What's really happening in Gaza + Emergency protest tonight

     

1b Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ

15 December 2012: Action Alert

www.stopwar.org.uk | office@stopwar.org.uk | 020 7561 9311
twitter.com/STWuk | facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

What is really happening in Gaza? For the reality of what's going on in Gaza behind the lies that the BBC is allowing Israel to get away with, see this article and video interview with a timeline of events: http://bit.ly/ZLMZsQ

If you are in London, join tonight's emegency demonstration at the Israeli embassy, and urge everyone you can to be there.

Gaza Under Attack: Emergency Protest
Thursday 15 November 5.30pm
Israeli Embassy at 2 Palace Green,
London W8 4QB

----------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

Thousands sign no Tony Blair comeback letter

1b Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ

Newsletter #1259. 7 November 2012

www.stopwar.org.uk | office@stopwar.org.uk | 020 7561 9311
twitter.com/STWuk | facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

1) Thousands sign no Tony Blair comeback letter
2) Syria: Lindsey German replies to Guardian's Jonathan Freedland
3) Obama's "mandate" for four more years of illegal wars
4) Media and War Conference with John Pilger - tickets going fast
5) Stop the War Anniversary Appeal prize draw

-------------------------------------------------------
1) Thousands sign no Tony Blair comeback letter

A letter initiated by John Pilger, Tony Benn and others calling on University College London (UCL) to cancel an invitation for Tony Blair to speak at the launch of the university's Institute for Security & Resilience Studies - has been signed by thousands of academics, students and members of the public who are angry at what is seen as an endorsement of Blair's crimes in Iraq. Add your name here: http://bit.ly/R0rD7p

Stop the War has called a protest at UCL on the 13 November to make it clear to the university management that war criminals are not welcome in our universities. Over 300 people have joined the Facebook event to say they will be there. See Facebook event here: http://on.fb.me/VTrmTx

Protest Tuesday 13 November 11am
War criminals out of our universities
Main Entrance, University College London
Gower Street London WC1E 6BT
For full details see: http://bit.ly/R0rD7p

Contact UCL Provost to complain at the invitation to Tony Blair
Email: provost@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7679 7234

Information? If you are are student or academic at UCL and have more information about the meeting at which Tony Blair will make his speech, please telephone the Stop the War National Office: 020 7561 9311 or office@stopwar.org.uk.

See also: How Tony Blair and friends help arms dealers get into bed with Britain's universities: http://bit.ly/VTsM0f

-------------------------------------------------------
2) Syria: Lindsey German replies to Guardian's Jonathan Freedland

Lindsey German has replied to an article by the Guardian's Jonathan Freedland in which he accused Stop the War of being silent and hypocritical on the issue of Syria. As Lindsey says, Freedland "misrepresents nearly everything to do with our policy" on Syria. And she concludes: "Perhaps he should direct his criticism at those carrying out drone attacks in Pakistan, or bombing children in Afghanistan. It is a bizarre sense of priorities that leads him to attack peace campaigners rather than warmongers." Read Lindsey's full reply, which was published in the Guardian, here: http://bit.ly/T4cKRk

The Guardian also published a letter by Sami Ramadani and Sabah Jawad supporting Lindsey's article, which you can read here: http://bit.ly/PyM4Ka

-------------------------------------------------------
3) Obama's 'mandate' for four more years of illegal wars?

From Afghanistan to Iran, from Syria to Yemen, from Pakistan to Somalia - does Barack Obama's re-election mean he gets a "mandate" for four more years of illegal wars and an expanding secret drone program? Read more here: http://bit.ly/VSwGqc

-------------------------------------------------------
4) Media and War Conference with John Pilger - tickets going fast

Tickets for the Media and War Conference on Saturday 17 November are going fast and we recommend booking now to avoid disappointment. Entrance is free for students, £5 otherwise. Speakers include John Pilger, Peter Oborne and Seumas Milne, and topics include Media coverage of the 'war on terror', Islamophobia, Terrorism and War, and Humanitarian interventions. Full details of the conference are here: http://bit.ly/OVxrBN

Media and War: Challenging the Consensus
Saturday 17 November, 12-5pm
Ian Gulland Lecture Theatre
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Full details: http://bit.ly/OVxrBN

£5 admission. Free for students with ID
To book: email mediaconf@stopwar.org.uk or phone 020 7561 9311

-------------------------------------------------------
5) Anniversary appeal - prize draw at the end of November

Stop the War relies on our members and supporters to fund all of our anti-war activities and maintain our small office. One of the best ways to sustain our work is by becoming a Friend of Stop the War, which gives you membership of Stop the War plus additional benefits. For example, if you become a Friend before the end of November you will be entered into a prize draw to win a framed poster of the historic Not in Our Name concert which took place in London's City Hall on 23 February 2003. It is signed by the participants, including Harold Pinter, Adrian Mitchell, Harriet Walter, Michael Rosen and John Hegley. It is now a valuable collectors' piece.

