War.

 

           My only criticism of this advert is the title, A war that should never have happened. In my nearly 89 years on this planet I have yet to know of a war that should have happened, unless we talk about the Class War. Also Blair and Bush didn't start the war, they didn't wake up one morning and decided to have a war with Iraq, it was the big Western multi-national corporations, who wanted their hands on Iraq's oil and to dollarise Iraq in the process. Blair and Bush were merely the pawns tasked with managing that process to war. Despite these small criticisms, I give my full support to the campaign for peace and attempting to stop all wars, which will require a complete change away from the insane economic system that shackles our lives.

This from Stop the War Coalition.

 Iraq-20 years on: A war that should never have happened.

          The invasion of Iraq launched twenty years ago by George Bush and Tony Blair was a catastrophe for the Iraqi people and had a disastrous impact across the Middle East and beyond. It led to a million deaths, the displacement of millions more, the destabilisation of the region and a deep anger against the Western powers across whole areas of the globe.

It also generated the biggest anti-war movement in history.
           Stop the War is marking the anniversary of the war with an evening of remembrance and analysis from Iraqi activists and other leading anti-war figures including Lowkey, Sami Ramadani, Raghad Al-Tikriti, Tariq Ali and Lindsey German.

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info
 

We Are Many.

An appeal from Stop The War Coalition:

Major anti-war conference/ We Are Many, launches on Thursday

Book now for June 6th anti-war conference
"Confronting a World at War"
Saturday 6 June • 10am - 5pm
TUC • Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3LS

      Hundreds of people will attend the 6th June Confronting a World at War conference to discuss how to resist the Anglo-American war machine and the ensuing militarist brutalisation of life. Leading anti-war writers and campaigners are coming from around the world. These include:
     Medea Benjamin is a leading US peace activist. She is the co-founder of Code Pink and one of the best-known progressive figures in the United States. Barack Obama stated once (after being interrupted by Medea Benjamin during a major speech on the "war on terror") that "the voice of this woman is worth paying attention to".
     Mustafa Barghouti is a globally known campaigner for Palestinian rights. He is the General Secretary of the Palestine National Initiative. He has been a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and was Minister of Information in the Palestinian unity government.
    Explo Nani-Kofi is a noted Ghanaian-born social researcher and a campaigner for social justice. her coordinates the Campaign against Proxy Wars in Africa and is the Director of the Kilombo Centre for Civil Society and African Self-Determination.
     Mark Weisbrot is a writer for peace and social justice. He is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He has written for publications such as New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, etc. He is the co-writer of the screenplay for Oliver Stone's film South of the Border.
        They will be joined by Tariq Ali • Lindsey German • Seumas Milne • Bruce Kent • Jeremy Corbyn MP • Victoria Brittain • George Galloway • Ozzie Ardiles • Richard Sakwa • Kate Hudson • Jonathan Steele • Andrew Murray • Joe Lombardo • David Edgar • Anas Al-Tikriti • Sabby Dhalu • Sami Ramadani • Chris Nineham • Jenny Clegg • Hamja Ahsan • Judith Orr • Carol Turner • Steve Bell • Malia Bouattia • Matt Willgress • Daniel Jakopovich

       We are offering discounted tickets at £8 until the end of this week. Book now to be sure of your place.
Share the event with your Facebook contacts
Book your ticket online with Eventbrite

Box office: 020 7561 4830
Don't miss the launch of We Are Many this Thursday

      The acclaimed film We Are Many will be in cinemas across the UK on 21 May, with a Q&A panel, and then in selected cinemas on 22 May.
      We Are Many tells the story of 15 February 2003, when millions of people in cities and towns across the world marched to say not in my name to the Iraq war. It is a brilliant argument about why protest matters. Tomorrow it will be promoted on Channel 4 News, Front Row and BBC Breakfast TV. The film has broken the world record on Thunderclap on Twitter with a reach of more than 37 million people.
      It is vital that the film is seen by as many people as possible. Local Stop the War groups are promoting the film in their areas. You can help promote the film in your area by inviting your Facebook contacts to your local cinema. Facebook events have been created for each town.
Click to see a short clip from the film
See the nationwide venues, book tickets and invite your Facebook contacts

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

Those Never Ending Imperialist Adventures.

       Bearing in mind the mutterings from St. Tony Blair, about troops on the ground in Iraq, and Cameron's desire to honour his American masters, we need to redouble our efforts to stop the UK being involved in another Middle East imperialist adventure. Peace and justice can't be bombed into existence.

This from Stop The War Coalition:

Emergency protest: Don't bomb Iraq, Don't bomb Syria. Lobby your MP.

• Protest Downing Street. 5.30pm Thursday 25th September.
  
• Lobby your MP. Use our model letter to write to your MP. It takes 2 minutes.
  

