EMERGENCY PROTEST WEDNESDAY: No Attack On Syria

August 2013 | stopwar.org.uk

EMERGENCY PROTEST: No Attack On Syria

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No attack on Syria

Protest tomorrow 5pm, Wednesday 28 August, Downing Street, London

Britain, France and the US are committing to another disastrous military intervention. Apart from the inevitable casualties, any attack on Syria can only inflame an already disastrous civil war and would risk pulling in regional powers further.

Most people in this country have learnt from the disasters of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. According to a Telegraph/YouGov poll on Sunday only 9% of the British public would support troops being sent to Syria, and only 16% support sending more arms to the region. Our politicians however have learnt nothing.

• Please share the event with your Facebook contacts

We need the maximum level of protests to stop them plunging us in to yet another catastrophic war.

Protest tomorrow 5pm, Wednesday 28 August, Downing Street, London

There will be a further protest at the weekend - details to come.

Please do not hesitate to contact the office on 020 7561 4830 or email office@stopwar.org.uk

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Stop the War Coalition | office@stopwar.org.uk | 020 7561 4830

War? Not up my tweet.

Very glad to be asked to participate in this fab event. Copied from our friends in Egypt, what an exciting sounding project. Hope to see you there too.
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This brand new, exciting Stop The War project is to raise awareness of the Anti-War Assembly on 8 October in Trafalgar Sq and, hopefully, get it 'trending' on twitter. Remember to bring your smart phones.

Hosted by Clare Solomon this fun-packed evening includes poetry and spoken word by Michael Rosen Michael Horowitz and Sanasino Al-Yemen, 140-second special tweet appearances by Laurie Penny, Sanum Ghafoor & Owen Jones, MC's Jimmy Jitzu & Raggo Zulu Rebel, live link-ups with Joe Glenton and others, and much much more.

All acts will be live tweeted and projected on a large Twitter Wall.

**Please can you also publicize the event on your blogs, Facebook walls and, of course, Twitter** And you can also set up your twitter to feed directly to Facebook using Selective Tweets: http://www.facebook.com/selectivetwitter

Suggested donation of £3/£5 to go towards the costs of the Assembly.

If you can't make it you can still participate on the night by simply tweeting at the same time using the hashtag #StWOct8Assembly anytime between 7.30-10pm on 22 September.

Line up so far:

Micheal Rosen
Micheal Horovitz
Owen Jones
Laurie Penny
Sanum Ghafoor
Sanasino Al-Yemen
Jimmy Jitsu
Raggo Zulu Rebel
Black Snow
Nekz Mc
Ed Greens
Alan Morrison
Celia Mitchell
Martin Powell
Clare Saponia...more to come.

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The assembly on 8 October has been organised to mark the 10 year anniversary on the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan and the injustice of Palestine, and now of course Libya. The event will be a rallying call against the injustices of the war, from Guantanamo Bay to arms sales around the world, and a chance to show the creative richness of all those campaigning for peace.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236491009695617

Protest TMRW (Tuesday) when Obama the war president meets the Queen

Troops Out of Afghanistan • Stop the Bombing of Libya • Free Palestine

Barack Obama makes a state visit to Britain next week, as he is waging three wars -- in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. 

Protest at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 24 May, when Barack Obama will meet the Queen. 

Called by Stop the War, CND, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Justice for Bahrain

PROTEST WHEN OBAMA MEETS THE QUEEN : TUESDAY 24 MAY

One minute StW survey will help you decide how to vote

STOP THE WAR COALITION
8 April 2010
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

DON'T LET THEM IGNORE THE WAR IN THIS ELECTION
LOBBY THE CANDIDATES IN YOUR AREA

IT TAKES JUST 1-2 MINUTES
USE STOP THE WAR'S SURVEY: GO TO http://bit.ly/8X35fk

It's very simple. You enter your postcode. You get a list of the candidates in your area. You send your message which goes to all candidates. The message can be the Stop the War letter provided, or you can edit it to send your own text.

The responses we get will be published on the Stop the War website, and a list of any candidates who do not respond.

We have had nine years of politicians waging wars that were not supported by most people in Britain. The main parties will try to avoid the issue in the election because they all support the
> unjustified and unwinnable war in Afghanistan. We believe electors considering how to cast their vote on May 6 have a right to know the views of all the candidates on this issue.

Please do this now. Candidates in this election need to be flooded with requests for them to say where they stand on the issue of the war. Only then can the electors make an informed decision when deciding who will get theirvote.

