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