAL JOE GLENTON: UPDATE
8) BEATS BEAT BULLETS: 19 AUGUST
9) LINDSEY GERMAN'S BLOG
10) FOLLOW STOP THE WAR ON TWITTER

******************************

*
1) 200 DEAD AND NO SUPPORT ON THE HOME FRONT?

As we approach the milestone of the 200th soldier to be killed
in Afghanistan, defence minister Bob Ainsworth seems to be
ever present in the media grieving over yet another death but
insisting that the "sacrifice" was for the worthy cause of
"defending us from terrorists and extremists".

The idea never passes Ainsworth's lips that the terrorism on
British streets -- such as the 7/7 bombings in 2005 -- have
all been home grown and directly linked to the extremism of
British and American warmongering, which has slaughtered
hundreds of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instead we now get Ainsworth berating the British public "on
the home front" for not giving enough support to the troops in
Afghanistan. In fact, the majority of people in this country
do support the troops, but think the only way to do this is by
bringing them all home from a senseless and unwinnable war.

This will be the main message carried by local Stop the War
groups around the country when they hold NAMING THE DEAD
ceremonies on the first Saturday following the 200th British
soldier to be killed. The names of Afghan civilians -- tens of
thousands of whom have died -- will also be read out.

If you would like to join in a NAMING THE DEAD ceremony in
your area, a list of Stop the War groups planning events is
available here: http://bit.ly/3cPI3i

If no event is listed for your area, and you want to be
involved, please contact the national Stop the War office:
email office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7801 2768.

*******************************
2) WE'RE LOSING SAYS US ARMY COMMANDER

General Stanley McChrystal, the recently appointed commander
of the US army in Afghanistan, has given an extraordinary
interview to the Wall Street Journal, in which he says America
is losing the war and the military has got one year to get
results before public support evaporates. Read the interview
here: http://bit.ly/1mQ50M

*******************************
3) RESOLUTION: OCT 24 NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION

Stop the War has produced the following model resolution on
the Afghanistan war, for use by trade unions and other
organisations or groups:

This {branch/group} notes that nearly 200 British soldiers
have now died in Afghanistan alongside a far greater number of
Afghan civilians and that the military situation there
continues to deteriorate. It further notes that the Afghan
government has lost all domestic and international credibility
due to its corruption, involvement in the drug trade,
warlordism and repressive legislation, which is aimed against
women in particular.

We also note that the military conflict is spilling over into
Pakistan with potentially catastrophic consequences.

We believe that there needs urgently to be a political
solution to the crisis in Afghanistan, which can only be
achieved by the Afghan people themselves without external
interference. One of the essential pre-requisites for such a
solution is the ending of the war and the withdrawal of all
foreign troops.

We therefore support the demonstration on troop withdrawal
called for October 24 in London and pledge to mobilise for a
large turnout.

The Resolution can be downloaded as a Word file here:
http://bit.ly/g1VQa

*******************************
4) NATIONAL STUDENTS CONFERENCE: 19 SEPTEMBER

This has been a momentous year in student anti-war activity,
not least following Israel's barbaric attack on Gaza in
January. Occupations of universities and colleges swept the
country, many of which were successful in winning scholarships
for Palestinian students, the commitment of aid and support to
Gaza and twinning with Palestinian universities.

The Stop the War National Student Conference will take place
on Saturday 19 September and will bring together students and
young people from across the country for discussions and
debates on strategy and tactics, the rise of Islamophobia,
Barack Obama, the "war on terror" and much more.

Keynote speakers include the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe,
Shamiul Joarder from Friends of Al Aqsa and the musician/MC
Lowkey.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND DETAILS OF HOW TO REGISTER, GO TO:
http://bit.ly/3fxLpu

*******************************
5) ORGANISING AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA

The level of Islamophobia is at alarmingly high levels in
Britain. Recent media articles have included tabloid
journalists reporting on wearing the burka -- like a prison
was their verdict -- and a scare story in the Telegraph
claiming that within 40 years Europe will be dominated by
Muslims.

The anti-Muslim demonstration in Birmingham last weekend --
with its slogan "Muslim bombers off our streets" -- was
thankfully met with a much larger counter demonstration. But
the organisers, calling themselves the English Defence League,
threaten to repeat their racist parades elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the fascist British National Party continues to
make Muslims and Islam the main focus of its poisonous
campaigns seeking the racist vote.

It is against this background that an organisation against
Islamophobia, titled Kafa (Arabic for Enough) was set up
recently, with support from Stop the War Coalition. A series
of public meetings in major cities and towns is planned for
the autumn months.

