Wed06Feb - LONDON - Condoleezza Rice StopTheWar protest

[xmasdale]

Our comrades in Stop the War coalition have sent us this:

ACTION ALERT: CONDOLEEZZA RICE IN LONDON
JOIN THE PROTEST ON WEDNESDAY 6 FEBRUARY
The Afghanistan war is at last getting mainstream coverage, as
the US led occupiers are having to admit that the attempts to
pacify the country, largely by terror bombing raids, are
failing. With defeat looming, as it always has for every
attempt in history at occupying Afghanistan, George Bush is
desperate to get other countries to deploy more forces. But
instead of responding to his pleas, the "coalition" countries
are falling out amongst themselves, with Canada now
threatening to withdraw all its troops, and others, like
Germany, saying they will not send troops to South
Afghanistan, where much of the fighting is taking place. (See
http://tinyurl.com/2q24oh)

As Bush tries to stave off disaster in Afghanistan,
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, flies to London
next week to talk to Gordon Brown -- George Bush's closest
ally -- to find a way to send more troops to Afghanistan. With
UK defence minister Des Browne saying recently that Britain
could be in Afghanistan for decades
(http://tinyurl.com/2lhmqj), Rice will try to get Gordon Brown
to commit more troops now, as a lever to get other countries
to increase their deployment.

Stop the War Coalition is calling an emergency protest on
Wednesday 6 February. We do not yet have details of Rice's
meetings with Gordon Brown but we anticipate that our protest
will be at Downing Street, the timing to be announced as soon
as her plans are known.

PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR OUR EMAIL GIVING DETAILS OF THE PROTEST
AGAINST CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S VISIT. WE WILL ALSO POST
INFORMATION AS WE GET IT ON OUR WEBSITE:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

Bush's only aim for both Iraq and Afghanistan has been to keep
the wars going till the end of his presidency. This aim is
unravelling in Afghanistan, which is why Condoleezza Rice will
be in London next week. But she will also be here to discuss
Iraq, with the recent bombings in Baghdad giving the lie to US
claims that the US troop "surge" is bringing stability to the
country. And Iran will also be on her agenda, with recent
statements by George Bush showing he is still itching to
launch an attack.

We must ensure that Rice is left in no doubt that the majority
of the British people have consistently opposed George Bush's
warmongering. When Rice visited the UK in 2006 it turned into
a public relations fiasco, as anti-war protestors followed her
everywhere she went (see http://tinyurl.com/2nj5fb). We aim to
do the same this time.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE NOT WANTED HERE
END THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN & IRAQ NOW
PROTEST WEDNESDAY 6 FEBRUARY
(Details of location and time to follow shortly.)

[xmasdale]

Monday morning and still no news of what exactly is planned to happen when and where - watch this space.

Meanwhile Media Workers Against tht War have sent us this checklist of Condoleeza's career

« Alan Johnston: “Dehumanising the East caused my captivity”


At a glance: Condi Rice, hawk among hawks

10-point reminder of the low-points of Condaleeza Rice’s career:

1. “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”
In September 2002, Rice lies to the world about the Iraqi nuclear “threat”.

2. 9/11 – an “opportunity” for US imperialism
In the days after 9/11, between public displays of grief Rice rounded up senior staff of the National Security Council and asked them to think about “how do you capitalise on these opportunities” to fundamentally change American doctrine and the shape of the world.

3. Ignored 9/11 advanced warnings from CIA
July 2001: CIA director George Tenet knew of the increasing likelihood that al-Qaeda would soon attack the US. The case was so compelling he met Rice, then national security adviser, to demand action. Rice gave him the brush-off.

4. Bush’s closest adviser on the “war on terror”
“During the last four years I’ve relied on her counsel, benefited from her great experience, and appreciated her sound and steady judgment,” says Bush in November 2004.

5. Iraq “was worth it”
December 2006: Rice defends the invasion as eight US marines are charged with a massacre in Haditha.

6. “I know we’ve made tactical errors - thousands of them, I’m sure.”
March 2006: Rice drops her guard on Iraq.

7. The SS Condoleezza Rice
So close to the oil industry she had an oil tanker named after her.

8. Backs bloody crackdown in Uzbekistan
May 2005: Rice refused to censure Uzbekistan over the massacre of hundreds of protestors in Andijan. Uzbek dictator Karimov had allowed the US a military base on the Afghan border.

9. Rejects negotiations with Iran
2003: Iran puts everything was on the negotiating table, including full cooperation on nuclear programs, acceptance of Israel and the termination of Iranian support for Palestinian militant groups. But national security adviser Rice rejects the initiative.

10. Brings back Wolfowitz
January 2008: Rice appoints Paul Wolfowitz to head a State Department arms-control panel. Wolfowitz, the No. 2 official in the Pentagon under Rumsfeld and a key architect of the Iraq war, was ousted last summer as president of the World Bank for giving his lover a well-paid job.

[xmasdale]

12noon to 3.30 is the time.
Stop the War have sent us this:



Stop the War is asking for people to come and protest at Downing Street to
demand
all the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and for an end to the 'special
relationship'. We have been told Rice will be going to Downing Street between
12 and 3.30. Please bring banners.