SOUVENIR
POSTER AND PEACE FLAGS FOR SALE.
CLICK ABOVE
"I
have been surprised and extremely disappointed by Tony Blair's
behaviour. It's a shameful and pitiful state of affairs, and
I hold your British prime minister to be substantially responsible
for being so compliant and subservient."
JIMMY CARTER, ex-US President:
The announcement that Gordon Brown intends to hold the enquiry into the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in private is a disgrace.
Just a few days before he was promising a new spirit of openness and public accountability in politics. Brown promised cross-party consultation on electoral and parliamentary reform, yet then he announced an inquiry that will satisfy no one, except perhaps those whose decision took us to war and cost so many innocent lives.
It appears that when it comes to lies and killing it is business as usual at Westminster.
Anti-war MP George Galloway expressed the outrage of many when he commented, “This was a war that has killed a million people, including 179 British service men, it was conceived in secrecy and justified with lies. This enquiry will not have the right to apportion blame and it will only report after the next election. This is an utterly cynical manoeuvre that will convince no one.”
"Now we are to have an inquiry in secret presided over by figures who are thoroughly compromised. This is an insult and belies the commitment to 'transparency' that Gordon Brown made just days before. Not even the generals who carried out the orders to attack Iraq have any confidence with the terms under which the enquiry has been set up,” he added.
Air Marshal Sir John Walker, the former head of Defence Intelligence, said: "There is only one reason that the inquiry is being heard in private and that is to protect past and present members of this Government. There are 179 reasons military want the truth to be out on what happened over Iraq."
Unless those who took us to war in Iraq, including Blair and Brown, are held accountable, in public and under oath, there is simply no guarantee that this latest enquiry will not end up as all previous Iraq enquiries have – as costly whitewash.
Arabic text reads 'A Lifeline from Britain to Gaza' Palestine And CD offer
A very special package in support of Viva Palestina . Our brilliant new T-shirt design uses the front cover of the Viva Palestina CD which you receive FREE! with your T-shirt! Retailing at £9.99 the FREE CD features Drew McConnell from Babyshambles, Lowkey, Celt Islam and more, full details from Viva Palestina : The Album . All profits from this package help fund Viva Palestina. T-shirt in sizes small (36inch chest/90cms), medium (40inch/100cms), large (44inch/110cms), X-large (48inch/120cms) and XX-large (52inch/130cms). Plus! Women's skinny rib 34-36 inch chest (70-90cms).
Click below to buy and follow links to 'dissenters'
BBC occupation - Show the DEC Broadcast 27th Jan
-------------------------------
Aid Convoy to Gaza - organising meeting
Monday 2nd February 7.30pm
Saffron Restaraunt -107 Cheetham Hill Rd
An open meeting for doers not talkers !
Manchester Marches for Gaza - Sunday 25th January
--------------------------------
----------------------------------
photos by Richard Searle
Bolton Marches for Gaza - Saturday 24th January
--------------------------------
photos by Richard Searle
A weekend of protest in Greater Manchester
Manchester Marches for Gaza Sunday 26th January
A message from George Galloway MP
What is happening in Palestine is murder on a mass scale. It has already called forth a huge feeling of solidarity in Britain and the world. Believe me when I say, public protests are important - they keep our movement visible and, believe me, the pictures reach Palestine.
Pressure must be brought to bear on every elected representative and everyone in public life in Britain to speak out firmly for the Palestinian people and for official action against Israel, which UN officials want investigated for war crimes.
On Sunday 25 th January at midday, you have opportunity to join with others from across Greater Manchester in taking to the streets of the city to demonstrate your heartfelt solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters - who stand amid the rubble of their homes in Gaza.
This demonstration for Gaza will involve 2 marches, one from North Manchester, starting from Cheetham Hill and the other from south Manchester starting from Rusholme.
