Globalise Resistance Dates

[Annie]

Dear Everybody,

Well, God didn't tell me to write this really, but for what is to follow, I'l let God judge me - so I want no one unsubscribing from the list OK?

Marching all over the world
The 3rd anniversary of the official launch of the war against Iraq is marked by another day of international protest. A small matter of marches in Amsterdam, Ankara, Athens, Baghdad, Bangkok, Barcelona, Basra, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Copenhagen, Denver, Dublin, Geneva, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Malmo, Managua, Manila, Melbourne, Memphis, Mexico City, Minneapolis, Montreal, Mumbai, Naples, New York, Nicosia, Odense, Oklahoma, Oslo, Ottawa, Reykjavik, Rome, Rotterdam, San Juan, San Francisco, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Stockholm, Sydney, Tarragona, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, Vienna, Warsaw and Wellington. This will be the broadest (geographically speaking) mobilisation of protest since February 15 2003. (that's not the full list, there's scores of protests all over the States, too many to list)
Seeing as there's demos happening in Basra and Baghdad, there's every reason to say that this is the resistance uniting in Iraq, USA, UK and Korea (the latter three being the biggest deployers of troops in Iraq at present). It's crucial not to let Blair off the hook, he's been reduced to invoking Godly justification for his behaviour. Can't we all use that? I mean anything from an essay in late, getting found out throwing a sickie taking a long weekend in Brighton to assault on a police officer: "sorry, [sir / m'lud] I know you don't like what's happened, but can't we just let it be and I'll sort it out with him upstairs when I die?". Foolishly, I was under the impression that Blair might be accountable to the electorate, but that's obviously wishful thinking.
Some still want the war mongers to be answerable rather sooner than they'd like, so Tony Benn has launched a letter calling for the perpetrators of the war to be brought to account - in this world. At the start of the demo there'll be ways to sign the letter to show your support for this initiative.
Sign in advance (you know what the queues will be like) or have a sneak preview at http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Bennletter.htm
You know there's an issue to be sorted out when a former British Army commander calls for the impeachment of Blair: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1682807,00.html

There's loads of info on the Stop the War Coalition website:
Transport details: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/new/Transporttodemo.htm
It's the first time we've done this route: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/18march06route.htm

PROTEST! TROOPS HOME, DON'T ATTACK IRAN, NO TO ISLAMAPHOBIA!
Saturday 18 March 12 noon
Parliament Square
(Westminster, Embankment, Charing Cross, St James' Park tubes)

Cairo Conference 23 - 26 March 06
Meeting in the heart of the middle east, a discussion on supporting the resistance to occupation in Iraq, Palestine and other places in the region, and the resistance to neo-liberalism there. The previous conferences (this will be the 4th) have helped develop an activist movement in a very repressive regime and further in the region. Attendance, I am assured will be a real experience for everyone wishing to get a flavour of the movement in Egypt.
Attendance is free for people travelling from overseas to the conference, and accommodation provided with activists there.
Further info can be obtained from the stop the war Coalition website or by phoning 020 7278 6694, we hope to have info posted on our website as well, check www.resist.org.uk

European Social Forum
A glance across the channel gives cause for optimism, in France the government is trying to change laws to effectively casualise every young worker under the age of 25, a million people marched across the country on Wednesday. The Greek resistance movement is very strong at present - strikes against attacks on labour relations.
So, the ESF comes at a good time to get a taste of the continental movements. It's also providing a good launch pad for the G8 protests in Germany in 2007, which is already shaping up to be pretty sizeable.
All in all, not to be missed:
THE 4th EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM
May 4 - 7 Athens
More details at www.fse-esf.org or the Athens host's website: http://athens.fse-esf.org/ which features images of the venue - a very impressive aircraft hangar and olympic basketball stadium!

ID CARDS
Now going through the Lords / Commons ping-pong stage of legislation. ID Cards look to become the la in the next few month, and their implementation is scheduled for 2007/8. Whether this timetable will be kept to depends on the level of resistance. Happily many national unions have policy opposing the introduction of the cards (their members will largely be responsible for policing the scheme), and the amount of opposition in general is heart-warming.
Now the campaign is moving from parliamentary lobbying to grass-roots resistance, the campaign (NO2ID) is calling an open planning meeting, to which you are most welcome:
NO2ID PLANNING MEETING
Tuesday 14 March 7pm
Room 3a
University of London Union
Malet Street WC1
(Goodge Street, Warren Street, Russell Square tubes)

GR WEBSITE & DIARY
Thanks to a bit of work by a few of us, the Globalise Resistance web site is getting frequently updated again. If your group has any events to add to the diary, send them in to: office@resist.org.uk . Inclusion is not guaranteed, but there's a good chance (depending on how busy things are!).
The web site in general is looking good and getting loads of hits. We do consider things for inclusion on different campaigns and issues, we much prefer things accompanied by images - send stuff to us at office@resist.org.uk

Mr Lamy comes to London
"LSE is delighted to announce that Pascal Lamy, director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will deliver a public lecture at LSE. The event entitled Making the Doha Development Agenda a True Development Round takes place on Friday 31 March and requires a ticket."
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEPublicLecturesAndEvents/events/200 6/20060306t1608t001.htm
for booking details, time and venue.
Might be fun.

WTO hits London
This from War on Want:
After trying to bully developing countries into a bad deal at the World Trade Organisation ministerial in Hong Kong (see: http://www.resist.org.uk/globblog/ ) late last year, six of the world’s most powerful countries are now meeting in secret session in London to hammer out a deal to liberalise the world's economy.
The EU, USA, Japan and Australia will meet with Brazil and India on 10-11 March to try and reach a deal which would see the world’s poorest countries being forced to open their economies up to multinational corporations. A bonanza for big business, but a nightmare for the world’s poor.
War on Want will join campaigners from across the Trade Justice Movement to protest against the talks in London and to tell trade ministers to stop the WTO round before it’s too late.
We will be demonstrating from 4pm on 10 March outside the meeting, which will take place at the Foreign Office building, 1 Carlton Gardens. Come along to make your voice heard: together we can stop these damaging talks!

there you go, I'll leave you with the words of Donald Sutherland "Capitalism's not all it's cracked up to be" and he was in Kelly's Heroes.

guy