From info at j-n-v.org Mon Apr 3 13:38:40 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 13:38:40 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Upcoming JNV talks, trial and JNV Iran Delegation Appeal Message-ID: <8fe58d9f02af02f7c3a8ae96658de7fc@j-n-v.org> 1) 4 April London Iran talk Milan Rai and Emily Johns 2) 12 April London trial and 7/7 book launch Milan Rai 3) Other 7/7 speaking tour dates 4) 1, 8, 15, 22 May Hastings Chomsky Course led by Milan Rai 5) APPEAL - JNV Iran delegation with Emily Johns Dear friends There are a few dates coming up which we can give you now. We also have a briefing about the Muhammad cartoons , and a short note about recent developments relating to 7/7, which will be up on the JNV website shortly. Best wishes Maya Evans and Milan Rai JNV *** 1) 4 April London Iran talk Milan Rai and Emily Johns Organised by Fellowship of Reconciliation and Pax Christi and supported by JNV Iran: Secrets and Lies The reporting of Iran to the UN Security council over its nuclear programme and the continued allegations of ‘interference’ in Iraq by the United States are fuelling suggestions that an armed attack against Iran is increasing likely. To help the peace movement reflect on the situation and to consider what we can do, Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR), Pax Christi and Justice not Vengeance (JNV) are organising a presentation and discussion on the situation Tuesday 4th April, 7.30pm St Vincent’s Centre, Carlisle Place, Victoria, SW1P 1NL Entry free Speakers: Milan Rai co-founded Justice not Vengeance and his latest book ‘7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War’ has just been published. Emily Johns is an artist and long-standing peace activist. In May she will take part in a Fellowship of Reconciliation/Muslim Peace Fellowship delegation to Iran. *** 2) 12 April London Trial and 7/7 Book Launch Milan Rai Trial features: Milan Rai Book launch features: Nadje Al-Ali, Mark Curtis, Rachel North, Milan Rai - and Maya Evans as chair of the evening. Milan Rai is to be sentenced at Bow St Magistrates Court, Bow St near Covent Garden, sometime after 10am. (It will probably take 15 minutes.) He is also due at his book launch that evening. There is a slim possibility that he will be unable to attend as a result of the trial and sentencing, in which case his brother Ro Rai will be reading from his book. Book launch at Friends House is co-sponsored by Voices in the Wilderness, Quaker Peace & Social Witness, Justice Not Vengeance, and the publishers, Pluto Press. 7pm, Friends House, Euston Road, opposite Euston Station, London. *** 3) Other 7/7 book meetings with Milan Rai Wednesday 5 April Belfast Thursday 6 April Oswestry 7.30pm: Friends Meeting House, Oak St., Oswestry (opposite long stay car park) info: 01691 650527 Monday 10 April Berwick upon Tweed 7.30pm: The William Elder Building (old Job Centre), Castlegate, Berwick info: Berwick upon Tweed Justice not War 01289 308767 Tuesday 11 April Kendal 7.30pm: The Castle Street Centre, Kendal info: 01539 724 707 Wednesday 12 April London 7pm: Friends House, Euston Road, London info: 01424 719 570 Thursday 13 April, Lewes 7.30pm: Newton Room at Southover Grange, Lewes info: 01273 473 912 Friday 21 April Reading 6 for 6.30pm: RISC One World Shop, 35-39 London Street, Reading info: 0118 958 6692 www.risc.org.uk Sunday 23 April Hereford 7pm: Friends Meeting House, 21 King St. Access via a narrow passage adjacent to an estate agent. info: rch@numeracy.freeserve.co.uk Monday 24 April Hebden Bridge 7.00pm for 7.30pm: Hope Street Baptist Church Hall, Hebden Bridge info: 01422 320139 Saturday 29 April Aberystwyth 4.30pm-5.30pm: (signing) Ottakars, 27 Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth info: http://www.socialforumcymru.org.uk/ or Ottakars 01970 611222 There are other dates in the next few weeks which we hope to confirm details for in the next few days. *** 4) Chomsky Course Hastings Milan Rai introduces the thought of Noam Chomsky on four successive Mondays, 7pm-9pm, the Electric Palace, High Street, Hastings. £2.50-£5 sliding scale each evening, or £8-£16 for all four nights. For more details contact info@j-n-v.org *** 5) APPEAL - JNV Iran delegation After two years of trying, Justice Not Vengeance has finally found a route to send artist Emily Johns to Iran as part of a peace delegation. She is travelling to Iran in May with the Fellowship of Reconciliation US and the Muslim Peace Fellowship US on a friendship delegation. She is the only European delegate to be selected for this trip. On her return she will be making images for an anti-war exhibition project to do with Iran. Emily's work will be familiar to many people from Voices in the Wilderness UK postcards and posters (we will be posting some of her images onto the JNV website later this week). She has combined peace activism - during the 1990s with ARROW, and latterly with Hastings Against War - with passionately-engaged art, dealing with subjects as diverse as the sanctions on Iraq, genetic engineering (the 'Gene Genie' exhibition), and nuclear weapons ('Critical Mass'). Her work has featured in Peace News, the Housmans Peace Diary and a variety of magazines. She is also the illustrator of a number of books, including poetry books by John Heath-Stubbs and political books by Milan Rai (including 7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War). With generous support from a number of funders including the Fellowship of Reconciliation (England), the Methodist Peace Fellowship and Pax Christi, we have nearly raised enough money for Emily's fare and expenses in Iran. We are now appealing for funds to help pay for the development of an exhibition, postcards and other anti-war materials we would like to create, based on her images, bolstered by the critical information we have been gathering during the last two years. It is not enough for artists to be 'war artists' documenting conflict and commenting on its consequences. It is necessary for them also