If you would like to make a donation to Stop the War Coalition, or becoming a member or Friend, go to: http://stopwar.org.uk/donate

-------------------------------------------------------

Tony Blair at UCL - No comeback for the war criminal

1b Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ

www.stopwar.org.uk | office@stopwar.org.uk | 020 7561 9311
twitter.com/STWuk | facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

Tony Blair at UCL - no comeback for the war criminal

Tony Blair is back in town on the speaking circuit, this time helping to launch a new department at University College London. In a further attempt to extricate himself from the illegal invasion of Iraq - which resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties - Blair is now billed to speak as an expert on the 'difficult issues facing markets and economies' and perhaps most bizarrely one of the most 'popular politicians in recent times'.

A letter signed by John Pilger, Tony Benn and academics at London universities, including at UCL, has been sent to college management which criticises what is perceived as an endorsement 'of Mr Blair [who] took our country to war against Iraq in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and in doing so committed the international crime of aggression.'

Take action

• Add your name to the letter to pressure UCL to withdraw Blair's invitation. http://bit.ly/R0sgh2
  
• Join our demonstration on the day of Blair's visit at UCL to make sure his crimes are not forgotten. http://bit.ly/R0rD7p
  
• Help us spread the news of Blair's visit by sharing the Facebook event with your contacts: bitly.com/RAfwf

We will meet outside the main gates of the UCL campus on Gower Street at 11am on the 13th November.

The situation on the ground may change at short notice. If you would like to be kept up-to-date, please e-mail your mobile telephone number to office@stopwar.org.uk to join our texting circle. We will send out alerts on the day.

To read more about the event Tony Blair is speaking at and UCL's Institute for Security & Resilience Studies visit bitly.com/TTUgBp

**************************** 

How to Get the Best Tips from Business Books for Free

Clare Solomon

07850 177637

========

Videos, photos & reviews of the sold out Festival of Dangerous !deas on

http://www.dangerousideas.org.uk/

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brad Smith <info@fixcourse.com>
Date: 7 September 2012 18:06:23 GMT+01:00
To: <claresolomon@gmail.com>
Subject: How to Get the Best Tips from Business Books for Free
Reply-To: Brad Smith <info@fixcourse.com>

Hey!

Quick favor: I want to know what I should write about / create for you. Will you take this quick survey?  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/67CFFYW

I'd also like to tell you about 500 Business Books, a new collaborative project between myself and BlogcastFM. It's a free email newsletter that profiles the best insights and tips from one business book each week. 

You can sign up for free here: http://500businessbooks.com/

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Brad Smith

FixCourse

4199 Campus Drive, Suite 550

Irvine, CA 92612

Add us to your address book

Unsubscribe claresolomon@gmail.com from this list.

Rogues Gallery: comedy, spoken word & music@ Firebox

Hope you can make it to this...

Firebox presents Rogues Gallery -

Comedy from Steve Parry and Jonnie Marbles (the one who pie'd Murdoch)
Spoken word from Sam Berkson, Wanda Canton

Plus special guests

Don't miss it!

Doors open at 6.30pm, suggested donation of £10 which includes a free drink.

Refreshments will be available throughout the evening.

Syria: a response to the critics of the anti-war movement.

Copy left to Luna 17-thanks for his well laid out argument. 