DON'T LET THEM IGNORE THE WAR IN THIS ELECTION
USE STOP THE WAR'S SURVEY NOW: http://bit.ly/8X35fk

Leninism in the 21st century-welcome to Counterfire

Well, now the lack of stuff on this blog is explained...we have all been busy beavering away behind the scenes with a brand new project. More details on how to get involved on the front page-sign up for our weekly bulletin which will provide details of how to register for the sight, how to send in articles, videos, photo's etc.

We look forward to working with you in this brand new way.

I shamelessly copied the blurb from our news editor's blog The Sauce because, in true internet fashion, we operate on a creative commons licence :-) Thanks Brendan!

News and theory publication Counterfire was launched today with a plethora of reports and essays focusing on the crisis in capitalism, imperialism and war and popular culture.

The website is being launched on International Women's Day with a 60 strong team including an investigations team, an industrial unit, arts reviews and peer reviewed publications.



Lindsey German, author of Material Girls, Women, Sex and Work and convenor of Stop the War said: “We live in a world of growing conflict, crisis and inequality and Counterfire is a much needed new voice calling for fundamental change.”

Adrian Cousins, editor of the new site, said: “Counterfire includes snappy news articles alongside expert analysis of the most important issues today with original design, photography and video. There is a blog aggregate so those interested in the movements know where to come.”

John Rees, broadcaster and author, said: “The journalism and analysis on Counterfire will provide a welcome alternative to the discredited and failing policies of the political elite.”

Elly Badcock, women's officer at SOAS and women's editor, said: “It's fantastic that on the 100th International Women's Day this powerful new site which uses the latest technology is providing a platform for the new feminism of the 21st Century.”



The site features daily news from the movements including articles on protests, petitions and campaigns alongside theory analysing the economy, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and campaigns against the BNP and the English Defence League.

The site is available at counterfire.org with news being fed through twitter at www.twitter.com/counterfire with a video feed at youtube.com/counterfire. Articles on the site can be reproduced with permission and attribution.

Launch articles on the site include:

The Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century, with video from Saturday's packed meeting at Housmans bookshop by Lindsey German and Nina Power

Report from Joe Glenton's court martial, from the organiser of the Stop the War protest

An examination of Gramsci's relevance today

Tansy Hoskins on sexism, war, & awfullness in *that* Rhianna video

New left-wing blog in town, it's Tanzle Town! HERE.

And what a great first article talking about the strange, if not down right perverted, video by Rhianna depicting war, sexism & violence as if it is empowering and something to be proud of.

Well done Tansy, I look forward to many more of your musings.

So, her premier, premiere article goes as follows:

"If you haven't already seen the music video for Rihanna's new single 'Hard' you can view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qMIyGOFhZ4

My problems with this video are threefold. Firstly, this video is pure old fashioned misogyny masquerading as empowerment. The second is that the position of female soldiers has been completely distorted – US State Department figures report that one in three women in the US military will be raped or sexually assaulted by her male counterparts. And the third is that riding around on a colonialist expedition with America’s army does not make you ‘hard’ and that war is not something to be glamorised.

It saddens me to see the route that Rihanna has taken with this video, particularly since she has herself recently been the victim of domestic violence by her former partner. It appears that this video is in part a reaction to that period of her life or at least a reaction to the media circus that sprung up around her since. The fact remains that we live in a world where one in six women are raped and even greater numbers suffer abuse – stopping this should be a priority in the world today but it isn’t. It is no wonder therefore that there is still a market for the false empowerment in this video, that the music industry can tell women that sex is the real way to be respected by men. Unless things change more young women will remain both lost, exploited and unempowered.

“Its not for her specific feminine virtue that gives women a place of honour in human society, but the worth of her useful work accomplished for society, the worth of her personality as a human being, as a creative worker, as citizen, thinker or fighter.” So wrote Alexandra Kollantai almost a hundred years ago. Sadly not much has changed in this respect. Women are still valued primarily for how they look. This is not to say that women can not be fighters. They are. Across the world they play their part in conflicts, fighting and dying along side men. And at the other end of the spectrum they take their place on the sporting field, becoming known for their strength, courage and endurance."

Read more HERE.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qMIyGOFhZ4

[Posted with iBlogger from my iphone ]

Shadia Mansour at Beats Beat Bullets

This woman rocks. And raps. For Gaza.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHPP9whOiQg

Iraq enquiry - Bush, Blair & Brown have blood on their hands

Loads of press swamped them as soon as we turned up.