If you would like more information about Kafa/Enough or would
like to help organise a public meeting in your area, please
contact Shamiul via the Stop the War office: Email
office@stopwar.org.uk Tel 020 7801 2768

*******************************
6) VIDEO: THE QUESTIONS THE IRAQ INQUIRY MUST ASK

This 20 minute film, written and presented by Stop the War
officer John Rees, gives the background to the Iraq Inquiry,
exposes the decidedly worrying opinions of its panel and
defines the questions which will need to be answered if
widespread cynicism as to the inquiry's real purpose is to be
refuted. It can be watched here: http://bit.ly/4kJQuH

TOEING THE LYNE
Arising from the research John did for the film is this
article revealing the extent to which Sir Roderic Lyne is an
"independent" member of the Iraq Inquiry panel:
http://bit.ly/9kqlx

*******************************
7) LANCE CORPORAL JOE GLENTON: UPDATE

The next hearing in the court martial proceedings against
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton -- for refusing to return to
Afghanistan -- will be in September. He now faces an
additional charge for opposing and speaking out publicly
against the war.

Many messages of support for Joe have been sent from around
the world, this one, from Clare Tremper in Seattle USA, being
typical:

"I detest the US wars/occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq. I
thank you for standing up for what is just at the cost of a
threat to your personal freedom. You are what is noble and
right in humanity."

EMAIL YOUR SUPPORT TO: joeisinnocent@hotmail.co.uk.
DOWNLOAD THE DEFEND CORPORAL JOE GLENTON PETITION:
http://bit.ly/10gDKb

ANOTHER SOLDIER SPEAKS OUT
Since Joe Glenton made his stand, another soldier has spoken
out against the war. He is a captain serving on the front line
in Afghanistan, who gives a brutally honest account of a
conflict that seems unending and unwinnable, which you can
read here: http://bit.ly/Jhn9g

*******************************
8) BEATS BEAT BULLETS: 19 AUGUST

Appearing at the Beats Not Bullets fundraising gig for Stop
the War in London on 19 August are Ras Kwame, DJ Kayper,
Deadly Hunta, Purple Simba and Lowkey: 8pm Vibe Bar, 91 Brick
Lane, London E1 6QL. Full details are on the Start the Music
website: http://bit.ly/iL0HG

*******************************
9) LINDSEY GERMAN'S BLOG

Lindsey German, national convenor of Stop the War writes a
regular blog for which recent subjects include the lack of
home support for the war in Afghanistan and the continuing
rise of Islamophobia. You can read the current blog here:
http://bit.ly/C9Obf, or by selecting it from the News &
Analysis menu on the Stop the War website.

*******************************
10) FOLLOW STOP THE WAR ON TWITTER

Go here to sign up to follow Stop the War:
http://twitter.com/STWuk

Solidarity with Ibrahim Avcil: defend the right to protest

2009-08-06T21:56:00.001+01:00

Yesterday's protest outside Stoke Newington Police Station saw around 30 people gather to support Ibrahim Avcil, chair of Refugee Workers' Cultural Association (GIK-DER) and Stop the War activist.

Ibrahim has been charged with common assault and with threatening words and behaviour and will appear before Bow Magistrates Court on Thursday 13 August. These charges are connected to the protests that Hackney Stop the War has been holding to get the Army Showroom in Kingsland Shopping Centre closed down. They are designed to try and gag protest, as is shown by Ibrahim's outrageous bail conditions: he is not allowed within 30 metres of the Shopping Centre entrance.

Hackney Stop the War is asking its supporters to show their solidarity with Ibrahim by assembling at 9am on Thursday 13 August, at Bow Magistrates Court, 58 Bow Road, E3 4DJ. This is very near Bow Road tube station and on the 425 bus route.

Gareth Jenkins

Sec. Hackney Stop The War

Stop the War Coalition Newsletter

2009-08-06T21:51:00.001+01:00

No. 1109  05 August 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:  
1) SOLDIER FACING COURT MARTIAL JOINS STOP THE WAR  
2) JULY THE MONTH OF WORSTS: CAMPAIGN NOW FOR 24 OCTOBER  
3) DON’T DEMONSTRATE AGAINST WAR – OR ELSE 
4) STOP THE WAR’S LETTER TO THE IRAQ INQUIRY 
5) ANTI-WAR SONGS OF THE WEEK 
6) FOLLOW STOP THE WAR ON TWITTER

*******************************  
1) SOLDIER FACING COURT MARTIAL JOINS STOP THE WAR

Court martial proceedings have began against Lance Corporal  
Joe Glenton, the first British soldier to speak out publicly  
against the war in Afghanistan. Joe has joined the Stop the  
War Coalition and intends to deny desertion, calling an expert 
on international law to argue against the legality of the war 
in Afghanistan.

