200 dead and no support on the home front?

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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10) FOLLOW STOP THE WAR ON TWITTER

Go here to sign up to follow Stop the War:
http://twitter.com/STWuk