From info at j-n-v.org Sat Oct 7 19:29:34 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 19:29:34 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Maya Evans / Emily Johns - JNV Speaking Tour Next Week Message-ID: <8b81b420f1d867d0536490c354d39322@j-n-v.org> Dear friends On Monday, Emily Johns and Maya Evans will start a short joint speaking tour of the UK. Emily will be speaking about her recent peace delegation to Iran, showing slides and displaying images from her new anti-war exhibition about Iran (several images are on the JNV website). Maya will be talking about her experience of being prosecuted under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act (2005) for reading the names of the dead in front of Downing Street, and the wider erosion of civil liberties. (Maya has a book about her experiences coming out later this month: 'Naming the Dead: A Serious Crime'.) The overall title of the tour is: 'The "War on Terror" - At Home And Abroad'. The addresses or contact details are below. JNV will be returning to full steam shortly, once we send Maya's new book 'Naming The Dead: A Serious Crime' to the printers! Best wishes Milan Rai JNV *** Monday 9 October SCOTLAND: Stirling Contact: Fionna 07941 769 809 Argyle Centre, Princess Street, Stirling Town Centre, 7.30-9.30 *** Tuesday 10 October ENGLAND: Nottingham Contact: Sari 07989 440 062 'Beyond the Headlines Iraq, Iran and the war on Terror' Lower Hall, The Methodist Church, On the corner of Devon Drive & Mansfield Road, Sherwood, 7pm *** Wednesday 11 October ENGLAND: Birmingham Details to be confirmed on JNV website *** Thursday 12 October CORNWALL: Falmouth Contact: Caroline 01326 210 921 Falmouth town, 7.30, for venue phone contact *** Friday 13 October ENGLAND: London Contact: Mil 0845 458 9571 Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1 (5 minutes from Holborn tube), 7.30pm *** From info at j-n-v.org Fri Oct 13 09:18:02 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:18:02 +0100 Subject: [JNV] News and Activities Message-ID: <2ceb184324861e3a13eba912184fa842@j-n-v.org> Dear friends, We hope you find this compilation useful. best wishes Milan Rai JNV ****************************************************** This email is sent by Justice Not Vengeance but is 90 per cent based on a Voices in the Wilderness UK email *** INFORMATION & NEWS *** (1) New Lancet survey puts post-invasion death toll at 655,000, including 186,000 Iraqis killed directly by "coalition" forces. (2) Head of British army calls for withdrawal from Iraq 'soon' (3) B-52 Two activists who broke into Fairford win hung jury *** MEETINGS & ACTIVITY *** [A] The "War on Terror" at Home and Abroad: public meeting with artist EMILY JOHNS and activist MAYA EVANS. 7.30pm, TONIGHT, Friday 13 October, Bertrand Russell Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1. [B] "No More Fallujahs" placards and banner making workshop, THIS SUNDAY (15th October). 12 noon - 3pm, Sunday 15th October, London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, E1 1ES (tube: Aldgate East). Help needed - all welcome! [C] Special screening of "A letter to the Prime Minister: Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq" followed by Q&A with activist Jo Wilding, eyewitness to the April 2004 US attack on Fallujah. 12 noon, THIS SUNDAY (15th October), Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 5DY. Tickets £6.50. See http://tinyurl.com/prg8j [D] Urgent action to release Iraqi journalist and writer Kelshan Al Bayati [E] Write to imprisoned anti-war activist Val Swain [F] Other upcoming anti-war actions and events ***************************************************************** *** INFORMATION & NEWS *** ***************************************************************** (1) NEW LANCET SURVEY PUTS POST-INVASION DEATH TOLL AT 655,000, INCLUDING 186,000 IRAQIS KILLED DIRECTLY BY COALITION FORCES A new report, published on-line by the Lancet on Wednesday (the pdf of the report is 240kb, downloadable at ), has concluded that, "as a consequence of the coalition invasion of March 18 2003, about 655,000 Iraqis have died above the number that would be expected in a non-conflict situation ... equivalent to about 2.5% of the population ...About 601,000 of these excess deaths were due to violent causes." "Deaths attributable to the coalition accounted for 31% of post-invasion violent deaths" and "the actual number of violent deaths, including those that resulted from coalition forces, increased every year after the invasion." According to the figures in the report, this means that the "coalition" has directly killed 186,000 Iraqis since it invaded Iraq. The report is based on an on-the-ground cluster sample survey that gathered data from 1849 households during the priod May - July 2006. According to the editor of the Lancet: "Given the controversy surrounding the previous Iraq paper that we published, it is worth emphasising the quality of this latest report as judged by four expert peers who provided detailed comments to editors. All reviewers recommended publication with relatively minor revisions. For example, one adviser noted that “this is an important piece of research which should be published because it is possibly the only non-government funded scientific study to provide an estimate of the number of Iraqi deaths since the US invasion.” She underscored the “powerful strength” of the research methods, a view supported by other reviewers. Indeed, this study adds substantially to the new field of conflict epidemiology, which has been evolving rapidly in recent years." ***************************************************************** (2) HEAD OF BRITISH ARMY CALLS FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ 'SOON' In an interview with the Daily Mail, General Sir Richard Dannatt called for British troops to withdraw from Iraq "soon" or risk catastophic consequences for both Iraq and British society. He stated explicitly that the continuing presence of British troops "exacerbates the security problems" in Iraq. Dannatt, who took up his position as Chief of the General Staff earlier this year, warned that "our presence in Iraq exacerbates" the "difficulties we are facing around the world." The general says clearly we (Britain) should "get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems. We are in a Muslim country and Muslims' views of foreigners in their country are quite clear. As a foreigner, you can be welcomed by being invited in a country, but we weren’t invited certainly by those in Iraq at the time." "The military campaign we fought in 2003 effectively kicked the door in. Whatever consent we may have had in the first place, may have turned to tolerance and has largely turned to intolerance." In an interview with the Today programme on Radio 4, the general indicated that 'our destiny [in Iraq] is not in our own hands', reinforcing the Chatham House analysis that Britain is riding as a "pillion passenger" on a vehicle driven by the Bush Administration. Daily Mail interview: Today interview: listen again at (requires RealPlayer) or navigate to this interview at 0732 on Friday 13 October via . ***************************************************************** (3) B-52 TWO ACTIVISTS WIN HUNG JURY On Wednesday 11th October 2006, the judge in the case of two Oxford based peace activists charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage discharged the jury after they were unable to reach a verdict. In a trial lasting 8 days the prosecution failed to prove that the planned disarmament action was a crime. The jury at Bristol Crown Court heard how Phil Pritchard and Toby Olditch broke into RAF Fairford 3 and half years ago with the intention of grounding US Air Force bombers bound for Iraq. Last month the trial of two other peace activists also resulted in a hung jury. Both cases are likely to go to retrial next year. Giving evidence last week, Pritchard (a self-employed carpenter and father) and Olditch (a self-employed builder) argued that their actions were justified and lawful because they were protecting Iraqi property and aiming to prevent war crimes. Philip Pritchard said: “It is devastating that our politicians took the road to war; we took responsible action and set out to stop B52 bombers. I stand by our decision to try to stop the bombing of Iraq and hope that cluster bombs and depleted uranium will never be used again. I hope the jury will hear our evidence at the next trial and acquit.” Congratulations can be sent via . ***************************************************************** *** MEETINGS & ACTIVITY *** **************************************************************** [A] THE "WAR ON TERROR" AT HOME AND ABROAD 7.30pm, Friday 13th October. Bertrand Russell Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1. Public meeting with EMILY JOHNS (recently returned from a peace delegation to Iran) and MAYA ANNE EVANS (first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorized demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act) criticize British foreign aggression and domestic repression. Sponsored by Justice Not Vengeance and Voices in the Wilderness UK. Contact 0845 458 9571 info@j-n-v.org ***************************************************************** [B] "NO MORE FALLUJAHS" PLACARD AND BANNER MAKING WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY (15TH OCTOBER) 12 noon - 3pm, Sunday 15th October, London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, E1 1ES (tube: Aldgate East). Come along and help make the banners and placards for the "No More Fallujahs" weekend of mass nonviolent civil disobedience against the occupation on 28/29 October: see www.rememberfallujah.org *************************************************************** [C] SPECIAL SCREENING OF "A LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: JO WILDING'S DIARY FROM IRAQ" THIS SUNDAY (15 OCT) 12 noon, Sunday 15th October, Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 5DY. Tickets: £6.50 Followed by Q&A with Jo Wilding herself, eyewitness to the 2003 invasion and the April 2004 US siege of Fallujah. See www.curzoncinemas.com/curzonsoho.htm. ********************************************************************* [D] URGENT ACTION TO RELEASE IRAQI JOURNALIST AND WRITER KELSHAN AL BAYATI Message received yesterday (11/10/06): Kelshan Al Bayati (her photo is on www.iraqiwomenswill.org), Iraqi woman writer/journalist and Al Hayat newspaper correspondent(London based Arabic newspaper) in Iraq, was first arrested on 11/9/06 by Iraqi forces in the city of Tikrit. She was released after signing an 'undertaking' on the 15th Sep 06, only to be re arrested again. The news from Iraq received yesterday: she was badly tortured the first time and it is very likely that she is being currently mistreated in detention. Kelshan was re arrested after attempting to retrieve her computer that was confiscated during the first raid on her house. Kelshan had written an article criticizing the security forces in Tikrit. This is widely believed to be the reason behind her arrest. This is a call from Women's Will Association for all descent people in the world to protest about her detention and call for immediate release. we received the email below from WWA this morning. A call for all orgnaisations/ politicians the world over to demand her immediate release. The propaganda being branded about freedom and democracy in Iraq, does not stand to close scrutiny. Writers and journalists in Iraq are subjected to a campaign of assassinations and arrests. According to the British Independent newspaper sources 134 journalists have been assassinated since the war on Iraq started. Iraqi writer Qais Kadhum Al Janabi was arrested by the US forces on the 28th June 2006 in Hilla province, he is currently being held in the notorious Airport prison.He should be released immediately. The US forces in Iraq, has no bussiness arresting writers. We call on the UN, Council of Europe and memberers of parliament, to intervene and use their influence for the immediate release of Kelshan Bayati and bringing those responsible for her arbitrary arrest and detention as well as torture to justice. The Iraqi authorities and the occupying forces are both responsible for the flagrant violations of human rights being commited with impunity in Iraq. We demand that Gulshan al Bayati is given immediate independent legal counsel, as is her right under humanitarian law (including Article 113 of the 4th Geneva Convention) and international human rights law (Article 14, paragraph 3, section b of theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). We remind those who hold Kulshan Al Bayati that holding detainees in an unsafe location is a violation of Article 85 of the 4th Geneva Convention. We also remind those who hold detainees thatKulshan Al Bayati has inalienable rights under many relevant instruments of binding international law. Tahrir Swift 6 Ridgeway crescent Gardens Orpington Kent BR6 9QH +441689 602748 Haifa Zangana Chair of Iraqi Committee for National Media and Culture haifa_zangana@yahoo.co.uk TAKE ACTION The most important thing to do is alert the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/detention/index.htm Mark any communication "Urgent Action" All communications should be emailed and faxed if possible. Email for EU Commissioner for Human Rights: commissioner@coe.int Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Office at Geneva, 1211 Geneva 10, SwitzerlandFax: + 41 22 917 9022 E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org Kofi Annan the Secretary General of the UN : inquiries@un.org Al Hayat Newspaper:Deputy Editor in Chief badr@alhayat.com or information@alhayat.com Contact Tony Blair via: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page821.asp ? Dick Cheney : Vice President Richard Cheney: vice_president@whitehouse.gov You also have the option of contacting members of the 'puppet government of Iraq'. Iraqi president: Jalal Al Talabani - questions@iraqipresidency.net Website:http://www.iraqipresidency.net and iraqigov@yahoo.com Justice minister : Hashim Al Shibli : head-minister@iraqi-justice.org Interior Minister - Jawad Al Boulani Interior ministry website: http://www.iraq-moi.com/test/index.htm ? No email address available, try info@iraq-moi.com Iraqi embassies:in the UK: Phone: (020) 7581 2264 Fax: (020) 7589 3356 in Paris : paris@emassyiraq.com in Belguim: iraqyia@swing.be Amnesty international : eastgulf@amnesty.org Rapid Action Network- PEN [ Campaign against the Persecution and Imprisonment of Writers for Stating their views rapidactionnetwork@englishpen.org General URLs with contact info: http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/About/welcome_en.asp http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/Office/default_en.asp http://www.ohchr.org/english/contact/ ********************************************************************** [E] WRITE TO IMPRISONED ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST VAL SWAIN In 2003 Val Swain was arrested for breaking into Fairford Airbase, in an attempt to stop the unlawful war in Iraq. She is now in prison (until 20th October) for refusing to pay £1500 in costs stemming from her case. Please send her a colourful postcard of support to: Val Swain TG5204 HMP Eastwood Park Falfield, Wooton-Under-Edge Gloucestershire GL12 8DB ********************************************************************** [F] OTHER UPCOMING ANTI-WAR ACTIONS AND EVENTS EVERY TUES, LONDON: WEEKLY "STATE OF EMERGENCY" MEETING to plan actions to resist the "war on terror" at home and abroad. 