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DIRECT ACTION NEEDED AGAINST THIS WAR

anti-war | 09.10.2002 16:07

This is an article by Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition and SWP in this week's Socialist Worker. There's a not too subtle pulling back from the direct action they were talking about last month to 'school assemblies', 'lunchtime meetings' and 'even lighting candles in your windows at home'. Oh, and keep out town centres till the evening.

I reckon it will be a great day if we make it one - loads of people, from Tony Benn to new people sick at this wardrive, want to do stuff well beyond what the SWP/STWC are proposing. The SWP, as ever, don't want anything too militant because it might scare potential labour party recruits by being too 'extreme'- they have no understanding of the power of unlawful direct action. We shouldn't let their concerns split the movement and stop us from shutting high streets across the country. We are the majority!

LINDSEY GERMAN, the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, spoke to us about what the anti-war movement plans next.

"THE demonstration has had a huge impact across the world. The fact that we pulled together a massive demonstration, probably the largest demonstration in our lifetimes and certainly the biggest demo over the question of war and Palestine, was a huge achievement.

We have had press and messages of support flooding in from all around the world. In addition the demo has had a huge effect on politics in Britain. It's had a real impact on the trade unions, a real impact on the Muslim community, and at the Labour Party conference.

We are getting requests all the time for new groups and for people to set up activity. It marks a breakthrough politically for the movement. We are organising a "Don't Attack Iraq" day on Thursday 31 October. This means that people have the next two weeks to organise the biggest and most effective protests in their local area, workplace, college or school.

We want this to be a mass protest. We want people in every town and city up and down Britain to organise a range of activities, from school assemblies, student occupations, walkouts at work at lunchtime, meetings at lunchtime, hanging banners out of office windows, to even lighting candles in your windows at home.

People should try to organise and do anything they feel can be a protest against an attack on Iraq. We have a Student Stop the War Coalition and we really want to hit the colleges on that day. In every college we want people to take action-to occupy and join street and other protests.

The majority of student unions around Britain will support it. But also post office workers, fire brigade workers, rail workers and others, who were all very well represented on the demonstration, can take action. It won't be possible in most places to have strike action on the day, but it will be possible to have lunchtime meetings and walkouts and other forms of protests at work which really give a sense of the opposition to the war.

We can set up "Stop the War" groups in all kinds of workplaces, which can organise for and build action on the day. We are also asking people to gather in town centres at 6 o'clock in the evening of 31 October.

This is about bringing the protest about the war home to every town and city. In the run-up to 31 October we want to organise a lot of social events and big public rallies where we get MPs and other speakers. People should also try and raise money for the Stop the War Coalition. We spent a fraction of what the Countryside Alliance spent on their demonstration.

They spent £1 million. We spent £30,000, and we don't have access to resources. On the day the war starts we are also committed, along with CND, to holding protests again and to organise the mass direct action and civil disobedience that Tony Benn called for last March.

We are also considering a date for another national demonstration, although the date partly depends on what the timetable for the war is. The movement against the war represents the majority of public opinion in this country.

On 31 October we want to draw even more people to take part in the movement. We want everyone to do something on 31 October.

anti-war
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Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Will there be a big march in London or not?

09.10.2002 16:37

Just wondering because where I live, Norwich, I don't think a small gathering of people would get much attention, but a huge gathering in London most certainly would.

So what shall I do? Head down to London or stay here? I missed the last demo and was pretty gutted about it so...?

Dave


This is what is planned for London!

09.10.2002 17:01

What has been suggested so far for London is a large critical mass involving cyclists, skaters and pedestrians who will form a huge moving blockadr through the streets of central London similar to the Mayday action earlier this year only with an anti-war theme and visits to military offices etc. This is still very much at the planning stage.

An organising meeting has been called for Thursday the 10th of October at 6:30pm at the London Action and Resource Centre which is at 62 Fieldgate Street, which is just behind Whitechapel Mosque in Whitechapel.

Harlequin


Don't you believe it

09.10.2002 17:08

There's no big thing in London but I reckon there are thousands of people in Norwich against the war and you could get some of them to block your town centre for the afternoon. They are going to be bombing cities and killing families in our name, lets show the world that British people don't support that.

