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
Showing posts with label newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label newsletter. Show all posts
Monday, 15 February 2010
When the enemy vanishes -- kill civilians
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on public trial
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
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
*********************************
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
*********************************
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
* 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
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