STOP THE WAR COALITION
Newsletter No.1217
6 September 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) 9/11 ANNIVERSARY: STATEMENT BY STOP THE WAR COALITION
2) TONY BENN: WHY I'LL BE IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
3) LIBYA, NATO AND THE ARAB SPRING: PUBLIC MEETING
4) BREAKING THE SILENCE AGAINST 10 YEARS OF WAR
5) LONDON ACTIVISTS MEETING: 8 SEPTEMBER
6) EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON AUSTERITY AND CUTS: 1 OCTOBER
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1) 9/11 ANNIVERSARY: STATEMENT BY STOP THE WAR COALITION
The terrorist attack that destroyed the Twin Towers ten years ago
was a crime which Stop the War Coalition condemned at the time,
and it reaffirms that condemnation today.
It was a terrible crime for which there can be no justification,
but it was not an act of war.
It was however the signal for the United States, with close
support from Britain, to initiate a war which continues to this
day and has cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives,
without justification or gain. Over 550 British soldiers have
been killed and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost
Britain at least £20 billion.
Terrorist attacks in Britain have been provoked by our
government's foreign policy, civil liberties and community
relations have been placed under great strain -- not least in the
rise of Islamophobia -- and Britain has been complicit in an
illegal and secret torture regime conducted by the US and British
intelligence forces.
Stop the War is proud of the alliances it has made in campaigning
against the "war on terror" -- with the British Muslim community,
with military families who have lost loved ones or who have
relatives currently serving in Afghanistan, with the trade
unions, with our sister organisation CND and countless other
organisations, and most important of all, the hundreds of
thousands of people who have joined our campaign against the
government's war policies over the past ten years.
On this tenth anniversary of 9/11, Stop the War renews its
commitment to continue to oppose the "war on terror" until it is
ended, and for an end to the subordination of British foreign
policy to that of the USA.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BY STOP THE WAR COALITION: 9/11 and Ten
Years of the "War on Terror": http://bit.ly/nU9pOn
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2) TONY BENN: WHY I'LL BE IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
Online pledges to attend the AntiWar Mass Assembly in Trafalgar
Square on Saturday 8 October are pouring in. Recent pledgers
include Guardian journalist Seumas Milne, comedian Mark Steel,
Moazzem Begg who was incarcerated in Guantanamo bay, and Owen
Jones, much praised author of "Chavs: The Demonization of the
Working Class" (SEE FULL LIST HERE: http://bit.ly/pBlNMI )
We will be marking 10 years of the war in Afghanistan, 10 years
of the "war on terror", and 10 years since Stop the War Coalition
was founded to campaign against our government's war policies.
Details of the October 8 multi-media event -- words, images,
music, film -- will be published soon on the Stop the War
website.
If you haven't pledged to be there yet, do it now:
http://bit.ly/o10L6p
We have started posting a series of videos on the Stop the War
website of individuals saying why they will be in Trafalgar
Square on 8 October -- ranging from actor Roger Lloyd Pack (SEE
http://bit.ly/mUneK6 ) to the latest by Tony Benn, who describes
Stop the War Coalition as "one of the greatest achievements of
the labour movement" (SEE http://bit.ly/rjdJ4q ).
HOW YOU CAN HELP BUILD SUPPORT FOR 8 OCTOBER:
* Pledge to be in Trafalgar Square: http://bit.ly/o10L6p ;
* Use your Twitter and Facebook to spread the word as widely as
you can, using the link to the October 8 website:
http://bit.ly/o10L6p ;
* Encourage your friends, family, work colleagues, fellow
students etc to pledge to be there;
* Get the October 8 postcards from Stop the War's national
office, to distribute in your area. Phone 07939 242 229.
* Get an October 8 window poster to display at home or your
workplace, college etc: Phone 07939 242 229.
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3) LIBYA, NATO AND THE ARAB SPRING: MEETING 14 SEPTEMBER
NATO leaders appear to have learnt nothing from the experience of
Afghanistan and Iraq, which should have proved to them beyond
doubt that governments imposed by the West's bombs and bullets
and orientated towards western interests cannot bring peace or
progress.
Meanwhile NATO has committed itself to a continued bombing
campaign against Gaddafi strongholds in a country already
suffering from acute shortages of basic necessities including
water and electricity. The media is yet again oiling the wheels
of imperialism (SEE http://bit.ly/qFH9RZ ), but the triumphalism
of the NATO powers is unlikely to last long.
This public meeting will look at NATO's war on Libya in the
context of the Arab Spring revolutions. Speakers include GEORGE
GALLOWAY, SAMI RAMADANI from Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation,
and Saudi academic MADAWI AL-RASHEED.
WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 7PM
SMALL HALL, BLOOMSBURY BAPTIST CHURCH
235 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE
LONDON WC2H 8EP
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4) BREAKING THE SILENCE AGAINST 10 YEARS OF WAR
POETRY, RAP AND TWITTER AGAINST THE WAR
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22 7.30 PM
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION
MALET STREET WC1
Stop the War is proud to announce a night of poetry, rap and
Twitter Against the War on Thursday 22 September. Poets Mike
Rosen, Michael Horowitz, Sanasino Al-Yemen and Martin Powell will
be joined by rappers Ed Greens, Nekz MC, Jimmy Jitsu and more.
The night will include appearances from Owen Jones, author of
"Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class", and journalist
Laurie Penny who tweets @PennyRed. Join them tweeting the event
live to a huge audience.
TICKETS are available for just £5. Make sure you book yours now
by phoning 020 7801 27678.
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5) LONDON ACTIVISTS' MEETING
Anyone in London who would like to get involved in the planning
for the October 8 AntiWar Mass Assembly should come to this
activists' meeting, which is open to all.
THURSDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER AT 6.30PM
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, SENATE HOUSE,
MALET STREET, LONDON WC1E 7HU
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6) EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON AUSTERITY AND CUTS: 1 OCTOBER
Stop the War is supporting the European Conference on Austerity
and Privatisation, which takes place in London of 1 October, and
will bring together representatives from organisations across
Europe, to discuss the impact of austerity measures being imposed
on every country, and how to mount a Europe wide campaign of
opposition.
Lindsey German, national convenor of Stop the War Coalition, will
be leading a session on Ending the War. Other workshops include
The Crisis and the Debt, Students and Youth Fighting for a
Future, Women against Austerity, and Mobilising against
Austerity.
EUROPE AGAINST AUSTERITY
SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER 10AM-5PM
CAMDEN CENTRE LPNDON WC1H 9AU
For updates: http://bit.ly/psXrVr
For a full list of the organisations and individuals supporting
the conference, the agenda for the day, and how to register, go
to: http://bit.ly/psXrVr