Chas


who needs crowds

09.10.2002 18:54

Even if you can only find half a dozen people in Norwich, you will get noticed: just inform the local paper in advance. you might not be front page but local media love a local angle on a big story and i guarantee they'll publish a photo if you get 5 or 6 people in front of the town hall or a cathedral (if you have one of them) with a placard or two and maybe some candles if it's evening.
This get's read by people who think you're tossers but it also gets read by people who are wavering or closet peaceniks who are looking for someone to take their side when they argue with their sposes over the evening news :-)

bobby


Disobedience in London

09.10.2002 23:16

There are plans for a mass act of disobedience in London in the evening of Thursday 31st. News should emerge pretty soon...

Dizzy D
mail e-mail: disobedience@last


town disobedience

09.10.2002 23:53

the more small towns that are involved in demo's the better..it will make more news if there are 20-30 towns involved in peace marches than having 400k in london..not to knock the london demo..it was excellent but if every town had a march then the goverment couldn't fail to notice..so go for it it norwich..

messenger


BO BO BO CLAK CLAK CLAK CLAK CLAK

10.10.2002 16:19

I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER MY ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION AND IN DOING SO SUGGEST THAT WAVING PLACARDS AND STOPPING THE TOWN CENTRE THIS TIME ROUND ARE NOT ENOUGH.

THE SITUATION AS I SEE IT IS THIS. WE HAVE BEEN WITNESSING THE START OF A MASS MOVEMENT AGAINST THE WAR ON TERRORISM AND MORE IMPORTANTLY AGAINST NEO-IMPERIALISM (ALTHOUGH A PROPORTION OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE MOVEMENT WON'T ARTICULATE IT IN THIS WAY).

A FEW WEEKS AGO WE CHALLENGED THE STATE BY MOBILISING OUR FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL RANKS AND STAGED AN ASSERTIVE BUT PEACEFUL AND LAWFUL DEMONSTRATION. THE STATE IN REPLY VERY POINTEDLY IGNORED US. IT DID THIS NOT BECAUSE IT WASN'T AWARE OF US BUT AS A CHALLENGE TO US. THE STATE WAS SAYING TO US "FINE WE'VE SEEN YOU, SO WHAT?". THIS CHALLENGE MUST BE MET AND TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE IF WE FUCK IT UP BY OFFERING THE WRONG REACTION WE HAVE ALOT TO LOSE.

NOT ONLY WILL THE STATE BE HAPPY FROM HERE ON IN TO REGARD US AS INCONSEQUENTIAL BUT THOSE WHO MAY BE AGAINST THIS WAR AND HARBOURING IDEAS OF BECOMING INVOLVED MAY BE PUT OF BY WHAT COULD APPEAR AS OUR INABILTY TO BE EFFECTIVE.

IF LIKE ME YOU SEE THIS RISING TIDE OF ANGER AGAINST THE BABYLONIAN WAR-MONGERING STATE AND THEIR PAY-MASTERS THE CAPITALIST SCUM FUCKS AS THE MANIFESTATION OF NOT JUST ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT BUT UNARTICULATED ANTI-CAPITALIST SENTIMENT YOU MAY SEE WITHIN IT THE POTENTIAL FOR ORDINARY PUNTERS TO BRING ABOUT WIDER 'SOCIAL CHANGE' (WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE).

WE MUST THEREFORE NOT ALLOW THIS DAY OF ACTION TO GO BY UNNOTICED. WE NEED TO BE PLANNING SOME PRETTY SERIOUS SHIT AIMED DIRECTLY AT STOPPING THE TOOLS OF STATE OPPRESSION, WAR, PROPAGANDA AS WELL AS THE PHYSICAL INTERESTS OF THE CAPITALISTS FOR AT LEAST 2 DAYS TO SHOW THE STATE AND OTHERS THAT WE ARE SERIOUS.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN BLOWING SHIT UP OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT BUT WE HAVE TO BE EFFECTIVE. WE WANT HISTORY TO REMEMBER THIS MOVEMENT AS THE REASON BLAIR DIDN'T BACK BUSH IN MASSACRING OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN IRAQ AND AS A MAJOR CATALYST IN BRINGING ABOUT SAID SOCIAL CHANGE. WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE REMEMBERED AS ANOTHER PLACARD WAVING HAND WRING OF THE LIBERAL INTELLIGENSIA OR AS THE REASON BLAIR WAS CONSIDERED REASONABLE IN ALLOWING DISSENTING VOICES TO BE HEARD.

LOVE AND SOLIDARITY TO YOU ALL COMRADES.
KEEP SMILING

RUDE BOY