7pm, London Action Resourced Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, E1 1ES. See www.sackparliament.org.uk EVERY MON-SAT, BRISTOL: PEACE VIGIL. Running since a few days after 9/11. 5.30-6.30pm (Mon-Fri) & 3-4pm (Sat). City Centre, opposite The Hippodrome, St. Augustines Parade. EVERY MONTH, ALDERMASTON: NEW MONTHLY CAMP AT BRITAIN'S ATOMIC WEAPONS ESTABLISHMENT (AWE) to add further pressure to the /Block the Builders/ campaign to halt development of the next generation of nuclear weapons. Next camp dates: 28-29 Oct and 25-26 Nov. Contact 0845 4588 368 or www.blockthebuilders.org.uk. EVERY FRI, BRISTOL: VIGIL OUTSIDE OFFICES OF RAYTHEON, one of world's biggest arms manufacturers and a major supplier of arms to Israel. 8am, on the UWE/Bristol Business Park roundabout, Coldharbour Lane. Email: jandamarra@riseup.net. See here EVERY SUN, LONDON: FREEDOM TO PROTEST PICNICS in Parliament Square. In defence of the right to protest, recently criminalised under s132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (April 2005). Bring food, drink and music to share. 1.30pm, Parliament Square, Westminster. For more info contact 0785 439 0408, marshall_darkness@hotmail.com or visit www.peopleincommon.org EVERY WED, MOULSCOMBE: NOISE DEMO OUTSIDE EDO MBM - 'an arms company that makes bomb parts used in the Iraq war' (Guardian). 4-6pm, EDO MBM, Home Farm Road. Contact 07891 1405 923. www.smashedo.org.uk SECOND THURSDAY OR EVERY MONTH, LONDON: MONTHLY MEETING OF IRAQ OCCUPATION FOCUS. 7.30 - 9.30pm, Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, W1T 6AQ (nearest tube Warren Street). The dates for the this year's meetings are: 12 Oct, 9 Nov and 14 Dec. See www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk. 12-28 OCT, AROUND THE COUNTRY: ANTI-WAR SPEAKING with artist Emily Johns (recently returned from a peace delegation to Iran) and activist Maya Evans (the first person convicted for taking part in an “unauthorised” demonstration within 1km of Parliament). Events in: FALMOUTH (12 Oct, 7.30pm, Archway Books, Bakehouse Yard, Market Strand, (between Burger King and Prince of Wales pub). Falmouth town) and LONDON (13 Oct, see below). Emily will also be speaking in COVENTRY (28 Oct, 2-5pm at the Coventry Peace House, 311 Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry, CV6 5DS). See www.j-n-v.org or tel. 0845 458 9571 for more info. 13 OCT, LONDON: THE "WAR ON TERROR" AT HOME AND ABROAD. Public meeting with Emily Johns (recently returned from a peace delegation to Iran) and Maya Anne Evans (first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorized demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament under the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act) criticize British foreign aggression and domestic repression. 7.30pm, Bertrand Russell Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1. Sponsored by Justice Not Vengeance and Voices in the Wilderness UK. Contact 0845 458 9571 info@j-n-v.org 14 OCT, LONDON: "PYRAMID OF SHOES" ACTION AGAINST CLUSTER BOMBS. 10am - 4pm, Hyde Park (bandstand area). Bring a pair of shoes and sign the petition to show your support to the campaign and to victims of cluster bombs. (All shoes donated on that day will be recycled and sent to Eastern Europe and Africa to be reused). More Info: 0870 774 3737 or www.handicap-international.org.uk 14 OCT, BRIGHTON: PEACE IS POSSIBLE CONFERENCE with Moazzam Begg, Jeff Bolam, Francesca Cerletti, Martin Jeremiah, John Lynes, Craig Murray and Milan Rai. 9.30am - 5pm, Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AF. £12 / £5. www.peaceparty.org.uk 15 OCT, LONDON: IRAQ WAR FILM DOUBLE-BILL WITH JO WILDING, eyewitness to the April 2004 US siege of Fallujah. "A letter to the Prime Minister: Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq" (71 mins) followed by Q&A with Jo. 12 noon, Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 5DY. Tickets £6.50. See www.curzoncinemas.com/curzonsoho.htm. 15 OCT, LONDON: POETRY FUNDRAISER FOR THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SANCTIONS AND MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN. Wih Iraj Janatie-Ataie (lyricist to Iranian stars reading some of his own poetry), Soheila Ghodstinat (Iranian refugee poet), Shadab Vajdi (Iranian poet) and Xanthe Gresham (telling stories of Iranian kings from the renowned Shahnameh). Compere: Peyvand Khorsandi. Doors open 6.30pm, Performance starts at 7pm. Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, London W6 0QL. Tickets: £7/£4. Contact actioniranevents@hotmail.co.uk 16 OCT, LONDON: DAY OF ACTION TO SHUT DESO (the Defence Export Services Organisation). Meet 11am, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H, to help encircle DESO and designate it as a "global danger zone." Organised by Campaign Against Arms Trade: 0207 281 0297, anna@caat.org.uk or www.caat.org.uk. 16 OCT, LONDON: "THE ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINE." Talk by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe. 6.30pm, The Darwin Lecture Theatre (basement), UCL, Gower Street, WC1. Tickets: £5, £2 concessions, available on the door. Org. by SOAS Palestine Society. 17 OCT, LONDON: OPEN ACTION FORUM co-organised and sponsored by individuals from People In Common, A World to Win, the London Social and Creative Fora and others. 6.30pm, Rampart Social Centre, Rampart Street. Aldgate East Tube. See http://tinyurl.com/jyg7k or tel 0785 439 0408 17 OCT - 28 NOV, LONDON: COURSE ON EDUCATION FOR NONVIOLENCE TRAINING. 7-9pm on 17, 24, 31 Oct and 14, 21, 28 Nov, St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation & Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AG. £30 for the whole course. www.centreofcultures.org.uk 18 OCT, LONDON: BOOK SIGNING OF KHALED HROUB author of "Hamas: A Beginner's Guide." 7pm, School of Oriental and African Studies, Room V111, Vernon Square Campus, Penton Rise, Islington, London WC1X 9EL (nearest tube King's Cross, nearest overground King's Cross Thameslink). Organised by Arab Media Watch: www.arabmediawatch.com 21 OCT, READING: PUBLIC MEETING + FILM SCREENING OF "A LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: JO WILDING'S DIARY FROM IRAQ." With Alice Hardy from Public Interest Lawyers and the film director, Julia Guest. Talk and refreshments from 6pm, followed by film at 7.45pm. Friends Meeting House, Church St. 21 OCT, BATH: PUBLIC MEETING WITH NORMAN KEMBER, peace activist held hostage in Iraq for four months in 2005-2006. 5.30-7.00pm in the Coffee Lounge at Manvers St Baptist Church. Contact: jr_msbc@btconnect.com or tel: John Rackley: 01225 461600. 21 OCT, MANCHESTER: CHALLENGING OPPRESSION: OPEN WORKSHOP FOR ACTIVISTS. See what empowerment and strategic nonviolence theory and practice can offer to your campaigns, confronting oppressive power structures and creating liberating alternatives. 10:15am - 5:15pm. Central Manchester. £20 (£10 concessions). Phone 0207 663 1064. Email sophier@quaker.org.uk. Web: www.turning-the-tide.org 22 OCT, LONDON: FUNDRAISER FOR LEBANESE CHILDREN. Arabic music, food and dancing. Institute of Education, Students Union, Thornhaugh Street WC1H, 0XG. Org. by the SOAS Palestine Society and the Students’ Union of the Institute of Education. Tickets £8. Contact elmalaklena@hotmail.com or call 07733235760. Proceeds to go to the Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation (Mar Elias camp, Lebanon) to the rehabilitation preschool project which works with children with disabilities. 23 OCT, LONDON: TALK WITH PATRICK COCKBURN, Middle East Correspondent for the Independent and author of "The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq" (Verso, 2006). 7-9pm, venue tbc. Organised by SOAS Palestine Society: www.palestinesociety.org 23 - 25 OCT, LONDON: FAIRFORD COACH ACTION BRING "COACH NAPPING" CASE TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS. Hearing of the case of anti-war protestors who were detained by police and prevented from attending a mass demonstration at RAF Fairford on 22 March 2003. See www.fairfordcoachaction.org.uk 24 OCT, LONDON: BOOK LAUNCH OF "HAMAS: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE' by Khaled Hroub, director of the Arab Media Project at Cambridge University. 6pm, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Rd, N1 9DX (tube: Kings X). www.housmans.com 27 OCT, LONDON: MAYA EVANS BOOK LAUNCH. Launch of "Naming the Dead - A Serious Crime" the new book by Maya Evans - the first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorised demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005). 7.30pm, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road N1 9DX (tube: Kings X). See www.j-n-v.org. 28 OCT, LONDON: NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION WORKSHOP AND LEGAL BRIEFING for the 24-hour "unauthorised" peace camp in Parliament Square om 29 Oct (see below). 4.30pm - 7.30pm, Diorama 3, 3-7 Euston Centre, London NW1 3JG (tube: Warren Street). Workshop run by Seeds for Change: www.seedsforchange.org.uk. 28 OCT, YORK: YORK AGAINST THE WAR DAY SCHOOL with Kate Hudson (CND), Alex Callinicos (SWP) and Haleh Afshar. 10am to 5pm, Priory Street Community Centre, York. £5/£3. 28-29 OCT, LONDON: NO MORE FALLUJAHS. A weekend of nonviolent resistance to the occupation of Iraq on the 2nd anniversary of the November 2004 US/UK attack on Fallujah. Events include: * Peace journey from the UK's military nerve centre in Northwood (nearest tube Northwood) on 28 Oct * An "unauthorised" 24-hour 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. NB 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. 30 OCT, LONDON: TAKING SIDES - THE MEDIA AND THE "WAR ON TERROR." Public meeting with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (The Independent), Tim Llewellyn (former BBC Middle East correspondent), Prof. Justin Lewis (Cardiff University school of journalism), Jeremy Dear (general secretary, NUJ) and Sami Ramadani (Iraq Democrats against Occupation). 7pm, Bloomsbury Church Hall, Shaftesbury Ave WC2 (opposite Shaftesbury Theatre) Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road. For more information call 07801 789 297.. 28 OCT, EASTBOURNE: "NO MORE FALLUJAHS" VIGIL to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Nov 04 US/UK attack on Fallujah. 6-7pm, Willingdon roundabout. Bring a candle. Org. by Eastbourne Peace Group. Contact michael.05@tiscali.co.uk or 01323 430 040. 1 NOV, BRIGHTON: SUDAN: WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW? A personal view from Fatih Abdel Kariem, a Sudanese living in Brighton, on the situation in Sudan A short talk followed by questions and discussion. Organised by the Brighton Hands Off Forum: www.watchingthewarmakers.org.uk. 7.30pm – 9pm, Brighthelm, North Street, Brighton BN1 1YD. 2 NOV, BRENT: PUBLIC MEETING with Kate Hudson (CND) and Lindsey German (STWC). 7.30 at the Pakistan Community Centre, Marley Walk, Station Parade, Willesden Green. Organised by Brent Stop the War. 8 NOV, LONDON: "THE RIGHT TO HEALTH IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES." Talk by Hadas Ziv, Executive Director of Physicians for Human Rights - Israel. 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London. Organised by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). www.map-uk.org 11 NOV, LONDON: REMEMBRANCE DAY DIE-IN OUTSIDE THE US EMBASSY. 11am, US Embassy, Grosvenor Square. Organised by School Students Against the War: www.ssaw.co.uk. contact@ssaw.org.uk or tel. Simon on 07788 513 563. 18 NOV, LONDON: ENDING THE OCCUPATION: AN ANTI-WAR STRATEGY GATHERING. 11am – 5pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston London NW1 2BJ. Registration £5/£2 (unwaged). See www.iraqoccupationfocus.org. 18 NOV, LONDON: WORLD DISARMAMENT CAMPAIGN ANNUAL CONFERENCE. 10.30am - 4.30pm, Wesley’s Chapel, City Road (tube: Old Street). £6/£4. www.world-disarm.org.uk 2 DEC, BRIZE NORTON: NATIONAL DEMO RAF BRIZE NORTON used to ferry British troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and US bombs to Israel (during its recent attack on Lebanon). Assemble 12:00 noon in Carterton. From info at j-n-v.org Tue Oct 17 17:38:42 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:38:42 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Maya Evans New Book / 'No More Fallujahs' Weekend of Resistance Message-ID: <4cdc7baa8b3c4e22cb39d2350f7b23bb@j-n-v.org> Dear friends This email is about two events involving Maya Evans of Justice Not Vengeance; the 'No More Fallujahs' unauthorized protests on 28/29 October, which Maya is playing a key role in; and the launch of Maya's new book 'Naming The Dead: A Serious Crime' (published by JNV Publications) just the day before, on Friday 27 October. Some more details about the book, and about the 'No More Fallujahs' events are set out below. We hope you find this useful. Emily Johns JNV 1) Book launch, Maya Evans, 'Naming The Dead: A Serious Crime' >Pre-launch at the Anarchist Bookfair >Book launch at Housmans Bookshop >>Contents >>Excerpt from Chapter 1: Arrested - 25 October 2) No More Fallujahs 28-29 October >Peace Journey Saturday 28 October >NVDA Workshop & Legal Briefing Saturday 28 October >Peace Camp Sunday 29 - Monday 30 October *********** 1) Book launch, Maya Evans, 'Naming The Dead: A Serious Crime' 'Naming The Dead' describes exactly what happened last October, when Maya was arrested for reading the names of British soldiers who'd died in the Iraq war, and the course of events leading up to 7 December 2005, when she became the first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorized demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament. 