These two great marches will converge together in the city centre in a show of unity. It will put to shame the politicians, who have wrung the hands and preached restraint, while the bombs fell on Gaza. It will launch in greater Manchester the Viva Palestina aid convoy which next month will take practical solidarity to Gaza from Briatin.
I hope you and those you know, can join this day of protest and give every support to the convoy - Viva Palestina
George Galloway MP
George
Galloway, Yvonne Ridley and others speak in Manchester
Visit www.gmrespect.org.uk
for details
END
THE SIEGE OF GAZA
STOP THE BOMBING
END UK SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
public meeting with Voices from Palestine
called by Gaza Solidarity Committee
with
Mona Al-Farrah, Dr. Tareq Tahboub, Mushier Al-Farrah and Leila
Khaled
7.00-9.00pm
Friday 23 January 2009
Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester
Supported
by Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Forum,
North Manchester Against Wars, Muslim Association of Britain
(Manchester), Action Palestine, Manchester Palestine Solidarity
Campaign, Muslim Public Affairs Committee-UK, Greater Manchester
Respect, Permanent Revolution, Manchester SWP, Fight Racism
Fight Imperialism.
Open air Rally in Albert Square Sunday 18th Jan organised by Manchester Stop the War Coalition
Organised
by Gaza Solidarity Committee
Manchester
Marches for Gaza
Sunday 25th January
Assemble: 12.00 noon
for two marches from North and South Manchester to converge
on Castlefield Arena
North Manchester Goldstone Park
corner Waterloo Road/Cheetham Hill Road
Cheetham Hill, M8
South Manchester
Whitworth Park, Wilmslow Road. Rusholme M14
Supported
by Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Forum, North
Manchester Against Wars, Muslim Association of Britain (Manchester),
Action Palestine, Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Muslim
Public Affairs Committee-UK, Greater Manchester Respect, Permanent
Revolution, Manchester SWP, Fight Racism Fight Imperialism.
Viva Palestina - Aid convoy to Gaza - website now launched
www.vivapalestina.org
"There is
a humanitarian crisis. It's impossible to say how many innocent
women, innocent children and innocent babies are being caught up
in this conflict, who are being maimed and killed. This offensive
must stop." - United Nations spokesperson
Featuring
words partly inspired by one of the hundreds of hand-written
anonymous placards carried at the 3rd Jan demonstration in
London the Palestine 09 design expresses vividly the cycle
of despair that has turned the tiny Gaza strip into a war
zone of Israeli reprisals using its overwhelming military
might. JUST £16.99! Helping to raise
funds for the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign.
National
Demonstration at the Israeli Embassy Kensington, London
Saturday 10th January
Organised by Stop the War Coalition, Palestine
Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative & the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament
Coach
tickets from Cheetham Hill
(7.00am, Brideoak Street / Cheetham Hill Road)
£20 waged / £10 unwaged / £25 solidarity
Phone
today 07896 593 813 to book seat
Tickets will sell fast. Please book early
5000
March through Manchester on Saturday 3rd January in protest at the
Israeli assault on Gaza.
More
pictures can be found here
or here
Candlelight
vigils to continue every evening from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at the BBC,
Oxford Road, Manchester.
National
demonstration - Israeli embassy London, Saturday 10th January
500 dead. Thousands injured. United States blocks UN call
for carnage to stop.
This ground attack is intended to turn Gaza into
Israeli killing fields. Within hours of troops entering Gaza, hospitals
reported that 23 people had been killed and that twenty of them
were civilians.
Demonstrations
across the world call for an immediate stop to the carnage. Every
country in the world bar one wants the killing and destruction to
stop now. But just as it did in the Lebanon War in 2006, The United
States has given the green light to Israel to intensify its barbarism.
The
US is blocking all UN diplomacy for an immediate ceasefire with
the tacit compliance of the British government, which calls for
an immediate ceasefire while at the same time endorsing America's
refusal to allow any discussion in the United Nations to achieve
this end.
