Sat24Feb - LONDON - Stop the War demo.

[xmasdale]

Belinda writes

Hi guys

In case anyone picks this up Saturday morning this is just to remind you to come and pick up LEAFLETS from me at Hyde Park Speakers Corner (Marble Arch end) from 12 onwards (I'll probably be taking up stations a bit before then and will linger on there till 2 then join the march.

I will have some PLACARDS after all, managed to cobble some together!

Also 2-3 needed to take the BANNER round.

See you later I very much hope

Belinda

I will be there too with the big black banner reading 911 INSIDE JOB - FRAME-UP.

Please come and carry it as I want my hands free for leafletting.

Noel

[xmasdale]

Stop the War coalition write to us:

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 0407
22 February 2007
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Telephone 020 7278 6694
Web: www.stopwar.org.uk

IN THIS BULLETIN:
1) PROTEST WORKS: SAY NO TO BLAIR'S WARS ON 24 FEB
2) DON'T ATTACK IRAN
3) PEACE CAMP AT DOWNING STREET
4) THE DEBATE PARLIAMENT WON'T HAVE
5) "BLAIR" RECORD IN TOP 20 NEXT WEEK?

---------------------------------------------

1) PROTEST WORKS: SAY NO TO BLAIR'S WARS ON 24 FEB
Tony Blair's announcement that 1600 British troops will be withdrawn "within a few months" gives even more impetus to the national Troops Out demonstration on Saturday 24 February. He has made identical statements before, which came to nothing. And, as before, the media has predictably taken Blair's word that this is the beginning of the "Iraq endgame".

Whether we take Blair's announcement at face value or not, it is a clear admission of failure in Iraq. His justification for making the announcement now is simply nonsense. There is no improvement in the conditions in Basra to explain why troops were not brought home in 2006, or earlier. In fact, the situation in Basra is incomparably worse than it was before the invasion and it continues to deteriorate, with British troops rarely leaving their barracks and when they do facing almost certain attack, which has led this year to an increased rate of deaths and serious injuries (see http://tinyurl.com/yl2kme).

As Jonathan Steele writes, Blair's announcement of troop reductions "is driven by poll ratings not by conditions in Iraq" and the size of the reduction is strictly limited so as not to cause George Bush embarrassment. (See http://tinyurl.com/383rp6)

The timing of the announcement in itself shows that protest makes a difference and now is the time to use every opportunity to increase the pressure on Blair, especially with his typically slavish support for US threats to attack Iran and his intention to build a new generation of Trident nuclear weapons.

All the signs are we are going to have a very big protest on Saturday, with coaches coming from around 150 towns and cities across England and Wales (Scotland has its own demonstration: See http://tinyurl.com/q3y4k).

Everyone who has opposed Blair's warmongering over the past five years should aim to join us. Whether two thousand troops come home this year or not, it is too little too late, and we must intensify our call for all troops to be withdrawn now and for Britain to break the link with George Bush's foreign policy, which has brought so much death and destruction to the Middle East and -- through the bogus "war on terror" -- de-stabilised the world generally.

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
Called by Stop the War, CND AND BMI
SAT 24 FEBRUARY 12 NOON
* NO TRIDENT * TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ
ASSEMBLE SPEAKER'S CORNER HYDE PARK
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE

ROUTE: Speaker's Corner Hyde Park, Park Lane, Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, Trafalgar Square: MAP http://tinyurl.com/32cnbl

SPEAKERS: Speakers at the rally will include Tony Benn, a number of MPs including John McDonnell MP, comedian Mark Thomas, Caroline Lucas MEP, Bruce Kent (CND) and Lindsey German (Stop the War).

MUSIC AT THE RALLY:
The rally in Trafalgar Square will include musical contributions from Ed Harcourt, who will sing the Bob Dylan Classic "Masters of War" and folk singer Julie Felix. The singer of the "Tony Blair" spoof single will sing the anti-war classic: "War – What is it good for?" (see below)

STEWARDS: We have had a tremendous response to our call for stewards to help organise the demonstration. Because we anticipate that this will be a very big protest, we still need more stewards to ensure that we make the day as successful as possible. If you are able to help, please contact the Stop the War office on 020 7278 6694.

2) DON'T ATTACK IRAN
As the situation in Iraq becomes ever more desperate, George Bush searches for a scapegoat to justify his disastrous war policies. A US attack on Iran looks increasing likely, with the BBC already reporting leaked plans (see http://tinyurl.com/2ftxag) and the media once again shown that there are no limits to its gullibility, by publishing the same kind of lies and distortions about Iran that were used in 2002-3 to justify the Iraq invasion (see: http://tinyurl.com/284etf).

