Protest when the warmongers gather in London‏

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1133 06 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) PROTEST WHEN THE WARMONGERS GATHER IN LONDON  
2) AT LAST TONY BLAIR MUST EXPLAIN HIS LIES  
3) LONDON STOP THE WAR ACTIVISTS MEETING  
4) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING  
5) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY ENTERS GAZA

*********************************  
1) PROTEST WHEN THE WARMONGERS GATHER IN LONDON

On Thursday 28 January the leaders of the NATO occupation of  
Afghanistan are coming to Central London for a conference  
organised by Gordon Brown to discuss the next steps in their  
war effort. President Karzai, Hilary Clinton, President  
Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are among those expected to attend.

Stop the War will organise a protest at the conference. We  
will publicise time and location as soon as they are  
announced.

The situation for the warmongers is deteriorating sharply.  
Last year was by far the worst since the invasion in 2001 for 
the invading forces, with 108 British soldiers and 319 US  
troops losing their lives in a war with no purpose.

The number of Afghan civilians killed in 2009 also rose  
dramatically, with the UN giving a figure of well over 2000,  
which is undoubtedly an under-estimate of the total, as many  
deaths go unreported.

Gordon Brown claims NATO is committed to a stable and secure  
Afghanistan, but  the war has only increased the suffering of 
ordinary people in the world's second poorest country.

This is the environment in which the Taliban continue to grown 
in strength -- with even the commander of the NATO forces  
admitting they control much of the country.

The Taliban infiltration of the Afghan army -- which according 
to Obama and Brown is the long term key to winning the war -- 
was highlighted at the end of 2009, when five British soldiers 
and seven CIA operatives were killed in separate incidents by 
Taliban supporters serving in the army.

The western backed Karzai government -- already discredited by 
the farcical presidential "election" -- is in utter disarray, 
following the rejection of Karzai's new cabinet by the Afghan 
parliament. This has made a mockery of Gordon Brown's slogan  
for the conference on 28 January: "Afghan leadership, 
international partnership".

We are told the purpose of the ever mounting death toll is to 
counter the danger of terrorism. But it is clear that far from 
combating terrorism , the 'war on terror' has created more  
enemies for the west and al-Qaeda has spread across the Middle 
East to Somalia, Yemen and beyond.

The one place it isn't, is in Afghanistan, where the US  
government admits there are less than 100 al-Qaeda operatives.

The leaders gathering on 28 January have only one response to 
the catastrophe their war has created. More war. With his  
latest troop surge Obama has doubled the number of troops in  
Afghanistan since he became president. As ever - and despite a 
majority of the British public calling for the troops to be  
withdrawn --  our government follows slavishly wherever US  
foreign policy takes it, and Brown has increased Britain's  
deployment to over 9500.

It is essential that we make clear on 28 January that these  
war policies are opposed by the majority of people in 
virtually every NATO country. Instead of discussing an 
escalation of the war in Afghanistan, Brown's international  
conference should be planning to bring all the troops home.

STOP THE WAR PROTEST  
STOP THE KILLING: BRING THE TROOPS HOME  
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN  
THURSDAY 28 JANUARY  
CENTRAL LONDON (venue tba)  
We hope you will be able to join us.

FOR UPDATES:  
http://www.stopwar.org.uk

*********************************  
2) AT LAST TONY BLAIR MUST EXPLAIN HIS LIES

It's not often that war criminals have to account for their  
crimes in public.

Tony Blair will appear for a full day at the Iraq war inquiry 
sometime in the two weeks after January 25.

Stop the War is calling for the biggest possible mobilisation 
at the QE2 Conference Centre in London on the day Blair tries 
to explain the lies which took Britain into an illegal and  
unjustified war.

The outrage that so many people feel because Blair has not  
been held to account must be given full voice. The more public 
pressure there is, the more difficult it will be for the  
inquiry's report to be the complete whitewash that Gordon  
Brown intended when he handpicked Chilcot and his committee  
members.

Many military families will be coming to London to witness the 
evidence of the man responsible for the loss of their love  
ones. Our protest activities will include a naming of the dead 
ceremony, to coincide with Blair giving evidence.

We urge everyone who can, to join the protest at the Iraq  
Inquiry which will demand that Blair is held to account for  
his participation in war crimes which led to the deaths of one 
million Iraqis and 179 British soldiers.

STOP THE WAR PROTEST  
TONY BLAIR AT THE IRAQ INQUIRY 
QUEEN ELISABETH CONFERENCE CENTRE  
WESTMINSTER LONDON SW1P 3EE  
DATE TBA  
For updates see: http://www.stopwar.org.uk

*********************************  
3) LONDON STOP THE WAR ACTIVISTS MEETING

There will be a London activists meeting, open to all, to plan 
for both Tony Blair's appearance at the Iraq Inquiry and for  
the International Conference on Afghanistan:

Tuesday 12 January  
Bloomsbury Baptist Church  
235 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8EP 
(Nearest tube station Tottenham Court Road)  
All welcome.