'Naming The Dead' also goes behind the media story to explain how Maya came to be a protester, setting out the key events in her development as a person and an activist. Written with the assistance of author and activist Milan Rai, 'Naming The Dead' is intended as an invitation to activism, demystifying the process of protest and inspiring people to take up active nonviolent resistance to war and injustice. £8 in shops, 'Naming The Dead' (96pp) is available from JNV for £7 including p&p as an introductory offer. > Pre-launch at the Anarchist Bookfair, Saturday 21 October Maya will be signing copies of her book, hot off the press, at the JNV stall, located next to the London Catholic Worker, between 2pm and 4pm. > Book launch at Housmans Bookshop, Friday 27 October Housmans is kindly hosting Maya's official launch at 7pm the night before the 'No More Fallujahs' weekend of resistance. Maya will be reading from her book and signing copies. >> Contents Chapter 1: Arrested / Chapter 2: Laburnum Street / Chapter 3: Suite 14 / Chapter 4: Peace Strike / Chapter 5: Bow Street / Chapter 6: Voices In The Wilderness / Chapter 7: Serious Crimes / Chapter 8: Justice Not Vengeance / Chapter 9: Strip Search / Chapter 10: Convicted / Chapter 11: Facing The World / Chapter 12: Our Power / Endnote: Naming The Dead >> Excerpt from Chapter 1: Arrested - 25 October 2005 A third of the way down Whitehall, Mil suddenly emerges from the crowd ahead of us, looks me in the eye, and says calmly: 'The police came over and spoke to me just now. We will definitely be arrested if we go ahead. They said it is "zero tolerance".' I'm shocked. I've been hoping we won't be arrested. Until now, I thought it was a 60 per cent chance that we'd be arrested—just for reading the names of people who'd died in the Iraq War. The tourists pass around us on the pavement, wandering down from Trafalgar Square towards the Houses of Parliament. Mil asks: 'Do you really want to do this? You can change your mind right now.' For a moment, it flashes through my mind that I can wriggle out of this, I don't have to go through with it. I've never been arrested before (I was detained once for a few hours in Belgium). I hate personal confrontations of any kind, and the idea of a face-to-face conflict with the ultimate authority figure, a police officer, is really uncomfortable. Do I really want to be arrested and prosecuted, and end up with a criminal record, and with a £1,000 fine? For half a second, I don't want to go any further. I haven't been entirely focused until now. We'd met earlier on the steps of St Martin-in-the-Fields, on the corner of Trafalgar Square. It was overcast and there was a light drizzle. I'd arrived late, feeling flustered, and anxious about the possibility of being arrested. My friend Adesina, who I've known from school, had come along to support me. After we turned up, Mil had gone on ahead to meet our friend Cedric Knight, one of our legal observers. After handing over my phone and other personal items to Gabriel Carlyle, another observer, I'd gone looking for Mil, carrying our large cardboard signs, still very worried. After that flash of doubt and fear, I felt myself becoming hyper-aware. Everything was brighter and louder. I was suddenly very calm. I said to Mil, and to myself, 'I'm ready to do this'. I could feel myself putting on this façade of being a confident, strong person who knew what she was doing. I had to put my weaknesses and my personal feelings away. There was something important I had to do, and I needed to be very focused. I'd mentally prepared myself for this the day before, and, after that half-second of wanting to run away, I felt ready for everything that was about to happen. It was very important to me to carry out this remembrance ceremony, and to remind people about the tragedy of the war in Iraq, and all the people who have died there. www.j-n-v.org ************ 2) No More Fallujahs 28-30 October The Iraqi insurgency might be said to have begun in Fallujah in April 2003, following the shooting dead of 13 unarmed demonstrators by US forces. In April 2004, US forces invaded part of the city which killed hundreds, but was called off after enormous pressure inside and outside Iraq. In November 2004, the US - with British assistance - launched a massive assault on Fallujah, almost totally destroying it, killing hundreds of civilians, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, and using white phosphorus - a substance that burns down to the bone - as a weapon. Since then at least 22 more Iraqi towns and cities have been attacked by US led forces and Fallujah itself has been turned into a virtual police state. JNV and 48 other peace groups invite you to take part in 'No More Fallujahs', a weekend of resistance to the occupation of Iraq. > Saturday 28 October - Peace Journey Peace journey from the UK's military nerve centre in Northwood, by foot and by peace bus, to central London. Maya Evans will be part of the peace journey group. Meet 11am, Northwood tube. Finish 4pm, Tavistock Square. > Saturday 28 October - Nonviolent Direct Action Workshop and Legal Briefing 4.30pm - 7.30pm, Diorama Gallery 1, 34 Osnaburgh Street, NW1 3ND (tube: Great Portland Street). Preparation for the 24-hour "unauthorised" peace camp in Parliament Square the following day. Workshop run by Seeds for Change: www.seedsforchange.org.uk. > Sunday 29 October to Monday 30 October - Peace Camp Assemble 12 noon, Parliament Square. The camp begins with Maya Evans and Milan Rai reading the names of Iraqis who have died as a result of US/UK military action in Iraq – one year after their arrest for doing this in October 2005. Others taking part in this remembrance ceremony include Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Iraqi novelist Haifa Zangana. After the ceremony, we will put up tents for the overnight vigil, and there will be a series of workshops. > Monday 30 October - Naming The Dead In the morning, Maya and Milan will, if they are able, continue their remembrance ceremony opposite Downing Street, from 8.50am to 12noon, when the 'No More Fallujahs' weekend of resistance will come to an end. Please note: Under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act participation in these "unauthorised demonstration" is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1,000. See the No More Fallujahs website or come to a legal briefing for more information. Accommodation is available on request for evenings of 27 & 28 October. Contact 0845 458 2564 or voices@voicesuk.org. If you would like to sponsor a tent please send a cheque payable to 'Voices UK' to Voices UK, 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX. This peace camp is organised by: the Mass Action Group and supported by 49 anti-war and peace groups from Birkenhead CND to Norwich Stop the War to Wrexham Peace and Justice Forum. www.rememberfallujah.org From info at j-n-v.org Tue Oct 24 20:45:29 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:45:29 +0100 Subject: [JNV] Emergency Demo / London Events / JNV Briefing 'The Veil' Message-ID: <760d4e8988ac05e674d1c8755a641b22@j-n-v.org> 1) Emergency Alert: Security Ministers meet near Stratford-upon-Avon - demonstration tomorrow night 2) Anti-war events this weekend 3) JNV Anti-War Briefing: THE VEIL Dear friends Here is the latest JNV briefing, a reminder about events this weekend, and an alert by Ivor Timson, an anti-war activist who's learned of a security ministers' conference near Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow and Thursday. We hope you find this useful. Best wishes Milan Rai JNV *********** 1) Emergency Demonstration EU Security Ministers meet near Stratford-upon-Avon - demonstration tomorrow night A top meeting of 'G6' ministers is being hosted at the Ettington Park Hotel near Stratford on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. The informal meeting will be hosted by Home Secretary John Reid for the interior ministers of the G6 countries—France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK—to discuss issues such as illegal migration and counter-terrorism. According to the paper, 'Ministers are also set to visit Hall’s Croft, in Stratford, on Wednesday lunchtime and the road will be closed by police while the party arrive and depart. The party will also later visit Warwick Castle for a private dinner.' (Stratford-upon-Avon Herald ) According to the Financial Times: 'Meanwhile Britain is expected to call for much closer and more effective co-operation across the EU against terrorism and organised crime at an informal meeting of interior ministers from the G6 group of countries (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland) beginning on Wednesday.' (FT, ) Ivor is calling together a demonstration outside Warwick Castle tomorrow night, where the delegates will be having dinner. Meet 7pm, near the gate, main entrance, Warwick Castle, . Call Ivor for more details: 07757357127 or 02476 329 750. *********** 2) Anti-war events in London this weekend FRIDAY 27 OCT, LONDON: MAYA EVANS BOOK LAUNCH. Launch of "Naming the Dead - A Serious Crime" the new book by Maya Evans - the first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorised demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005). 7.30pm, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road N1 9DX (tube: Kings Cross). SATURDAY 28 OCT, LONDON: PEACE JOURNEY FROM NORTHWOOD Northwood is home to the British base that commands the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The peace journey travels into central London in time for the NVDA workshop. Meet 11am, Northwood tube station. Finish 4pm, central London. SATURDAY 28 OCT, LONDON: NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION WORKSHOP AND LEGAL BRIEFING for the 24-hour "unauthorised" peace camp in Parliament Square om 29 Oct (see below). 4.30pm - 7.30pm, Diorama 3, 3-7 Euston Centre, London NW1 3JG (tube: Warren Street). Workshop run by Seeds for Change: www.seedsforchange.org.uk. SUNDAY 29 OCT, LONDON: UNAUTHORISED PEACE CAMP An "unauthorised" 24-hour 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 60 Iraqis who have died as a result of the occupation - one year after their arrest for doing this in October 2005. NB 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. MONDAY 30 OCT, LONDON: NAMING THE DEAD The remembrance ceremony continues with Maya Evans and Milan Rai. 8.50am - 12noon, opposite Downing Street, Whitehall. *********** 3) JNV Anti-War Briefing: THE VEIL DEMONIZING BRITISH MUSLIMS JNV Anti-War Briefing 97 (20 October 2006) THE GROWING FEAR OF MUSLIMS According to the polling agency YouGov, the proportion of people in Britain who feel threatened by Islam - not by violent fundamentalist versions of Islam, but by Islam itself - has risen from 32 per cent of the population in 2001, to a majority (53 per cent). In 2001, 'a majority of two to one thought that Islam posed no threat, or only a negligible one, to democracy. Now, by a similar ratio, people think it is a serious threat.' (Daily Telegraph, 25 Aug. 2006 ) The Telegraph also compared polls just after the 7/7 attacks with Aug. 2006. The number of people believing that 'a large proportion of British Muslims feel no sense of loyalty to this country and are prepared to condone or even carry out acts of terrorism' had nearly doubled from 10 per cent to 18 per cent. The number believing that 'practically all British Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who deplore terrorist acts as much as anyone else' had fallen from 23 to 16 per cent. In fact, a poll for the Sunday Telegraph and an online poll by the anti-racist '1990 Trust' both show that less than 2 per cent of British Muslims supported the 7/7 attacks. TREATING MUSLIMS AS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT When individual Christians or Jews take disturbing actions in line with minority interpretations of their faith, these are treated as exceptions to the rule. When individual Muslims take disturbing actions in line with minority interpretations of their faith, these are treated as examples of the unacceptable norm among Muslims, the true frightening face of Islam. When Christian protesters tried to stop the BBC broadcasting 'Jerry Springer - The Opera', were they represented as the mainstream of Christianity? When the Exeter University Christian Union's habit of excluding non-evangelical students from its meetings led to it being temporarily suspended, was this seen as revealing the illiberalism of Christianity? (Telegraph, 18 Oct., p. 11; Ekklesia ) MAINSTREAM MUSLIM ATTITUDES The ICM/Sunday Telegraph poll referred to earlier showed that only 7 per cent of British Muslims thought: 'Western society is decadent and immoral and Muslims should seek to bring it to an end, if necessary by violent means'. 80 per cent thought: 'Western society may not be perfect but Muslims should live within it and not seek to bring it to an end'. While 97 per cent of British Muslims thought publishing the Danish cartoons of Muhammad was wrong (and 77 per cent were 'very' personally offended), only 14 per cent thought it right for Muslims to attack Danish embassies as a result. 82 per cent thought this was unacceptable. The same 82 per cent also thought it was wrong for Muslim demonstrators to carry placards calling for the killing of those who insult Islam. 