       David Cameron is planning to recall parliament on Friday to push through a vote for the UK to join the US in bombing Isis in Iraq and possibly Syria.
       If this vote passes British forces will be back in action in Iraq just three years after the last troops were withdrawn from the catastrophic occupation of 2003-11. The development comes in the same week Tony Blair called for renewed bombing in the region and the possibility of boots on the ground.
       All the experience of the terrible wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya has shown that western military action only serves to kill innocents, destroy infrastructure and inflame violence.
      Isis is a reactionary force, but it is in part a product of the disastrous occupation of Iraq by Western powers. Isis is funded by some of our main allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia. Escalating Western military intervention will do nothing to stop them but will create more suffering and further destabilise the region.
     Stop the War is calling on our supporters to protest this Thursday evening outside Downing Street from 5.30pm till 7.30pm. Nearest tubes: Westminster and Charing Cross.

• Share the event with your Facebook contacts
  

We are also asking supporters to immediately lobby their MPs to vote against bombing.

 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

No Glory In War, No Celebration Of War.

       Monday marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the clash of empires that resulted in over 37 million, military and civilian, casualties, comprising of more than 16 million killed, and over 20 million wounded, all in just a matter of four years. Approximately 7 million of those killed were civilians, a fact not often mentioned. This 4 year blood bath called WW1, was nothing more than empires trying to grab as much of the world's resources and markets, all in the name of power and wealth for the few. There can be no glory in war, there should be no "celebration" of war. Wars are power mongers method of cementing their power, never for democracy. The war for democracy will not be fought on foreign shores, it will be fought here in each of our own territories.
       This Monday there will be gatherings across the country, against the pomp and glory of the establishments attempt to turn the slaughter of WW1 into some sort glorious part of our history, when in fact it is an indictment against the established order we live under, a blot on the history of humanity.
      Glasgow Monday 4th. August, by the Scottish Peace Network:

     If you can possibly make it, come and stand in solidarity for world peace.

In London by, No Glory In War and others:

No Glory - No More War

No Glory - No More War
Monday 4 August  6.30pm - 8.30pm
Parliament Square London

       Monday 4 August is the 100th anniversary of Britain's entry into World War One. Britain's recent record of foreign wars, its commitment to NATO expansion and its support for Israeli aggression make it essential that there is a strong anti-war message on the day.
       There are anti-war events taking place around the country to counter David Cameron's campaign to make the WW1 centenary an occasion for "celebration" and "glorification".
       In London the No Glory in War campaign will stage an event in Parliament Square at 6.30pm, just before the official commemoration, evoking the real horror of World War One, demanding that nothing like it happens again. We will be celebrating resistance to war at the time and today.
Speakers and performers at the No Glory - No More War event include actors Samuel West and Kika Markham. Jeremy Corbyn MP will read Kier Hardie's anti-war speech of 1914. Writer AL Kennedy will read Carol Ann Duffy's Last Post in honour of Harry Patch, the last surviving soldier from the First World War trenches, who said until the day he died in 2009 that war was 'legalised mass murder'.
       Also speaking are World War II Normandy veteran Jim Radford, historian Neil Faulkner and Kate Hudson from CND. Music will be performed by Sean Taylor and Gunes Cerit.
       Stop the War is asking all our supporters who are able to attend, to bring white poppies and other anti -war symbols to make sure this anniversary is marked in the only way appropriate - with a loud call for an end to foreign wars.
If you are are a Twitter user, please use the hashtag #NoMoreWar throughout the day.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

May Day.

This from Stop The war Coalition:

        Trades unionists, human rights campaigners and solidarity groups will march to Trafalgar Square next Thursday, May 1st. The 2014 May Day march and rally will be held in honour of the late Bob Crow, former leader of the RMT union, and the late Tony Benn, former president of the Stop the War Coalition. The peace/anti-war bloc will gather at Clerkenwell Green, London at 12 noon. Look out for Stop the War Coalition and CND banners to find us. If you would like more information or you would like to help on the day by stewarding or distributing  leaflets and banners, please email office@stopwar.org.uk or call 020 7561 4830.

Work for Stop the War
        We are very pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to work at the national office of Stop the War. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the work of Stop the War and to support our campaigns against new military interventions and wars abroad. Quaker Peace & Social Witness will fund the peaceworker job for one year. If you are successful, and you are selected to work at Stop the War, you would begin work in September 2014. If you would like to discuss this opportunity, please email office@stopwar.org.uk or call the Stop the War office on 020 7561 4830.

2014 Appeal: thank you
         Stop the War would like to thank everyone who has donated to the 2014 Appeal. We are pleased to announce that we have now reached our £15,000 target thanks to the generosity of hundreds of our supporters.
        Over the last few days we have seen Tony Blair banging the war drum yet again, calling for more international action (military intervention) to combat 'Islamism', adding to the witch-hunt of Muslims at home and we continue to witness the disastrous consequences of the eastward expansion of NATO.