Contact the Stop the War office for more details:  
Email: office@stopwar.org.uk; Tel: 020 7801 2768

*********************************  
4) GAZA ONE YEAR ON: PUBLIC MEETING

END THE SIEGE OF GAZA 
BRING ISRAELI WAR CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE 
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.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:  
Dr Karma Nabulsi, Oxford University  
Bruce Kent, Vice President Pax Christi 
Sir Gerald Kaufman MP - Just returned from Gaza  
Phyllis Starkey MP  
Lowkey 
Hugh Lanning, Deputy General Secretary PCS  
Daud Abdullah, Palestinian Return Centre  
Jeremy Corbyn MP

For more information: PSC 0207 700 6192  //  
www.palestinecampaign.org

*********************************  
4) VIVA PALESTINA CONVOY ENTERS GAZA

One month, thousands of miles, ten countries, one ship and a  
four flights later, the Viva Palestina convoy has begun to  
enter the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Viva Palestina aid convoy, which planned to enter Gaza on 
27 December but has been blocked by the Egyptian government  
and was viciously attacked by Egyptian riot police.

For lots of video coverage and reports and how you can send  
messages of protest to the Egyptian embassy, go to:  
http://bit.ly/pPrky

Final push for Bring the Troops Home petition‏

STOP THE WAR COALITION 
NEWSLETTER  
No. 1131 15 December 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk   ; 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

1) FINAL PUSH FOR BRING THE TROOPS HOME PETITION  
2) TONY BLAIR CONFESSES HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL  
3) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER 
4) VIVA PALESTINA AID CONVOY TO GAZA  
5) BEATS BEAT BULLETS GAZA SPECIAL  
6) SONG FOR GAZA  
7) POSTSCRIPT: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

*********************************  
1) FINAL PUSH FOR BRING THE TROOPS HOME PETITION

If you haven't signed Stop the War's Bring the Troops Home  
petition, we urge you to do so online now:  
http://bit.ly/8jLhRk. You will then be included when military 
families and former soldiers deliver the petition to Gordon  
Brown in Downing Street on Monday 21 at 5pm.

Military families are coming with their supporters from around 
the country and they have asked for the widest support when  
they go to Downing Street. If you are able to join them, it  
will be very much appreciated.

Please note that if you have been collecting signatures for  
petition sheets, these need to arrive at the Stop the War  
office by 17 December to be included in Monday's submission to 
Gordon Brown.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us accumulate tens of  
thousands of signatures.

MILITARY FAMILIES DELIVER PETITION TO GORDON BROWN  
BRING THE TROOPS HOME 
MONDAY 21 DECEMBER, 5PM  
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, SW1A 2AA  
PLEASE SUPPORT IF YOU CAN

For more information see: http://bit.ly/4Z3eCR

*********************************  
2) TONY BLAIR CONFESSES HE'S A WAR CRIMINAL

Tony Blair's admission in a BBC interview that he would have  
made up some other lie other than weapons of mass destruction 
to topple Saddam Hussein has raised the stakes considerably  
for his appearance at the Iraq Inquiry, probably in January.

As John Rentoul, Blair's biographer and the Independent's  
chief political commentator, put it, "Tony Blair's interview  
was the front-page lead in The Guardian and prominently  
reported in all available outlets, all along the lines 
summarised by the Stop the War Coalition press release this  
morning: Tony Blair confesses to war crimes."

Stop the War will ensure that Blair gets a very warm reception 
at the Iraq Inquiry. We will undoubtedly be joined by many of 
the families who lost loved ones because of Blair's war  
crimes.

Reg Keys, who stood against Blair in the 2005 general 
election, has already said he will be on the Inquiry's 
doorstep the day Blair is there. After hearing Blair's latest 
justification for his war crimes, Reg gave a withering and  
unmissable interview to the BBC about losing his son, who was 
killed in Iraq, due to Blair's lies. You can watch the video  
here: http://bit.ly/6Gw9h2

*********************************  
3) REMEMBER GAZA: ISRAELI EMBASSY 27 DECEMBER

On Sunday 27 December, it will be exactly one year since the  
start of Israel's attack on Gaza, in which 1,400 Palestinians 
were killed, 5,000 injured and 50,000 homes destroyed.

To mark that anniversary and to protest at the continuing  
Israeli siege of Gaza, which denies the one million population 
of Gaza the basic necessities, there will be a vigil outside  
the Israeli Embassy, 3-5pm, High Street Kensington, London W8.