Joe delivered a letter to Gordon Brown last week at Downing  
Street giving his reasons for refusing to fight an unjust war 
(read letter here: http://bit.ly/eO3V0).

His case has received widespread media coverage, including the 
BBC TV News discussion between Lindsey German, national  
convenor of Stop the War, and Major-General Sir Patrick  
Cordingly, who led the British army in the first Gulf War  
against Iraq (see the video of the discussion here:  
http://bit.ly/GZU3s)

EMAIL YOUR SUPPORT TO: joeisinnocent@hotmail.co.uk.  
DOWNLOAD THE DEFEND CORPORAL JOE GLENTON PETITION:  
http://bit.ly/10gDKb

*******************************  
2) JULY THE MONTH OF WORSTS: CAMPAIGN NOW FOR 24 OCTOBER

July was the worst month since the invasion in 2001 for Afghan 
civilian deaths and for British and US soldiers killed. It was 
also the worst month for serious injuries to British troops.  
(See here for more details: http://bit.ly/ztpvo)

There have now been 192 lives of British soldiers lost in the 
senseless war in Afghanistan. The 200 threshold will sadly be 
passed in the near future. Stop the War’s local groups across  
the country will be organising Naming the Dead ceremonies on  
the following Saturday (contact the Stop the War office if you 
would like to participate: office@stopwar.org.uk; 020 7801  
2768)

With Gordon Brown still having the nerve to call July’s  
military operations a "success", the importance of the 
campaign to build the biggest possible Troops Home Now 
demonstration on 24 October – called by Stop the War, CND and  
BMI -- was never clearer. (Download initial leaflet here:  
http://bit.ly/1UxUut)

Over the past few weeks, Stop the War’s local groups have  
experienced unprecedented feeling against the war in  
Afghanistan, with people queuing at street stalls to sign  
petitions calling for the troops to come home.

Another sign of growing anger over this war has been the sharp 
increase in people contacting the Stop the War national office 
offering to help in our campaign. If you would like to get  
involved too: office@stopwar.org.uk; 020 7801 2768.

*******************************  
3) DON’T DEMONSTRATE AGAINST WAR – OR ELSE

Lindsey German’s latest blog discusses the proposal suggested  
under new procedures for becoming a British citizen, whereby  
applicants may be penalised for demonstrating against British 
troops, which apparently could be seen as "an active disregard 
of UK values".

As Lindsey writes, "Since public opinion, according to all  
polls, wants a rapid withdrawal of all troops from  
Afghanistan, then anti-war demos more represent 'UK values'  
than the vociferous pro war lobby of military and  
politicians."

You can read Lindsey’s blog here: http://bit.ly/C9Obf

Lindsey also had the pleasure of a confrontation on BBC Radio 
this week with Colonel Tim Collins, the army officer who  
gained some notoriety from his speech to his regiment on the  
eve of the Iraq war, when he clearly saw himself as a 
reincarnation of Shakespeare's Henry V.

Collins accused Lindsey of "sailing close to the wind" in her 
support of Lance Corporal Joe Glenton’s right to refuse to  
return to Afghanistan. This, said Collins, was tantamount to  
inciting mutiny in the army!

*******************************  
4) STOP THE WAR’S LETTER TO THE IRAQ INQUIRY

The Stop the War Coalition has written to Sir John Chilcot,  
chair of the panel for the Iraq inquiry requesting that we be 
given the opportunity to present evidence to the inquiry into 
the Iraq war and to propose expert witnesses. We await his  
reply.

You can read Stop the War’s letter here: http://bit.ly/cxOHZ

*******************************  
5) ANTI-WAR SONGS OF THE WEEK

Many thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions for our  
anti-war song of the week, which is a feature of our website.