Here's the CNN report: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/24/uk.iraq.inquiry/

Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1230507/Brown-MUST-face-Iraq-war-inquiry--agreed-finance-it.html

How many cops in the BNP?

I had this video entitled 'How many cops in the BBC?' originally-woops. Mind you, we could ask that question too no? I wondered why no one could find it so here it is again with corrected title...better late than never.



This video was filmed at the National Stop the War demo at which two or three shit heads (racists, fascists?) turned up and hurled abuse at Tony Benn calling him unpatriotic and worse (although I didnt hear exactly what was said other than the 'unpatriotic' coz I was a bit to far away to catch it. They refused to move so we chased them away. And, only a couple of days after the BNP leader appeared on Question Time these (and I think I am correct in saying theya re far right racists at least becasue they refused to deny it) they had the damn cheek, and confidence to come to an anti-war a demo of TENS OF THOUSANDS on their own and scream shit at us.

Anyway, this is why we ned to continue our No Platform position. Don't give these people a platform to legitimise thier fascist views.

(Why is my blog not allowing spaces between my paragraphs?)

The Camden Festival For PALESTINE

The Camden Festival For PALESTINE

Saturday 31st October, 1-5pm

With Mark Steele compere,
Poetic Pilgrimage - two African Muslim women
hip hop artists - and a Palestinian pianist called Zaki Nuseibeh, Bruce Kent
analysis, Someye Zadeh singer, Palestinian Kites display, Hanna Musleh film
’Walling in Walling Out’ Rahel’s Kitchen Palestinian food and lots more.

SOMERS TOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
150 OSSULSTON ST, LONDON NW1
HOSTED BY THE CAMDEN PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN
JOIN US IN A DAY OF SUPPORT & SOLIDARITY

nearest Tube Kings Cross St Pancras; Mornington Crescent or Euston
Tickets are £4/5 and food £5
For further details call 07772084856
Camden Stop the War Coalition is one of the many active campaign gr0oups affiliated to the Stop the War Coalition.

For more information on this list please visit https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/camdenstopwar

testing iBlogger upload

Yesterdays demo was great. Soas students began the day by marching down Oxford St (see video below). We chanted 'da3man helwa al-hurriya (freedom is always beautiful) and taught passersby how to join in this Arabic chant! We sang 'we all live in a terrorist regime' and handed out leaflets as we did so. We got to know the new students and began planning further activity as we marched. Soas students were lively and highspirited for the whole day.

A woman in her 60's came up to us and said how much she enjoyed marching with us but that she had nothing to compare with since this was her first ever demo. She had come all the way from Cornwall because she 'felt so angry about this war' and felt powerless on her own but coming to the demo had renewed her belief in humanity.

One of the most bonkers thing on the demo was the Iranian 'Halal Leather Jackets' theatre group. They said that only 2% of the Muslims own a quality Spanish designer leather jacket! Not quite sure what the subtext was?!! I thought I videoed it but must have only pressed record after thinking I was filming since I then filmed two minutes of my feet and me chatting to Viva about how bonkers the leather jacket thing was!!

Anyway, it pleased me to see that someone had poured red colouring into the fountains-how much more blood will be shed in Afghanistan before these governments start listening to the people?





This lovely man was starting to struggle by the end but he kept going-what a trooper.




A small delegation of us made an impromptu march down to Downing st to attempt to deliver a petition. A woman called Kay persuaded the police to let her in to do so. We don't know her full name so if anyone does please let us know. Well done Kay.

Assed Baig brought loads of new activists from the Uni where he is now President of the Students Union and they said they had a great time.

As did we all.

Well done to everyone who spent time building this great demo. See u at the next one. Keep up to date with Soas Stopthewar activities at http://soasstopthewar.blogspot.com

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iphone ]

SOAS Stop the War has started with a bang...

Our first meeting 2 weeks ago attracted about 60 people and this was before lessons had even started. From this we organised a planning meeting followed by elections for the committee.

New people to the group came up with some really great ideas: a T-shirt design competition to all wear together on the demo, setting up a blog, Google groups to assist with organisation, banner AND flag making for the demonstration, doing announcements and flyering at other meetings. We want to make a large lively impact on the day of the demonstration.

Sami and Hamza suggested leafletting the upcoming meeting on Egypt. When we arrived there they also wanted to cover the lecture theatre with flyers which they did. We were a bit nervous about doing this because we didnt know whether we were allowed to or not but they did it anyway!