49 per cent of British Muslims said they felt 'very loyal' to Britain; 42 per cent said they felt 'quite loyal'. That's a total of 91 per cent feeling loyalty. Only 5 per cent said 'not very loyal' and only 2 per cent 'not loyal at all'. (ICM poll, Feb. 2006 ) GROWING FEAR AMONG MUSLIMS Jonathan Freedland wrote that the recent torrent of anti-Muslim reports and statements has created 'a kind of drumbeat of hysteria in which both politicians and media have turned again and again on a single, small minority, first prodding them, then pounding them as if they represented the single biggest problem in national life... I try to imagine how I would feel if this rainstorm of headlines substituted the word "Jew" for "Muslim": Jews creating apartheid, Jews whose strange customs and costume should be banned. I wouldn't just feel frightened. I would be looking for my passport.' (Guardian, 18 Oct. ) THE VEIL: BULLYING MUSLIM WOMEN It is in this context that we turn to Jack Straw's intervention. He stated in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph (5 Oct. ) that he asked Muslim women visiting his surgery to remove their face veils while speaking to him. Timothy Garton Ash points out that Straw may have asked politely, but he was in a position of power, the women had come to him for help, so 'the distinction between a request and a command is somewhat blurred.' (Guardian, 12 Oct. ) In short, Straw bullied these women to break a religious observance. STRAW DEEPENS SEPARATION AND DIFFERENCE Straw also wrote that the niqab was 'a visible statement of separation and of difference', which made 'better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult'. Both statements are true. That doesn't mean Straw was right to make them. He knew what would follow. Attacks on veiled women in the street, growing hostility to Muslims veiled or unveiled, a deepening chasm between non-Muslims and increasingly alienated Muslims. Many communities in Britain choose to make 'a visible statement of separation and of difference' between themselves and the rest of society. No politician, however, is telling yarmulke-wearing Orthodox Jews or headscarf-wearing Hutterian Brethren or sari-wearing Hindus to change their form of dress because it hinders 'community cohesion'. SIGNS OF DIFFERENCE Neither the headscarf nor the face veil are explicitly commanded in the Qur'an (Koran). (BBC, ) Nevertheless, they are regarded in many societies as Muslim traditions. Madeleine Bunting writes: 'There are two distinct patterns of niqab-wearing in this country. One group wears the niqab by cultural tradition. Often they are relatively recent migrants, from Somalia or Yemen for example, and for the record it is not a "symbol of oppression" but a symbol of status. The second group comprises the small but slightly increasing number of younger women who wear it as a sign of their intense piety.' (Guardian, ) In Northern Ireland, murals, painted pavements, flags and a thousand other 'visible statements of separation and of difference' have made better relations between Nationalists and Unionists more difficult. Instead of focusing on these symptoms of the underlying problems, the Government set the goal of 'parity of esteem' between different traditions. The growth of fundamentalism and defiant difference in British Muslim communities is a symptom of a lack of esteem, a symptom of racism and Islamophobia, and a symptom of the despair, powerlessness and anger caused by Iraq. FUNDAMENTALISM AND FEMINISM What is confusing is that the niqab is also a sign of 'separation and difference' between some Muslim women and most other British Muslim women. Within Muslim communities there is a struggle by some women and some men against right-wing fundamentalism and patriarchy, a struggle which is undermined by the spread of veiling of all kinds. However, Maleiha Malik urges non-Muslim feminists to 'reconsider the disproportionate weight they are giving to complex symbols such as the veil... By attacking the veil - as in the colonial past - they may strengthen many Muslim women's commitment to it and make it more difficult for Muslims to have a much needed debate on women and Islam.' (Guardian, 19 Oct. ) Non-Muslims who support women's rights in Muslim communities must consider carefully how they can make a positive contribution. It will not be made by lining up with Straw, Blair and Brown, the architects of the invasion of Iraq, as they bully Muslim women and give them lecture them on how to behave acceptably. From info at j-n-v.org Fri Oct 27 14:34:08 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:34:08 +0100 Subject: [JNV] No More Fallujahs - Last Minute Information Message-ID: "[T]he tragedy is that public opinion against the war seems to be reflected nowhere. Incidentally, with the partial exception of Britain, this applies to the antiwar movement elsewhere as well. Neoliberalism is the grammar of politics in most parts of the globe and induces an institutionalized apathy. Imaginative, nonviolent guerrilla antiwar actions seem to be the only solution." - Tariq Ali (see http://tinyurl.com/yhrrm2) "I can't get involved! I've got work to do! It's not that I like the Empire. I hate it! But there's nothing I can do about it right now. It's such a long way from here" - Luke Skywalker ************************************ Dear friends and fellow anti-war campaigners, This is a last minute reminder about this weekend's "No More Fallujahs" weekend of nonviolent resistance to the occupation of Iraq which begins tonight with the book launch of Maya Evan's new book "Naming the Dead - A Serious Crime" (see www.rememberfallujah.org and / or [A] below). If you're planning to come to the "unauthorised" 24-hour peace camp on Sunday, then we strongly recommend that you attend tomorrow's nonviolent direct action workshop and legal briefing (see [A] below). If you can't make this but would like to pick up a placard, a tent or some leaflets for the day then there will be an opportunity to do this immediately after the workshop at 7.45pm. Please note that the more of this stuff gets picked up on Saturday the more likely it is to actually reach Parliament Square on the Sunday! We would also urge you to arrive in the Square *promptly* at 12 noon on the Sunday (remember that the clocks go back 1 hour at midnight on Saturday). Finally, if you haven't already done so, we recommend that campers contact their local media - see [B] below for a template press release based on one produced by a local activist in Wrexham. Best wishes, Gabriel Carlyle of Voices in the Wilderness UK on behalf of the Mass Action Group www.rememberfallujah.org ***************************************************** [A] NO MORE FALLUJAHS A weekend of nonviolent resistance to the occupation of Iraq on the 2nd anniversary of the November 2004 US/UK massacre in Fallujah www.rememberfallujah.org Organised by the Mass Action Group and supported by CND, Iraq Occupation Focus, JNV, Red Pepper, Radical Activist Network, Stop the War, Voices UK and dozens of other groups from around the country. FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER * BOOK LAUNCH OF "NAMING THE DEAD - A SERIOUS CRIME" by Maya Evans - the first person to be convicted of participating in an unauthorised demonstration in the vicinity of Parliament under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005). 7.30pm, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road N1 9DX (tube: Kings X). See www.j-n-v.org. SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER: * PEACE JOURNEY FROM THE UK'S MILITARY NERVE CENTRE IN NORTHWOOD. Meet 11am, Northwood tube station. Finish 4pm, central London. * NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION WORKSHOP AND LEGAL BRIEFING. 4.30 - 7.30pm, Diorama 3, 3-7 Euston Centre, London NW1 3JG (tube: Warren Street). [Directions to Diorama 3 from Warren Street tube: Exit the station and turn left to face 40-story Euston tower. Cross the road heading towards the tower. Turn left in front of the tower, carry on, and turn right after Pret-A-Manger. We are in the ground floor of the building with the 4-story, pop art, electric fan painting. Look for the door beneath the sign that reads D3.] SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER: "UNAUTHORISED" 24-HOUR PEACE CAMP IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE to demand an end to the occupation. ASSEMBLE 12 NOON, PARLIAMENT SQUARE. N.B: 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 one thousand pounds. Accommodation will be available on request on the evenings of 27 and 28 Oct. Contact 0845 458 2564 or e-mail gabriel@voices.netuxo.co.uk. Likewise, if you're planning to risk arrest at the peace camp on Sunday 29th and would like to reserve a two-person tent please contact us immediately (limited numbers available!). A complete brochure for the weekend is available on the Remember Fallujah web-site: www.rememberfallujah.org ***************************************************** [B] PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE PRESS RELEASE 27th October 2006 PEACE CAMPAIGNER RISKS ARREST TO PROTEST AGAINST THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE], [INSERT YOU AGE], from [INSERT WHERE YOU LIVE], will travel to London this weekend to take part in "No More Fallujahs", two days of nonviolent civil disobedience against the occupation of Iraq. [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE] has been campaigning against the invasion and occupation of Iraq since 2002. The weekend, organised by the London Mass Action Group and supported by CND, Stop the War Coalition, Wrexham Peace & Justice Forum and scores of other organisations, will involve a peace walk and a 24-hour peace camp. [YOUR NAME HERE] will join other campaigners from all over the country on a peace journey from Britain's military nerve-centre at Northwood to central London on Saturday 28th October. On Sunday 29th October, decorated tents will be erected in Parliament Square for a 24-hour peace camp. These events mark the second anniversary of the massive attack on the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which was led by the US and carried out with British support. The peace camp will be held in Parliament Square. This camp is deemed to be an "unauthorised" demonstration under the provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), and all participants risk arrest. It is one year since Maya Evans was arrested and subsequently became the first person to be convicted under SOCPA for the "crime" of standing at the Cenotaph and reading out the names of British soldiers who had been killed in Iraq. Maya will also take part in the "No More Fallujahs" weekend. [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE] said: "I am taking part in this weekend to remember the people of Fallujah: those who were killed or injured, those who lost loved ones, those who were made homeless by the attacks. Of the 700 bodies recovered in Fallujah after the attack, 550 were women and children. Hospitals were targeted and patients, doctors, nurses and other hospital staff were killed. White phosphorus was used by the US in Fallujah, causing horrific injuries to civilians. "I will also be thinking about how all the people of Iraq have suffered over the last three and a half years. The Lancet has estimated that 650,000 people have died in Iraq as a result of the invasion and occupation. We are demanding an immediate end to the US/UK military occupation of Iraq, reparations and debt cancellation so the Iraqis can rebuild their own country without foreign interference, and prosecution of those responsible for war crimes. "I have decided to take part in this "unauthorised" peace camp and to risk arrest because I believe that it is my right to express my dissent peacefully in a place of my choosing. "Authorised" demonstrations under SOCPA can be arbitrarily restricted by the police in terms of where, when and for how long they take place, numbers allowed to attend, the amount of noise allowed and the number and size of placards. I believe that such restrictions breach my human rights. "It is very important to me that I should be able to express my dissent now, at a time when those responsible for the invasion, Bush and Blair, are already under pressure from their own military leaders. Repressive laws such as SOCPA are designed to stifle dissent and to limit the right to free speech. It is vital for ordinary people to resist unjust laws." For more information, please contact [INSERT YOUR CONTACT DETAILS HERE] NOTES For more information about the weekend of action and the November 2004 attack on Fallujah see www.rememberfallujah.org. For more information about SOCPA see www.parliament-square.org.uk During the attack on Fallujah, US war planes dropped 3 bombs on the Central Health Clinic, killing 35 patients, including 5 under the age of 10. 15 medics, 4 nurses and 5 health support workers were also killed in the attack. The US have now admitted (after originally denying) that white phosphorus was used in the attack on Fallujah. White phosphorus causes terrible injuries, burning flesh down to the bone. After the attack on Fallujah, 700 bodies were recovered by the hospital emergency team; the bodies included those of 550 women and children. Two babies discovered dead in their homes are believed to have died from malnutrition. These figures only include 9 of Fallujah's 27 neighbourhoods. Children, women and old people were told to wave pieces of white cloth as they left their houses, but many were then deliberately shot by US soldiers in broad daylight. One resident of Fallujah, Rahim Abdullah, a teacher, said: "I saw two men being shot. They were just ordinary people; they weren't carrying weapons. The only way to stay alive was to stay inside and hope your house did not get hit by a shell." Half of all Fallujah's houses were rendered uninhabitable or severely damaged in the attack(US State Department figures). Provisions in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 limit the right to protest and demonstrate within 1km of Parliament. Campaigners are required to seek authorisation from the police for all such demonstrations, and the police have powers to impose restrictions on these. There are currently many challenges to SOCPA underway. For example, Maya Evans and Milan Rai, who were arrested for reading out the names of the dead at the Cenotaph, are appealing against their sentences under SOCPA. Brian Haw, who has been protesting in Parliament Square for the past 5 years, and who was the original target of the SOCPA provisions, has had his hearing for alleged SOCPA infringement put on hold while a judicial review investigates the legality of police actions against Brian carried out in the name of SOCPA. END From info at j-n-v.org Tue Nov 14 07:56:13 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 07:56:13 +0000 Subject: [JNV] Iraq Strategy Day Message-ID: 1) Ending the Occupation of Iraq: Strategy Day 2) Turning the World Upside Down by Milan Rai 3) Strategy Gathering Discussion Documents Dear friends JNV is sponsoring the Iraq Occupation Focus national strategy day in London this Saturday (details below), and we are encouraging anti-war activists from around the UK to participate. There is a discussion sheet already up on the IOF and JNV websites with pre-conference proposals and suggestions, including some from me. I'm