We have made one of the suggestions, Hero of War by Rise  
Against, this week’s selection (our thanks to Richard), which  
you can listen to here: http://bit.ly/10HLlX

You can see the full list of songs so far here:  
http://bit.ly/nsHxo

*******************************  
6) FOLLOW STOP THE WAR ON TWITTER

Follow us here: http://twitter.com/STWuk

Solidarity needed with Ibrahim Avcil, arrested and assaulted by the police for protesting against the Dalston army showroom

2009-08-02T12:21:00.001+01:00

Solidarity needed with the army showroom protestors arrested and charged by the police. Further to last week's peaceful protestor's arrest, please read below the circumstances of Ibrahim's arrest in June:

Please find below a text that I have written explaining the circumstance of my arrest by the Police. We will be having a vigil on the day I return for my bail which is Wednesday the 05th of August at 10.30am. The vigil will be hold in front of the Stoke Newington Police station. It has happened to me today, it could be anyone else tomorrow, so I beleive we shall not stay silent, and get organised against the attacks on our right to protest and organise.

I am writing this e-mail to make you aware of my arrest and what happened.

On Monday the 8^th of June 2009 at around 15.35, I was walking through the shopping centre coming from the Natwest Bank, together with my brother in Law. As I passed Sainsbury, I was approached by a member of the security personal, who pushed me from the chest and told me “You cant enter this building” when I asked why he said that I was banned from the building, I made my way again towards the exit, the security personal hold on to my arm, I refused he hold me from the back and tried to put me on to the floor, whilst calling the police, by the time the police came I saved my self from the security personal and asked him to “please call his manager”. The police came without a single question put a handcuff on my arm (A cross handcuff) and 2 other officers came as well, and they drag me inside the shopping centre to the police booth in the Ridley Road Market. While dragging me officer PC 284 (Lewington) and officer PC 485 who refused to give me his details I had to write it down myself used words such as “Bend down you wanker”, You Fucking Bustard” and as we entered the police booth the officer PC485 intentionally hit my head on the edge of the glass door. When we went in side officer PC485 made racist comments about my looks, and clearly said “Fuck of back to your country”, I said I am a British citizen and he said “He does not give a Fuck”.

Before letting me go they said they want to take me to Stoke Newington Police station but because apparently there was no space there they released on Bail and on the bail paper they wrote down the offence as “Burglary”. The officer asked me to sign the bail paper with cuffs on my hand I refused he took them of. Although I told them 10 x that my hands were about to brake they were laughing. They released me on Bail told me I am not allowed into the shopping centre, they gave me nothing in writing to confirm this. As I left the office on bail Ali Aksoy chair of HRF was there to pick me up, while officer PC 485 was going past us all he clearly said “Come to Stoke Newington police Station we will show you”.

I went to the hospital straight after the release report has been given to me after x rays and state, That” He has minor head injuries, he has been examined and is being treated for biletaral soft tissue injuriesof the wrists and a possible fracture of the bone, he has been given a wrist sprint and we will review the x rays on 12 June2009”.

I am an active person within the community and the chair of a well respected organisation within the community. These acts of the police are unacceptable, I am not able to work now until the doctors agree that I am safe to work.

I demand an investigation in to this matter as soon as possible, and I will do all I can to make it as public as I can.

Ibrahim Avcil

RWCA- Refugee Workers' Cultural Association
GIK-DER- Gocmen Isciler Kultur Dernegi

Shut Down the Dalston Army Showroom - Protest on Sat 25 July

2009-07-22T00:07:00.001+01:00

The deaths of eight soldiers in Afghanistan in as many days brings home the
urgency of our campaign to bring the troops home from Afghanistan and to
shut down the Army showroom in Dalston.

The media may try to ignore us or spin the figures. But the fact remains
that a majority of people in Britain want the troops in Afghanistan
withdrawn by the end of the year. They do not believe this is a 'good war'.
In reality Nato forces are protecting a corrupt regime under President
Karzai and an undemocratic bunch of drug-running warlords. It is a state
where the position of women is worse than it was under the Taliban.

The government claims that the war must go on to prevent terrorism on the
streets of Britain. But the longer the occupation continues the greater the
likelihood of terrorist outrages occurring.

If politicians really want to save the lives of soldiers (and the lives of
Afghan civilians, who are now dying at double last year's rate), they should
recognise that this is a pointless, unwinnable war and bring the troops home
now.

And we must get the army showroom in Dalston shut down. Youth unemployment
is now at a sixteen year high. We don't want young people in Hackney being
conned by glitzy images into an army career, with the prospect of death,
injury or mental trauma as a result of the Afghan war.

Join the protest at 1.30pm on Saturday 25 July
at the Kingsland Shopping Centre, Dalston, opposite Dalston Kingsland
station.

We shall be leafleting, petitioning and distributing postcards. Any help you
can give would be much appreciated.

RETAKING OUR LIBERTIES is THIS THURSDAY - 16th!

