Attempt to ban protest outside Blair inquiry‏

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1137 26 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) ATTEMPT TO BAN PROTEST OUTSIDE BLAIR INQUIRY  
2) AFGHAN MEETING HAS ADDED URGENCY  
3) PROTEST AT GORDON BROWN'S AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE

**********************************  
1) ATTEMPT TO BAN PROTEST OUTSIDE BLAIR INQUIRY

Negotiations between the police and Stop the War broke down  
today when it became clear that the government is trying to  
hide our legitimate peaceful protest from Tony Blair when he  
gives evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry on Friday.

After days in which we were told by the police that they would 
try to facilitate our protest, Stop the War has been told we  
will not be allowed to protest on the grass outside the QEII  
Conference Centre.

This is a denial of our democratic rights and Stop the War  
will now call for the widest possible mobilisation, not just  
to express the majority view in this country that Tony Blair  
should be held to account for war crimes, but in defence of  
the right to protest.

Why should the public be denied the right to peaceful protest, 
particularly when the latest evidence given to the Chilcot  
Committee shows beyond doubt that Tony Blair knew he was  
taking Britain into an illegal war, and that he doctored legal 
advice to deceive his Cabinet, Parliament and the British  
public.

Stop the War is calling on all its supporters, local groups  
and affiliated organisations to mobilise the widest possible  
support for the Blair protest on Friday.

We urge everyone who can to join the demonstration at the QEII 
Conference Centre from 8am. Full details for the planned  
events are here: http://bit.ly/8mKM0T

Spread the word as widely as you can among your family,  
friends, work colleagues, fellow students etc, etc

TONY BLAIR'S "JUDGEMENT DAY"  
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST  
Friday 29 January from 8.00am onwards 
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre  
Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE  
Nearest tube: Westminster

**********************************  
2) AFGHAN MEETING HAS ADDED URGENCY

The public meeting From Iraq to Afghanistan on Wednesday 27  
January has added urgency, given government attempts to  
curtail our right to protest.

Included in the discussion on Afghanistan will be the issue of 
how we can build the widest mobilisation possible to defend  
our democratic right to protest peacefully.

Speakers include Tony Benn, George Galloway MP, Seumas Milne  
from The Guardian, German MP Christine Buchholz, Kate Hudson  
from CND and Lindsey German from Stop the War Coalition.

STOP THE WAR/CND PUBLIC MEETING  
FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN  
WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 7.00PM  
CAMDEN CENTRE, BIDBOROUGH STREET  
LONDON WC1H 9DB

The limited edition JAIL TONY t-shirt, specially designed by  
Katharine Hamnett for Stop the War, will be on sale at this  
meeting. For a picture, see: http://bit.ly/72lcYY

The new Stop the War pamphlet, Iraq: The People's Dossier,  
will also be on sale.

**********************************  
3) PROTEST AT GORDON BROWN'S AFGHANISTAN CONFERENCE

Thursday 28 January, 8.30am,  
Lancaster House, Stable Yard, 
St James's, London SW1A 1BB

Protest when Gordon Brown hosts his international conference, 
attended by Hilary Clinton, President Karzai, Ban Ki-moon from 
the UN, and representatives of all the US-led countries that  
are waging war in Afghanistan.

**********************************

The people's voice on Blair's judgement day‏

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1135 24 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) THE PEOPLE'S VOICE ON BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY 
2) NEW PAMPHLET - IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER  
3) PUBLIC MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN  
4) GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE  
5) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING  
6) FUNDING A WEEK OF ANTI-WAR PROTEST

*******************************  
1) THE PEOPLE'S VOICE ON BLAIR'S JUDGEMENT DAY

Writers, musicians, relatives of the dead, Iraqi refugees,  
poets, human rights  
lawyers, comedians, well known actors, MPs and ordinary  
citizens are joining a day of protest, performance and 
politics outside the Iraq Inquiry on Friday 29 January, as  
Tony Blair faces his judgement day.

People who oppose Britain's foreign wars are coming from all  
corners of the country. The verdict on Blair will affect  
present and future wars. It needs to be made clear to the  
world that people here regard him as a man guilty of taking  
Britain into an illegal war.

The approximate timetable for Tony Blair's Judgement Day at  
the QE2 Conference Centre, is as follows:

8.00: PROTEST STARTS AS BLAIR ARRIVES 
A delegation including Iraqi citizens and grieving military  
families take the People's Dossier of questions for Tony Blair 
to Sir John Chilcot.