to observe and to challenge when conflict threatens. We would be very grateful for any donations, however large or small, towards this project. > If you are able to make a donation, please make it out to 'JNV' and send to us at: 29 Gensing Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0HE. > If you are able to make a standing order (of whatever size) to support our work, or prefer to transfer money directly, our bank details are: Justice Not Vengeance, A/C 78520921 Nationwide Building Society, 40 London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea East Sussex TN37 6AN Sort code 07-00-55 For whatever support you are able to give, we are very grateful. Yours for peace Maya Evans and Milan Rai Justice Not Vengeance www.j-n-v.org 0845 458 9571 07980 748 555 From info at j-n-v.org Tue Apr 11 17:33:26 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:33:26 +0100 Subject: [JNV] and.............. Message-ID: <38830722b76ca8f13fd448f0b4d2b930@j-n-v.org> Every Wednesday Brighton 4-6pm outside EDO MBM, Home Farm Rd, noise demo. For details of travel from Brighton call 07891 405 923 Wednesday 26th April 12-6 outside EDO MBM, Careers Fair for EDO MBM employees. Come and be one of our careers advisors offering the arms industry workers alternative career options. Thursday 4th May - BAE AGM picket. Research by Campaign Against the Arms Trade ( CAAT) revealed that arms export licences to countries accused of Human Rights abuses increased dramatically last year. Arms sales to Israel, including missile components, almost doubled to £25m. CAAT also revealed the ongoing export of arms parts including missile components to Indonesia where they are currently being using against indigenous peoples in West Papua. It doesn't take much imagination to realise the likelihood of EDO MBM components making up part of these figures: For details see: http://www.caat.org.uk/events/bae-agm-2006.php From info at j-n-v.org Tue Apr 11 21:21:54 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (Maya Evans) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:21:54 -0700 Subject: [JNV] Complete Listings Message-ID: <1144786914.17782.258872617@webmail.messagingengine.com> Dear All Firstly JNV would like to apologise for the temporary disappearance of our website www.j-n-v.org=20=20 As far as we are aware the site should be up and running again in the next few days. Secondly we would like to flag up some forth coming dates involving JNV. This email also includes events held by other groups and a recommended online petition to sign. Thanks Maya Evans JNV=20 *** 1) Events (i) Wednesday 12 April 10am Bow Street Magistrates Court, Milan to hear the verdict of Judge=20 Nicholas Evans regarding the offence of organizing an unauthorized demonstration=20 within the restricted protest zone in Whitehall. Mil is the first person to be charged=20 under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act 2005 for this offence, for which he faces a possible 3 months in prison. Support welcomed. (ii) Later on that day 7pm Book Launch '7/7 The London Bombings Islam and the Iraq War' by Milan=20 Rai at the Friends Meeting House Euston. Speakers include Milan Rai=20 (if not in prison), Rachel North writer and 7/7 survivor, Nadje Al-Ali, Mark Curtis-=20 and Maya Evans as chair of the evening. (iii) Friday 14 April 7pm Hastings Book Launch of '7/7 The London Bombings Islam and the Iraq War'.=20 Followed by 'Power & Terror' a film about Noam Chomsky. (iv) Wednesday 19 April=20 Dialogue With Islam has organized a night of discussion addressing key=20 questions on the War on Terror with guests Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Former=20 British Foreign Secretary), Yvonne Ridley (Political Editor of Islam Channel),=20 Dr Jef McAllister (Time Magazine Bureau Chief), Akmal Asghar (New Civilisation=20 Magazine Contributing Editor), Chair: Rob Gifford (National Public Radio of America)=20 Tickets (=A35 at the Door) 6.30 pm =96 8. 15 pm (Magrib Jammat prayers 8.25pm) at=20 Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, WC1R 4RL Nearest tude Holborn=20 (Central/Piccadilly Line) For further details: visit www.dialoguewithislam.org Or=20 phone ticket hotline: 07956 141 772 Or e-mail reserve@dialoguewithislam.org (v) Wednesday 26th April=20 12-6 outside EDO MBM, Careers Fair for EDO MBM=20 employees. Come and be one of our careers advisors offering the arms=20 industry workers alternative career options. Every Wednesday Brighton 4-6pm outside EDO MBM, Home Farm Rd, noise demo. For details of travel from Brighton call 07891 405 923 (vi) Thursday 4th May - BAE AGM picket. Research by Campaign Against the Arms Trade ( CAAT) revealed that arms=20 export licences to countries accused of Human Rights abuses increased=20 dramatically last year. Arms sales to Israel, including missile components,=20 almost doubled to =A325m. CAAT also revealed the ongoing export of arms parts=20 including missile components to Indonesia where they are currently being=20 using against indigenous peoples in West Papua. It doesn't take much=20 imagination to realise the likelihood of EDO MBM components making up part=20 of these figures: For details see: http://www.caat.org.uk/events/bae-agm-2006.php (vii) Stop the war on Iran before it starts! Public meetings addressed by Professor Abbas Edalat, founder of The=20 Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran=20 (www.campaigniran.org). Professor Edalat is a London-based Iranian who has=20 worked tirelessly to alert us to this dangerous escalation of the war.=20 Wednesday 26th April 7pm Glasgow- Al-Furqan mosque, Carrington Street. There will=20 be tea and biscuits and a short film showing at 9 pm Thursday 27th April 7.30 pm Edinburgh St.John=92s Church, Princes=20 Street. Then a probable meeting at Glasgow University at 1 pm on 27th. Details, to be=20 finalised, will appear on the website www.iransolidarity.endofempire.org All welcome. Admission free. Colin Buchanan, www.iransolidarity.endofempire.org *** 2) Recommended petition The Tony Blair - Meet the families of military killed in Iraq Petition to Tony Blair=20 was created by Military Families Against the War (contact@mfaw.org.uk)=20 The petition is at MFAW are demanding a meeting with Tony Blair accounting for the reasons of war=20 when Iraq posed no military threat. MFAW are calling for the troops to be withdrawn.