---

Counterfire's response to critics of the anti-war movement Posted: 01 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT Last week I posted my own response to those on the radical Left who under-estimate the role of external intervention in Syria (and the continuing relevance of imperialism to the Arab world more broadly). My piece was also published on Counterfire. A major new Counterfire article, written by John Rees and posted today, develops these points in greater depth. See 'Empire and revolution: Syria and the critics of the anti-war movement'. Two points in particular are worth stressing here. Firstly, John's article makes it clear that differences over Syria are interconnected with deeper differences of analysis regarding imperialism and the Arab revolutions. It isn't just about Syria. The key thing is to examine accurately the impact of the Arab revolutions on the region - without exaggeration - and assess the influence of a counter-revolutionary response from the West and allied states in the Middle East. Secondly, there are profound practical implications following the analysis. If you believe that the role of imperialism is only a secondary consideration in Syria - and that more broadly its role in the Arab world is greatly weakened - then you pay little attention to building an anti-war movement to resist foreign intervention. Instead you sit on the sidelines and merely cheerlead for the Arab revolutions, while taking rhetorical potshots at serious anti-imperialists who you think are exaggerating the problems of foreign intervention. Alternatively, an accurate analysis of the situation demands that we mobilise to stop our own political leaders intervening in the Arab world. That is the only meaningful thing we can do, and must be our priority. The new Counterfire article begins: 'Public debate has begun on whether imperial intervention has any significance in determining the course of the Syrian revolution and, by extension, the Arab revolutions as a whole. Most informed commentators associated with the anti-war movement hold that while of course events in Syria have their own domestic dynamic there has developed a significant imperial dimension which is a threat to the continued progressive nature of the uprising. There are naturally differences of emphasis, some of them important, among this group but on this major issue the Marxist writer and activist Tariq Ali, Guardian columnist Seumus Milne, MP George Galloway, Iraqi exiles and analysts Sami Ramadani and Sabah Jawad, the Deputy President of the Stop the War Coalition Andrew Murray, the convenor of Stop the War Lindsey German and supporters of Counterfire are in broad agreement. The opposite point of view has been expressed by Richard Seymour in a piece critical of Sami Ramadani (in the Guardian online), Simon Assaf in a debate with Sami Ramadani, and Alex Callinicos in an attack on Tariq Ali (the last two appeared in Socialist Worker). This response to the debate does not of course claim to represent the views of those attacked: they are well able to respond to, or ignore, the articles as they see fit. This is simply an attempt to reassert the centrality of imperialism to developments in the Middle East and to provide a framework for understanding the dynamics of the Arab revolutions.' Read it in full HERE. Share

You are subscribed to email updates from Luna17 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Tony Blair breaks cover: Join the protest 24 July

URGENT BULLETIN 23 July 2012
    Email: office@stopwar.org.uk
    Tel: 0207 561 9311
    www.stopwar.org.uk
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/STWuk

HOT NEWS: TONY BLAIR BREAKS COVER
JOIN THE PROTEST: STOP THE BLAIR COMEBACK
TUESDAY 24 JULY 4pm-5.30pm
Central Hall Westminster, London SW1H 9NH
Nearest tube Westminster or St James's Park
See map: http://bit.ly/LJfC5T
For full details and updates, see: http://bit.ly/MxHhIs

The announcement of the venue for the latest stage in the Tony Blair Comeback campaign has been kept secret till just one day before the event, so fearful is the man who would be prime minister again of anti-war protesters and people attempting to make a citizen's arrest (see http://bit.ly/LoamA8).

Blair will be in conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who opposed the war on Iraq. They will be talking about religion in society, so there will be no shortage of sanctimony and hypocrisy on Blair's part.

Stop the War is committed to call a protest whenever the war criminal  comes out of the shadows to speak as if one million Iraqis didn't die as a result of the illegal war he waged with George W. Bush.

If you live in London please join the protest if you can. And publicise it as widely as possible. Bring your personalised placard too, as these always make an impact with the media.

A poll published a few days ago showed that only 28% of people think a Blair comeback would benefit the country, with 61% adamant -- it wouldn't. For any one who hasn't got the message as to the reasons Tony Blair is loathed by so many people in Britain, they should read Sanum Ghafoor's excellent new article: Never let them bury the truth about Tony Blair. See: http://bit.ly/LJhdsq

    

What is really happening in Syria?

Newletter No. 1250 16.07.12
    Email: office@stopwar.org.uk
    Tel: 0207 561 9311
    www.stopwar.org.uk
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/STWuk

In this Newsletter:
1) What is really happening in Syria?
2) Britain's top spy beats the drums for war on Iran
3) Tony Blair's mad-hatters banquet on his comeback trail
4) Become a Friend of Stop the War: Summer offer
_____________________________________________

1) What is really happening in Syria?

US and NATO leaders are laying the groundwork for open western military intervention in Syria. It is unclear to what extent covert intervention is already taking place -- through funding, arming and advising some of the opposition groups, and by special services operations in Syria -- but Tariq Ali's view is that it is extensive. See What is really happening in Syria? http://bit.ly/NtXQlu).

Economic sanctions are being intensified, which, as we saw in Iraq, can be the prelude to military intervention.

