Please dont assume that Labour will be thinking "Oh, lots and lots of people are on the streets demanding peace". No, they'll be thinking
(A)how much of the rest of the population they can mobilise in favour of war, and
(B)how much of the antis can be bought off (partic the Labour membership and natural supporters such as students and trades unions). Finally,
(C) how best to neutralise the committed radicals such as Trotskyists, Maoists, Anarchists, Christians &c.

A big bold Autumn march cant be a bad thing, but we should still be ready for a debacle. Either Blair will support the Bush Beast or we may find in the Spring that Labour's hold on parliament is mysteriously and suddenly looking oddly shaky, with talk of snap elections, co-alition government and top level resignations...

The national demo of 28 september is not just against the war on Irak, but also for "freedom for palestine".

Even though one could see these issues as linked, geographically, I don't think it makes sense to do a demonstration on both. One is a local issue, where we protest against what _our_ governement will do. The other is a internatial issue, quite different.

Please don't answe this with "oh, palestine this" and "oh, israel that". This is not my point. They are mixing different issues in one demonstration, hoping to attract as many people as possible. Again, I'm all for a setlement of the israel/palestine issue, but I don't want to walk next to a guy with a banner saying "victory to the intifada". I won't support killers whatever their cause. Really, I don't want to put myself in a "israel vs. palestine" position, wich is what the slogan "freedom for palestine" implies. Of course there is a power relationship ; but at the end of the day this is still people vs. power.

Had this demo been only about Irak I certainly would've gone. But the feeling of being manipulated, of my opinion on one issue being used to carry our a message about another issue will probably stop me from going. Pitty, I like big demonstrations, but I guess my involvement against a war on Iraq will be in small direct actions again...

Dear I
Victory to the intifada 'uprising' means a just peace for Palestinians (and indeed for Israelis). You might prefer a banner that said 'make the intifada no longer necessary' but that's a bit of a mouthful.
Please come on the 29th

"Intifada" means uprising, "jihad" means holy war. For the Muslim extremists, the two are identical. For others, intifada can mean simply resistance to oppression, not a religious crusade. I will walk alongside those who resisting oppression, but not those who want to replace Israeli oppression with religious oppression. In my mind, Muslims, Christians, atheists, etc, should unite for a secular opposition to war and support for resistance to oppression, but a front which does not welcome the jihadis.

September 28th arrangements have changed to meeting up 1pm Embankment, then marching to Hyde Park.

www.stopwar.org.uk