Iran will feature prominently on the national demonstration this Saturday. Stop the War Coalition has produced special "Don't Attack Iran" placards and a dedicated banner. Our website now includes a page on Iran with links to essential background and comment articles: http://tinyurl.com/284etf

Stop the War also has an online petition, signed by Tony Benn, a number of Iranian exiles and MPs such as Clare Short, Mark Fisher and Jeremy Corbyn. We want as many people as possible to sign the petition prior to it being handed into Tony Blair at Downing Street. Signatures are already flooding in. To sign, people simply email the Stop the War office with the subject heading "Iran".

The petition is available online (http://tinyurl.com/284etf) for downloading and printing. this can be used to collect signatures and send to the Stop the War Office at 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
---------------------------------------------

3) PEACE CAMP AT DOWNING STREET
To coincide with the TROOPS OUT / NO TRIDENT demonstration, Military Families Against the War, representing families who have lost relatives in Iraq, will be holding a peace camp outside Tony Blair's home in Downing Street from Friday 23 February to Sunday 25 February. They will be very appreciative of any support they get from visitors to their camp. Further details are available at: http://tinyurl.com/295l8r
---------------------------------------------

4) THE DEBATE PARLIAMENT WON'T HAVE
TUESDAY 20 MARCH 2007: 2.00PM - 8.00PM
CENTRAL HALL WESTMINSTER, LONDON SW1
On Tuesday 20 March, Stop the War has organised a Pople's Assembly entitled "The Debate Parliament Won't Have", which will take place opposite Parliament at Cetral Hall, Westminster. We have invited a wide range of MPs, anti-war politicians from the US, academics and other expert witnesses to join the debate. Tony Benn, President of Stop the War, who will chair the debate, writes:

“The Iraq war has been a disaster. The majority of our citizens believe that we should end our involvement in George Bush’s wars and yet there have been few debates
in the House of Commons and public anxieties have rarely found expression in the democratic process. That is why I would like to invite you to take part in this People’s Assembly which aims to provide an opportunity for a full and open debate on the war and the way to end it."

The assembly is open to all and delegates are invited to represent communities, workplaces and organisations across the country, to give greatest possible democratic weight to the debates.

Leaflets giving full details of the Assembly, including a registration form, will be available at the national demonstration on Saturday 24 February or can be ordered by contacting the national office on 020 7278 6694 or office@stopwar.org.uk.

Online registration will be available soon at http://www.stopwar.org.uk/register

---------------------------------------------

5) "BLAIR" RECORD IN TOP 20 NEXT WEEK?
The spoof Tony Blair record, WAR – WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?, has a good chance of entering the Top 20 next week, following strong sales over the last week. The record is being promoted with a series of videos, including two must-see films of peace campaigner Brian Haw interviewing "Tony Blair". To see all the videos and how to buy the record, go to: http://www.uglyrumours.com

The singer on the record will sing WAR – WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? at the Trafalgar Square rally which ends the Troops Out / No Trident demonstration on Saturday 24 February.

The producers of the record believe that with enough momentum behind it, the record can make the Top 10. This will be acutely embarrassing for Blair, create a news story promoting the anti-war message and help raise funds for Stop the War Coalition.. Buying the record is extremely simple. It can be done either by texting "PEACE1" to 78789 or by downloading from http://tinyurl.com/33j4oj

Please buy this record and encourage as many people as you can to do so also. Email to everyone you can the link to the website which has full details, including a video preview of the song sung by Tony Blair and his band Ugly Rumours: http://www.uglyrumours.com
--

[xmasdale]

Media Workers Against the War have sent us this:

Media Workers Against the War www.mwaw.net

In this mailing:
1. Why journalists should cover the demo
2. DEMONSTRATE ON SATURDAY
3. Blair's Iraq troop cut: it's all about spin
4. Next MWAW meeting: Briefing on Iran

1. Why journalists should cover the demo

Editors’ stated reasoning for keeping the anti-war movement off the
news agenda are that such events are “no longer newsworthy” and that
“fewer and fewer people are attending”. Neither argument holds up.