=20 Wednesday 26 April MFAW are organising a lobby of MPs in parliament. Following the=20 lobby they will be laying a wreath at the cenotaph and delivering the petition to Downing=20 Street. MFAW are calling on other families and servicemen and women to join them to=20 make it clear to Tony Blair that he cannot continue to ignore them.=20 --=20 Maya Evans mayaevans@fastmail.co.uk From info at j-n-v.org Mon May 8 16:49:05 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (Maya Evans) Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 08:49:05 -0700 Subject: [JNV] This weeks news and Action points Message-ID: <1147103345.18089.260896839@webmail.messagingengine.com> www.j-n-v.org 29 Gensing Road St Leonards on Sea TN38 0HE 0845 458 9571 *** Dear All, This weeks JNV announce includes: 1) Support for Brian Haw who today lost High Court decision 2) Emily Johns (JNV) departs for a 'pre-war art'peace delegation to Iran 3) Continue your support for 'war criminal' Malcolm Kendall Smith 4) Campaign Against Armed Forces Bill Thanks *** 1) BRIAN FACES EVICTION Last year the High Court found in favour of Brian Haw and his five year anti war demonstration outside Parliament. They ruled that he was exempt from the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act 2005 as his protest pre-dated the legislation. Since then the Home Office has appealed that decision and today Brian lost his right to legally demonstrate within Whitehall without applying for permission. The Master of the Rolls, Sir Anthony Clarke, Lord Justice Laws and Lady Justice Hallett overturned the decision and refused permission for him to appeal to the House of Lords. Sir Anthony said: "Parliament intended to include demonstrations whenever they started."Any other conclusion would be wholly irrational and could fairly be described as manifestly absurd." Brian is reported as saying:"This is such a farce. Security? I have been here five years keeping the security of Parliament. We are not the security risk, we are not the risk to the world, Bush and Blair are." Emma Sangster who is the main organizer of the Brian Haw campaign has said: "Brian will be appealing the decision. Currently police are meeting to discuss how they are going to deal with the eviction, they want to take a softly softly approach. In the mean time Brian has applied for permission to continue his demonstration." TAKE ACTION! i) Send a message of support to Brian Haw at c/o Parliament Square Westminster London SW1A. To ensure messages reach him put the return address c/o Voices in the Wilderness 5 Caledonia Road Kings Cross London N1 9DX ii) Write to the Home Office/ your MP or Newspaper iii) Keep an eye out for possible solidarity/acts of defiance demos which will probably be taking place very soon!! 2) IRANIAN PEACE DELEGATION FOR 'PRE-WAR' ART Emily Johns (JNV member) is leaving for Iran tomorrow as part of a peace delegation designed to promote dialogue and understanding about Iran and the possible war. On her return Emily will be creating pictures about Iran, past and present, which will be exhibited initially in Hastings Electric Palace Cinema as part of an Iran season of films. Before leaving for Tehran Emily has said: I firmly believe in the power of art to transform. We are presented with images of a hostile, war-focused Iran, which leaves out the gardens of paradise and poetry, the youth and cultural diversity in Iran- and the ordinary people in Iran. We need better images and better information about the so-called "Axis of Evil".' TAKE ACTION! i) Invite Emily to come and speak about her experiences in Iran and her art work. Messages can be forwarded to her via info@j-n-v.org ii) Emily has produced a range of exquisite prints which can be purchased. Again inquiries can be made via the jnv email address. 3) SIGN THE PETITION SUPPORTING MALCOLM KENDALL-SMITH The Free Malcolm Kendall-Smith Petition was created by Military Families Against War http://www.petitiononline.com/MKSApril/petition.html To: John Reid - Secretary of state for Defence We the undersigned condemn the prison sentence passed on Flight Lieutenant Dr Malcolm Kendall-Smith and offer our full solidarity and support. The sentence of eight months passed on him for refusing to serve in Basra is an outrage, we demand his immediate release. He acted on his conscience in refusing to serve in an illegal war. In doing so, he acted on behalf of many people in this country. The judges remarks that orders have to be obeyed also give cause for concern. The Nuremberg trials after the 2nd World War established that obeying illegal orders was no defence against charges of war crimes. It is even more unjust that Kendall-Smith has been jailed while the advocates and perpetrators of this war have never been held to account. 4) CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMED FORCES BILL NO life sentence for soldiers who refuse to be occupiers The Armed Forces Bill now going through the UK Parliament would impose harsh penalties on soldiers who refuse to take part in military occupations. Section 8 which has hardly been mentioned in the media -- introduces a new tougher definition of desertion: soldiers who intend to avoid serving in a military occupation of a foreign country or territory can be imprisoned for life. This major redrafting of military law has been introduced at a time when the number of soldiers absconding from the British Army has trebled since the invasion of Iraq a clear attack on the growing movement of men and women in the military who refuse to be part of wars, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran. . . . It contravenes the Nuremberg Charter which enshrined in international law the responsibility that each of us has to refuse to obey illegal and immoral orders from any government. At the same time the UK Defence Secretary is urging that the Geneva Convention be rewritten to legalise pre-emptive military action. For more information see Independent on Sunday, of 19 March 2006 http://www.refusingtokill.net/UKGulfwar2/Soldiersgoingawolhavetrebled.htm TAKE ACTION! i) Sign the international petition at Petition on Line http://www.petitiononline.com/UKArmedF/petition.html ii) See www.refusingtokill.net for more information on what you can do. -- Maya Evans mayaevans@fastmail.co.uk From info at j-n-v.org Thu May 11 10:10:33 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 10:10:33 +0100 Subject: [JNV] 7/7 Narrative Published - First JNV Comment Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ----D0D79F0C1B5FEEC1ACD24890B25A1F3C Content-Type: text/plain; charset="none" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear friends Here is the first JNV comment on the press reporting around this important development. We hope you find it useful in combatting official and media distortion. Best wishes Milan Rai JNV *** 11 May 2006 - NARRATIVE DAY The Government Publishes The Official Story Of 7/7 First report 10am - Contents The Propaganda Barrage Re-opens / The Narrative Is Leaked / The Narrative Is Censored / The Reaction Is Muted / A Quick Note On Press Coverage / ACTION: Letter-writing THE PROPAGANDA BARRAGE RE-OPENS Today the British Government publishes two documents about the 7 July bombings in London last year. One is the official Home Office 'narrative' of the 7/7 attacks; the other is a 'parliamentary' inquiry by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). (Actually the ISC is a creature of Downing Street: the MPs on it are selected by the Prime Minister, they report to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister edits their work before he presents it to Parliament - see http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/intelligence/.) The reports are expected to conform to the Government's agenda for discussing the July atrocities: blame 'preachers of hatred' and 'extremism' and 'a lack of integration' within the British Muslim communities; avoid connecting the attacks with any aspect of British foreign policy. At the time of writing (9am, Thursday 11 May), the documents themselves are not available to the public. All we have is the press treatment of them. This is probably because they cannot be published before they are presented to Parliament - they may become available later today. So at this moment we can only discuss what has appeared in the press so far. This is interesting in itself, however, and primes us for a response to the documents themselves. THE NARRATIVE IS LEAKED The most obvious question about the narrative is whether it has been edited by the Government for political effect since it was first drafted by a senior Home Office official. We are in a position to ask this question because the draft narrative was leaked to the Observer on 2 April. The headline of that front-page story was: 'Official: Iraq war led to July bombings' http://tinyurl.com/o2dkv. Mark Townsend, Crime Correspondent for the Observer, quoted from the draft narrative: 'Initial drafts of the government's account into the bombings, which have been revealed to The Observer, state that Iraq was a key 'contributory factor'. The references to Britain's involvement in Iraq are contained in a section examining what inspired the "radicalisation" of the four British suicide bombers, Sidique Khan, Hasib Hussain, Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay.' Townsend continued: 'The findings will prove highly embarrassing to Tony Blair, who has maintained that the decision to go to war against Iraq would make Britain safer.' There's more to say about this Observer story and hopefully we'll get back to it later today. THE NARRATIVE IS CENSORED In the papers this week, no such finding is reported. The Times today (page 2 http://tinyurl.com/ota9z) goes so far as to say: 'In its narrative, the Home Office does not support the theory of a fifth bomber... Nor does it blame the attacks on the Iraq war, despite the taped video by Khan which specifically referred to Britain’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq as the prime motivation for the July 7 plot.' (Incidentally, Khan's video statement did not specifically refer to Iraq as the prime motivation for the attacks. The BBC translation of the shortened version of Khan's video is here http://tinyurl.com/e4emd.) So, predictably, the finding that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was a key 'contributory factor' has been censored by Number 10 before the publication of the narrative - according to The Times. THE REACTION IS MUTED This ought to be a huge story. Everyone knows about the draft narrative - it was a front page Observer story. It ought to be a front-page story, and Parliament ought to be demanding an explanation for the reversal of opinion between the (reported) professional Home Office assessment and the Downing-Street-edited final version of the document (assuming The Times is correct in its report). Prediction 1: Neither of these things are going to happen. (They ought to have happened already, as the press has had the documents for several days now.) Prediction 2: Everyone in the mainstream media and political system is going to forget about the draft narrative as if it was never leaked. Prediction 3: It will be up to grassroots pressure to force some journalists and some MPs to raise these questions, and to get this fundamental information about the reports across to the public. A QUICK NOTE ON PRESS COVERAGE There's a lot more one could say, particularly in relation to the Intelligence and Security Committee report, and we'll try and post about this later. For now, we'll just note that only the Guardian http://tinyurl.com/eedop and the Times http://tinyurl.com/ota9z