including in this email a piece I wrote for the Z Sessions on Vision and Strategy this June, which suggests a bigger framework for these discussions, the initial discussion document circulated by Iraq Occupation Focus, and a thoughtful contribution from Kate Page of Watching the Warmakers. Earlier this year, there was a very interesting debate in the US about strategy, and before the weekend I hope to add some contributions to that discussion to the JNV website. Best wishes Milan Rai JNV *********** 1) Ending the Occupation of Iraq: Strategy Day 11am-5pm, Saturday 18th November Friends Meeting House 173 Euston Road, London NW1 (tubes: Euston, Euston Square) Registration from 10.30am – Entry by donation (£2/£5 suggested) Email iraqfocus@riseup.net to book a place. A rare opportunity for anti-war campaigners from across the UK to share their experiences of campaigning, their ideas and proposals for action, and to discuss strategies for ending the occupation. Participants include: Sami Ramadani, Iraqi academic and columnist, Iraqi Democrats Against the Occupation, Ewa Jasiewicz, Naftana, UK support committee for the General Union of Oil Employees, Milan Rai, Justice Not Vengeance, author of 7-7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War, Greg Muttit, Platform, author of ‘Crude Designs: The Rip-Off of Iraq’s Oil Wealth’, Justin Alexander, Co-ordinator, Jubilee Iraq, Haifa Zangana, Iraqi writer and activist, Act Together, Gabriel Carlyle, Voices UK, Andreas Speck, War Resisters International Following the Lancet’s estimate of 655,000 Iraqi deaths since the invasion, the Head of the UK Army speaking out, and the massive anti-war vote in the US, now is a vital time for anti-occupation campaigners in the UK to plan how we can step up our efforts – and our effectiveness – in 2007. Discussions have already started on the IOF website – download a 4-page discussion sheet, plus further contributions from activists around the country, at: http://www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk/strategyday.htm Strategy Day Agenda 10.30am Registration 11.00am Opening speaker: Sami Ramadani on why we need to end the occupation 11.30am Strategy review: Ewa Jasiewicz, Milan Rai and others on key strategic questions Discussion groups taking stock of anti-occupation work to date and where we need to go in 2007 1.00pm Lunch 2.00pm Workshops Getting MPs to oppose the occupation Oil and corporations in Iraq Developing a counter-recruitment network Raising the profile of the movement Next steps for direct action Local anti-war organising 3.30pm Break 3.45pm Future plans: Putting our ideas into practice, where do we want to be in six months? Reports back from workshops, proposals and discussion 4.30pm Closing speaker: Haifa Zangana 5pm: Finish Full details and discussion sheet at http://www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk To book a place in advance email iraqfocus@riseup.net *********** 2) Turning the World Upside Down A paper for the Z Sessions on Vision and Strategy by Milan Rai The present world order is based on immense inequalities in wealth and power. In opposition to the present order are various popular movements - which are for the most part tending to converge in their thinking and their goals. The question before us at ZSVS is what the international order might look like, and how we might get there, if the values which we who are gathering together share were to be expressed in both our ends and our means. The dimensions of the global crisis are many. Three overarching human crises are problems of survival: the challenge of surviving human-induced environmental rupture; the challenge of surviving suicidal militarism; and the challenge of global poverty and hunger. It is easy to say that the end-state we desire is a world in which we enjoy a sustainable planetary economy, a world of peaceful relations between co-operative societies, a world in which hunger and avoidable disease have been abolished. It is no less easy to say that the primary obstacle to achieving this desired end-state is the system of transnational corporations, and the powerful states which defend and extend the control of these corporations; and furthermore that these corporations and states must be abolished. In one formula, this would mean that the productive resources of each society should be under the direct control of those who carry out productive work. Economic and other relations between societies would, we expect, become less violent and confrontational, and less threatening to human survival. It is more challenging and perhaps more humanly significant to try to define some of the major staging posts on the way to this utopia. In the terms of another piece, it is more difficult - and may be more useful in making strategy - to define what world society might look like _on_ the political horizon, rather than beyond it. In one widely-discussed and thoughtful contribution to these kinds of debates (The Age of Consent), George Monbiot suggested that the key issue was democracy (in the mainstream sense of 'representative democracy in the civil but not the economic sphere'). The key intermediate goal he suggested we should aim towards was a world parliament. This would make sense if the end state we were aiming for was a globalization of the Western model of capitalist democracy. If, however, we are convinced that transnational corporations are a key obstacle to needed changes, and their abolition is necessary to secure a just and sustainable world, then some other medium-term goal is going to be more useful to us, and another definition of the kind of 'global democracy' we are aiming for. What restraints on transnational capitalism can we imagine being imposed within basically the present structure of power? Where might these restraints come from? On the political horizon, it seems clear that there are only three possible sources of restraint: grassroots movements; nation-states; and transnational authorities deriving their power and authority from both states and grassroots movements. By 'grassroots movements' I mean here all sorts of popular associations, trade unions and other forms of 'civil society'. It is likely that the restraining influence exerted by nation-states, and by global authorities created by nation-states, will be initiated by, and proportional to the combined strength of, grassroots movements and those states which are either oppressed by the present order or willing to challenge it for other reasons. What kinds of restraint are we talking about? We are talking about restraints on war, state terrorism, nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, military production and exports. We are talking about restraints on the use of economic sanctions, international debt, monopoly power over economic markets, aid, unfair trade rules, restrictive patent laws and other forms of intimidation and exploitation. We are talking about restraints on the destructive flight of capital through financial markets and national industries, and the dumping of environmental and social costs on powerless communities. How could these kinds of restraints be exercised? By international institutions supported by the collective strength of the more pacific and poorer countries, and by grassroots mobilization both inside and outside the 'great powers'. What we need are international organizations, at both the state level and at the popular level, that are committed to combat domination whether by regional bullies, superpower hegemons, or transnational corporations. These international organisations need to be as democratic as possible, perhaps based on some international economic/financial burden-sharing according to ability to pay, with the greatest degree possible of popular communication, oversight and accountability across national boundaries. There are old traditions that may be useful here. The election of delegates who do not 'represent', but who are faithful conduits for information and opinion between their electors and the discussion/decision-making forums they attend on behalf of their communities. The right to recall delegates at will; fixed terms of office; requirements for rotation of office-holders; and so on. To these we might add new ideas, which are often elaborations of older principles, familiar from the 'parecon' literature. International grassroots organisations can only be as strong and democratic as the national and local organisations they are built on. (I mean here something fairly loose - organisations spanning a recognised grouping (self-)defined by geography, ethnicity, language or other marker of (self-defined) significance.) One major goal on the horizon therefore is to build grassroots organisations that are strong and democratic internally (free from sexism, racism, homophobia, classism and other forms of division); free of 'vanguardism' and authoritarian control; able to cooperate effectively across language and national boundaries; committed to the radical reform (or abolition) of institutions such as the transnational corporation and the imperial state; and willing and able to make sacrifices in the battle to restrain these disruptive and destructive entities. At the international level, there is something like the kind of coalition described above regarding trade justice (though not to the same degree in relation to war or environmental crisis, as far as I am aware). Currently, as I understand it, NGOs, foundations and trade unions all play a leading and vitally important role in these coalitions. Going by the above analysis, two goals for the future would be, on the one hand, to reform these institutions (NGOs, foundations, trade unions and so on) to make them more transparent, democratic and empowering, and, on the other, to build up other independent national and international grassroots organisations that can complement them and perhaps eventually replace them or merge with them. I think it is also safe to propose strong roots in the organized labour movements, made up of revitalised and militant labour organizations, will be critical to the success of our movements for radical social change. It goes without saying (I assume) that, from the point of view of workers' rights at least, the power of transnational corporations can only be countered effectively by transnational unions or coalitions of unions. So the broad brush picture here would be of a basket of particular restrictive measures which we might describe as 'Tobin Plus' or 'UN Charter Plus), which can exert a restraining influence on the major corporations and on violent states; and international institutions, increasingly grassroots-influenced and -dominated, which are committed to justice and survival and therefore to the reform (and eventual replacement) of the transnational corporation and the imperial state. In the absence of real equality, the global majority can check the excesses of the powerful, institutionalize those restraints, and form watchdog institutions that pose a significant countervailing influence. These new organizations and institutions - whether at the state level, the NGO/trade union level or the grassroots level must increasingly embody the values of the future world society we are building. ********** 3) Strategy Gathering Discussion Documents Contents • Targeting the mainstream • Opposing the occupation: what are the blockages? • Choosing a mix of tactics • Time for a counter-recruitment network? • Changing the mood in parliament • Civil disobedience in Westminster • The oil rip-off is coming • Reports from the US • Additional contribution: Anti-war campaigning – how can we do it better? Introduction This discussion sheet collates some initial thoughts from several anti-war campaigners in answer to the question: ‘What will it take for us to end the occupation of Iraq?’ It is intended as a starting point to help campaigners prepare for the strategy gathering IOF is organising on 18th November. We would like to be able to circulate as many contributions as possible in advance of the gathering concerning your local experiences of anti-war activism, your ideas and proposals for action, and thoughts on what the anti-war movement should (or shouldn’t!) be doing to end the occupation. So, if you or your group has written something – or would like to write something – about these topics, please send it to iraqfocus@riseup.net, so that we can make it available to other campaigners. **** Targeting the mainstream Alex Pilcher, Iraq Occupation Focus The occupation of Iraq must be brought to an end without delay if there is to be any chance of the Iraqi people finding peace, stability, democracy and prosperity. The devastation caused by the US/UK presence is obvious to much of the public, despite the endless denials from Tony Blair. Yet the anti-war movement that generated such a dynamic and vocal campaign to oppose the invasion of Iraq in 2003 has not managed to build a forceful campaign to end the ensuing occupation. Activists have not been idle. There have been countless vigils, die-ins and direct action protests, public meetings, street stalls, petitions and so forth. But there is a weakness in the very diversity of these activities. All our anti-occupation work, apart from the national demonstrations, has been fragmented, localised, small in scale, occasional and unsustained. If we continue in the same vein for another three and half years we can hardly hope to see a change in government policy through our efforts. It is time to rethink our approach and learn from past campaigns that have used durable mass participation to raise the profile of a political demand and to force the hand of governments. Models ranging from the South Africa boycott and the Poll Tax non-payment campaign to the AIDS red ribbon and Make Poverty History wristbands all show, in their different ways, the power of a simple tactic when it is adopted and sustained over time by a sizeable section of the public. We need to be encouraging as many people as possible to display their opposition to the occupation in a similarly routine, everyday fashion. One of greatest hurdles we face is the pervasive myth that “nobody seriously suggests we should leave Iraq now”. Yet this hurdle is also one of the simplest to overcome. By developing a channel for the expression of anti-occupation opinion that enables it to steadily amplify from one week to the next and reverberate across the country, we can demonstrate that there are actually millions of