Read the full analysis here: http://tinyurl.com/yoynwn

PLEASE send us your observations on media coverage of Saturday's demo
or post them to www.mwaw.net

2. DEMONSTRATE ON SATURDAY

TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ - NO TRIDENT
SAT 24 FEBRUARY 12 NOON
ASSEMBLE HYDE PARK - MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE
ROUTE MAP: http://tinyurl.com/32cnbl
COACHES: Drop off Park lane – Pickup Embankment
Called By Stop the War, CND and BMI
www.stopwar.org.uk

Media Workers Against the War will be a marching with the NUJ/BECTU
banners -- come and join us! tel 07801 789 297

3. Blair's Iraq troop cut: it's all about spin

Blair's announcement that 3000 British troops will leave Iraq by the
summer was big news this week, but what did it actually reveal that we
didn't know already? Precisely nothing. Blair has spun the troop
withdrawal all along.

Read the full analysis here: http://tinyurl.com/2aglbc

4. Next MWAW meeting: Briefing on Iran

Monday March 5
6.30pm
National Union of Journalists
308 Grays Inn Road WC1X

Speaker: Middle East expert Dr Elaheh Rostami-Povey
of the School of Oriental and African Studies

www.mwaw.net

[scubadiver]

I didn't read Belinda's message this morning but I did see her at Hyde Park.

She gave me 150 leaflets to hand out. A friend of mine took a picture of me.

[TonyGosling]

Link

[GodSaveTheTeam]

Let's hope Hatsoff have some 'on the scene' footage to show us.

[xmasdale]

I went on the Stop the War demo yesterday, Saturday Feb 24th, and leafletted like mad. When I got home I checked the Euronews channel to see if they would cover it. They did, very comprehensively. They told us that the organisers claimed 60 000 demonstrated in London while the police claimed 10 000 did; that protestors were demanding troops be brought home, Iran not be attacked, Trident not be replaced and that there was a large contingent demanding Palestinian rights. They also said there was a simultaneous demo of similar size in Glasgow.

Then I turned to BBC News 24 and (surprise surprise) there was no mention of the demos at all there.

I want to launch a complaint with the BBC about this, because it is such an obvious case of bias. They daily tell us about what our war-mongering government is doing; what that part of the opposition which supports the war is doing; about our military and what those "darstardly" Arabs, Muslims and Iranians are doing, but when the people of Britain, for one day every few months, protest against what is going on they totally ignore it, giving the world the impression there is no British opposition to the war.

This must so clearly be a breach of the BBC charter, that it requires vigorous, well-argued complaints.

I remember that someone recently posted on this forum addresses where complains may be sent about the BBC's behaviour, but I can't find it. Can anyone help me out?

BTW who ended up with the big black banner, and what happened to the long green poles for it which I brought to Speakers Corner?

It was good to see many of our supporters there.

Thanks!

Noel

[Linda]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4030000/newsid_4032600/ 4032695.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_3950000/newsid_3955200/ 3955223.stm

[Graham]

[Zabooka]

Look at these pics[/img]

[Zabooka]

here's someone's placard raised proudly!

[xmasdale]

This is the formal complaint about news coverage of the demonstration which I have sent to the BBC:

"On Saturday, February 24th 2007. I watched BBC news 24 for coverage of the simultaneous anti-war demonstrations in London and Glasgow that afternoon. I discovered that that news channel gave no coverage at all to these events.

"I checked the Euronews channel, which covers news from all over Europe as well as major world events. There I was able to watch quite a comprehensive report on the demonstrations in Britain that afternoon. The Euronews report told us that the organisers of the London demonstration claimed 60 000 demonstrated in London while the police claimed 10 000 did; that protesters were demanding troops be brought home, Iran not be attacked, Trident not be replaced and that there was a large contingent demanding Palestinian rights. They also said there was a simultaneous demo of similar size in Glasgow.

"The BBC gives daily coverage to those who support this war in its reports of the actions and announcements of government ministers, of our forces actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of the support to the war given by part of the opposition. The anti-war part of the opposition holds such public demonstrations only every few months. To fail to report such national events, when certain streets of London and Glasgow were closed to traffic due to the numbers of public demonstrating on them, by contrast to your continual coverage of pro-war voices, is surely a breach of the impartiality enshrined in the BBC’s charter. It gives the appearance that your corporation is merely a government sponsored propaganda channel and for that reason I now go elsewhere for news.

"I trust that you will take a serious look at this bias by selection of what you report on.

"Your faithfully

"J Noel Glynn"

[Johnny Pixels]

I liked this guy the best:



I can't believe I missed you guys though...

[Zabooka]

Belinda there are two pictures of you to be found online.

Is it permitted that we post each other's pictures on this forum?