make this their leading front-page story. The Telegraph http://tinyurl.com/kg3f4 put it below the fold on page 4; the FT http://tinyurl.com/jy7o7 focused on what executives will be most interested in (the recommendation to have a clearer system of terrorist alerts) and put it on page 2. The Independent had a double-page spread yesterday so there's nothing today. One article http://tinyurl.com/fk5zw was about the Big Questions about 7/7 - British foreign policy was not mentioned. The other one (not available free online) was similarly unthreatening to the Government. ACTION: LETTER-WRITING It's easy enough to ask the papers why they haven't mentioned the foreign policy conclusions of the draft narrative. The FT slyly includes a possible hook in the penultimate sentence of today's article: 'Although the intelligence budget has grown by more than 35 per cent since 2001, security officials report they are still finding it difficult to keep pace with the threat, _which is assessed to have grown since the war in Iraq_.' When writing to the newspapers, don't forget to include your address and daytime phone number. The relevant email addresses are: Financial Times: letters.editor@ft.com Guardian: letters@guardian.co.uk Independent: letters@independent.co.uk Telegraph: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk Times: letters@thetimes.co.uk From info at j-n-v.org Thu May 11 15:45:15 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 15:45:15 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Sunday 14 May, 12 noon: gathering in solidarity with Brian Haw Message-ID: After the Home Office won its appeal on 8 May, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA) does now apply to Brian. Although Brian is still in Parliament Square, the police now have his protest in their control along with everyone elses! PEOPLE WILL GATHER ON PARLIAMENT SQUARE ON SUNDAY 14 MAY AT 12 NOON TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH BRIAN AND TO CELEBRATE HIS ACHIEVEMENT OF SPEAKING OUT 24/7 FOR NEARLY 5 YEARS. Lets all come together to show just how much support he has - that he is not alone! Brian masks will be provided.  You could bring: placards and banners in support of Brian, food and drink, festive activities.... RISK OF ARREST There will be some risk of arrest at this gathering if the police decide that a demonstration is taking place.   If they decide to call it something else or there are enough media and enough people down there then they may not arrest, but everyone should be forewarned.  See here for details regarding the legal situation and what do to if you are arrested. http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/staying.htm BACKGROUND ON BRIAN AND THE LAW BANNING UNAUTHORISED PROTEST NEAR PARLIAMENT Brian Haw started his continuous vigil opposite Parliament in June 2001 to protest against the economic sanctions that were having such a disastrous effect of people's lives in Iraq.  He has continued to protest against invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.   His display shows the injustice and horrors that have been suffered as a result of our government's foreign policy. Brian's message has gone out globally and people visit him from all over the world. Many have left messages of peace that now form part of his display. Just before the law (which was initiated in order to silence Brian's protest) came into force in August 05, the High Court made a judgement that was highly embarrassing for the Government - that Section 132 of SOCPA which bans unauthorised protest in a large area around Parliament could not be applied retrospectively and therefore did not apply to Brian.  This has now been overturned at the Court of Appeal ruling on 8 May 06. Brian will be seeking leave to appeal to the House of Lords and in the meantime will be continuing his protest under SOCPA terms.  The law states that authorisation for the demonstration has to be given but that a whole range of conditions may be imposed by the police. It is these conditions that could deal the final blow for Brian's protest. Amongst other conditions, the police are suggesting that Brian's protest be limited to 3 metres in any dimension - a massive reduction which would strip away most of the display.  If Brian fails to compile with this he will be arrested. Also SOCPA allows any senior police officer at the site to change the conditions with immediate effect. So they could remove him altogether at some later point with almost no notice. For more information on Brian and how to support him, particularly in the event of his eviction, see http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/ From info at j-n-v.org Wed May 17 23:53:54 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 23:53:54 +0100 Subject: [JNV] A Letter from Iran Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ----8F04C655251D8E1609CB48BB7158BBB9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="none" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 1) Letter from Iran 2) Public Meeting: Eyewitness Iran, 30 May, London Dear friends Please find below a letter from anti-war artist Emily Johns, currently in Iran, and details of a public meeting Emily will be addressing in London on her return. Emily and JNV will be creating an art/information exhibition about Iran which we will be touring around the UK in the autumn. If your group would like to host the exhibition, please contact JNV by email or post (29 Gensing Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 0HE). Best wishes Maya Evans Milan Rai JNV *** 1) A LETTER FROM IRAN by Emily Johns 17 May 2006 I am the sole British representative on the American Fellowship of Reconciliation peacemaking delegation to Iran. At the moment we are in Isfahan, an important industrial city in the middle of the country. At the heart of the city is a World Heritage site of stunning beauty - ancient Persian mosques and palaces are laid out in a Garden of Paradise. In fact all over Isfahan are gardens of