people who think we should get out of Iraq right away. Shifting the terms of mainstream debate is vital if we are to see any serious political pressure on the government. We will not see MPs stepping forward to call for an end to the occupation while that option is so routinely marginalised as to ‘cut and run’, ‘abandon the Iraqi people’ and ‘surrender to terrorists’. By proving that mainstream public opinion recognises the occupation is a disaster for Iraqis, we can sway even more people to this view and at last legitimate public debate about ending it. **** Opposing the occupation: what are the blockages? Milan Rai, Justice Not Vengeance Our main challenge is to ask the right question. Why is do we have public opinion poll numbers similar to those we had before the invasion, and daily reports of horror in Iraq, but such a low level of activity? The majority of people oppose the war, but they aren’t active. If we can identify what is blocking them from taking action, we can liberate that energy into the movement. I’m sure there are lots of factors, including simple despair. My own feeling is that the central blockage for most people who oppose the war, but who do nothing, is their fear for the Iraqi people in the event of immediate and unconditional Western withdrawal. (Iraqis themselves seem to share that fear, hence the lack of majority support in Iraq for instant withdrawal. See the September 2006 PIPA poll.) How can the anti-war movement overcome this blockage? Yes, by demonstrating that the occupation forces are increasing violence in Iraq, but crucially, in my view, by offering the option – if acceptable to Iraqi opinion – of replacement international forces independent of the US and UK. Such an option has had the support of Sunni and Shia insurgents in the past. **** Choosing a mix of tactics Milan Rai, Justice Not Vengeance It’s not just about being effective, we also need to feel effective. Keeping morale up means choosing a mix of tactics that provides us with satisfaction as well as impact. It also means choosing a mix of goals: long-range and shorter-term. Our overall goal is to end the occupation. But we all know that to force the US out of Iraq, which has the second largest proven reserves of oil in the world, is way beyond forcing the US to get out of, say, Vietnam. Vietnam was peripheral to the US. Iraq is _central_. This will take a very long time. We also need smaller goals that (a) make a difference to the lives of ordinary families in Iraq, and (b) that are winnable. That’s good for Iraqis, and also good for activist morale. For example, supporting trade unions. Or changing the rules of engagement for US soldiers, so they don’t use lethal force as soon as they feel threatened (there were some changes this summer in this direction). Or reversing the erosion of fuel subsidies and the state food ration. All these things have a measurable impact on the lives of ordinary Iraqis. And they are all ‘winnable’. **** Time for a counter-recruitment network? Ippy, Peace News In Britain there are a number of groups and campaigns working both with soldiers and prospective soldiers. However most are specialising in particular areas and most are not coming from a clear antimilitarist position. Therefore we have groups like Military Families Against War who are campaigning against the current war on Iraq and for justice for their own relatives, and counselling services like At Ease and Combat Stress who provide a kind of “social services” for serving and ex military personnel. Each year however, there are also small-scale counter-recruitment actions taking place in towns and cities across Britain. These are often the initiative of local groups and networks who hear that the military are coming to their neighbourhood to try to capture kids with their glossy brochures and exciting promo films, and decide to do something to counter the military’s lies about the real experience of war. Here’s some examples of actions that have taken place over the past few years: In 2002, the d10 Group visited “Army 2002” an unofficial recruitment event held on Salisbury Plane and disrupted the “family” entertainment with a banner action during the Apache helicopter display; in 2003 an army display event in Watford was disrupted in a hail of paint-filled eggs; in Oxford and Bristol activists have managed to chase the army out of town when they’ve tried to set up shop in the high street and at festivals; earlier this year Wrexham Peace and Justice Group held three days of actions and information-giving inside and outside the army’s “Dragon’s March” recruitment fair in Chirk North Wales; the Belfast peace network picketed the British army’s Kinnegar base during a recruitment day in May; London antimilitarists have held protests at the annual London Soldier event at the army’s Chelsea barracks. The issue however, is that while there’s obviously energy and enthusiasm for countering the military’s lies about warfare and military life, at the moment it is a disparate set of groups and individuals working on this issue and there is no “joined-up” campaigning to tackle the forces’ massive propaganda machine. Ironically perhaps, experience suggests that the military are very vulnerable to counter-recruitment activity in that they cannot really cope with people standing up and telling the truth about their recruitment tactics, military life, and combat itself. All the more reason to try to build a national network of groups and individuals who can share information and resources on this issue and make sure that every time the military go walkabouts to kidnap kids, they get the opportunity to hear another voice. If you are interested in working to develop a national campaign, come along to the Counter-recruitment workshop at the strategy gathering, or email iraqfocus@riseup.net and ask to be kept in touch with what comes out of it. Further information about some of the actions mentioned above can be found via www.peacenews.info. **** Changing the mood in Parliament Gabriel Carlyle, Voices in the Wilderness According to a recent opinion poll 71% of the UK public think that “the presence of British forces in Iraq” is either making the situation worse (36%) or making no difference (35%). Sixty-two percent want to see a timetable for withdrawal and yet there has been little work done to put sustained and effective pressure on MPs to support withdrawal. Indeed, as of September 2006 there wasn’t even an Early Day Motion to this effect – and hadn’t been for the past 15 months. In contrast to the current situation in which a handful of anti-war activists occasionally visit their MP to argue with him about Iraq to little or no effect – or the lone activist writes a brilliantly argued letter to John Reid and receives a form reply – a serious grassroots campaign, combining constituency-based petition drives (going door-to-door if necessary), effective local media work, public accountability sessions with the MP and activities to raise the political costs for those who won’t support withdrawal (eg. by creating negative publicity for them in the local paper or leafleting door-to-door) could yield real results. Media workshops could be run for those activists with little or no experience in this area, powerful displays produced for use in local petition drives, and activists from different areas could hone their efforts – and support one another - by sharing experiences of what does and doesn’t work in practice. Many of the resources to run such a campaign already exist so what are we waiting for? **** Civil disobedience in Westminster Jonathan Stevenson, Mass Action Group An ad hoc collection of anti-war activists meeting in London have organised two “unauthorised” demonstrations in Parliament Square in 2006 against the occupation. The first, ‘Naming the Dead’ in April, saw several hundred people including Joanna Lumley take part in a four-hour name reading ceremony under the banner ‘Who Lies? Who Dies? Who Profits?’ The second, ‘No More Fallujahs’, takes place at the end of this month in an attempted 24-hour anti-occupation camp in the square, with Milan Rai and Maya Evans repeating their unauthorsed name readings from October 2005. As well as resisting the no protest laws around Parliament and expressing solidarity with Brian Haw’s continuing vigil, the actions indicate the growing number of anti-war activists who are not only willng to do more than march but who see direct action and civil disobedience as a necessary part of a successful movement against the occupation. **** The oil rip-off is coming Notes from a talk by Greg Muttitt from Platform Western oil companies will be moving in for the kill in early 2007 if a new oil law scheduled to be shown to Iraq’s parliament in December is successfully rubber-stamped. The US has been heavily involved in drafting the law, with Energy Secretary Bodman visiting Iraq in July to look at a draft and Iraqi Oil Minister Husayn al-Shahristani meeting executives from nine major oil companies on his return visit to Washington DC. While the IMF has also been involved in drafting the law, an official from the Oil Ministry has stated that Iraqi civil society and the general public will not be consulted at all. Iraqi oil workers in particularly are busy resisting the passage of the new law and there is some prospect of at least delaying its introduction into 2007. If and when it passes, though, there will be substantial scope for solidarity campaigning in the UK and elsewhere to prevent Big Oil from grabbing the next 30 years of Iraq’s oil revenue by signing up to Production Sharing Agreements. UK-based Shell has put itself in a prime position to do just that, with consistent support from Downing St. But it may find that the anti-war movement has other ideas. **** Reports from the US A report in the New York Times on 13 October revealed the extent to which anti-war protests in the US have been monitored by the Department of Defense. Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union warned of the threat posed by counter-recruitment activities, including an investigation in May 2005 into the Students for Peace and Justice group at the University of California, Santa Cruz, following protests at recruitment fairs by several hundred students. “The clear purpose of these civil disobedience actions was to disrupt the recruiting mission of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command by blocking the entrance to the recruiting station and causing the stations to shut down early,” it said. An email from United for Peace and Justice on 2 October reported on the ‘Declaration of Peace’ campaign over the summer, which called for Congress to produce a plan for the withdrawal of US troops by 21 September. If that did not happen, then a new round of antiwar protests and events would unfold, including greater use of nonviolent civil resistance and civil disobedience around the nation. From September 21-28, people in over 150 cities and towns organised and participated in a wide range of actions: vigils, peace concerts, marches, parades, readings of the Iraqi and US war dead, interfaith services, and acts of nonviolent resistance. “The Declaration of Peace campaign has inspired new activists, re-energized folks working against this war for years, and helped expand the tools our movement is using,” it said. “In the coming weeks organizers at both the local and national level will be evaluating the campaign’s work so far and planning for the next steps.” **** ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTION: Anti-war campaigning – how can we do it better? Thoughts on the anti-war movement by Kate Page, October 2006 My involvement in the anti-war movement has left me with lots of thoughts and questions about how we organised, and how we could have been more effective. This is an attempt to get some of these down on paper, with the hope of starting some discussion. Whatever successes we might have had, the anti-war movement has failed to achieve two crucial things. Firstly, stopping Britain going to war in Iraq, and secondly maintaining an effective opposition to the on-going occupation. There are many factors affecting this, a lot of them outside the control of campaigners. In this paper I’m looking at just one aspect of this, the aspect that we have responsibility for and can do something about – how can we organise more effectively? I was involved for about 3 years in Sussex Action for Peace (SAfP), the anti-war group in Brighton. This was one of the most exciting, but also most frustrating campaigns I’ve been part of in over 28 years of political activity. Exciting because of the huge opposition to the war and unprecedented interest in the campaign; frustrating as it became increasingly clear that we were failing to translate this opposition into ongoing, focused political pressure. Turning opposition into political pressure Many campaigns face a difficult initial task of informing people about their cause and convincing them it’s worth supporting. The anti-war movement was unusual, in that huge numbers of people already opposed the war, and it was an issue everyone knew about. The huge turnout on the Feb 14th demo indicated this, and thousands of those attending must have come from Brighton. What we needed to do was turn this opposition into sustained political pressure. In theory, SAfP should have been able to build on the opposition already there in the town, focus it and develop it. In practise, we weren’t able to do this with more than a fraction of the people who opposed the war. In fact, we didn’t manage to use the skills and enthusiasm of a lot of the people who actually made the effort to come along to our meetings. Worse still, in some cases our activities and meetings clearly put off people who were keen to get involved. I’m not suggesting involving people is an easy thing to do. My criticism is not that we didn’t come up with all the right answers, but that we were failing to recognise there was a problem. Organisation is important A central problem for SAfP was our inability to take organising structures and systems seriously. This is fundamentally a political, not a practical problem. As a group, we didn’t have any collective responsibility to, agreement on, or recognition of, the importance of good organisation. Organisational tasks and structure were consistently de-prioritised and not considered important. In fact, there was a line of political argument explicitly opposed to strengthening the