The plan is to do to Syria what happened last year to Libya: to bring about regime change favourable to western economic and strategic interests. But we only need to see what has happened to Libya since the NATO war to know how disastrous this would be for the Syrian people. See Human rights now worse in Libya than it was under Gaddafi: http://bit.ly/NHGtyp

Stop the War's position on Syria remains as was spelt out in our statement on 11 December 2011:

Stop the War Coalition fully supports the right of the peoples in all the countries of the Middle East to determine their own future and assert democratic rights.  We are therefore implacably opposed to any external intervention, especially military intervention, in Syria. (See full statement here: http://bit.ly/xLbGV6)
_____________________________________________

2) Britain's top spy beats the drums for war on Iran

The focus may at present be mainly on Syria, but it is Iran that is the ultimate target for the US and its allies . Economic sanctions are already imposing real hardship on the Iranian people and are about to be made far worse. See: Carpet-bombing Iran's economy is war by any other name: http://bit.ly/OIRSvg)

And now we have, Sir John Sawers, the head of Britain's MI6 intelligence service giving his own version of Tony Blair's infamous claim that Iraq needed just "45 minutes" to activate its weapons of mass destruction. This time, according to Sawers, we have just two years to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons -- despite there being no evidence that Iran has any such plans.

 See: How Britain's top spy is beating the drums for war on Iran. http://bit.ly/OITi9b
_____________________________________________

3) Tony Blair's mad-hatters banquet on his comeback trail

The Tony Blair rehabilitation campaign, orchestrated by fellow war criminal Alistair Campbell, is now well under way. But Blair and his acolytes are running scared of anti-war protests whenever he tries to show his face in public -- and of attempts to make a citizen's arrest for war crimes (see http://bit.ly/O3rTQ2). So they keep the venue secret of where he is speaking until only a a day or two before the meeting.

Or -- as in the case of the meeting he was planning to make in Lambeth on 9 July -- the threat of a protest is enough to get the meeting cancelled.

The main launch event of the Tony Blair Comeback took place last Wednesday at Arsenal football stadium in North London. Anti-war protesters formed a gauntlet through which an array of Labour MPs, celebrities and sporting personalities had to pass to shouts of "shame on you".

Sadly, among those joining the Blair love-fest were comedians Jo Brand and Eddie Izzard -- both of whom opposed the Iraq war.
Once inside, guests at the £500 a ticket banquet heard Labour leader Ed Miliband say, "Thank you Tony for all you have done for the Labour Party and the country," before announcing that he was making Blair his new policy advisor on the Olympics legacy.

It was, as Lindsey German writes, a moment When reality outstripped satire at the Tony Blair mad-hatters banquet. See http://bit.ly/OIWPEj.

Stop the War is commited to making sure that Blair's monumental war crimes are not forgiven or forgotten. We will call protests every time he appears in public and speaks as if hundreds of thousands of Iraqis did not die due to the illegal war into which he took Britain on a raft of lies.

The next event on the Tony Blair Comeback is on Tuesday 24 July in London, when he will be speaking on Religion and Society, sharing a platform with the Archibishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams -- who was an opponent of the Iraq war -- and the former editor of The Times Charles Moore -- who was not.

Once again, we do not know yet where this event will take place. Anyone who has more details for this event, please contact Stop the War: Email: office@stopwar.org.uk. Tel: 0207 561 9311

Stop the Tony Blair Comeback
Tuesday 24 July: 5.30pm - 6.45pm
Central London venue TBA
For updates as we get them please see: http://bit.ly/NxXfBK.
_____________________________________________

4) Become a Friend of Stop the War: Summer offer

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to our financial appeal. Contributions from our members and supporters are our sole source of income for sustaining our small office and funding our anti-war activities, which in the coming months will see us maintaining our campaign to get all British troops out of the futile and unjustified Afghanistan war, and opposing the threats of more war in Syria and Iran, which our government is now promoting feverishly.

We still need to raise more funds and one of the best ways to support us is by becoming a Friend of Stop the War. This comes with a number of benefits and during the Summer we will also add a special offier to all new Friends of Stop the War of a free Beats Not Bombs t-shirt.

* To become a Friend of Stop the War, see: http://bit.ly/IjsOen
* To become Stop the War member, see: http://bit.ly/IjsLPu
* To make a donation, see: http://bit.ly/IjsQmm
_____________________________________________
  
  

Blair at Arsenal FC: Give Him the Boot!

 https://twitter.com/TonyBlairWatch on twitter

Dear Friends,

We've just heard that Tony Blair is appearing at Arsenal football grounds tomorrow evening, at a dinner with Ed Milliband to promote British sport.