paradise - the streets are like green corridors of sycamore and mulberry and cypresses and the scent ofthousands of rosesdrift through the warm air. You can tell that this is an ancient civilization because they have had three thousand odd years to make cities work. The pavements and roads are polished and smooth, clean drinking water is available from public fountains and the city is designed for pleasure. In the day people wander along the park lined river eating ice cream, lovers sit in couples among the honeysuckle arbors, families take swan boats out on the river. Men and women sit on the steps of the bridge catching the breeze as the cool water rushes through arches just below their feet and swallows dart over their heads. For four hundred years since the bridge was built people have come here to sing to the acoustics of the stonework. As we walk along the bridge we can hear a song coming through the arches. A young man holding a plastic bag of books, perhaps returning from college, is alone in the shade singing close to the wall to use its resonance. Passersby stop very quietly to hear him finish his private song - "When my heart is broken I will take my grief from my enemy to my friend, but when my friend is gone to whom will I take my broken heart?" A beautiful voice mixing with the cool shade and the golden syrup sun. On the far side of the bridge people gather to hear a recital from the Epic of the Kings by the great Persian poet Ferdowsi. The balladiers tell a story of a king who has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for being king of the world. Two snakes enter the king's ears to eat his brain and the only way he can stop them is to feed the snakes with the brains of young people. A young blacksmith resists and calls on the young people to act together - so they rise up and dethrone the king. The Persians have had millenia of practice at dethroning unjust rulers and poetry has been a powerful tool in those revolutions. At night there is a young woman rollerblading round a statue of Ferdowsi. She is wearing pink. In the square of mosques under a golden moon families picnic in the warm air. The square is illuminated by low lights among the bushes. Young men are playing cards. The intimate velvet darkness wraps a thousand conversations among the roses. In the streets and parks and shops people stop us and talk to us about peace and negotiation. This was the message from the priest of the Zoroastrian fire temple, the mullah of the girls' orphanage, the Armenian Christian Orthodox Cathedral of Isfahan, the nomad carpet seller, Ibrahim, the Jewish boy in the bazaar selling an antique pair of scales. Justice and peace has to come through talking directly between nations as we are. Near Isfahan there is an underground storage facility for the nuclear programme. If this is bombed by the USA, then Physicians for Social Responsibility have estimated that the singer, the rollerskater, the lovers and grandmothers and three million other people will be killed within 48 hours. We in Britain must make sure that this armageddon never happens. We must immediately make our government commit to us that USAF Fairford and Diego Garcia will not be used by United States bombers, and insist that our governement lifts the fear of death from the Iranian people and enters into face to face negotiations with their government now. *** 2) PUBLIC MEETING 'Eyewitness Iran' with Emily Johns Speakers: Emily Johns (JNV) - artist and activist, just back from a delegation to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation Martin Newell (London Catholic Worker) Milan Rai (author Chomsky's Politics, War Plan Iraq and 7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War) And a speaker from 'Block The Builders'. 7pm, Tuesday 30 May St Vincent’s Centre, Carlisle Place, Victoria, London SW1 Organised by Fellowship of Reconciliation, JNV, Pax Christi and Voices UK. More info: 0845 458 2564 / 07980 748 555 From info at j-n-v.org Mon May 29 19:10:56 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 19:10:56 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Events Listings Message-ID: Dear All Here are some events you might be interested in. Maya Evans JNV **** 1) Tues 30 May LONDON Brian Haw in Court for failing to comply with the conditions police have placed on his protest. Support needed both in the Court room and in Parliament Square incase police are given further authority to remove his display completely. 9am Bow Street Magistrates. 2) Fri 2 June LONDON 5th anniversary of Brian arriving in Parliament Square to start his continuous vigil against the economic sanctions on Iraq and to highlight to the world the devastating affect they were having on the population. There will be a celebration of Brian's amazing achievement of standing up to the government for 5 years. 5pm. Bring food, drink, entertainment. 3) Sun 4 June BEITH- SCOTLAND 'Built in Beith to bomb Iraq' to commemorate 'International Day of Child Victims of Aggression' and 'Stop the Arms Trade Week 3rd – 11th June. Come to Defence Munitions Beith where missiles which were used in the Iraq war were stored, produced and tested. 