When
Israel broke the six month ceasefire on November 4, it was the trigger
for this long planned invasion, deliberately timed for the last
few weeks of George Bush's presidency and a few weeks before Israeli
elections, in which all the leading politicians are competing as
to how many Palestinians they can kill.
Stop
the War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative,
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament are organising continual protests
in the next week, culminating in a national demonstration marching
to the Israeli Embassy in London on Saturday 10 January.
We
urge all of our supporter to do all keep informed about our activities
via out website and by subscribing to our regular newsletters. Everyone
who is shocked and outraged by Israel's barbarity, and the prospect
of hundreds more Palestinian civilians being killed by the fourth
most powerful military in the world, should commit themselves to
helping mobilise for the protests in the coming week and for making
the national demonstration on Saturday 10 January the biggest yet
seen in this country for the freedom of Palestine.
END
THE SIEGE OF GAZA
STOP THE BOMBING
END UK SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
emergency demonstration
called by Gaza Solidarity Committee
Saturday
3rd January
Assemble: 12 noon
All Saints Park
Oxford Road/Cavendish Road
Manchester
March through city centre to Albert Square
Tell
your friends and family - download the leaflet and distribute
far and wide.
Supported by Greater Manchester Stop
the War Coalition, Palestine Forum, North Manchester Against
Wars, Muslim Association of Britain (Manchester), Action Palestine,
Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Muslim Public Affairs
Committee-UK, Greater Manchester Respect, Permanent Revolution,
Manchester SWP, Fight Racism Fight Imperialism.
DOWNLOAD
Leaflet (2 xA5) as pdf file click the image above For a version with spot colour for laser printers
CLICK
HERE 1xA4 for poster CLICK
HERE
Manchester Protest outside BBC - Sunday 28th December
PUBLIC
MEETING Stop the spread of war!
Nato out of Afghanistan!
No war on Pakistan!
2pm. Saturday 1st November
Speakers:
Cllr Afzal Khan,
Mansoor Hassan. campaigning journalist
Tariq Mehmood. author and campaigner
Chris Nineham. National Officer, STWC
Chair. Nahella Ashraf. Greater Manchester STWC
Saffron Restaraunt
The Old Town Hall , 107 Cheetham Hill Rd,
Cheetham Hill
As a consequence of the 'unwinable' war in Afghanistan. US troops
have crossed the border to bomb and kill inside Pakistan. Pakistani
troops have shot back at their US ally. A further spreading of the
war must be opposed.
Come to this meeting. Together we aim to reach a greater understanding
of what is happening, rally forces to make a public statement opposing
war on Pakistan, strengthen networks opposed to the developing war
& decide upon further action we can take.
PALESTINE LIVES 2008
1-4pm Saturday June 7th, Albert Square, Manchester.
Palestine Lives 2008 is a celebration of Palestinian art, culture, history and experience. It brings together, artists, poets and musicians from Palestine and England to celebrate the fact that Palestine and its culture still exists despite the 60 years of the Nakba.
There will be stalls informing people of the issues facing the people in the Middle East, as well as peace organisations campaigning not just for peace in the region but against nuclear weapons and all war.
Speakers will bring messages of solidarity to assure the Palestinian people of our continued support in their struggle for peace and justice.
This event comes at a time when the situation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza is at crisis point, with people, especially children, starving, and dying due to lack of food, water and medicines.
We are committed through this event to raising awareness in the face of a daily hostile press and media.
Speakers include:
Baroness Jenny Tonge
Musheir el Farrar- Palestinian human rights activist
Khalid - Palestinian student from Gaza
Linda Ramsden- director of ICAHD UK
Richard Kuper - Jews for justice for Palestinians
Linda Clair - Manchester PSC
During the event there will be music, food, a march around the town centre all in celebration of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Thursday 5th June @ 7pm The Friends Meeting House. Manchester. David Edgar joins Moazzam Begg in plea to save last Brit held at Guantanamo
Moazzam Begg, the British detainee who survived Guantánamo Bay, will head a
rally in Manchester of speakers opposing the rise in racism against Muslims.