This is one of a number of events that he is doing this month as part of his recently announced 'comeback' tour. Last night he was due to do a fundraiser with Tessa Jowell MP. After much lobbying and the threat of a protest this event was postponed. But the war criminal is still at large. Let's give him the welcome he deserves and put a stop to the attempt to rehabilitate Blair:

Please take 5 minutes to invite friends on facebook -
http://www.facebook.com/events/184295808367309/
And forward this message to your contacts.

All the best,
Alistair

------------------------------

Stop the War Coalition office
1B Waterlow Rd
London N19 5NJ
tel: 0207 561 9311

New cultural centre in central London

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Have you heard? We're opening an exciting cultural space and cafe in central London. For more info about the project and ways to get involved including suggesting names and events go to this project outline And please do discuss your ideas in the comments section. Here's a few ways for you to donate to the project. We have lots to do to get it ready for a big launch at the end of September and we hope you fancy being involved one way or another. We're looking for people to come up with a design and decor package, to offer events and organising skills and much more. We especially need a good name. Do come to the members meeting on the 24 June to discuss and vote on all these things. Here's the previous newsletter with agenda. Do register because we are starting to use a new database that will help you receive more specific communication from us,  but this only works if we have the correct data for you. Thanks! Ok, if there's anything else, please do let me know and see you at the members meeting. Clare Ps, here's a sneak preview of the shop. I'll try to get the keys for the members meeting so we can all go along and have a look together.

National Members & supporters meeting  Register HERE Newcastle Counterforum Defeating the 1% - a short course in rebellion Saturday, 16 June 2012 More details and to register go HERE Fantastic lineup at CoR public meeting More details HERE Tues 19th June 6.30 pm Friends Meeting House Euston Rd London NW1Speakers include: Tony Benn Len McCluskey (Unite) Christine Blower (NUT) Katy Clark MP Owen Jones Wendy Savage (Keep Our NHS Public) Danielle Obono (Front De Gauche) Vassilis Fouskas (Syriza)Andrew Burgin (Coalition of Resistance) Salma Yaqoob (Respect) Clare Solomon (co-editor of Springtime: The New Student Rebellions) Chair: Romayne Phoenix (Green Party)

War criminal Tony Blair not welcome: protest 28 May

STOP THE WAR COALITION

Newsletter No. 1247
27 May 2012
Email: office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7561 9311
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) WAR CRIMINAL TONY BLAIR NOT WELCOME: PROTEST 28 MAY
2) MANY THANKS FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
3) TELL ISRAELI APARTHEID TO LEAVE THE STAGE
4) SHARE YOUR MEMORIES FOR THE WE ARE MANY DOCUMENTARY

********************************
1) GWAR CRIMINAL TONY BLAIR NOT WELCOME: PROTEST 28 MAY

GIVE TONY BLAIR A WAR CRIMINAL'S WELCOME
LEVESON INQUIRY INTO THE PRESS
MONDAY 28 MAY 9AM-10AM
ROYAL COURT OF JUSTICE, STRAND
LONDON WC2A 2LL
MORE DETAILS: http://bit.ly/JIZhrD

The announcement last Friday afternoon that Tony Blair would be appearing at
the Leveson Inquiry on Monday 28 May was obviously timed to minimise the time
to mount the kind of protest that hounds the arch war criminal wherever he
travels.

But he can't escape the outrage that so many feel that someone implicated in
the mass murder of hundreds of thousands in the Iraq war is free to roam the
world picking up huge cheques by selling his services to some of the most
unscrupulous bankers and dictatorial regimes in the world (SEE: Where is war
criminal Tony Blair hiding all his millions?  http://bit.ly/HN1pCh )

Stop the War has called a protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand,
London, from 9am to 10am, to ensure that the voice is heard of the majority in
this country who opposed the war in Iraq and no doubt would like to see Blair
behind bars for his war crimes.

Please join the protest if you can and spread the word as widely as possible.
If you have any placards or posters -- especially the now iconic Bliar placard
-- please bring those to the protest.

Or make a placard of your own to individualise your disgust at how Blair is
still treated with deference despite the blood on his hands.

FOR MORE DETAILS SEE: http://bit.ly/JIZhrD

********************************
2) MANY THANKS FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Everyone who was there last Friday will know what a memorable event our DON'T
IRAQ IRAN benefit was.

The whole event was filmed by the filmmakers who are making the feature length
documentary on the historic protest against the Iraq war on 15 February 2003.
(see below).

