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DIRECT ACTION AGAINST WAR NEEDED FOLLOWING TUC SILENCE

Mr Angry | 11.09.2002 14:54

Yesterday Tony Blair gave a speech to the TUC advocating an invasion of Iraq - without being interrupted, heckled, slow hand clapped or faced with a walk out by a single delegate.

Nothing shows the passivity of the union leaders, Labour Party 'left-wingers' and assortment of Labour voting left wing groups than this cowardice. They sell their papers and shout slogans when no one's listening, but given an opportunity to make a real difference by disrupting a speech by warmonger Blair they keep silent.

If war does start, it will mean thousands dead and untold suffering in the middle east in the pursuit of cheap oil for the US and its allies. It will also inevitably lead to more horrors like those experienced a year ago today in New York. Despite incessant pro-war government propaganda, the majority of the British people are against a middle east war.

We can make a real difference - by building an active anti-war movement that takes direct action of such a magnitude that the government has to listen to the people. That will not come from the cowards that sat quietly listening to Tony Blair yesterday. We will have to do make it ourselves, in our own communities.

There are signs of this already. People in Bristol have announced that if war is declared the city will be stopped. Other groups like  brightonagainstwar@hotmail.com are beginning to organise.

But, as always, the politicos are behind the people. Millions of people oppose this war and want to show their anger at what Blair's government is doing. They don't want to sit quietly listening to MPs at boring rallies and be told where and when to march by the state that is conducting the war they are trying to stop.

If groups organise openly and inclusively, taking in-yer-face direct action that shows how angry we are at this warmongering, thousands will get involved. If we don't, we might as well go home and watch it all on TV.

Mr Angry

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Nothing to do but riot

11.09.2002 15:29

No amount of petitioning, barracking, marching or writing will prevent another UN-supported war on Iraq. Personally, I am not interested in trying to generate and promote persuasive arguments and hankering to this ignorant and dangerous political elite. There is no other solution but to inflict as much mayhem and criminal damage on this violent oppressive terrorist state to which we are forced to pay taxes. Burn down their buildings and set the streets on fire. We've had enough of their bullshit.

Dan


then why don't you start riotin'

11.09.2002 16:07

i really support dan's "riotVSwar" solution.Go burn some
public property and leave some flyiers all'around...
but you'll probably be filmed by some CCcamera and identified and probably this won't change your governament
decisions about war.I personally think it would be wiser to organize some loud strike,roadblocks,massive street info,
antiwar postcards to Tony's mailbox,and then breake some public(or multinational)property during one of that strikes.
why don't you host some ANTIWAR links if you haven't do it yet
thank'snd sorry for my english

fra


SABOTAGE THE WAR EFFORT!

12.09.2002 16:43

I've no problem with people rioting against the war. Let's face it, a petition or a candlelit vigil won't stop it. But we need to be tactical about it.

Trots, CNDers, etc, will be holding their 'Stop the War' meetings around the country. Many of these will involve more than a few non aligned folks who want to do something about the war.

We need to be making interventions here. Instead of allowing trots and pacifists to get us all lined up holding candles in the town centres, we need to be pushing for the idea of holding rowdy, 'candlelit vigils' outside the homes of the local Labour MP, or the Labour Party offices in town. In other words, they don't get off the hook that easily, so let's make it hot for the bastards.

We need to create a climate, where politicians are scared to go outside their front doors.

There will be some people who will hopefully be up for that. Sure, the Labour lefts will whinge and denounce, but fuck em.

We also need to be thinking of trying to blockade roads into town centres. The day war is declared, we try and disrupt business as usual.

Army recruiting offices are also a good target for our anger.

At work, sabotage like mad. If it moves, wreck it. Try and encourage trustworthy workmates to do the same. If there's a sizable group of workers against the war, try and get them to walk off the job. The union (if there is one) will moan about it, but just tell em to fuck off, get their hair cut and join the army.

And if you know any squaddies, encourage them to go AWOL (but do it carefully as the state will nick you for incitement to disaffect').

King Pleb


the problem with the "trots"

13.09.2002 13:36

as you call them, is only the same as with all of this anti- war movement; IT WONT SPLIT WITH LABOUR ! old labour, new labour, borrowed labour, blue labour, it doesnt matter. split with labour first, absolutely, if you want to get anywhere with this (not that theres much time by the way)

so what ?


Right on, King Pleb

13.09.2002 13:46

What we also need to do is bring everyday life to a halt, whatever you do for a living, DON'T, a general strike of sorts. This would paraylise the ecomony and thus make the war impossible. Start blockading power stations, petrol depots, supermarkets, motorways, as it is these that hold this system together, and without them it will collaspe.

Thomas J


A mobile RTS event would be a good idea

25.09.2002 18:12

A mobile Reclaim The Streets type party event, a sort of critical mass without the bikes although people could come on bikes too would be good idea where thousands of us block traffic in one area outside a company or building related to the arms industry and then move on to another and so on, all the time blocking traffic and marching through the streets with drums whistles and sound systems chanting loud slogans like "stop the war". If this went on for several hours it would cause really serious disruption in a place like central London and be more effective than just individual acts of direct action and with less risk of arrest than rioting!

steelgate
- Homepage: http://www.reclaimthestreets.net