       The anti-war movement must continue to put the pressure on. After a packed public meeting on the crisis in Ukraine, Stop the War is now organising a series of meetings across the UK to discuss the crisis and prepare for the Nato summit in September. With your support we can mobilise thousands to say No to Nato when it visits Newport in Wales later in the year. To make sure we can build the best defence against new wars, and because of the success of our appeal, we have decided to raise our appeal target to £20,000.
      If you haven't yet donated, please click through to donate online or telephone 020 7561 4830.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Next Chapter In The Philosophy Of Endless War??

 

      Destroyed Iraq, busted Libya, smashed Afghanistan, now it's Russia. Western war mongers prepare for the next chapter in their philosophy of endless war.

This appeal from Stop The War Coalition:  

As Crimea war talk escalates, here's how you can help

     Yesterday Nato's top military commander Philip Breedlove called on the West to prepare for military action "in the Baltics and other places". And in Britain Lord Dannatt, former chief of general staff of the British army, called for 3,000 soldiers to be maintained in Germany to send a clear signal to Russia.
      As the crisis is intensified, in no small part by the rhetoric of a growing number of war mongers in the West, help us reach our 2014 Appeal target so that we are ready to respond.
We have now raised £7568, which is over half of our target. That's a fantastic response to our call for support and thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.
      If you haven't already donated to the 2014 Appeal, please consider making a contribution now by clicking the donate button:

     Alternatively you can make a donation by phoning 020 7561 4830 or send a cheque made payable to Stop the War Coalition to Stop the War, 86 Durham Road, London N7 7DT

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

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

International Anti-War Conference, London.

 

Speakers

      Diane Abbott MP, Tariq Ali author, Tony Benn president Stop the War, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Lindsey German convenor Stop the War, Edward Horgan Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Ireland, Kate Hudson General Secretary CND, Joan Humphreys Military Families Against the War, Owen Jones author, Mother Agnes Mariam nun based in Syria, Seumas Milne journalist, Manik Mukherjee All India Anti-imperialist Forum, Andrew Murray Unite the Union, Explo Nani-Kofi Kilombo, Ghana, Chris Nineham vice-chair Stop the War, Mitra Qayoom Afghans for Peace, Sami Ramadani Iraqi writer, John Rees author and activist, Rachel Shabi author and journalist, Jeremy Scahill filmmaker, Dirty Wars, Jonathan Steele author and journalist

Sessions

       Imperialism, war and resistance, A very short history of British imperialism, Merchants of death: drones and the arms trade, The new scramble for Africa, Taking liberties: surveillance, the state and Islamophobia, The Syrian war in context, Nato: expansion and war, Building the international movement

Background

       In a historic setback for the organisers of the War on Terror, protest and public opinion helped stop a new war on Syria. But the West continues its interventions, creating failed states in an arc from Central Asia to West Africa.

     The US is still focused on the middle east, but Obama is sending more military to encircle China and the West is ramping up its interventions in the African continent, creating ever more anger and instability.

       Next year the NATO conference is coming to Britain and the conference will launch protests in response. It will also discuss the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan which is likely to cause another crisis for the western powers.

      We need more effective anti war resistance internationally. This conference is a chance to analyse, build links and lay plans.

Time and date, venue and cost

• 10am-5pm (registration from 9am) Saturday 30 November
• Emmanuel Centre Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW
• Nearest stations Westminster and Victoria
• Full price ticket £15 concessions £10 (unemployed/student/retired/low income)

Register

• Buy tickets online
• By telephone 020 7561 4830
• By post - cheques made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' -
  Stop the War, 86 Durham Road, London N7 7DT

Share the event

• Invite your Facebook contacts
• Full details on the Stop the War web site
  
  
  
  Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
  
  
  

Syria - Urgent Action Alert

From Stop The War Coalition:
Syria - Urgent Action Alert 

 Homs, Syria, Photo, voa.gov

Homs, Syria. Credit voa.gov

Homs, Syria. Credit voa.gov

      Parliament will be vote on military intervention in Syria TOMORROW (THURSDAY)
         Contact your MP and ask them to vote against military intervention. It really could make a difference. They might not do as you ask. But if they don't hear from you, it will weaken our campaign after the debate.

You can write to them at http://www.writetothem.com/

       Statement from the Stop the War Coalition:
"The Stop the War Coalition strongly opposes any military attack on Syria. While we oppose all use of chemical weapons, the latest alleged such attack in Damascus should not be used as a pretext for further exacerbating an already bloody civil war."
Full statement

Article by Seaumas Milne
       "An attack on Syria will only spread the war and killing. Instead of removing the chemical weapon threat, another western assault on the Arab world risks escalation and backlash."
Article

 Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Soldierless War Is Here.

