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Newcastle Public Meeting Opposes the Sanctions and Threats to Attack Iran
On
Thursday September 12 2019, a public meeting was held in Newcastle to
oppose the US led punitive drive to war against
Iran. The two speakers Ann Schofield from Palestine Solidarity, a
Newcastle Councillor and Jonathon Shafi, Stop the War Coalition
addessed the meeting.
The speakers eleborated that the US had torn up the nuclear deal with
Iran and
has imposed massive sanctions including on oil and
medicines. Britain is imposing sanctions on
Iran and using the navy to intercept Iranian tankers and risking
another disastrous war in the region. The meeting called
on all people to organise against this and other wars and for
peace and bring about an anti-war governmentin Britain.
Meeting was Chaired by Alex Snowdon, Newcastle Stop the War.
MP3 recordings of speakers: Ann Schofield Johnathon Shafi
Together Against Trump North East
Hundreds of people from all backgrounds marched and rallied against Trump in
Newcastle on the evening of June 3. The event was organised by Together Against
Trump Newcastle, and the rally included a range of speakers from the fighting
movements of the people, including Newcastle Stop the War Coalition.
Report of Public
Meetings on NATO @70
No to NATO - 70 years of war and aggression!
Chris
Ninehan Vice Chair Stop the War Coalition speaking at the meeting
On
Thursday April 4 2019, on the 70th anniversary of the
Founding of NATO a public meeting was held in Newcastle. The Chair
Pam Wortley opened the meeting by saying that on the 70th
anniversary of NATO, Newcastle Stop the War thought that it was a time to
assess this nuclear armed military alliance that came into being
claiming to ensure peace with military superiority. She introduced
three speakers, Syed Ullah Newcastle Stop the War, Charlotte Austin
Young Labour and Chris Nineham, Vice Chair Stop the War Coalition.
The
first
speaker Syed Ullah, who himself is from Afghanistan, spoke about the
destructive role of NATO in Afghanistan and he said that for 40
years we are still talking about war in Afghanistan and in the last
three years alone 45,000 Afghans and Afghan army have been killed in
the recent NATO occupation of his country and he said that NATO
continues to occupy and use Afghanistan to try out their weapons
such as the US dropping its “mother of all bombs”. He said that
just a few days ago a politician who spoke against war was brutally
killed and the US has transferred ISIS forces from Syria into
Afghanistan near to the border with Russia. He highlighted that NATO
was using Afghanistan to confront Russia and China and concluded and
hoped that a new government with an anti-war leader such as Jeremy
Corbyn in the UK would stop this role of the UK and NATO in Afghanistan.
Charlotte
Austin said that Young Labour passed a motion in favour of
withdrawing from NATO at its last policy conference and that there is
significant support for this. Speaking about confronting NATO head
on, she pointed out that in a student debate she had to oppose the
claim that because Ernest Bevin of the post war Labour government,
who was one of the founders of NATO “was a working class hero”
this was why we should support NATO! She pointed out the problem that
the Labour Party had been a supporter of NATO from the Korean war to
Afghanistan and to Syria nowadays. She said Trump had posed the
possibility of withdrawing from NATO but then now he is suggesting
that Brazil can join! This was a dangerous future if NATO continues
to have a such a position in the world and what is the point of
having a Labour government if these are the sort of people we are
going to be allying with. She spoke about the discussion on defence
diversification projects to replace the heavy reliance on military
production in Britain and the stand being taken within the Labour
Party to oppose NATO especially by the Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Chris
Nineham then spoke continuing the discussion on the danger of leaving
foreign policy aside that it is something that very much needs
challenging. He said that NATO was basically set up by the British
in 1949 as a vehicle for western power projection and in the words of
a British General, Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay; “to keep
the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” He
said there was a break in NATO's role at the end of the cold war but
with the attack on Yugoslavia in which NATO dropped more bombs
than the number that were dropped in World War II it has now reached a
very dangerous
situation and NATO is extremely de-stabilising and it is increasingly
a mechanism for a more aggressive US and western foreign
policy. Talking about and calling for the forthcoming programme of
demonstrations to co-inside with the government's NATO
celebration in December and Trumps visit. He said this must be used
as part of an educative process to get people to understand that NATO
is part of the problem, that it is a toxic network that is designed
to promote and defend this policy that is causing so much damage
around the world.
Following
the speeches there were many contribution and questions discussed on
the role of NATO the anti-war movements role to end Britain's
involvement in NATO by bringing about an anti-war government in
Britain.
Audio recordings
(MP3) Chair's
opeing remarks
Syed Ullah Charlotte Austin Chris Nineham
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