We will in due course be uploading performances to our YouTube channel
(http://bit.ly/LumAXm).

Our thanks to all the performers is boundless for making it such a special
evening: Mark Rylance, Brian Eno, Tony Benn, Roy Bailey, Kika Markham, Julie
Felix, Tina Grace, AL Kennedy, Peter Kennard, Alberto Portugheis, Roger Lloyd
Pack, and the compere Chris Nineham.

And thanks to all who were in the audience for their enthusiasm and
appreciation on an unforgettable night.

********************************
3) TELL ISRAELI APARTHEID TO LEAVE THE STAGE

Join the protest against the Globe Theatre's invitation of the Israeli
theatre company Habima, who have regularly performed in illegal Israeli
settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

For the reasons the protest has been called, see: Why the cultural boycott of
Israel is justified: http://bit.ly/JsPTxD

TELL ISRAELI APARTHEID TO LEAVE THE STAGE
MONDAY 28 MAY AND TUESDAY 29 MAY
6PM TO 8PM OUTSIDE THE GLOBE THEATRE
CORNER NEW GLOBE WALK AND BANKSIDE
LONDON More details: http://bit.ly/JsQkrE

Organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign

********************************
4) SHARE YOUR MEMORIES FOR WE ARE MANY DOCUMENTARY

The makers of the feature length documentary, We Are Many, want to hear from
people who participated in the largest protest in human history on 15 February
2003, when the world said no the Iraq war  (See We Are Many trailer:
http://bit.ly/MQWZwT).

Share your memories of that momentous day on the We Are Many website:
http://www.wearemany.tv/

The filmmakers will select and film  some of your stories for possible
inclusion in the documentary.

********************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

A revolution of revolutions

Boston

Erm, internationalists 

Glastonbury Leftfields stage

Horreya (Freedom) bar, Cairo

A gay Paris

Caption competition

Berlin for Holocaust Memorial Day trip

Salon d'ete

Southbank after the eat me cake

Lenin's Tomb, Moscow

Tunisia

Greek chic

Singing I Predict a Riot at an NUS training day 4 months before Millbank!

Topless in New Zealand

With Boris' bike between my knees

Tia and me

Bradford Spring tshirts from Philosophy Football

Bradford Spring: 'a change for all seasons' Posted: 06 Apr 2012 06:43 AM PDT This comes via Philosophy Football: '29 March 2012 was a sensational moment in British political history. George Galloway has dubbed his victory in Bradford West the Bradford Spring. There's never been anything quite like it: a party from the Left, outside the Westminster mainstream, turning a safe Labour seat into a 10,000 majority against war and cuts, for a progressive alternative. Wear 'Bradford Spring' on your chest wherever you are and share in the joy of, for once, the neo-liberal consensus being shattered. And even better, for every shirt sold Philosophy Football will give one FREE to the army of young helpers, many unemployed, who helped win the victory in Bradford West. A small help toward ensuring the 'Bradford Spring' becomes a change for all seasons. Sizes small- XXL. Plus: women's skinny-rib fitted. Available from here. Share

You are subscribed to email updates from Luna17 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Bradford: Was it 'the Muslims who won it'?