       The soldierless war creeps ever closer and closer. We can now strike at the heart of communities from a comfortable office. Young people can sit at what would resemble a games console and mark up their score in hits, oblivious to the terror and carnage that is happening as they watch a screen and push an innocuous button. A family wiped out, a village destroyed and they didn't get off their backsides. Drones, for surveillance, drones for destruction, drones for home and drones for abroad. Control and carnage from an air conditioned office block near you. 

This from Stop The War Coalition, CND, War On Want, Drone Campaign Network:

      Last Saturday saw hundreds march to RAF Waddington against the UK government's use of Drones in Afghanistan, now controlled from the military airbase near Lincoln. The largest demonstration against drones to date brought together Stop the War, War on Want, the Drone Campaign Network and CND and more than 600 members of the public to launch a national campaign against drones.
       The pressure of our campaign has already been felt after the Ministry of Defence was forced to admit just two days before the protest that the Waddington control centre is now in operation. But much of the secrecy about how British drones are being used, and the threat of new interventions, remains.
      A comment in January by the Secretary of State for Defence showed just how easy a new intervention might be when he had turned down a request from France to send drones to Mali because of the "unacceptable impact on our operations in Afghanistan". The question of whether or not British people want a new war in Mali was not even raised.
    The widespread media coverage on drones that Saturday's demonstration has provoked has started an important debate about their use and showed just how important a strong anti-drones campaign will be in the coming months.

Stop the War would like to thank all those who participated in Saturday's successful demo

• Read the report from Common Dreams on the Ground the Drones demo, including TV reports from Sky and the BBC
• David Shariatmadari argues that drones might be changing more minds about war now that killing is conducted from our doorstep

Sign our petition and share with your friends

• Already signed by former archbishop Dr Rowan Williams, Dennis Halliday (former UN Assistant Secretary-General) and almost 4000 others. Please sign our petition to call on the government to abandon the use of drones as a weapon of war.

 ann arky's home.

CLEARING THE GROUND FOR WAR AGAINST IRAN.

       Here we go, here we go, here we go, the three nuclear bullies of the West, America, UK and France, are foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs as they circle Iran. The US has sent another carrier to the Gulf, and the shrieks from the war mongers in the various parliaments is reaching fever pitch. The second world war lasted 5 years, but since 2001 we have been at war in Afghanistan, that's 11 years. The West has been killing in Iraq since 2003, more than that if you include the killings from the ten years of sanctions before we invaded, and though the UK is out, the Americans are still there and the killing still goes on. However even with this amount of blood on their hands they want more, they are ratcheting up the tension to the same pitch as the “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq and we all know the validity in that line.

       Why is it that the so called defenders of freedom and democracy seem to be the only countries that invade other countries? Shouldn't it be the other way? After eleven years of bloodshed in Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, we are all set to leave and a leaked report form the top military, states that the Taliban are poised to take control after we leave. Iraq, nine years after we bombed them into liberation, the country is in turmoil with death a daily occurrence. With these kind of results you would think that invasion would be away down the list if ideas, but no, blood and death are of no consequence when the country to be decimated contains lots of oil and gas. Corporate fascism will spill the blood of any amount of ordinary people just to get control of what they deem valuable assets. How long will we tolerate the type of insanity that trades our blood for oil?

 

From Stop The War: 

            There is a frightening crescendo building towards war in the Middle East. The UN is debating a resolution on Syria demanding regime change. This follows the withdrawal of the Arab League delegation there and calls for intervention. The US military is clearing the ground for war against Iran. In a report to Congress, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper claimed that Iranian leaders "are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States."
             Meanwhile Defence Secretary Leon Panetta went on TV to assert that Iran would have a nuclear bomb within a year. The US is conducting a military build-up in parallel to the propaganda offensive. A third US carrier is now on the way to the Gulf. On 28 January, Stop the War launched its national DON'T ATTACK IRAN campaign at a 500 strong rally outside the US Embassy in London. SEE REPORT & VIDEOS OF SPEECHES: http://bit.ly/zMKNEL.
             We are asking Stop the War local groups and supporters to organise urgent activists' meetings in every area to start planning local campaigns against an attack on Iran. On Saturday 11th February we are calling a national day of action with protests, die-ins, sit-ins, mock air raids, petitioning and street meetings, to publicise the arguments against an attack.
          Please check the Stop the War website for details about local activities as they are published. FOR UPDATES SEE: http://bit.ly/wTXnfL
The Facebook Event for the day of action is here:
http://on.fb.me/werrhn
If you want to get involved in the Don't Attack Iran campaign please e-mail office@stopwar.co.uk or call 020 7801 2768.

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