Afghanistan demonstration update, BNP, etc‏

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

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

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

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

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?

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.