organisational aspects of the campaign. The left in Britain has a raft of bad practices and ingrained habits which activists tend to accept as just the way things are, but which make involvement difficult for newcomers (and drive some old hands away). There is a consistently failure to take organisation seriously on the left, and, not surprisingly, this was reflected in anti-war activity. In SAfP, some of our organisational failures were quite basic. Tasks such as booking rooms, putting up notices to direct people to a meeting, bringing leaflets and information to the meeting or circulating a contact list would happen in a haphazard way, dependent on one or two individuals taking it upon themselves. Meetings are a central working tool of a campaign, and these were a problem in SAfP. All too often, we treated them as if they’d sort themselves out, when they actually require a lot of work and organisation if they are going to be effective and facilitate participation from everybody. An unprepared meeting that lacks focus and direction will alienate people, who’ll start to wonder why they didn’t stay at home and do one of the million other things pressing on their time. At its best, our meetings shambled along and more or less sorted things out. At its worst, they were horrible experiences where people felt silenced, intimidated and bullied. I think some of the fundamentals we missed were: · Starting and finishing on time. People have work and child care commitments, and making the time to get to a meeting is difficult. If you find you’re hanging around for half an hour (having missed your tea to get there) and you’ve got no guarantee of when the meeting will end, it’s going to put you off. · Welcoming new people. If you arrive at a meeting where everyone seems to know each other, but no one speaks to you, most people will feel awkward and unwelcome. One or two people in SAfP used to talk to newcomers, but this was very much an individual responsibility they took on. This was particularly true if the newcomer seemed to be a different type of person from the majority at the meeting. Inevitably, this creates an atmosphere more like a social club than a campaign serious about its aims and eager to include everyone. · Having some ground rules: A set of basic agreements about how the meetings will be run is enormously helpful. You need to go through this briefly at the start of every meeting, so new people are put in the picture, and others reminded. It helps the Chair to do a decent job, and facilitates contributions. · Introducing the group and the discussion: there needed to be a basic description of SAfP and its aims at the start of every meeting. This is essential for newcomers and a useful reminder for others. · Prepare an agenda: if you want to get the most out of the brief time in a meeting, you need to have thought about it beforehand, worked out what the important issues are to cover, whether items need introductions from other people, thought through how much you’re likely to cover in the available time. · Having a clear role for the Chair: the task of chairing a meeting well needs some thought and preparation, particularly if the meetings are large. You also need a clear idea of what you’re expected to do as the Chair and the support of the meeting when you try to do this. · Agreeing the Chair in advance: In SAfP we didn’t have a fixed person as the Chair. Sometimes we agreed the chair of the next meeting from the previous meeting, and sometimes it was open to offer at the meeting. In practice, the same few people often chaired, because they were the ones willing to take this on, but there was still the idea that this was a rotating, open job. This meant there wasn’t the opportunity to organise the chairing properly, but it wasn’t actually about opening up this role either. · Have a minute taker: not someone reluctantly dragooned into the task at the last minute, but someone you know will actually write up the tasks and decisions that came out of the meeting, and make sure these are passed on to other people. There are a whole range of other organisational tasks that were crucial to building an effective campaign. For example: · Developing and involving new people – building our contacts · Keeping people in touch with our activities – e mails and postal mailings · Fundraising and finances · Maintaining the website · Providing good up to date flyers & information · Providing ‘how to’ information and support Any one of these areas is a big bit of work. They require committed, on-going, hard slog. It takes time and energy to build this infra-structure, but it’s not frills around the edges, a side-line to the main event of organising street activity. It’s essential to achieving our aims. Without this crucial organisational infra-structure we can’t develop or maintain people’s involvement. We also aren’t able to use the interest and energy that might be sparked by some of our activities, which will dissipate or fade away. The fact that the group overall doesn’t take organisational tasks seriously means some things won’t happen. But for the group to exist at all, someone will be doing the basics. If there is no collective responsibility for these tasks, then a few exhausted individuals will end up bearing the organisational weight of the group. This isn’t good for them, or the long-term sustaining of the campaign. People who are consistently paying attention to and putting time into the organisational tasks can find themselves in quite central roles without this having been acknowledged or agreed by the group, a position which isn’t good for the individuals or the group. It leaves individuals unaccountable, and without any guidance, support or legitimacy. Thinking about things One of my major frustrations with the campaign was our inability to think about why we were doing something. There are questions we always need to ask ourselves (and know the answers to) before we do anything:- · What are we trying to achieve? · Who is it aimed at? · What action will be most effective in this particular situation? · Who is going to organise it? · Who is going to participate in it? · How will we follow it up? There was a general impatience at any attempt to do this, and a desire to get straight on with the activity – “people are dying while we’re sitting here talking”. This meant that action was always prioritised over planning - and the actions therefore less effective. Evaluating what you’ve done As well as thinking about what we’re going to do, we need to evaluate what we have done. How effective was it? Did we achieve what we set out to do? How can we do it better next time? This should be totally integrated into the action – it’s the only way we can develop and become more effective. Generally, though, evaluation was seen as an optional extra rather than a politically important task. When we did manage to have some feed-back on events, SAfP tended not to be very rigorous in our analysis, wanting to reassure each other that we’ve done well rather than investigate how we could have done it better. Raising constructive criticism takes practice, and confidence in the group you’re working with. Tactics and strategy Tactics are the specific actions - circulating petitions, writing letters, staging a protest - which you use to achieve you goal. A decent campaign would use a wide range of different tactics, depending on its judgement of what would be most effective in any particular situation. Strategy is something larger, an overall map that guides the use of these tools toward clear goals. Strategy is a hard-nosed assessment of where you are, where you want to go, and how you can get there. In SAfP we spent a lot of time discussing tactics as if they were political principles set in stone. Divisions and tensions arose around issues such as whether or not to get police permission for a protest, or whether the weight of the organisation should be put behind protests outside army bases rather than demos. I always struggled with these discussions, as it seemed to me they were purely tactical questions, totally dependent on what it was you were trying to achieve. I don’t think that, in themselves, demos are more effective than candle-lit vigils, or writing letters to MPs better than sitting down in the street. It depends on what you are trying to do, and the specific situation you are in. These are tactics, not political principles. We never had any discussion of our overall strategy, so it was impossible to reach a meaningful conclusion about what tactic was most appropriate. Instead, we’d get bogged down in circular and irresolvable discussions, with people labelled as having ‘reformist’ or ‘revolutionary’ positions. Meanwhile, we never addressed the central political questions of how you get people to engage in sustained political action, and what the activities are that will put pressure on the Government. A broad based movement? In theory, SAfP aimed to be a broad-based movement. To be part of it, the only thing that mattered was your opposition to the war. In practise, SAfP struggled to determine what this meant. As the campaign developed, it became increasingly clear that a lot of people involved were actively opposed to the idea of a broad-based movement, and (not surprisingly) other people were unclear what was meant by a broad-based movement. This created a number of problems which were never clearly addressed. There was a lot of hostility to views that were labelled as liberal or reformist. This put off people who didn’t see themselves as revolutionaries. But it also missed the central point of a broad based organisation – that we wanted people with different ideas about the world, this was a good thing. The whole point of a broad based organisation is that you don’t need to hold a particular political world view in order to be in it. All that matters is your opposition to the war, and the pressure we can collectively bring to bear on the Government. If you didn’t believe this, then really a broad-based campaign wasn’t the best place to be. Central agreements One of the central problems for SAfP was that we didn’t have a clear idea of our aims or overall structure. We didn’t have any written agreements about the campaign’s aims, any basic ground rules about how meetings would run, or any agreement about how the organisation would be structured. Questions of democracy and decision making processes are complicated and I don’t claim to have all the answers. However, I’m sure that agreement about a campaign’s aims is a base line for any effective activity. Without this it’ll take an unagreed (and undemocratic) direction, generally determined by a vocal minority, or fizzle out in confusion and frustration. Did we need an organising group/committee? There was a strong strand of political thought in SAfP that was opposed to any structure or organisation. One manifestation of this was over whether or not to have a smaller organising group. I think that a campaign the size of SAfP (we had around 80 people turning up to meetings at some points) needed some level of organisation by a smaller group. This needed to be consistent, have openly acknowledged roles that people committed to for a period of time and meet regularly outside of general meetings. A very loosely structured, open organising group was set up at one point. However, there was such a lack of clarity about its role, and people were so suspicious of the concept, that it was pretty much ham-strung from the start. I think the fear was that any organising group or committee that met outside the general meetings would become a closed group of people who imposed their politics on the campaign overall, and dictated to everyone else. The thinking being that structure = hierarchy = undemocratic campaign. These are legitimate concerns, and do present problems for any organisation. The history of the British left isn’t great, and doesn’t give us good models. Resolving these issues would be a work in progress for any campaign, and require different solutions for different situations. I certainly don’t have a game plan for all occasions, or a definitive model of what would have been the best structure for SAfP. What I am sure about is that abandoning any organisational structures at all isn’t the answer. Hierarchies will still develop, but will be unacknowledged and unaccountable. Structures will still be there, but will be by default not agreement. Lack of structure doesn’t equal democracy or participation. Conclusion Generally people are looking to a campaign to provide some structure and direction. They don’t want to come along to a meeting to find nothing is organised and no one is clear or agrees about what should be done. They don’t want to have to take on all the organisation themselves before anything happens. They do want to find some way of channelling their anger and disagreement into effective, collective political action. Facilitating this isn’t an easy task for any campaign – and wont emerge without thought, hard work, and, I believe, structure and good organisation. The challenge for us, as activists, is how we do this. The first step is recognising that it is necessary. From info at j-n-v.org Wed Dec 6 07:07:51 2006 From: info at j-n-v.org (JNV) Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2006 07:07:51 +0000 Subject: [JNV] Trident Briefing, Events Listings and Christmas book offer Message-ID: 1) Christmas Book Offer 2) Trident Briefing 3) Events Listings 1) Christmas Book Offer Dear friends, For the rest of the month, JNV is offering a special "3 for 2" deal on Maya Anne Evans' 'Naming The Dead' (normally £7 direct from JNV) and Milan Rai's '7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War' (normally £10 direct from JNV). Three copies of Maya's book will cost only £14 + £3.00 postage (total £17.00). Three copies of Milan's book will cost only £20 + £3.00 postage (total £23.00). If you email us (info at j-n-v.org) your order (number of copies, name, address and telephone number) and post your cheque at the same time, we will post out to you first class as soon as we get your email. For more about these books, see the JNV website www.j-n-v.org 2) Trident Briefing We have a rapid response to Tony Blair's speech and the Trident White Paper available on our website as text and as a double-sided briefing. ***** JNV Anti-War Briefing 98 TRIDENT: NUCLEAR THREATS AND 'VITAL INTERESTS' 5 December 2006 BLAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENT On Mon. 