From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2007-09-29 09:27:49
From the Stop The War newsletter – Stop the War should, of course, be called “Start the Peace” ======================== STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No. 1019 28 September 2007 Email office@stopwar.org.u… T: 020 7278 6694 Web: www.stopwar.org.uk IN THIS NEWSLETTER: 1) URGENT – ATTEMPT TO BAN STOP THE WAR MARCH 2) DEMONSTRATE: PARLIAMENT MONDAY 8 OCTOBER 3) NOT ONE MORE DEATH POSTCARD 4) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER **************************************** 1) URGENT – ATTEMPT TO BAN STOP THE WAR MARCH On Monday 8 October the Stop the War Coalition will be marching from Trafalgar Square to Parliament calling for all troops in Iraq to be brought home immediately. After a series of relatively co-operative meetings, the police now say they have been instructed not to allow the march to take place and that all demonstrations are banned within a mile of Parliament whilst in session. This is a new development which threatens our democratic rights. When Gordon Brown became prime minister he promised to liberalise the laws on protest, saying that one of his principles would be, “civil liberties safeguarded and enhanced”. Government ministers, including Gordon Brown, have lined up to support the right to protest in Burma. It is important that these same ministers also defend the rights of people in this country to protest peacefully. We are determined to march to make our views known to parliament on 8 October, when Gordon Brown will make his long awaited statement on Iraq. We urge everyone who opposes the war policies of our government to join the call for all British troops to come home immediately and to help defend our civil liberties now under attack. We have produced a petition calling on the authorities to review the decision to ban the march. SIGN THE PETITION ONLINE aimed at defending our right to protest peacefully. You can do this here: www.stopwar.org.uk/ DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE PETITION Collect as many signatures as you can and send filled petition sheets to Stop the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, WC1X 9JP Download for printing here: www.stopwar.org.uk/ Please spread the word as widely as you can about the demonstration on Monday 8 October (full details below). **************************************** 2) DEMONSTRATE: PARLIAMENT MONDAY 8 OCTOBER NOT ONE MORE DEATH – BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW ASSEMBLE FOR RALLY 1.0 PM TRAFALGAR SQUARE Speakers include: TONY BENN MARK STEEL, comedian and writer BEN GRIFFIN, ex-soldier who served in Iraq BOB WAREING MP GEMMA TUMELTY, president, National Union of Students LINDSEY GERMAN, national convenor, Stop the War BILLY HAYES general secretary, Communication Workers Union For more details, see: www.stopwar.org.uk/ **************************************** 3) NOT ONE MORE DEATH POSTCARD The Stop the War Not One More Death postcard, designed by eminent artist David Gentleman, is now available from the Stop the War office. The postcard is being used in a write-in campaign to Gordon Brown, calling for a change in government policy, to break Britain’s subservience to George Bush’s warmongering. Stop the War local groups plan to distribute the postcard at every tube station, bus terminal, train station, in workplaces and community centres, churches and mosques. Contact the Stop the War Office to order postcards in bulk. If you would like to distribute the postcards in your local community, college, school or workplace or among friends and relatives, please contact us. Phone: 020 7278 6694 Email: office@stopwar.org.u… SEE THE POSTCARD DESIGN HERE: www.stopwar.org.uk/ **************************************** 4) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER Stop the War’s open letter to Gordon Brown calling for the withdrawal of all British troops from Iraq will be published in a full page advert, funded by supporters of Stop the War, in The Guardian on Wednesday 3 October (See tinyurl.com/3xafku). Among the hundreds of signatories are: Tariq Ali, Iain Banks, Tony Benn, Ian Brown, Caryl Churchill, Harry Cohen MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Bob Crow (Gen Sec RMT) Brian Eno, George Galloway MP, Rose Gentle (MFAW) David Gentleman, Lindsey German, (Convenor STWC), Bill Greenshields (National VP, NUT), Ben Griffin (ex SAS soldier), Kelvin Hopkins MP, Kate Hudson (Chair CND), Jean Lambert MEP, Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, Alice Mahon, Prof Kamil Majid, Miriam Margolyes, John McDonnell MP, Adrian Mitchell, Greg Mulholland MP, Andrew Murray (Chair STWC), Michael Nyman, Adam Price MP, Sami Ramadani, John Rees (Sec Respect Coalition), Yvonne Ridley, Paul Rowen MP, Mark Rylance, Prof David Seddon, Alan Simpson MP, Linda Smith, Chair Respect Coalition, Prof Andrew Spencer, Hans von Sponeck, Prof Phil Taylor, Mark Thomas, UNISON (London Fire Authority), Walter Wolfgang, Tony Woodley (Joint Gen Sec UNITE), Cllr Salma Yaqoob, Susannah York, Haifa Zangana, Benjamin Zephaniah **************************************** — To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lis…