2009-07-16T09:48:00.002+01:00

Is the next exciting i'd rather be...productions event

This is the second of an irregular series of irb...productions events. The first, also held at London's Cross Kings (February 15th) was motivated by the outrageous assault by Israeli armed forces on Gaza. The event was extremely well received thanks to contributions from our brilliant line up of musicians: Low Key, Renu Hossain and Yaaba Funk. We successfully raised funds for Stop the War and Medical Aid for Palestinians.

About the cause...

This new campaign needs and deserves your support (and, yes, money!). Why? Please see below!

About Retaking our Liberties
For a mere £5 (plus optional donations) we guarantee you a real feast of goodies. The emphasis here is on guitars, lots of 'em! Sameh Moussa (acoustic Arabic/ Flemenco) Graham Larkbey and the Escape Committee (Bluesy/ Rocky) and the inimitable Barry 'the Fish' Melton (bringing us all that original 'electric music for the mind and the body' through his fiery, psychedelic blues!). Click on the flyer to find out more!

Why now...
We are focussing on a very important and alarming issue that has begun making the news with depressing regularity here in the UK: the increasing use of police violence as the State's chosen tactic, and forming part of a broader strategy, to drastically limit people's legitimate right to protest.

This has included the:

* Increasing use of stop and search, usually targetting particular ethnic minority communities despite there being little evidence of its effectiveness
* Use of oppressive terrorism legislation to hold protesters (for example the Gaza convoy members or, most often, climate change protesters) to disrupt organised opposition to particular government policies
* Recent events at the climate change protest when a protester was manhandled for asking an officer for their ID - see the Guardian front page (22/06/09)
* Filmed assaults on protesters, and non protesters, at the recent London G20 demonstrations
* Filmed tasering, kicking and punching of a man already on the ground in Nottingham only last week
* Shootings of unarmed individuals (Jean Charles De Menezes in Stockwell and Harry Stanley in Hackney) for which no one has yet been called to account
* Many unanswered questions regarding unexplained deaths in police custody, now numbered in the 100s, with, again, no one being charged in connection with any of them
* Intimidation (employing varying levels of violence) being regularly used to try and scare peaceful protesters off the streets, often coupled with aggressive surveillance and the use of filming in situations where it never used to occur
* Use of pre-planned and carefully rehearsed aggressive policing tactics (of which 'kettling' is but the latest) which are coming to represent a serious and sustained attack on the democratic legitimate right to protest.

Why support UCAPV...
We need a campaign to raise public awareness of both individual instances of the use of excessive force or violence by the police and the very real threat current methods of increasingly non consensual policing pose to all our civil rights. The United Campaign Against Police Violence is that campaign.

What we can do on Thursday, July 16th ...
Come and join Woodstock legend and the hippest Public Defender of all time Barry "the fish" Melton when he headlines an evening of entertainment that will deliver the musical event of the year as we make a start at....Retaking our Liberties

Remember the e-flyer is interactive - so download and click away!!!!!!!

Love
irb... productions
The story of i’d rather be...productions

"I'd Rather be Dancing" is the title of a most moving and powerful song by Seattle-based political activist and singer/ songwriter Jim Page about the brutal murder of American human rights activist, Rachel Corrie, in March 2003 by the Israeli military. He used Rachel’s own words, written to her parents, for the song.

We borrowed Jim’s title and decided to adopt it for our umbrella group of artists, promoters and other activists who came together outraged by what was going on in Gaza and like so many others wanted to do something about it. We settled on a ‘don’t get mad get even’ approach, agreeing to work together ‘fund raising the roof’ in various guises and contexts. We now intend to promote different fundraising events so contributing to organisations that can actually effect change on the ground. Feel free to contact us if you’ve any thoughts and ideas for fundraising at irbdproductions@googlemail.com. Let's work together and be creative!

Stop the War protest on Monday 13 July at Downing Street, between 5pm and 7pm.

2009-07-10T20:01:00.000+01:00

179 British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan... the same number as in Iraq.
Stop the War protest on Monday 13 July at Downing Street, between 5pm and 7pm.
Be there. Pass the message on.

Public meeting: The good war? Afghanistan in the media

2009-07-09T19:39:00.001+01:00

Afghanistan has always been portrayed as the "good war" in contrast to the catastrophe in Iraq. But is it?A public meeting on Monday 13 July, hosted by Media Workers Against the War and Stop the War Coalition, will discuss this issue.