They join the growing demand that Gordon Brown act now to secure the release of
British resident Binyam Mohamed who faces the death penalty if found guilty by
a US military commission.
Binyam IS the last British resident in Guantánamo Bay. Detained for six years
without charge, he now faces the death penalty on the bases of a confession,
tortured out of him, following intervention by Britain's secret services MI5.
Campaigners say 'he was abused by America and betrayed by Britain'.
Moazzam Begg will be joined by David Edgar, one of Britain's leading
playwrights.
Edgar studied drama at Manchester University and is one of a generation of
politicised writers. He has said that the Stop the War demonstration in 2003
was 'the most politically influential march in Britain since the 1970s'.
News of that march got through to Moazzam Begg, then held without charge in
Guantanamo Bay. This news 'gave me hope' says Begg, who has recorded his
experiences in his book 'Enemy Combatant'. He has since met the jailer who
told him the good news of the massive peace march in London.
Manchester's Stop the War Coalition chair, Nahella Ashraf, who is organising
the rally said, 'The attacks on Muslims abroad are accompanied by increasing
government attacks on Muslims in this country'.
20/02/2008
Over 150 gathered in the banqueting hall at Saffron on Cheetham
Hill Road to discuss ‘5 years of destruction in Iraq –
60 years of oppression in Palestine.’
Organised
by North Manchester against
Wars the meeting was an inspiring example of the Stop the War
Coalition at its best. Chaired by Kay Phillips the audience listened
too Andy Burgin from Stop the
War outline the successes of our movement 7 years on from its
formation.
The
irrepressible Rae Street from CND
spoke of the challenge of nuclear disarmament 50 years after the
fist Aldermaston Marches. Then Jackie Cabbaso, a comrade from United
for Peace and Justice in the States, took us through the developments
in the ‘heart of the beast’.
But
the most powerful contribution of the evening came from Anas Al-tikriti
of the British
Muslim Initiative. Anas gave us the most devastating critique
of the sudden step-change in Islamophobia, which we have witnessed
in recent weeks.
If
the Archbishop of Canterbury is to face such hostility and gutter
insult when he muses about Islamic law, how likely was it for young
Muslims to feel a full part of ‘British society’? The
message that young Muslims would take from the press and the politicians
was that ‘they would never be full citizens, never fully trusted’.
Islamophobia
alongside war, he argued, was the recruiting sergeant for alienation
and terrorism – at home and abroad.
Finally,
George Galloway delivered a powerful and moving speech attacking
the devastating legacy of the Iraq disaster. A county where agriculture,
writing and the alphabet, libraries, and a system of law were first
invented had been destroyed, cut to shreds, on a pack of lies.
He
spoke of the million Iraqi dead – raising an image of an Old
Trafford where the bodies were piled high and then higher still
until the top could not be seen – of the two million refugees
outside of Iraq and the two million displaced inside.
That
figure, in Britain, would equate to 13 million dead or driven from
their homes. Yet when you add to that bald number to the mothers,
fathers, brothers and sisters maimed and injured or mourning for
their lost relations, then you see a see the reality of a country
destroyed by greed and hubris. Damaged almost without hope of repair
by imbeciles who claim it is not their fault that God put America’s
oil under somebody else’s country!
Not
surprisingly, by the time George finished many were in tears.
The
contributions from the floor were of equally high quality. Everyone
who wished to had theirsay. A young woman pleaded that we reassess
the concept of ‘security’ – to look at it not
through the eyes of the military but as a way of meeting human need
– the human security of homes, clean water, a healthy life.
Another
spoke of how in the Cheetham of the 1930s it was the Jews in who
suffered racism, then it became the Irish and now the Muslims. “Who’s
next?” he asked, “unless we stick together.”
A
short report like this cannot do the many contributions from the
floor the justice they deserve. But they were powerful contributions
no less important than those from the top table.
Our
comrade from America suggested that it was unlike any meeting she
had attended before - and she may well have been right. I think
many people in the room will remember that night for years to come.