Thanks to Alex Snowdon for this great response to Mehdi Hassan

Luna17

---

British Muslims, the anti-war movement and the Left - a response to Mehdi Hasan Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:33 PM PDT This is a response to Mehdi Hasan's article 'British Muslims must step outside this anti-war comfort zone'. I was surprised and dismayed when I read the latest article by Mehdi Hasan, politicaleditor of the New Statesman. He is someone I respect and very often agree with.But his article for the Guardian struck me as severely mis-judged. Hasan makes a number of propositions. I will run through them and indicatewhere in his article you will find them (this may seem fussy, but at leastnobody can complain I'm not substantiating my summary of his views). First, he argues that claims that 'it was the Muslims wot won it' for George Galloway are in fact correct (1st paragraph). Second, he echoes the right-wingpreoccupation with religion (specifically Islam) in understanding the BradfordWest result - at the expense of political considerations like poverty,inequality, war and austerity (second, third and fourth paragraphs). Third, he argues that Muslims have been preoccupied with war and need to focusmore on domestic issues, notably austerity, which they have allegedly failed tomobilise around (fifth, sixth and seventh paragraphs). Fourth, he suggests thatan anti-austerity agenda was not (contrary to Galloway's own claims) animportant factor in Respect's win (eighth paragraph). Fifth, he argues that Muslims' apparent preoccupation with foreign policy givesracists a propaganda boost. He seems to be saying here that Muslims are partlyresponsible for fuelling Islamophobia. This is a deeply contentious claim - one I hope he retracts (tenth and eleventhparagraphs). Sixth, and finally, he seems to imply that being taken seriously as more thanjust anti-war requires a rejection of Respect. Considering Hasan's ownpolitical allegiance, he seems to be suggesting that Muslims should getinvolved in Labour because it works across the political board, whereas Respectmeans being stuck in 'an anti-war ghetto'. I am being a little more speculativein saying this is part of his argument, but it's a synoptic point based on areading of the whole article and a knowledge of his other work. Before I respond to particular points, let's get a few potential misconceptionsout of the way. Hasan does not have any automatic authority here because he is himself aMuslim. Neither should we - conversely - dismiss him because he is aLondon-based pundit with a nice salary who's out of touch with working classMuslims in Bradford. These things are irrelevant. It is the political substance that matters - I don't care who themessenger is. Hasan himself sadly has different standards. When Richard Seymourchallenged his lazy analysis on Twitter, his response included a jibe about theSWP. This sectarianism only served to diminish him. It is very welcome that Hasan has acommendable track record of often powerful and incisive anti-war writing and support for the anti-warmovement. But that doesn't prevent him being wrong about this. Let's run through those points in turn. The high Muslim population of Bradford West was, yes, a demographicfactor making it more likely that Galloway could make an electoralbreakthrough. But the 'it was the Muslims wot won it' line is one I'd expect toread in a right-wing paper like the Telegraph. It reinforces the notion of acohesive Muslim block which can be mobilised for elections. That's the popularright-wing stereotype Hasan is drawing on here. This notion depends, in turn, on two further assumptions. One, that theMuslim community is operating in a dubious and communalist manner in relationto elections. Two, that Muslim voters are dupes who will do whatever they'retold, an unthinking and undifferentiated mass. Hasan must be aware of theseperceptions - and the extent to which right-wing commentators have mobilisedthem in the last few days. He could use his column to challenge them or toimplicitly reinforce them. He made the wrong choice. Then there's the use of religion as the prism through which to assessthe result. Again, this is a right-wing trope. It depoliticises the wholesubject and condescendingly (and inaccurately) treats Muslim voters as Muslimsonly, when they might also be workers or unemployed or parents or pensioners orwhatever other categories you can think of. It is a discourse that accepts coreright-wing assumptions. What about the argument that Muslims should care about, and organisearound, issues other than war and imperialism? Well, yes. But who on earthargues otherwise? If there isn't anybody arguing otherwise then it is - bydefinition - a straw man argument. Instead of engaging with a genuinealternative viewpoint, he is setting up a false case then shooting it down.There will have been Muslims on the 26 March demo, but they weren't necessarilymobilising as Muslims, through the Muslim community. Two million workers tookstrike action on 30 November 2011. Some of them will have been Muslims. His dismissive reference to an 'anti-war ghetto' is disappointing.It wasn't always the case that Muslim communities were politically involved andforming alliances with non-Muslims. One of the greatest achievements of theanti-war movement was, and remains, the on-going co operation and unitedmobilisations of Muslims with non-Muslims on the left, peace activists, tradeunionists, and so on. This should not be treated dismissively with the cheapcaricature of an 'anti-war ghetto'. Such unity had to be worked for, argued for, fought for - in opposition to elements of the left which were sceptical (to put it politely) of working with Muslims, and simultaneously the more separatist and reactionary elements inside Muslim communities. Hasan claims to want to help Muslims emerge from their 'anti-warghetto'. Yet he is the one claiming they're not politically sophisticatedenough to have been motivated by anything other than anti-war sentiment lastThursday. This takes some nerve. Read the accounts by people who live in theconstituency to get a sense of the mix of factors influencing the result. Twogood examples are here and here. Let's also take a step back to reflect on why Respect originated in thefirst