TO ALL STOP THE WAR GROUPS AND AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONS
NEW YEAR PLANS
Gordon Brown's response to the deaths of four British
soldiers in Afghanistan last week (making eleven dead in
just over one month) was to promise more troops and weaponry
to demonstrate his "long term" commitment to a war which can
bring nothing but thousands more Afghan dead and more wasted
lives of soldiers sent to kill and be killed.
Obama's election in the US expressed an enormous desire for
change and not least for an end to George Bush's war
policies. But the war is far from over. A "surge" in troop
numbers in Afghanistan is planned for the new year. US
military leaders are keen to escalate attacks on Pakistan.
NATO's eastward expansion continues to cause tension in the
Caucasus and beyond.
The Stop the War Coalition is working towards two big events
in April 2009 - a Peace and Social Justice march at the G20
in London on Thursday 2 April and the international protests
when NATO meets in Strasbourg on 4-5 April, the 60th
anniversary of the organisation's foundation.
Stop the War's national steering committee met a week ago
and outlined suggestions for activities in the coming months
by our local groups, details of which are given below.
*******************************************
1) CAGE PRISONERS TOUR 11 January-3 February
Ex-Guantanamo prisoner Moazzam Begg is touring the country
with Chris Arendt, a refusenik US army guard from
Guantanamo, and Sami Al Haj, an Al Jazeera Cameraman who was
also detained in Guantanamo. The tour is billed as TWO SIDES
- ONE STORY and is supported by Stop the War. We are asking
all Stop the War Groups to build support for what will be a
very important and high profile tour.
To see if the tour is visiting your town, for further
information and contact details, GO TO:
http://www.cageprisoners.com/br>*******************************************
2) LONDON ACTIVISTS' MEETING
A meeting for London Stop the War activists has been
organised to discuss mobilisation for the NATO and G20
protests:
6.30, WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY
INDIAN YMCA, 41 FITZROY SQUARE
LONDON W1T 6 AQ
(Warren Street tube)
*******************************************
3) AFGHANISTAN RALLIES
With Barack Obama and Gordon Brown now focussing on
intensifying the war in Afghanistan, we are suggesting that
local groups organise rallies in February/March with the
title AFGHANISTAN: WHY WE SHOULD GET OUT. The aim should be
to get high profile speakers (eg MPs, leading commentators
and journalists and representatives of the Afghan and
Pakistani communities in Britain). Please phone the office
for advice on speakers if you need to: 020 7278 6694
*******************************************
4) STOP THE WAR ANNUAL CONFERENCE MARCH 14-15
SOUTH CAMDEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
CHARRINGTON STREET LONDON NW1 1RG
Our annual conference will be a one and a half day event to
include time for political analysis of a fast changing
situation as well as conference business. Stop the War
groups and affiliated organisations need to be planning now
to elect delegates.
*******************************************
5) G20 (2 APRIL), NATO PROTESTS (4-5 APRIL)
Stop the War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament have
called a PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE DEMONSTRATION at the G20
meeting in London on Thursday 2 April. Our demand will be
that the G20 break from the policies of wars and
neo-liberalism which have caused such devastation around the
globe. We will be organising the widest possible
co-ordination to mobilise for the protest.
The next day, Friday 3 April, transport will be leaving for
the international protest at NATO's 60th birthday
conference. NATO is playing the central role in the
occupation of Afghanistan and its eastward expansion is
causing growing tension in the Caucasus and beyond. Antiwar
and peace organisations from across Europe have called
protests, a demonstration and a counter conference from 2-5
April. The mass demonstration is on Saturday 4 April and the
Counter Conference on Sunday 5 April.
Coach tickets are on Sale now from the Stop The War office.
Postcards for promoting the NO TO NATO event are also
available and an information brochure can be downloaded from
our website.
There will be an activists meeting in Strasbourg on 14-15
February to finalise plans for the protest and accompanying
events. Contact the office for more details.
*******************************************
6) COUNTDOWN TO OBAMA APPEAL
Many thanks to all the Stop the War groups and individuals
who has contributed to our fund raising appeal. We have
collected close to half of our target figure of £10,000,
which we aim to reach by 20 January, the day Barack Obama
will be inaugurated as president. Please encourage all your
supporters to give generously and, if your group has not yet
donated, please discuss raising a contribution.