It
certainly gave a renewed hope as well as impetus for those of us
who believe that if they want war without end’ then we will
need to be a peace movement without end – until we defeat
the warmongers once and for all.
So
a big thanks to all the speakers and to CND who helped build the
meeting alongside North Manchester against Wars. Thanks again for
Saffron for the use of their banqueting hall. And thanks to everyone
who came and a reminder that you can book coach seats at HERE.
Hopefully
meetings like this across the country will help build the March
15 World Against War demo in London. We’ll see you in London.
World
Against War: join the global demo
Five years after the invasion of Iraq the world has become a much
more dangerous place. Estimates suggest as many as one million have
died violent deaths as a result of the occupation of Iraq. The country's
infrastructure and civil society are in shreds. Brown has promised
British withdrawals but there are still 5,000 British soldiers there.
Despite
talk of a change of attitude to Bush's wars, Brown is sending more
troops to Afghanistan. This hidden war is fast becoming a disaster
mirroring Iraq. The number of dead in Afghanistan runs in to tens
of thousands, according to Oxfam there are four times more bombing
raids there than in Iraq, and the result of this devastation is
that the Taliban is growing.
Meanwhile
instability is spreading around the world. The turmoil in Pakistan
is partly caused by the ‘war on terror’ and it will
cause more chaos in Afghanistan.
Despite
clear evidence that Iran is nowhere near developing nuclear weapons,
Bush is continuing to ramp up pressure against the regime there,
risking war at any time.
The
Stop the War Coalition has joined with the Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative in calling a demonstration
to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq in London
on Saturday March 15. It will be part of a global day of protest
against Bush's wars with marches around the world from Washington
to Beirut, from Sidney to Seoul.
We
aim to show our rulers that the overwhelming majority here and around
the world want to see an end to these immoral, irresponsible and
frightening wars.
Please
join us, tell your friends, workmates and neighbours and make sure
that on Saturday March 15 George Bush and Gordon Brown cannot ignore
the factthat the world is against their wars.
FESTIVAL
CHIC Our
world famour flags - seen on peace demonstrations from Manchester
to South Korea made a stylish appearance at the BIG CHILL
festival.
Manchester
Sunday June 24th 2007
1000s march with a message for Gordon Brown
"Bring the troops home or suffer the same fate as Tony
Blair..."
WATCH
THE VIDEO of letter to Gordon Brown being handed to Labour
Party by Rose Gentle from Military Families Against the War
plus
interviews with marchers and clips from the march and rally.(click
right to load video)
Thanks
to Chris Edwards for the video
Over
5000 marched in Manchester as Gordon Brown
was crowned New Labour leader
Meet the new boss..
same as the old boss?
Click
on
for more photos of the Demo
PEOPLE'S
ASSEMBLY AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA
JEREMY
CORBYN MP
Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition People's Assembly against
Islamophobia, London 18th November 2006
SALMA
YACOOB
Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition People's Assembly against
Islamophobia, London 18th November 2006
CRAIG
MURRAY
Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition People's Assembly against
Islamophobia, London 18th November 2006
YVONNE
RIDLEY
Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition People's Assembly against
Islamophobia, London 18th November 2006
CHRIS
NINEHAM
Speaking at the Stop the War Coalition People's Assembly against
Islamophobia, London 18th November 2006
50,000
march for peace and say loud and clear: It's TIME TO GO!
' We are many - they are few ' - Manchester says its Time to Go
Re-live the biggest protest in Manchester for over a hundred years,
with this souvenir poster from Greater Manchester Against Wars.
Taken by photographer Ray Smith, this A2 full colour poster shows
the colour, size and vibrancy of Manchester ant-war protest .
Available from 10th October, priced £2.00 plus p&p.
All proceeds to Stop the War activities.
