Message to all Stop the War Coalition supporters‏

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

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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calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan;  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foreign troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.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

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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)

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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

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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