1pm onwaards. Meet outside the main gates. Families welcome. DM Beith is just outside Beith and is signposted on the A737 which bypasses Beith (onto the B706, Barrmill Road.) Transport from Edinburgh & Glasgow to DM Beith and pick ups from Barrmill and Beith. See http://www.act4peace.org.uk/ for more details or contact tel:07876698736 email info@act4peace.org.uk Supported by Edinburgh People&Planet,CAAT, CND,SACC,STOPTHEWAR,PEACE&JUSTICECENTRE 4) Thurs 15 June LONDON Horseferry Rd Magistrates' Court for demonstrating without authorisation with Barbara Tucker on Mother's day 9AM Bow Street Magistrates 5) Mon 19- Fri 23 June Voice of Iraq Music Week The event is organized by the Department of Music in SOAS,RASIT Culture for Pace International Program, and is supervised by the renowned Iraqi musician Mr. Ahmed Mukhtar Contact Nora Mehdi 020 8668 4025 6) Tues 20 June HASTINGS 'NO2ID- ID cards do not stop terrorism meeting'. Speaker: "David from Brighton" (NO2ID Campaign) and open discussion. Organized by Hastings Against War 7.30pm Friends Meeting House South Terrace Road From info at j-n-v.org Mon May 29 20:18:35 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 20:18:35 +0100 Subject: [JNV] More Events Message-ID: <161e4d7219e1676030f8369a943cb5cb@j-n-v.org> Dear Folks Here are some more events happening, mainly in London though. Best Wishes Maya Evans JNV *** 30 May LONDON Eyewitness Iran: What can we do to help stop an attack? With Emily Johns (JNV) - artist and activist, just back from a delegation to Iran with Fellowship of Reconciliation, Martin Newell (London Catholic Worker) and Milan Rai ("Chomsky's Politics", "War Plan Iraq" and "7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War"). 7pm, St Vincent's Centre, Carlisle Place, Victoria, SW1P 1NL. Org. by Fellowship of Reconciliation, JNV, Pax Christi and Voices UK. Fri 2 June LONDON Don't Attack Iran Public meeting with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, plus Tony Benn, Lindsey German (StWC), Jeremy Corbyn, Zibir-Mir Hosseini, Elaheh Rostami-Povey and music from Somaye Zadeh. 6.30pm Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London WC1. More info:actioniran@hotmail.com Fri 2 June BIRMINGHAM Bands Against Bush. Fundraiser for STWC. 7.30pm-2am at The Sanctuary, Digbeth, Birmingham. With: The Beat, Cracked Actors, 360, Cupid Stunts +guests. £8 on the door or £7 advance booking. Cheques or postal orders to: Stop the War, 25 Cadbury Rd, Birmingham B13 9BH. Contact 07815 995974 or email bandsagainstbushwestmids@yahoo.co.uk Wed 7 June LONDON No Bases for Aggression. Meeting to organise a march with a giant B2 stealth bomber to/from the MI6 building on 19 Aug - the 53rd anniversary of the CIA/MI6 coup in Iran - to protest against the possible use of UK-controlled bases in Fairford and Diego Garica in a US attack on Iran. 7pm, central London venue tbc. Contact 0845 458 2564 or voices@voicesuk.org. Sat 10 June LONDON 5th StTW Annual Conference Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London WC1 Speakers include: Craig Murray, Tony Benn, Dilip Hiro, George Galloway MP, Caroline Lucas MEP, Rose Gentle, Elaheh Rostami Povey (Action Iran), Yvonne Ridley (Islam Channel), Kate Hudson (Chair CND), Jeremy Corbyn MP, Sabah Jawad (Iraqi Democrats), Explo Nani Kofi (African Liberation Support Group), Salma Yaqoob (Respect). Thur 15 June LONDON Defend the democratic right to protest. Four Palestine Solidarity Campaign supporters have been summoned to appear in court and charged under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 for protesting at Downing Street over the British government's connivance with the Israeli attack on the Jericho prison that left two Palestinian dead and many injured. PSC has organized a picket of Horseferry Magistrates Court, Horseferry Road, London SW1 at 9.30am on 15 June and is calling for support. Fri 16 June LONDON Public Meeting: End the Occupation Speakers: Tariq Ali, Anthony Arnove (US Activist and author of 'Iraq: the Logic of Withdrawal') and Glen Rangwala (exposed Blair's 'dodgy dossier' and co-author of the new book 'Iraq in Fragments'). 7pm Main Hall, Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, London W1 Wed 28 June LONDON A Night of Conscience Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith was given an eight month sentence for refusing to serve in Iraq and ordered to pay £20,000 costs. Stop the War has organised A Night of Conscience on 28 June 2006 to help raise funds to pay these costs. Intoduced by Tony Benn Comedians Mark Thomas and Mark Steel, composer Michael Nyman, actress Janet Suzman, film director Ken Loach, playwrights Caryl Churchill and David Edgar, musician Ed Harcourt, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, Iraqi novelist Haifa Zangana, Walter Wolfgang, chair of CND Kate Hudson, Lindsey German, John Rees and many others from film, stage, television and politics will appear at this benefit concert. 7.30PM St. James Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL Tickets are available from Stop the War Coalition at £15 You may also pay by credit/debit card by calling 020 7278 6694 or by sending a cheque made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' to Stop the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP. June LONDON Art not Oil 2006. Exhibition showing powerful political / ecological art to help build movements for climate justice and end oil sponsorship of the arts. 11-24 June, 12-7pm: 491 Gallery, 491 Grove Green Road, E11 4AA (next to Leytonstone tube - www.491gallery.com); 29 June - 1 July, The Foundry, 84-86 Great Eastern Street, London EC2 3JL (Old Street tube). A LAUNCH GIG AND OIL-FREE CABARET will be taking place at the 491 Gallery, 8pm - midnight on 10 June. www.artnotoil.org.uk. From info at j-n-v.org Fri Jun 23 16:19:47 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 16:19:47 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Information & Events Message-ID: <59682675eb26db7168dc8ef9ec617e3d@j-n-v.org> Dear All The following email has information regarding 1) Milan Rai's adventures in North America as part of his Trans Atlantic book tour 2) A reminder to renew your passport before October 3) A night of conscience 28 June 4) Independence from America Party 4 July 5) Aldermaston women's peace camp and Block the Builders 8-10 July 6) NO MORE FALLUJAHS 28-29 Oct Hope you find it interesting and useful Best wishes Maya Evans JNV *** 1) Milan Rai is currently touring North America promoting his book and taking part in peace conferences. He firstly joined a ZNet session on Vision and Strategy (ZSVS), and is now speaking from coast to coast in a tour organised by Voices for Creative Non-violence. He is also a participant in the World Peace Forum in Vancouver. He has been blogging his tour on UKWatch, the British equivalent of ZNet. See Excerpt from a blog: "This morning I departed from Portland, after attending the only Bible Study class I've ever been to in my adult life. The community starts with a meeting at 7.20, which I was encouraged not to attend, and then Bible Study together, reading a couple of paragraphs and talking about them. I came in from walking around the garden and was invited to join in. I listened as they read about Paul raising the dead and healing the paralyzed. Folk talked about lost lives they had known of, and the puzzle of whether it would be right to pray always for people to be returned to life. The anger one person had felt at a priest praying over a dead baby for it to be returned to life. Lots of complicated issues, and probably the final word for everyone was what someone said: the mystery of faith. Then there was a reading from a new document from Michael Lerner's Spiritual Progressives. Which neatly sidestepped what to do about abortion. Then Kelly Campbell and Barry Amundson of Peaceful Tomorrows showed up and took me to the train station and I shared the three hour journey to Seattle with Kelly and a fellow Peaceful Tomorrows person Andrea LeBlanc. We had a very rich conversation over a whole host of questions and issues and experiences, and then in the last 30 seconds as we pulled into Seattle station Andrea asked me to tell her all that was in my book (about the London bombings). 'You waited the whole three hours to ask me in the final 30 seconds!' " 2) NO2ID is urging everyone to renew their passports before October to avoid extensive DNA material being put on record as preparation for the ID scheme. ALL first-time passport applicants will have background checks and be interviewed by officials at one of the government's 69 new 'enrolment centres'? This will include your children as they reach 16. Before long it will include you too, when you renew your passport. And you will be fingerprinted as well. Pay £51 for a 10-year passport while you can. The charge for ID registration and a record for life will be at least £93. The website www.renewforfreedom.org explains in more detail. There's a fact-sheet there that you can download and pass on to others. See for info on the campaign and reasons to oppose ID cards Also see JNV briefing on why ID cards will not stop terrorism. 3) A Night of Conscience Wed 28 June 7.30pm LONDON Malcolm Kendall-Smith, the British RAF office is in prison because he refused to return to Iraq on the grounds that it is an illegal war, see On Wednesday 28 June, you can join many well-known contributors from Film, stage, television and politics at a London benefit to express Solidarity with Malcolm Kendall-Smith and to raise funds to help pay his £20,000 legal costs. Among those appearing are Comedians Mark Thomas and Mark Steel, composer Michael Nyman, actress Janet Suzman, film director Ken Loach, playwrights Caryl Churchill and David Edgar, musician Ed Harcourt and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Introduced by Tony Benn at the St James Church 197 Piccadilly W1J 9LL Tickets are £15. Full details and online booking are available on the Stop the War website, here: http://tinyurl.com/z5vsx. If you want to book by debit/credit card phone 020 7278 6694. To book by post send a cheque made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition' to Stop the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP Donations also welcomed 4) Independence from America Party 4 July FELTWELL Gather outside US space communication base Feltwell (near USAF Lakenheath) at 6pm. Peacemakers' Ball, cabaret and fireworks c/o the Pentagon at 10pm (directions: turn left off 1065 onto B1112, past Lakenheath village and the back of base, then look for domes). Contact Mell on 01986 892723. *Under the new Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 such a gather will be considered illegal. 5) Aldermaston Women's peace camp and Block the Builders 8-10 July NEWBURY Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp Sat 8th -Mon 10th July Established in 1985, the camp remains a symbol of resistance to nuclear madness - and British-manufactured weapons of mass destruction in particular. Since summer 2002, AWPC has become concerned that the British government is taking measures to put in place the facilities to build a new generation of nuclear weapons - a replacement for the current submarine-based Trident system. See for more info or contact: info@aldermaston.net; ring 07969 739 812 Block the Builders Mon 10 July For general, mixed blockading, please meet up on Sunday evening, 9 July, at 6pm at the Friends Meeting House in Newbury (map: http://tinyurl.com/beuyo) for a planning meeting on the action on Monday morning, and a meal. Please bring a sleeping bag and a mat. If anyone needs a proper bed for the night, this can be arranged for a small fee (£12-15). Please get in touch. There will be some collective transport from London, organised by London Region CND (call 0207 6072302). 5) NO MORE FALLUJAHS Sat 28th-Sun 29th Oct LONDON Weekend of nonviolent resistance to the occupation of Iraq on the 2nd anniversary of the Nov 04 US/UK massacre in Fallujah. Events include: Sat 28th Oct Peace journey from the UK's military nerve centre in Northwood (nearest tube Northwood) Sun 29th Oct An "unauthorised" 24 peace camp in Parliament Square to demand an end to the occupation on 29 Oct (meet 12 noon, Parliament Square). The camp will begin Maya Evans and Milan Rai reading the names of 100 Iraqis who have died as a result of the occupation - one year after their arrest for doing this in Oct 05. Please note: under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act participation in such an "unauthorised" demonstration is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1000. Accommodation will be available on request on the evenings of 27 and 28 Oct. Org. by the Mass Action Group and supported by Iraq Occupation Focus, JNV and Voices UK. Contact 0845 458 2564 or e-mail voices@voicesuk.org. For more info see www.rememberfallujah.org.