A Peaceful Night On the Town

Last night witnessed a gathering of over 550 people in the city center, who rather than drinking and dancing, spent the night discussing why and how the war against Afghanistan should be stopped. An unusual event for a Friday night perhaps, but increasing numbers of people are questioning Britain's position, shoulder to shoulder, with the worlds richest and most powerful country the US, in its war on one of the poorest countries in the world.

The Council House was ramed full of people, some already campaigning for peace, but many who came along to listen to the other side of Blair's war story. Blair and Bush alike are viciously defending their positions and insisting that their countries are behind them. In the US, an elected member of the Green Party USA has been detained at an airport and prevented from traveling to a Green Party meeting due to the parties opposition to the bombing in Afghanistan. In the UK the media are being given "guidelines " on how to cover the war and Parliament is being denied a vote on the subject. As an effort to combat the weight of the war propoganda, pro peace campaigners are increasing efforts to show the other side of the story.

"When talking to people who pass by the Peace Vigyl or collegues at work, pro peace campaigners have been inspired by how quickly people do question their belief that this is a just war. Generally people feel that something has to be done about terrorism, they don't know what, and many have just assumed that the politicians must know the answers. Unfortunately they don't. The meeting was called to present the case against the bombing and to highlight some alternative ways to combat terrorism" Caroline Pringle. Peace Protestor.

Paul Marsden MP, part of the group Labour Against the War, visited Bristol for the night to reveal how anti war sentiments are being surpressed in Parliament.

" I challenged first the PM and then the Speaker to be given the right to vote on the issue (of war). I have been reprimanded for tabling motions .... demanding a vote on the war. I will contine to speak out. There is a growing number of MP's doing the same. The government has to listen and will if more and more MP's come under pressure from their constituents.

Marseden's views on the bombing were then added to by speakers from the Green Party, Bristol Muslim Cultural Soceity, Voices in the Wilderness (anti depleted Uranium group) and National and Local Stop the War Coalition. Points highlighted inlcuded: the fact that the bombing of Afghanistan breaks international law; the real threat of starvation on a massive scale if the bombing continues and aid does not reach the people; grave concern that the forces will be using Depleted Uranium as they did in Kosovo and Iraq which will contaminate civilians and sevice men for decades with radio active material; the belief that it is America's aggressive foreign policy that sews the seeds of terrorism in the first place and that the bombing of Afghanistan will only strengthen the terrorists position.

It is the prop peace movements hope that as the public become aware of this kind of information pressure will increase on the government to reasses their policy. The strength of this movement is visible and the pro peace message will be reinforced by a huge National Demonstration in Central London on Sunday 18th November (tickets from Green Leaf Book shop - for details contact 07881 450 659)



FFI: Caroline Pringle on 07833 70 37 52.