On Saturday December 19, a march and rally took place in Newcastle to
demand that the government stop bombing Syria and that Britain should
end its intervention in the affairs of Syria as well as other countries
in the Middles East and the world. Around 100 people started the march
from the Centre for Life and made their way through Newcastle to a
larger rally at the
Monument. The rally was addressed by Chandni Chopra, Friends of
Al Aqsa - Peace for Palestine, Nick Megoran, Martin Luther King Peace
Committee, Shumel
Rahman, Newcastle Unites, Theresa Easton, North East Peoples Assembly, Andrew
Grey, Green Party, Laura Pidcock, Northumberland Labour councillor, Daniel
Kebede, Stand up to Racism, Clare Williams, Unison Northern Northern
Region Convener,
Roger Nettleship, Newcastle Stop the War Coalition (PDF text of speech).
The speeches were enthusiastically received and the rally was concluded
with the songs of singer-song writer Ron Brown who was also
enthusiastically applauded. The rally was chaired by Tony Dowling and Chandni Chopra.This was an impressive march and rally on the last Saturday before the
holiday and shows the increasing opposition to the British government's bombing and interference in Syria.
Newcastle Vigils - Stop Bombing Syria
Vigils were held at the Monument on the evening of 16th, 17th and 18th December to oppose the bombing of Syria and that Britain should
end its intervention in the affairs of Syria as well as other countries
in the Middles East and the world.
National Demonstration - Stop Bombing Syria
On Saturday December 12,
thirty people from Newcastle Stop the War Coalition joined the national
demonstation in London. Thousands of people marched from Portland Place
to Downing Street against the government's decision to bomb
Syria. Protestors gathered on Whitehall for a rally outside
Downing Street to hear speakers from the Green Party, CND, the National
Union of Teachers, National Union of Students, the Muslim Association
of Great Britain, Stand Up to Racism, Military Families Against the
War, the Awareness Foundation, and representatives from Scottish Stop
the War and Walthamstow Stop the War. Stop the War Chair,
Andrew Murray, read a message sent from Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn:
The message said in part:
"A large majority of all parts of the Labour party
– including the membership, MPs and the Shadow cabinet – last week
opposed this government’s determination to extend UK bombing to Syria.
Intensifying the war won’t protect our security -
or help the Syrian people. It risks doing the opposite. The only way to
beat Isis is through a negotiated settlement of the Syrian civil war.
We in parliament will hold this government to
account for the conduct of their campaign – and step up the pressure to
bring the conflict to an end.
But for that we need your support and campaigning.
Thanks for everything you have done, your internationalism and
solidarity. We can, and will, bring these wars to an end."
Newcastle Protest Says Don't
Bomb Syria!
On
Tuesday December 1st, a large rally at Newcastle Monument of nearly 400
people protested against Cameron's plans to bomb Syria in the wake of
the terrorist atrocities in Paris. The rally which was held on
the eve of the vote in Parliament was addressed by 8 representatives
from parties, organisations and campaign groups in the region opposed
to the war. The rally sent a loud message to Cameron and to
Parliament that all the efforts should go into a political solution for
peace and that war is not a solution to terrorism and never has been.
The rally highlighted the need for an anti-war government in Britain
and that the message to Parliament tomorrow was don't attack, or bomb,
Syria. The rally
called on people to, even at this late stage, do everything they could
to stop MPs voting for war the next day.
Lobby - Cameron Hands Off Syria
Lobbying
Shadow Attorney General Catherine McKinnell MP
The
government is fixated on getting a vote to bomb Syria. Over the last
few months Cameron keeps calling for further intervention in the “war”
in Syria using bombers. This “war” has been caused by the
Anglo-US-Israeli and Saudi interventions in the middle east in
the first place and the arming of proxies to overthrow secular states
to suit their global ambitions. They have created this anarchy
and violence so that they certainly can’t sort it out by illegal
intervention which does not have the backing of the Syrian government
or the UN.
There was a vote against
the government’s bombing plans at the recent
Labour Party conference and Jeremy Corbyn has a long record of
opposition to foreign wars. So lets bring about an anti-war
government in Britain! And please lobby YOUR
MP using this link - it only takes 2 minutes! http://act.stopwar.org.uk/lobby/stopbombingsyria
On September 30, around 40 people
took part in this vital meeting discussing the west's wars and the role
they have played as a
central part in the refugee crisis over last 18 years. Three speakers:
Shumel Rahman, Newcastle Unites and one of the
organisers of Newcastle demonstration refugees are welcome, Nick
Megoran Geography lecturer at Newcastle University and Martin Luther
King Peace Committee, and Alex Snowden Newcastle Stop the War addressed
the meeting. This was followed by participants engaging in discussion
from the point of view of developing the new politics that has been
opened up by Jeremy Corbyn's victory as leader of the Labour Party. The
mood was for the anti war movement to go all out get behind Jeremy
Corbyn to stop the attempt of the Cameron goverment to push through
Parliament military action against Syria and address properly the refugee crisis that these wars had caused.
Election Question Time in Newcastle
Britain's place
in a troubled world
On Wednesday April 22,
Newcastle Stop the War (NSWC), Newcastle Palestine Solidarity Campaign
(NPSC) and the
Power, Space, Politics Cluster at Newcastle University Geography
Department hosted a question time on Britain's place in a troubled
world. Using a ‘Question Time’ format, a selection of party candidates
were quizzed by the audience on their views on UK
foreign policy also with contributions from a representative of the
NSWC and NPSC. Around 75 people took part in the question time.
Newcastle unites in defence
of the Muslim Community and for the rights of all! Some footage of the
powerful 3000 strong anti-Pegida demonstration and rally in Newcastle
on February 28 2015. Newcastle Stop the War took part as part of the
Newcastle Unites organised demonstration. Estimates showed that this
demonstration far outnumbered some few hundred coming from outside
trying to spread hate in the city on behalf of the ruling circles. It
is vital to defend the Muslim community and all communities. Defend the
rights of all!
Newcastle
Meeting Condemns Islamophobia and the War on Terror
On
Thursday, February 26th
around 50 people took part in a vital meeting to condemn Islamophobia
and the War on Terror in the wake of the recent attempts by the ruling
circles to to whip up hostility and racism against our Islamic
community. Speakers included writer and
broadcaster Yvonne Ridley and Stop the War Coalition vice chair Chris
Nineham. The meeting was also addressed by Mick Bowman recently
returned from Palestine and having been mistreated and arrested by the
Israelis and Hazera Begum a Muslim Chaplain at Northumbria University.
The Meeting
was Chaired by Alex Snowden of Newcastle Stop the
War Coalition. The meeting was a fairly in depth discussion of
the
issues and brought together people involved in fighting to build the
unity of the people and provide safe spaces to solve the problems
caused by the devastating wars being waged by the Anglo-US
and Israeli
powers in the Middle East and elsewhere. The issue was also preparing
for the Saturday demonstration in Newcastle against Pegida and standing
up
for the Islamic community as our community and defending the rights of
all communities and people against the plan of the ruling elite to
divide and rule.
Newcastle demonstration
against the invasion of Afghanistan, October 2001
You can join
and/ or donate to the Stop the War
Coalition: Here
(National Website)
To keep
informed or Join in the work here in the North East
Click the tab for the Mailing List and register
your email address with us and we will keep you informed of activities
and meetings. Also, you can
email us at: office@northeaststopwar.org.uk