place, and why its earlier incarnation (2004-07, prior to the verydamaging split in November 2007) had modest but significant success. There werethree levels to the political basis of Respect. The first level was the war on terror and the anti-war movement which itprompted. The war in Iraq especially created a massive rift between Labour andmillions of its supporters. This was true throughout society, but particularlyacute in the Muslim community. The second level was deeper: a general disaffection with a New Labouradministration that pursued policies of privatisation and deregulation,curtailed trade union rights, eroded civil liberties, stoked up Islamophobia,and allowed the gap between rich and poor to grow. Iraq was very importantitself, but also a lightning rod for a whole set of other issues. The third level was deeper still: the legacy of a quarter of century ofneo-liberal policies, recurring capitalist crisis, growth in inequality, and ageneralised anti-establishment mood marked by a sharp alienation frommainstream politics and a nagging sense that democracy had become hollowed out. It is this multi-layered analysis that provides an understanding of howa radical left-of-Labour electoral challenge was possible. This analysis isstill largely relevant today. Labour is now in opposition, so the situation isnot exactly the same. But last Thursday reminded us that Labour has notrecovered from the damage done by its culpability in the devastation of Iraq. This failure to recover credibility and support isn't merely a matter of Labour's relationship to its own past. It has a great deal to do with the party's continued support for allmanifestations of the 'war on terror'. It should, then, be clear that Hasan gets it fundamentally wrong when hetries, vainly, to separate war from everything else that matters to people,Muslim and non-Muslim alike. It is a conservative argument by depoliticisingthe votes cast for Galloway, fragmenting politics into artificially separatespheres, and ignoring the capacity for people who are Muslim to be a wholebunch of other things too. We come, then, to the most troubling element in the article. Here iswhat Hasan writes: 'It isn't just a combination of anti-terror laws and media demonisationthat has hindered efforts at Muslim integration into mainstream Britishsociety. So, too, has the reluctance of many British Muslims to step outsidethe political comfort zone of the anti-war movement. When we only talk offoreign affairs, is it any wonder that we seem to come across as foreigners?Muslims do not lack for opponents or antagonists; those who want to portray usas foreign, alien, un-British, are growing in number. We should not be handingthem a club with which to beat us.' I find it hard to believe Hasan can really believe this, but it is what he haswritten. Hasan is putting 'the reluctance of many British Muslims to stepoutside the political comfort zone of the anti-war movement' together with'anti-war terror legislation and media demonisation' as a cause of problemswith Islamophobia and discrimination in our society. If that isn't at leastpartially blaming the victims of racism for the racism they suffer, what is it? It crassly overlooks the contribution of the anti-war movement to Muslim'social integration', the way the movement broke down barriers and helpedconfront and challenge rising anti-Muslim racism. Can Hasan really think thatMuslims demonstrating over foreign policy issues is responsible, even slightly,for racist perceptions of British Muslims as 'other' and deserving of socialexclusion? It is the 'war on terror' and the poisonous, racist discourse which has beenits ideological accompaniment that has promoted such bigotry towards Muslimshere. The anti-war movement has pushed in the opposite direction. When tens ofthousands of British Muslims took to the streets of London to protest againstIsrael's brutal assault of Gaza, united with many others not from Muslimbackgrounds, were they 'handing them [racists] a club with which to beat us'?Were they aiding 'those who want to portray us as foreign, alien, un-British'? Finally, we come to Hasan's implicit endorsement of a supposedlyall-encompassing Labour over an apparently single-issue Respect. It isrevealing what Hasan doesn't say here. The Labour Party historically has anappalling record on imperialism and war (whatever the stance of many individual members). In the last decade it has been evenworse. Those who can be broadly defined as the Labour Left are often much betteron these issues - especially most of the Campaign Group MPs and of course manythousands of grassroots party members - but I'd argue that many of the broadLabour left have a poor record. For every Jeremy Corbyn or Paul Flynn there are10 'soft left' MPs who won't vote for troops to be brought home fromAfghanistan, but will vote for bombing Libya. Voting against the invasion ofIraq (as many of them did, under enormous pressure) has not been matched bybroader opposition to the 'war on terror'. Rather than lecturing ordinary Muslims, shouldn't Hasan be directing hiscriticism at elected MPs, Labour Party leaders and so on? Why isn't hedemanding they connect with Muslims by adopting anti-war policies? (there areof course many other reasons for adopting such policies). # Why doesn't he demand they address the deep grievances over disastrous New Labour policies (across a range of issues) felt by people from all backgrounds? Hasan is writing for a left-of-centre readership which isoverwhelmingly non-Muslim. Aside from the specific errors he makes, hecertainly has a strange sense of audience and priorities. I have devoted more time than I would have liked to refuting thisarticle. But when people on the left echo the arguments of the right, giveammunition to our opponents and undermine those of us fighting cuts, war andracism, then they need to be called out. It has been clear from my Twitter timeline that some socialists - whoshould know better - have defended Hasan's article. We need to see clearly and hit the correct targets if we'regoing to be build stronger (and multi-racial) movements of resistance andnurture a powerful, non-sectarian, Left. Share

You are subscribed to email updates from Luna17 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610