On Thursday December 10, Newcastle Stop the War held its third online meeting attended by activists and friends in a discussion that focused on Britain and the US and their continuing occupation of Afghanistan. Next year will the 20th anniversary of the invasion  and occupation of Afghanistan, and Newcastle Stop the War held this online meeting to call along with the whole anti-war movement for an end this occupation and to support the self-determination of the Afghan people who have been invaded and occupied for some 30 year in these times. 

The meeting chaired by Roger Nettleship introduced first Alex Snowdon, Newcastle Stop the War who gave an introduction of how  the Stop the War Coalition was founded following 9-11 and the Blair and Bush declaration of the "War on Terror".   The chair then introduced the main speaker May Evans from the national office of Stop the War.  Maya Evans who has been active in anti-war movement since the founding  of stop the war is also a campaigner with Voices for Creative Non-Violence UK, a solidarity peace group who work with youth peace activists in Afghanistan. She has travelled to Kabul 10 times over the last 10 years, learning about the situation on the ground for ordinary Afghans. She also fundraises as well as develops and promotes awareness campaigns. Last year she published a short pamphlet 'Afghanistan: hidden voices from a forgotten war', which is a snapshot of the current political situation, as well as stories from Afghanistan and opinions of the Afghan youth.

In her contribution, Maya uncovered from her travels to Afghanistan the terrible consequences of the occupation and its continuation on the people who have endured such unbearable conditions. She said that over 4 million people of Afghanistan had become refugees as a consequence of the invasion and occupation. Even so, she said she was inspired by the people of Afghanistan working for each other and their collective spirit, civil organisations and especially the aspirations of the youth to build a new society in favour  of the rights of all.

Maya Evans  addressing  the  meeting  with photos of  the people of  Afghanistan and
their struggle against the disastrous consequences  of the continued occupation and war. 

Following her talk there were many questions to her about the life of the people and also the treatment of Afghans in Britain with many Afghans and other immigrants living in Britain and where she lives on the South Coast.   The  meeting concluded with a big thanks to the speakers and some appreciation of the seriousness of the situation caused by the continuing occupation of Afghanistan by the Anglo-US and other NATO powers.


Click on the audio files to hear the speakers:
Alex Snowdon    Maya Evans

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On Tuesday October 6, Newcastle Stop the War held its second online meeting attended by activists and friends in a discussion that focused on building the opposition to Britain's support for Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen where hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since 2015 and where 85,000 children have died and millions have been displaced and in need of assistance. 

The meeting was chaired by Roger Nettleship and he introduced firstly Kirsten Bayes, Local Outreach Coordinator; Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) who gave a detailed overview of of Britain's arming of the worlds' conflicts undertaken  by and in the interests of the US and Britain, Britain's arming and support for the Saudi war and CAAT's recent High Court success in blocking the export of arms to Saudi Arabia for a year before the government ignored their own laws!  But the resistance continues!

The Chair then introduced David McAllister, Newcastle Stop the War, who spoke about the war's exposure of what Britain and the US had done in the region and that the massacre in Yemen was only possible because of that Anglo-US support for Saudi Arabia driven by their corporate imperialist interests and he outlined the actions of the British government as well as the opposition of the people. 

The talks were followed by  discussion and there were a number of important contributions on how to continue the resitance to this and other wars in the current conditions. The need to put the working class movement and people in control of the decisions and not the corporate interests of the war industries.  The need to transform the economy so that it meets the needs of the people and not the present dominance of arms production.  At the end, after announcements, the chair and speakers encouraged people to join further in  discussions and activities. Click on the audio files to hear the speakers.:

Kirsten Bayes   David McAllister

On Thursday August 13, Newcastle Stop the War organised its first online meeting, mainly inviting activists and friends in restarting its discussions. The meeting was chaired by Pam Wortley and she introduced two local speakers, Alex Snowdon who gave a general overview of the US current warmongering actions alongside Britain in the world, and Roger Nettleship who updated everyone on Britain's current activities and war preparations in NATO alongside the US.   The talks were followed by  discussion.  At the end, after announcements, the chair and speakers encouraged people to join Stop the War and further engage in its discussions and activities. Click on the audio files to hear the speakers.:
Alex Snowdon          Roger Nettleship

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On Saturday January 11 2020,  Newcastle Stop the War organised a rally at the Monument Newcastle in which around 150 people took part. The rally expressed opposition to the current US-led drive to war in Iran. The opening days of 2020 have seen a frightening escalation of the tensions between the US and Iran. Speakers condemned the US assassination of a leading military commander on an official visit to Iraq as well as the murder of other Iraqi officials and people in Iraq by the US and the subesequent escalation of military strikes that had led to hundreds of deaths when a civilian airliner was accidently brought down in Iran. Speakers called on the US, and on our own government in Britain, to end the military esacalation bring the troops home from Iraq and end the sanctions against Iran which are aimed at harming the Iranian people and war. Marches and rallies also took place in London, and many other cities.

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