BUY NOW WITH PAYPAL CLICK HERE
23/09/2006: Albert Square at it's best - for more more images
CLICK HERE
Listen to the speeches again on YouTube (Thanks
to Ady Cousins and Chris Edwards)
George Galloway MP CLICK
HERE
Tommy Sheridan (Solidarity MSP) CLICK
HERE
Rose Gentle (MFAW) CLICK
HERE
Richard Horton (editor, The Lancet) CLICK
HERE
Watch Galloway on BBC News 24 CLICK
HERE
Eamonn McCann (Raytheon 9) CLICK
HERE Sondes Malik (MAB) CLICK
HERE
Nahella Ashraf (Greater Manchester Stop the War) CLICK
HERE
Craig Murray (former UK Ambassador) CLICK
HERE John
Rees (Respect) CLICK
HERE
Bernard Reagan (Palestine Solidarity Campaign) CLICK
HERE
Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition) CLICK
HERE
Soumaya Ghannoushi (British Muslim Initiative) CLICK
HERE
Tony Benn CLICK
HERE
Flight-Lieutenant Malcolm Kendal-Smith CLICK
HERE
Kamel Mazen (Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation) (CLICK
HERE Brian Eno CLICK
HERE
Salma
Yacoob and Paul Macknie (UCU) CLICK
HERE
Jacqui Burke (Greater Manchester CND) CLICK
HERE
Peggy Seeger sings CLICK
HERE
Jacqui
Burke (Greater Manchester CND) CLICK
HERE
Lauren Booth (journalist) CLICK
HERE
Paul Harper (Unison, NHS Logistics Manchester) CLICK
HERE
Roudabeh Shafie (Action Iran) CLICK
HERE
Michael Meacher MP CLICK
HERE
On the march (pic: Richard Searle)
' Die in' shows the cost of Blair's wars (pic: Richard Searle)
Manchester
- Saturday 12th August 2006
300
join 'Speak out for Lebanon' event in Manchester Peace Gardens
For
more photos of this event - click on this PICTURES
button
United
Nations resolution
If the
United Nations resolution helps stop the killing, it is to be welcomed.
But it only calls on Israel to end "offensive military operations",
and Israel insists all of its barbaric attacks are "self-defence".
As the UN was passing resolution 1701, the Israeli military launched
a full-scale land invasion aimed at razing southern Lebanon to the
ground and the US agreed to rush illegal cluster bombs to Israel
to enable more horrific slaughter of civilians. For there to be
a lasting peace there must be an unconditional ceasefire and the
complete withdrawal of Israel's military from Lebanon.
Invest in peace: Urgent appeal
for funds: CLICK HERE
Make
a donation or take out a Standing Order
100,000 take to the streets - London
5th August
pic
by Richard Searle. For more photos of this demo, click on
PICTURES button
pic
by Kay Phillips
The Stop the War demonstration on Saturday 5 August brought more
than 100,000 protestors on to London's streets. This is unprecedented
for a protest called with only one week's notice.
They came from every corner of Britain. Hundreds of national and
local organisations were there: from the trade unions, from Muslim
associations and mosques, from Lebanese community groups; from CND
and dozens of local peace groups; from the Green Party, Respect,
Labour against the War and many other political organisations. Such
is the nationwide anger at Israel's barbaric destruction of Lebanon
and Gaza. All were united in the demand for an immediate unconditional
ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
22nd
July 06 - A nationwide day of protests -
2000
march in Manchester to a rally in Albert Square
18/03/2006
Over 100,000 peace protesters join London march
to call for the end to the occupation of Iraq, hands off Iran
and defend the Muslim community.
12/12/2005
International Peace Conference Great Success.
Over 1,300 delegates from all around Britain were joined by
representatives of the anti-war movement around the globe
for the Stop War Coalition's Peace Conference on 10 December.An
electric atmosphere developed as delegates listened to Iraqi
delegates and military families from Britain and the US, including
Cindy Sheehan, call for an end to the occupation of Iraq.
The conference called for a day of international action on
the anniversary of the war, 18 March 2006.