9.00-10.00: NAMING OF THE DEAD CEREMONY  
When Blair's testimony begins, names of Iraqis killed in the  
war will be read by novelist A.L Kennedy, Musician Brian Eno, 
actor and director Sam West, actor and director Simon 
McBurney, playwright David Edgar, Lancet editor Richard  
Horton, former UK ambassador Craig Murray, Iraqi author Haifa 
Zangana, comedian and author Alexei Sayle, actor Miriam  
Margoyles, and more.

10.00-11.00: SPEECHES, READINGS AND PERFORMANCES  
Including by many of those participating in the Naming the  
Dead ceremony.

12.00-13.00: PERFORMANCE FROM LOWKEY, KING BLUES AND  
OTHER MUSICIANS.

13.00-14.00: MILITARY FAMILIES NAMING OF THE DEAD  
Members of military families who lost loved ones in the Iraq  
war will read the names of all 179 British soldiers who died.

16.00: PROTEST AS TONY BLAIR LEAVES THE INQUIRY

Tony Blair's Judgement Day  
Friday 29 January from 8.00am 
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre  
Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE  
Nearest tube: Westminster

*******************************  
2) NEW PAMPHLET - IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER  
A new Stop the War pamphlet, IRAQ: A PEOPLE'S DOSSIER, will be 
available on Blair's Judgement Day. It is a compilation  
representing the voices that have been excluded from the Iraq 
Inquiry - that is, the majority of people in Britain who  
consistently opposed Tony Blair's war.

*******************************  
3) PUBLIC MEETING: FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN

WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 7PM  
CAMDEN CENTRE, BIDBOROUGH STREET  
LONDON WC1H 9DB

At this Stop the War/CND public meeting leading figures will  
focus on another war initiated war by Tony Blair, and expose  
the lies behind the "good war" in Afghanistan.

Speakers include  Tony Benn, Seumas Milne (The Guardian),  
George Galloway MP, a speaker from the German movement, Kate  
Hudson (CND) and Lindsey German (Stop the War) .

*******************************  
4) GORDON BROWN'S WAR CONFERENCE

The day before Blair appears at the Chilcot inquiry, on  
Thursday 28 January, Gordon Brown has called a war conference 
on Afghanistan, which will be attended by Hilary Clinton,  
President Karzai and representatives from all the Nato 
countries supporting the US-led occupation. Stop the War and  
CND are organising a protest demanding an end to a war which  
is every bit as immoral and devastating as the war in Iraq.

Protest on Thursday 28 January, 8.30am, Lancaster House,  
Stable Yard, St James's, London SW1A 1BB

*******************************  
5) L/CPL JOE GLENTON'S COURT MARTIAL HEARING

It is ironic that Tony Blair is facing an inquiry into his  
decision to send soldiers to an illegal war which has 
slaughtered hundreds of thousands on the same day that a  
soldier who refuses to fight what he regards as another  
unjustifiable war started by Blair is facing court martial.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, faces the first hearing of his  
court martial on Friday 29 January at Bulford in Wiltshire.  
Stop the War has called a picket to support Joe. Supporters  
travelling from London will meet with anti-war activists in  
Wiltshire.

It is essential that the only soldier to stand up and say  
publicly what many soldiers privately admit - that the war in 
Afghanistan is both unwinnable and unjustifiable - gets the  
widest possible support from the anti-war movement. Messages  
of support can be sent to Joe at defendjoeglenton@gmail.com.

For more information and updates on his case, see:  
http://bit.ly/2vHCKR

*******************************  
6) FUNDING A WEEK OF ANTI-WAR PROTEST

Stop the War has had a hectic beginning to 2010, with three  
major events and the publication of a new pamphlet this week. 
We are now gearing up for the general election campaign, to  
ensure that the war in Afghanistan is not sidelined by the  
major political parties, all of which supported the recent  
troop surge that will inevitably lead to further escalation  
following eight years which have brought nothing but ever  
increasing levels of death and destruction.

We have had a tremendous response to our emergency appeal for 
funds this month, but we still urgently need financial support 
to help sustain our activities and events for peace. We rely  
entirely on the contributions of our members and supporters  
for funding. If you have not donated to the current appeal,  
please consider doing so now:

How to donate: 
   * Donate online: http://bit.ly/8g4iQ4  
   * By credit/debit card: Call 020 7801 2768 
   * By post: Send cheque made out to "Stop the War  
Coalition":  
     231 Vauxhall Bridge Road 
     London UK  
     SW1V 1EH