STOP THE WAR COALITION
Newsletter No.1214
28 July 2011
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) REASONS TO SIGN THE ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY PLEDGE
2) LIBYA: ANOTHER FAILING WAR
3) AFTER THE NORWAY ATROCITY, WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP
4) BILLY BRAGG'S SONGS OF THE WEEK
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1) REASONS TO SIGN THE ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY PLEDGE
Singer and political activist Billy Bragg, Lillian Lyons, wife
of Michael Lyons, the soldier who is currently in prison for
refusing rifle training for Afghanistan, Paul Flynn MP, Rose
Gentle, one of the founders of Military Families against the War,
and 106-year-old Hetty Bower, who has marched on every Stop the
War demonstration over the past ten years, are among the hundreds
who, in the past week, have signed the pledge to be at the
Antiwar Mass Assembly in Trafalgar Square on 8 October.
They will be joining Brian Eno, John Pilger, Joe Glenton, Jemima
Khan, Ahdef Soueif, Tony Benn, Bruce Kent and over 1000 more who
have already signed the pledge. (See the full list here:
http://bit.ly/oD6Ac9 )
The Antiwar Assembly, called by Stop the War, CND and the British
Muslim Initiative, will mark ten years of the war in Afghanistan
and the "war on terror", and demand that the government do what
most people in this country want: bring the troops home, cut
spending on warfare and not on public services.
If you haven't signed the pledge yet, recent events in
Afghanistan, have highlighted why you should. The reality of a
country sinking ever further into chaos from ten years of war and
occupation has confounded US and Nato attempts to paint a picture
of increased stability and normalisation.
The five children seriously injured a few days ago by a British
Apache helicopter attack are just another statistic added to the
rising toll of violence suffered by Afghan civilians, which the
UN says is running at its highest level since the 2001 invasion.
The Taliban have shown that no one is safe in President Karzai's
administration -- which has become a byword for rampant
corruption and warlordism. This week saw the killing of the Mayor
of Kandahar following other high profile assassinations,
including Karzai's brother, known as the "King of Kandahar", and
Mohammed Daud Daud, the head of the North Afghan police.
The truth is, after ten years of occupation, there is no rule of
law in Afghanistan, no real democracy, no women's rights and no
economic development beyond the opium trade. Afghanistan remains
one of the world's poorest countries, with a life-expectancy of
43 years being the lowest anywhere. Everyday of the NATO
occupation deepens the divisions in the country and increases the
level of violence.
This is the reality of a futile and unjustified war that has cost
Britain 377 soldiers' lives and £20 billion, rising at a rate of
£5 billion a year, and is why the Antiwar Mass Assembly on 8
October is so important.
PLEDGE NOW
You can pledge to join us on 8 October by going to
www.antiwarassembly.org.uk
SEND US YOUR "WHY I WILL BE THERE" QUOTE
We have started posting on the Antiwar Assembly website, quotes
from people who have pledged to join us on 8 October. SEE
http://bit.ly/o1H8W4
If you have pledged, send us your reasons why, and a picture of
yourself if you want that included. We will publish this on the
"Why I Will Be There" page. Send by email, with the subject
heading QUOTE, to info@ antiwarassembly.org.uk
HELP US MOBILISE FOR 8 OCTOBER
Please use very means possible to spread the word about 8
October:
* Email to everyone you can the link for the Antiwar Assembly
website: www.antiwarassembly.org.uk
* A pledge sheet for for collecting pledges, to be sent to the
Stop the War national office, can be downloaded here:
http://tinyurl.com/3snhknj
* Leaflets publicising the demonstration are available from the
Stop the War office: call 020 7801 2768
* Encourage everyone you know to sign the pledge for 8 October:
www.antiwarassembly.org.uk
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2) LIBYA: ANOTHER FAILING WAR
British policy on Libya is being made up from one day to the
next. Having unambiguously committed to regime change and the
trial of Gadaffi, Foreign Secretary Hague now says Gadaffi might
be able to escape trial and even remain in Libya. Having
previously declined to recognize the Bengazi regime, William
Hague has now announced Britain is expelling all pro Gadaffi
diplomats and that the Foreign office regards the Transitional
National Council as the 'sole government authority' in Libya.
This chaos betrays Nato's desperation. Aside from inflicting
immense destruction in Libya, the US-Nato intervention has
achieved nothing. According to the Independent newspaper, Gadaffi
controls 20% more ground in Libya than he did the day that NATO
started bombing four months ago.
Any moves towards a diplomatic solution in Libya would be
welcome, but for them to succeed the NATO bombardment would have
to end.
SEE "Libya - A War Policy in Chaos" by Stop the War's Chris
Nineham: http://bit.ly/oELPaD
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3) AFTER THE NORWAY ATROCITY, WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP
The killings in Norway by far right activist Anders Breivek are a
chilling reminder of the threat that anti Muslim racism poses in
the 21st Century. The rise of Islamophobia has been closely
linked to the "war on terror". It has been encouraged by
politicians and the media as a means to justify permanent
military mobilisation against a string of Muslim countries.
As Lindsey German, Stop the War's national convenor said in a
recent article: "Politicians and the media have responsibility,
not for the killings themselves, but for the culture which has
demonised Muslims and created an atmosphere of hatred in some
parts of society. When asked what Britain can do to help, lets
try:
* Ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya;
* Stop scapegoating immigrants;
* Stop blaming Muslims for their religion, their dress, their
food or their politics;
* Campaign against racism instead of pandering to it."
READ ARTICLE HERE: http://bit.ly/pbX1Jh
DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE
Stop the War is supporting a demonstration on Saturday 3
September, called by United East End and Unite Against Fascism,
to celebrate diversity and oppose the racist and Islamophobic
English Defence League in Tower Hamlets. DETAILS:
http://towww.uaf.org.uk/
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4) BILLY BRAGG'S SONGS OF THE WEEK
Stop the War's Song of the Week No. 105 selected itself, Billy
Bragg's "Between the Wars" being the obvious choice, following
his pledge to join the Antiwar Mass Assembly on 8 October. See
him sing the song live in this video: http://bit.ly/qMJtKg
Also worth catching is Billy's response to the Murdoch scandals.
A video of him singing "Never Buy the Sun" can be seen here:
http://bit.ly/mRalrQ