We didnt realise that the meeting was being hosted by comrades and fellow travellers: Rabab alMahdi from Egypt, Anne Alexander and Phil Marfleet amongst others. We asked if we could make an announcement to which they said 'off course you can, this is a very political meeting'!

Hamza and Sami did a bloody stirling job. Alex Callinicos looked clearly impressed. Things like this just confirm the need for young, fresh, new ideas to keep a group refreshed.

We now have regular planning meetings 5pm every Monday in the JCR (Junior Common Room) so please feel free to come along if you like.

Our next event is: Rethink Afghanistan. Read more HERE

Join our mailing and organising group HERE

Hope to see you all on the demo...

Lowkey speaks at student Stop the War conference 2009

See more over at Counterfire.org

Drew McConnell, Babayshambles, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly play Beats Beat Bullets on Thursday

Tickets were sold out last month so get there early.

Another amazing lineup for September:

Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
They did a breakfast gig before the G20 demo last April, Sam Duckworth has debated Ken Livingstone and they have been called the highlight of Glastonbury 2009. Get Cape Wear Cape Fly at Vibe Bar is not to be missed!

Drew McConnell, Babyshambles
Plus you’ll be treated to a solo accoustic set from STW special guest musical politico Drew McConnell, bass guitarist and vocalist from Babyshambles & Helsinki.

Itch, King Blues
And if that wasn’t enough we have a very special guest in the form of King Blues front man Itch who will also be doing a solo set. King Blues have been called ‘the most exciting live band in Britain’ by Kerrang and ‘rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country’ by Tariq Ali

Keeping you dancing all night long will be DJ Neotropic aka Riz Maslen.

September 10th 2009.

Flyers available from 0207 801 2768

Lowkey - Stop the War gig in Metro

Isn't he just fabulous. Cheers Lowkey. x

Afghanistan war resister needs/would like books sent to him in prison...

196 is the death toll of British soldiers in Afghanistan. Victor Agusto is yet another soldier who is refusing to return. Based on their previous experiences, these soldiers are joining the growing calls for an end to war, for the troops to be pulled out in what many are calling an 'unwinnable war'.

In a message i received this morning from his facebook group he says he is 'ok for money' but would like some books to be sent to him.

Victor returned to Fort Hood, Texas after a 13-month deployment in Iraq and became active with Iraq Veterans Against the War. Victor has been stop-lossed in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. In May, he told his unit command he would not go. He has refused to follow any order which would support the occupation of Afghanistan, an occupation he considers immoral, illegal, and dangerous to the citizens of the U.S. He faces a summary court-martial and incarceration for 30 days very soon.

For more information on Victor's struggle, visit http://underthehoodcafe.org/victor_agosto_links.html

HIS MAILING ADDRESS IS (for letters and books)

Victor Agusto - B1C

Bell Co. Law Enforcement Center

113 W Central

Belton, Tx 76513

Join his Facebook group HERE

The Mirror reports well on Joe Glenton

It's not often that I want to report what is being said in the red top Daily Mirror but I couldn't resist this one. The last line is great...

Why Joe Glenton should not be facing a court martial

By Paul Routledge 7/08/2009

If you’re a deskbound general continually demanding more men, more weapons and more money to subdue Afghanistan, you get endless air time, a peerage and a gold-plated pension.

If you’re a humble squaddie with service in theatre, whose doubts about the war are so serious you go Awol for two years, you face disgrace, a court martial and possibly jail.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, 27, of the Royal Logistic Corps, has been charged with desertion for refusing to return to Afghanistan, and faces extra charges for speaking out about a war he (and plenty of his mates) say is unwinnable.

When MoD top brass say the same thing it makes headlines, not a charge sheet.

Rarely has the class distinction between officers and men been so clearly defined.

Home Office: 'Support our wars or you'll be denied a UK passport'

New rules on citizenship could bar immigrants who use the ancient British right to protest

By Jane Merrick, Political Editor, the Independent, Sunday, 2 August 2009

http://tinyurl.com/l3whtf

Immigrants who take part in protests against British troops could be denied citizenship of this country under controversial new Home Office rules.

The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, will launch a consultation tomorrow on a new points-based system for would-be migrants according to their behaviour, as well as skills and qualifications.

Mr Johnson, writing in the News of the World, said: "Bad behaviour will be penalised, and only those with enough points will earn the right to a British passport."

While he did not explicitly point to those who take part in anti-war demonstrations, the newspaper reported that this would be included in examples of "bad behaviour".