4 Dec., Tony Blair announced his Government's intention to retain nuclear weapons indefinitely, by replacing the submarines that carry Britain's Trident nuclear missiles. JNV opposes the replacement of Trident. We oppose the development, use or threatened use of nuclear weapons (or any other weapons of mass destruction) by Britain or by any other state or group. THE RISKS Tony Blair justifies keeping nuclear weapons past 2024 by referring to three specific threats: (1) a 'major nuclear threat to our strategic interests' might emerge; (2) there is 'a new and potentially hazardous threat' from states such as North Korea and Iran; (3) 'there is a possible connection between some of those states and international terrorism'. In other words, China or Russia may become unfriendly to Britain's 'strategic interests'; there are anti-Western 'rogue states' in the world engaged in WMD proliferation; and they might supply weapons to figures such as bin Laden, who has declared his determination to acquire WMD. Blair does not explain why non-nuclear methods are inadequate in dealing with these risks, or why other countries do not also have the right to use nuclear weapons to manage such risks. On the issue of state-sponsored nuclear terrorism, Blair knows perfectly well that the high-level US 'Gilmore Commission' concluded in 1999 that the likelihood of a WMD state supplying such weapons to a terror group was 'low'. (pp. 17-18; pdf ) Blair also fails to define Britain's 'strategic interests'. This is his most important omission. PROTECTING 'VITAL INTERESTS' Blair's 4 Dec. speech to the House of Commons ends by claiming that the Trident decision is based on 'what we think is in the long-term strategic interests of our nation and its security.' Blair has also published an official justification of his Trident decision, a 'White Paper', which uses the slightly different phrase 'vital interests' (20 times in 40 pages). In the foreword, Blair writes: 'An independent deterrent ensures our vital interests will be safeguarded.' The White Paper says the UK's nuclear weapons are designed 'to deter and prevent nuclear blackmail and acts of aggression against our vital interests that cannot be countered by other means.' (p. 17. The White Paper is a 1Mb pdf download: ) This is the constant refrain throughout the White Paper: nuclear weapons are there to protect Britain's 'vital interests'. How strange, then, that this key concept of 'vital interests' is not defined in the White Paper, or in its appendices, or in Tony Blair's speech. VITAL INTERESTS OUTSIDE EUROPE If we look back to New Labour's 1998 'Strategic Defence Review' (SDR), this said that Britain's nuclear arsenal should be the minimum needed to 'deter any threat to our vital interests'. (Ch. 4, para. 61. The whole SDR is a 2Mb pdf , Ch. 4 is at .) The SDR stated baldly that 'our vital interests are not confined to Europe.' (Ch. 2, para. 9) It set out the main elements: 'Our economy is founded on international trade. Exports form a higher proportion of Gross Domestic Product than for the US, Japan, Germany or France. We invest more of our income abroad than any other major economy. Our closest economic partners are the European Union and the US but our investment in the developing world amounts to the combined total of France, Germany and Italy. Foreign investment into the UK also provides nearly 20% manufacturing jobs. We depend on foreign countries for supplies of raw materials, above all oil.' (Ch. 2, para. 9) So: Britain's 'vital interests' include exports, investments abroad, foreign investment into the UK, and imported raw materials (particularly 'oil'), as well as national survival. The SDR was clear: 'Outside Europe our interests are most likely to be affected by events in the Gulf... We have particularly important national interests and close friendships in the Gulf.' (Ch. 2 para. 40) PROTECTING EXPEDITIONARY FORCES - PAST Britain's nuclear forces therefore must have a role in the Middle East. In the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war, then Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon stated three times that British nuclear weapons could be used against Iraq, for example if British troops were threatened by chemical or biological weapons. (Hugo Young, Guardian, 6 June 2002 ) In the run-up to the 1991 Iraq war, then Prime Minister John Major was asked if 'a nuclear device' would be used against Iraq 'if that is necessary for the protection of our own troops' from chemical or biological attack. He replied: 'I do not envisage needing to use the sanction that he suggests.' (Hansard, 15 Jan. 1991 ) The option was left open. These nuclear threats were designed to protect British expeditionary forces in the Middle East, or, from another point of view, to prevent regional powers deterring British invasion forces from forcing their way into the region. Nuclear threats gave Britain freedom of action. PROTECTING EXPEDITIONARY FORCES - FUTURE This role for nuclear weapons is hinted at in the Trident White Paper, which says: 'Over the next 20 to 50 years, one or more states could also emerge that possess a more limited nuclear capability, but one that poses a grave threat to our vital interests. We must not allow such states to threaten our national security or to deter us and the international community from taking the action required to maintain regional and global security. The UK's continued possession of a nuclear deterrent provides an assurance that we cannot be subjected in future to nuclear blackmail or a level of threat which would put at risk our vital interests or fundamentally constrain our foreign and security policy options.' Iranian nuclear weapons, if they are developed, might deter Britain from invading the Persian Gulf region. Nuclear weapons can neutralize this 'constraint', and help Britain to retain control of its 'vital interests'. There are problems with using nuclear weapons in this way, however. TACTICAL TRIDENT It is not credible to threaten a small nuclear power with an apocalyptic all-out assault of 48 nuclear warheads each eight times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb - just in order to protect an invasion force. That is why in Nov. 1993 the then Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind announced a new role for a single-warhead Trident missile ('Tactical Trident') which could be fired to deliver 'an unmistakable message of our willingness to defend our vital interests to the utmost.' (Brassey's Defence Yearbook, 1994) (See Milan Rai, Tactical Trident, 1995.) More details were given in the military journal International Defense Review (Sept. 1994): 'At what might be termed the "upper end" of the usage spectrum, [Tactical Trident] could be used in a conflict involving large-scale forces (including British ground and air forces, such as the 1990-91 Gulf War) to reply to enemy nuclear strikes. Secondly, they could be used in a similar setting, but to reply to enemy use of weapons of mass destruction, such as bacteriological or chemical weapons, for which the British possess no like-for-like retaliatory capability.' 'Thirdly, they could be used in a demonstrative role, ie aimed at a non-critical, possibly [!] uninhabited area, with the message that if the country concerned pursued its present course of action, nuclear weapons will be aimed at a high-priority target. Finally, there is the punitive role, were a country has committed an act, despite specific warning that to do so would incur a nuclear strike.' Only one of these scenarios involves an enemy with nuclear weapons. VITAL INTERESTS, NUCLEAR THREATS These are important facts missing from the debate about Trident renewal. Simply: one of Trident's central functions is to guarantee the economic and financial privileges of privileged elites - 'vital interests' - by threatening countries around the world with nuclear destruction. ***** 3) Events Listings EVENTS Thurs 7 Dec LONDON: The Clash of Barbarisms & The Middle Wars. Talk with Gilbert Achcar, author of 'Eastern Cauldron' (2004), 'The Clash of Barbarisms' (2006) and (with Noam Chomsky) 'Perilous Prospects' (2007). 5pm, Room RHB 137, Richard Hoggart Building, Goldsmiths, New Cross, London SE14 6NW. www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/xenos Thurs 7 Dec LONDON: Zionism, Anti-Semitism and the struggle against racism. Lecture by Prof. Nira Yuval-Davis (UEL). 7pm, Room B102, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H OXG. Org. by SOAS Palestine Society. Fri 8 Dec LONDON: The emerging Pan-European Islamophobic Hysteria- How should Muslims respond? Public meeting with Victoria Brittain, Tariq Ramadan and others. 7-10pm, The Chamber, Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, SE1 2AA. Organised by the European Muslim Network. To book a place at this free event e-mail ruhul-AT-blink.org.uk.www.blink.org.uk Sat 9 Dec AROUND THE UK: Boycott Israel day of Action. See www.bigcampaign.org. Sun 10 Dec NEWBURY: Planning Meeting for Aldermaston Blockade 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. See btb-AT-aldermaston.net, mobile tel 07969 739 812. Mon 11 Dec ALDERMASTON: Block The Builders (Planning Meeting is the night before, see above.) If you decide to head straight to Aldermaston on Monday morning, please try and plan your journey to arrive by 7am so that you don’t get caught up in the traffic caused by the blockade. Meet near Tadley Gate. See btb-AT-aldermaston.net, mobile tel 07969 739 812. Mon 11 Dec LONDON: Trial of Brian Haw For failing to comply with the conditions imposed on him under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA). Since June 2001 Brian has maintained a one-person 24-7 peace vigil in Parliament Square. Time and venue tbc. See www.parliament-square.org.uk. Mon 11 Dec LONDON: Meltdown in Iraq: Is it time for an exit? Talk between the Independent's Iraq correspondent Patrick Cockburn and Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins. 7pm, Nash Room, Institute for Contemporary Arts, 12 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5AH. £10/£9 Concessions. Booking essential. Contact (0)20 7930 3647. See also www.ica.org.uk Mon 11 Dec ALDERMASTON: Multifaith vigil against Trident replacement. 4 - 6 pm, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Berks. Gather on the green opposite Tadley Gate on the South West side of AWE on the A340 at 3.45pm. Contact Chris Gwyntopher: chrisandgwyn-AT-phonecoop.coop or 0773990671. Tues 12 Dec LONDON: Trident Replacement- The Tipping Point? Seminar with Prof Ken Booth (Univeisity of Aberystwyth) and John Vidal (Environmental Correspondent for 'The Guardian'). 10.00 - 12.00 noon, Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons. Organised by the WMD Awareness Programme and Greenpeace. Thurs14 Dec LONDON: Monthly Meeting of Iraq Occupation Focus. 7.30 - 9.30pm, Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, W1T 6AQ (nearest tube Warren Street). All welcome. See www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk. Sun 14 Jan EASTBOURNE: 'The War on Terror at Home and Abroad.' Talk by Maya Evans and artist Emily Johns. Maya will talk about her experiences of 'unauthorised' public protest and civil disobedience in London (where she was the first person to be convicted under SOCPA legislation), and Emily will talk about Iran, inspired by her recent peace delegation to that country. 12.30pm, Friends Meeting House, Wish Road, Eastbourne, BN21. Organised by Eastbourne for Peace and Liberty. For further info, contact Michael or Angie at michael3col-AT-yahoo.co.uk (01323 430040). Sat 13 JAN - 8 DEC 07 'Turning the Tide' Nonviolence Training Programme. Monthly 1-day workshops at Friends House, Euston Road, London. For those who wish to learn about tools for radical change, or train as facilitators for activist and community groups working for social change, or, those wanting to join Turning the Tide’s team of volunteer Resource People who facilitate workshops for these groups. the workshops are available as a complete course or as a one-off events. Open workshops are £20 each, please book at least a week before the workshop. Facilitator’s Training Programme is £200 – please contact us by 19 December 2006. booking for either is essential. Contact Turning the Tide, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. 020 7663 1064/1061. e: sophier-AT-quaker.org.uk, w: www.turning-the-tide.org --- >From the Ceasefire Campaign If you have not yet joined our call for a new direction in Iraq, please consider doing so at this crucial moment. Coalition governments are beginning to accept that there is no military solution, but they haven’t settled on what an alternative diplomatic approach looks like. With hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths already in Iraq, we cannot afford to miss this chance to demand a new course. Your voice could make a difference over the coming week. Click below to see our ad and join the campaign for a new direction in Iraq: www.ceasefirecampaign.org --- Join the Big Trident debate A broad coalition of individuals and organisations has launched a campaign to secure a full public and parliamentary debate on the replacement of Britain's nuclear weapons system, Trident. The website www.bigtridentdebate.org.uk contains a statement calling for a full debate which individuals and organisations are encouraged to sign. Please visit the site and join the debate.No Trident Replacement --- The Prime Minister’s website now has a new petition facility on the 10 Downing Street web site. Here are two possible petitions to sign: 1) Petition against ID cards http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/IDcards 2) For the PM to champion the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and not replace Trident, http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trident/ --- Occupation of Cardiff Castle for Palestine 2 min 45 sec - 17-Nov-2006 Description: Cardiff Castle The protesters have barricaded the door of the keep.Three peace protesters have occupied the keep at Cardiff Castle in a demonstration over the 'occupation of land in Palestine'. The three got into the keep after buying a ticket for a castle tour and used a bar to block the entrance. D Murphy, Bob Cotterill and Keith Ross stressed they have no wish to damage the castle. The protesters said the action was to make the point about the occupation of land in Palestine which they claimed was being ignored by the public and the media. http://tinyurl.com/y9s6nl