- IS IRAN NEXT?
- PEACE CONFERENCE DVD
- TONY BENN OPEN LETTER:
HAVE YOU SIGNED?
- GUANTANAMO BAY DEMONSTRATION
- REMEMBERING JEAN CHARLES
- SCHOOL STUDENTS AGAINST WAR:
NATIONAL CONFERENCE 28 JANUARY
- FASLANE 365
- HELL, NO, WE WON’T GO
- USEFUL LINKS
1)IS IRAN NEXT?
Iraq is “out of control”. This is the conclusion of a US government report which contradicts in every detail George Bush’s public optimism about “great progress”. The deeper Iraq sinks into death, destruction and chaos, the more likely is an attack on Iran by Bush, to try and divert attention from what is now widely considered to be one of the worst foreign policy blunders in US history.
The hypocrisy of the current phoney crisis being orchestrated from Washington is too obvious to state here. Suffice to say that, unlike the demonstrable war crimes committed by Bush and Blair, Iran is not doing anything illegal in planning to develop nuclear power stations. Those who took us into an illegal and unjustified war in March 2003 are now planning to extend the Iraq catastrophe into Iran, with unknown consequences, not just the Middle East, but for the security of the whole world.
The anti-war movement is already responding to the threat and “Don’t Attack Iran” will be one of the slogans for the international day of protest on March 18/19. What we do is particularly significant because Bush and Blair have learned from the Iraq experience. This time they are being much more careful this in preparing a consensus among what they call the “international community” for action against Iran. Much of Europe is already falling into line behind Bush and Blair.
According to Alan Watkins in The Observer, Tony Blair and his ministers, “see Iraq disappearing over the hill and becoming merged in the general nightmare of Middle Eastern politics.” Blair certainly hopes that the anti-war movement will fade from view. On March 18 we can show him how mistaken he is. We will continue campaigning for as long as the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan continue and the best antidote to Bush and Blair’s missile rattling over Iran will be to make the March 18 national demonstration in London as big as we can, reflecting the anti-war views of the vast majority of British people.
You can help make sure that no one can say after 18 March they weren’t on the demonstration because they didn’t know about it. Leaflets are available from the Stop the War Office. Order now and distribute them in your workplace, at your school or college, in your local community, round the streets where you live, among your family and friends. COST £10 FOR 1000 LEAFLETS TELEPHONE: 020 7278 6694 EMAIL: office@stopwar.org.uk
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2) PEACE CONFERENCE DVD
A DVD with film of speeches made at the hugely successful December 10 International Peace Conference on 10 December 2006 is now available from the Stop the War office. It includes speeches from Rose Gentle, Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin, Ben Griffin, Craig Murray, Tony Benn and George Galloway. The DVD would be an excellent introduction to a local meeting for a report back from conference delegates and to build support for the 18 March demonstration. To order your copy at the inclusive price of £5: Telephone: 020 7278 6694 Email: office@stopwar.org.uk
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3) TONY BENN’S OPEN LETTER HAVE YOU SIGNED YET?
Hundreds of emails and letters are pouring into the Stop the War Office from people who want to be signatories to the open letter from Tony Benn and 43 others to the United Nations and the UK Attorney General.
The significance of the letter has been heightened by the response from the UN Secretary-General’s office stating, “Your letter raises matters which are of extremely serious concern and which would appear to fall within the remit of a number of the mechanisms that the United Nations has established for the promotion and protection of human rights…On behalf of the Secretary-General, I am accordingly transmitting your letter and its attachments to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and asking her to explore what channels might be available to address your concerns.”
ADD YOUR VOICE TO THIS CAMPAIGN TO HOLD TO ACCOUNT THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ AND ELSEWHERE:
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Telephone 020 7278 6694
Letter: 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
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4) GUANTANAMO NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2006 12 NOON
Calling for justice for British residents in Guantanamo Bay. Assemble Tothill Street, London. March via Downing Street to the American Embassy in Grovesnor Square. Speakers include Tony Benn, Anas-Al-Takriti, Craig Murray.
Called by The Save Omar Deghayes campaign, The Birmingham Guantanamo Campaign, The Manchester Guantanamo and Belmarsh Campaign supporting Families of the British Residents in Guantanamo Bay.
FOR FULL DETAILS GO TO:
HERE
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5) REMEMBERING JEAN CHARLES SUNDAY 22ND JANUARY 2006 1 PM STOCKWELL TUBE STATION
On 22nd July 2005, Jean Charles de Menezes was killed by police at Stockwell tube station. He was shot 8 times, 7 times in the head. Following his death, the police misled Jean Charles’ family and the public about his death. Six months later, his family still await with the truth around the circumstances of his death. The Menezes family invite you to show solidarity with the family of Jean Charles by joining them at Stockwell tube station to lay flowers and remember Jean Charles.
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6) SCHOOL STUDENTS AGAINST WAR
NATIONAL CONFERENCE 28 JANUARY
SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2006 12 – 4 PM
The Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road
Speakers:
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Lindsey German: Convenor Stop the War Coalition
Jamal Lel-Shayyal, FOSIS
Suzie Wylie, Student, RESPECT
Peter Leary, student CND
School Students Against War (SSAW) campaigns for an end to the occupation of Iraq, in defence of civil liberties and against the racist backlash to the July bombings. They have played a vital role in the anti-war movement, notably in March 2003 when school student protests received nationwide media attention. School Students Against the War continues to build its network of activists through the full spectrum of political action – from lobbying and petitions to walk-outs and occupations.
SSAW is organising its first major conference, attended by school students from across the UK, in London on Saturday 28th January 2006. If you would like to be a delegate call 07981 753 053 or email alys@riseup.net. See also the SSAW website, School Students Against War
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7) FASLANE 365
A civil resistance project is planned to apply critical public pressure for the disarmament of Britain’s nuclear weapons by a people’s blockade of the home base of Trident at Faslane in Scotland. The aim is to have a blockade which will continue for hundreds of days. The blockade will not begin until 100 groups have signed up for the first hundred days, it is hoped by 1 October 2006.
FOR MORE DETAILS OF FASLANE 365:
Web: Faslane365
Email: info@faslane365.org
Telephone: 01263 512049
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8) HELL, NO, WE WON’T GO
Scott Ritter, who served as a chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 until his resignation in 1998, writes:
U.S. military recruiters are having a difficult time meeting their quotas. Last year, the U.S. Army fell 6,600 recruits short of its goal to enlist 80,000 new soldiers.It is not military service that is being rejected, but rather military service in support of a cause not deemed worthy of the sacrifice expected. The military today has degenerated into an entity that is viewed by many in the American public as no longer serving the larger interests of the American people, but rather the play toy of a political elite who use the U.S. military as a tool to impose their ideology on others around the world, as opposed to “upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States,” the mission assumed when one is sworn into military service.America went to war in Iraq on the basis of false premises. Our troops fight and die for a cause most Americans cannot identify with. And the U.S. military is engaged in domestic spying operations against the very citizens it is sworn to defend.
TO READ THE FULL ATICLE GO TO:
HERE
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9) USEFUL LINKS
MILITARY FAMILIES AGAINST THE WAR
GLOBALECHO
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