But there was confusion over the policy last night, as the Home Office appeared to backtrack on whether protesters would be penalised.

An aide to Mr Johnson said the Home Office was consulting on what constituted bad behaviour, but refused to comment on the issue of protesters.

Earlier this year, troops on a homecoming march in Luton were jeered by Muslim protesters carrying placards that read "Butchers" and "Animals". However, there was no suggestion that the protesters were, in fact, immigrants, so the alleged rules would not apply in any case.

While inciting hatred is a crime, the suggestion that taking part in an anti-war protest could be a bar to a British passport would be highly controversial and draw accusations of pandering to the right.

The new rules would also see the period for which foreigners have to work in the UK before becoming eligible for citizenship doubling from five to 10 years. Applicants from outside the EU are already subject to a points-based system that covers skills, but the tougher rules would sever the "link between temporary work and becoming a permanent UK citizen", Mr Johnson wrote.

"Already we require that people earn the right to become citizens by paying taxes, speaking English and obeying the law," Mr Johnson added. "Tomorrow I will go even further, unveiling my new citizenship proposals which will require that people earn points for, among other things, their skills, their job and their qualifications."

As Mr Johnson risked charges of playing tough on immigration, the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, stoked the row over the Conservative Party's new alliance with the far right in Europe. Mr Miliband issued a thinly veiled attack on a Polish politician accused of anti-Semitism.

The Foreign Secretary said David Cameron's decision to support Michal Kaminski as leader of the Tories' new Euro-grouping had provoked "real cause for concern" among Britain's Jewish community. Mr Kaminski, a member of the far-right Polish Law and Justice Party, has denied claims that he opposed an apology by his countrymen in 2001 for the massacre of hundreds of Jews in Jedwabne in July 1941.

The Foreign Secretary, the son of Jewish refugees of the Holocaust, said: "David Cameron has shown little appetite for tough decisions in his career to date. On this rare occasion, he has decided to expend some serious political capital. And on what? On supporting a man like Michal Kaminski for a position of influence in the European Parliament over a moderate and loyal member of his own party.

"It has given key communities in Britain real cause for concern. Against the best advice of foreign leaders and British business, he drove the Tories out of the mainstream and into the right-wing margins of Europe. This reversion to the right-wing extremes of his own party should give people a strong sense of what both he and his party believe in, and it has nothing to do with the best interests of Britain."

Mr Kaminksi has insisted he is not anti-Semitic, and claims he has spent "a lifetime of work supporting Israel and the Jewish community in Poland".

Sent from my iPhone

Dear Mr. Brown,

From Stop the War Website

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

30 July 2009

Dear Mr. Brown,

I am writing to you as a serving soldier in the British army to express my views and concerns on the current conflict in Afghanistan.

It is my primary concern that the courage and tenacity of my fellow soldiers has become a tool of American foreign policy. I believe this unethical short-changing of such proud men and women has caused immeasurable suffering not only to families of British service personnel who have been killed and injured, but also to the noble people of Afghanistan.

I have seen qualities in the Afghan people which have also been for so long apparent and admired in the British soldier. Qualities of robustness, humour, utter determination and unwillingness to take a step backwards. However it is these qualities, on both sides, which I fear will continue to cause a state of attrition. These will only lead to more heartbreak within both our societies.

I am not a general nor am I a politician and I cannot claim any mastery of strategy. However, I am a soldier who has served in Afghanistan, which has given me some small insight.

I believe that when British military personnel submit themselves to the service of the nation and put their bodies into harms way, the government that sends them into battle is obliged to ensure that the cause is just and right, i.e. for the protection of life and liberty.

L/Cpl Glenton speaks against Afghan war

The war in Afghanistan is not reducing the terrorist risk, far from improving Afghan lives it is bringing death and devastation to their country. Britain has no business there.

I do not believe that our cause in Afghanistan is just or right. I implore you, Sir, to bring our soldiers home.

Yours sincerely,

Joe Glenton Lance/Corporal, Royal Logistics Corps

Joe Glenton - Serving Soldier refusing to return to Afghanistan

From Counterfire.org

Joe, all I can say is that you are truly a brave an courageous man. You brought me close to tears when you spoke out. You spoke from the heart and we all really appreciate this.

Our hearts and thoughts are with you while you stand up against this war, whilst you fight the powers that be and whilst you fight to get your life back.

Thank you very much from all of us campaigning for an end to this occupation and war.