The vigil has been 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)

*********************************  
4) VIVA PALESTINA AID CONVOY TO GAZA

As well as the vigil at the Israeli embassy in London, Sunday 
27 December is the day that the Viva Palestine aid convoys  
from Britain, the United States and Turkey will enter Gaza,  
bringing essential resources to its people that are deniedthem 
by the Israeli siege.

The Viva Palestina convoy is getting a tremendous response in 
every country it crosses on the way to Gaza. You can follow  
its progress on the Viva Palestina website, which has lots of 
videos, pictures and reports, and on Twitter. 
* Website: http://bit.ly/pPrky 
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/viva_palestina  
* George Galloway on Twitter: 
http://twitter.com/georgegalloway

*********************************  
5) BEATS BEAT BULLETS GAZA SPECIAL

On Tuesday 22 December, Start the Music has a Gaza Special in 
its series of highly successful Beats Beat Bullets fundraising 
gigs for Stop the War.

Another impressive line-up will be performing in memory of the 
atrocities committed by Israel and the worldwide protests that 
took to the streets in every corner of the world (see Stop the 
War's Song of the Week below).

Top of the bill is rapper-poet Lowkey, who made such an impact 
on Stop the War's Stop the Massacre demonstration on 10  
January 2009 - the biggest protest for Palestine ever held in 
Britain - with his "Long Live Palestine - Long Live Gaza" (see 
http://bit.ly/Q7jEd).

Joining Lowkey will be Reveal and Shadia Mansour.

BEATS BEAT BULLETS TUE 22 DECEMBER  
A GAZA SPECIAL FEATURING:  
LOWKEY, REVEAL AND SHADIA MANSOUR  
8-11pm at Vibe Live, Vibe Bar Tickets £5  
91 - 95 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

See Start the Music website for more details: 
http://startthemusic.org.uk/

*********************************  
6) SONG FOR GAZA

With the Viva Palestina aid convoy on its way to Gaza, and the 
anniversary of Israel's attack approaching, we've chosen Song 
for Gaza by Michael Heart as song of the week, which has  
become a YouTube phenomenon, with millions of hits and many  
people creating their own videos to go with the song.

The video we've used is a moving testament to the worldwide  
outpouring of rage against Israel's attack, with pictures of  
demonstrations from every corner of the globe. You can watch  
the video and hear the song here: http://bit.ly/7YhW1D

Many thanks to everyone sending in suggestions for song of the 
week, which have all been excellent and very varied. Keep them 
coming. Sometime soon we'll try and have a multiple posting on 
the website so we can begin to catch up with the backlog of  
suggestions.

*********************************  
7) POSTSCRIPT: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Rage Against the Machine are one of the biggest bands in the  
world and they are uncompromisingly anti-war. In 2007, their  
lead guitarist Tom Morello did a memorable benefit gig in  
London for Stop the War.

An extraordinary internet rebellion has broken out to try and 
get Rage Against the Machine's protest track, "Killing in the 
Name", as Christmas No.1, in front of the latest X  
Factor/Simon Cowell single.

It seems to be working, with nearly one million joining the  
Facebook group which started the campaign (see 
http://bit.ly/4pwYdT) and downloads of the song putting it  
currently ahead of the X Factor song. Simon Cowell is not  
pleased! Sales also generate donations to the housing charity 
Shelter, which has already receive £30,000 as a result. The  
singles chart will be published on 20 December.

SEE THIS VIDEO FOR MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/4vnt7q

Viva Palestina

ç

The next Viva Palestina convoy, supported by Stop the War, is going to be a huge international gathering delivering aid to the people of Gaza on 27 December, the anniversary of Israel's barbaric invasion at the turn of 2009.

The Israeli seige of Gaza prevents essential resources reaching Palestinians trapped in the world's most densely populated area. Convoys from Britain, the United States and Turkey, packed with aid donated by the people of those countries, will converge on Gaza to break that seige.

The UK convoy departs on 6 December. For more details and to donate, go to: www.vivapalestina.org

In addition a local Stop the War supporter is joining the convoy....

Dear all

I'm joining the upcoming Viva Palestina convoy. We will be leaving London on 5 December with lorries, minibuses and ambulances full of medical and other supplies and hoping to enter Gaza on 27 December. All our vehicles and equipment, as well as the aid, will be left in Gaza.

There are only 7 days to go, and we urgently need YOUR MONEY! Please please please, consider giving something to help us break the siege and bring urgently-needed medical aid to the people of Gaza.

Everything you can give really will make a difference, so please give extremely generously! And if you're short of dosh, consider asking someone to donate an early Christmas present on your behalf :)

Peace, love and freedom fighting

------------------------
Joti Brar