Speakers include prominent journalists Stephen Grey (investigative journalist embedded with British troops in Helmand), Guy Smallman (recently returned from Afghanistan) and Seamus Milne (columnist, the Guardian).

7pm, Mon 13 July, Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road NW1 2BJ, opposite Euston Station/tube.All welcome.

For further information telephone 020 7801 2768.
Hackney Stop The War

Hackney Stop the War

UPDATE: Defending the right to protest on 20 November

Kabul conference shows the war at an impasse

Sat 26 June protest against Army Show Room: withdraw troops from Afghanistan

Demonstration Against Israeli brutality, Saturday

Stop the War needs your help urgently‏

Stop Islamophobia Conference: Book Now‏

How to use your vote against the war‏

Events this week on "war on terror", Palestine & nuclear warfare

Stepping up Stop the War's election campaign‏

Forthcoming events in London

Please make every effort to attend. It's important that supporters of the occupation are in no doubt about the scale of the opposition to keeping the troops in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan day of protest: 27 march‏

Hackney Stop the War Film Show WINTER SOLDIERS II Wed 31 March, 7.30pm

Jailed for protesting against Israeli war crimes‏

When the enemy vanishes -- kill civilians‏

Hackney Stop the War Public Meeting CRISIS IN THE 'WAR ON TERROR': home and abroad

NAME

Haiti Disaster Relief: A Fundraiser @ The Rio Cinema 6th February

IRAN: WHAT LIES AHEAD - meeting central London 3 Feb

Attempt to ban protest outside Blair inquiry‏

To Shoot An Elephant screening in Hackney tomorrow

The people's voice on Blair's judgement day‏

Protest days in January

Blockade Gordon Brown's War ConferenceThursday 28 January 8.30amLancaster House, Stable Yard, St James'sLondon SW1A 1BB

Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE

Join us from 8.00am onwards

The people's dossier versus the dodgy dossier‏

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on public trial‏

Stop the War emergency appeal‏

Protest when the warmongers gather in London‏

Message to all Stop the War Coalition supporters‏

Mon 21 Dec: join military families handing in petition to Downing Street

Final push for Bring the Troops Home petition‏

Military families petition Gordon Brown to bring the troops home‏

Why have 100 soldiers died in Afghanistan this year?‏

Free Joe Glenton Bring the troops home from Afghanistan Close down the Army showroom

STOP THE WAR MEETING AT PARLIAMENT WED 9 DEC

Viva Palestina

The only serious exit strategy for Afghanistan‏

Israel the Palestinians and apartheid - central London meeting Friday 4 December

What now? Secret Government reports prove Tony Blair lied

Skis in the desert

Bring them home by Christmas‏

Dear L/Cpl Joe Glenton, you are an inspiration to us all

Selection of messages of support for Joe Glenton

How to support Lance Corporal Joe Glenton

Anti-war soldier arrested: Protest now‏

Action stations over Afghanistan‏

To most of the world, we are the terrorists

WARNING: This video contains disturbing images

Five more soldiers die in an unwinnable war

Responding to the Afghan election farce‏

Video- Troops out of Afghanistan demo

Afghanistan demonstration update, BNP, etc‏

Watch this and know why we demonstrate on 24 October

Soldiers and their families lead Saturday's march

Weapons of Mass Communication for 24 October‏

Why Saturday 24 October matters

What you can do to help build 24 October‏

BBC debate: Afghanistan - Is it Mission Impossible?

Talking about peace, thinking about war‏

Afghanistan: Vital October Dates for your Diary

Afghanistan: How you can help‏

Protest Israeli PM Netanyahu meeting Gordon Brown‏

Naming of the Dead ceremonies, Sat 22 Aug in Hackney and Mon 17 Aug at the Cenotaph

Naming the Dead in commemoration of 200 soldiers killed The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London. Monday 17 August, 12 noon

JERUSALEM DISPOSSESSED

200 dead and no support on the home front?

Solidarity with Ibrahim Avcil: defend the right to protest

Stop the War Coalition Newsletter

Solidarity needed with Ibrahim Avcil, arrested and assaulted by the police for protesting against the Dalston army showroom

Shut Down the Dalston Army Showroom - Protest on Sat 25 July

RETAKING OUR LIBERTIES is THIS THURSDAY - 16th!

Stop the War protest on Monday 13 July at Downing Street, between 5pm and 7pm.

Public meeting: The good war? Afghanistan in the media

Blockade Gordon Brown's War Conference
Thursday 28 January 8.30am
Lancaster House, Stable Yard, St James's
London SW1A 1BB