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Fairford follow-up join the B-2 OR NOT B-2 campaign

Dave Cockcroft | 15.12.2002 11:33

Support the campaign to prevent the bombing of Iraq from RAF Fairford.

URGENT - Join the campaign to prevent the bombing of Iraq from RAF Fairford. The UK government has not yet (9-Dec-2002) given permission for the the US air force to bomb Iraq from RAF Fairford. So now is the time to raise this issue with your MP and with all your media contacts. Support for this war is fading by the day - let's not let our land be used to launch this unjust war.

We anticipate it is only a matter of days before the US military requests permission to use RAF Fairford as an operational base for B-2 Stealth bombers. They will likely also deploy B-1 and B-52 bombers - however the B-2 is the most advanced long range bomber in the world and the first wave of attacks on Iraq will likely be by B-2's flying from Fairford and Diego Garcia.

The MOD says the "UK Government will have to be fully consulted" before the USAF can use Fairford.

So it's time to contact your MP and ask them to make sure they're consulted on this and speak out against bombing Iraq from Britian. One easy way to do this is using the Fax Your MP website  http://www.faxyourmp.com/
If you can get to speak to them all the better.

On Friday 13th December our Chief Weapons Inspector received a letter from the MOD which states - "The UK Government will have to be fully consulted and agree before any United States Air Force aircraft are deployed operationally from any RAF base, including RAF Fairford. To date (9th Dec 2002) no request has been to activate RAF Fairford for operational purposes."

Follow this link for more details of our questions and the MOD response.

The B-2 Stealth bomber is the most advanced and most expensive bomber in the world. Costing upwards of £1.5billion each there have only ever been 21 made. Fairford has recently undergone major refurbishment at a cost of almost £100million in order to upgrade it's facilities to the standards needs for the B-2. The B-2 is nuclear capable and has been tested for use with the new generation of mini-nuke bunker busting bombs. It's quite possible the next nuclear device to be dropped will be from a B-2 flying from Fairford.

For more information see Gloucestershire Waepons Inspectors website www.gwi.org.uk

Dave Cockcroft
- e-mail: info@gwi.org.uk
- Homepage: www.gwi.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

not another march

15.12.2002 20:37

I went to Fairford and thought it was ok but not enough people.
I went to the demo against the war with thousands of others and thought it was great that there was masses of people from all backgrounds - but at the end of the day, wondered if marching from A to B and listening to Labour MP's is the most effective way of stopping war in Iraq.
So why don't the Stop the War coalition forget another march planned for February, and instead have a mass demonstration at Fairford?
What do people think?

slugface

Not another march

16.12.2002 03:39

I think it a great idea. Mass demo/direct action would be a much better, more effective, more empowering and inspiring thing to do.

I think that one reason why the STWC might not want to is do with the fact that the STWC is dominated by SWP who's main aim is to recruit to their party rather than stopping the war and A to B marchs might be better for that because more people will go them (lots of Londoners for starters).

stp
- Homepage: http://www.stevethepro.ukf.net

Sabotage the War Machine!

16.12.2002 11:11

On Saturday night a number of peace activists attacked targets within the Menwith Hill spy base causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. Menwith Hill is the intelligence hub for co-ordinating the war effort against Iraq and is totally unaccountable to people in the UK. Activists broke through the security fences and disabled key elements of the base's covert listening apparatus. The damage will severely limit the base's ability to intercept communications and cost the US thousands to repair. We need to attack the US's ability to wage war which will lead to the inevitable deaths of 1000's of people. We can stop this war, we can stop star wars. Talking is not enough; marching is not enough; we cannot ask and expect the state to respond. This action was taken in order to inspire others to take the action necessary to stop this war.

Donnie Rumsfeld
- Homepage: http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/mhs/

stp

16.12.2002 15:24

"the STWC is dominated by SWP who's main aim is to recruit to their party"

People just regurgitate this about ANY organisation they are not satisfied with. The assertion that the SWP dominates the StWC is clearly not true when you take a look at the StWC steering committee which makes all the decisions:

Mohammed Aslam Aijaz (London Council of Mosques), Sait Akgul (Federation of Kurdish Community Organisations in the UK), Tariq Ali (Broadcaster and Writer), Lois Austin (Socialist Party), Roger Bannister (UNISON NEC * and Socialist Party), Jim Brann (London Region CND Exec *), Andrew Burgin (Housmans Peace Bookshop), Graham Cee (Labour Left Briefing), Louise Christian (Lawyer), Jeremy Corbyn MP, Tekin Kartal Daymer (The Turkish / Kurdish community Centre), Laura Dubinsky (Fundraiser), George Galloway MP, Lindsey German (Editor, Socialist Review), Suresh Grover (National Civil Rights Movement), Stephanie Harrison (Campaign Against Criminalizing Communities), John Haylett (Editor, Morning Star), Mark Hoskisson (Workers Power), Soraya Lawrence (Lawyers Against the War), Fred Leplat (Branch Officer Islington Unison), Mike Marqusee (Media Workers Against the War), Andrew Murray (Communications Officer: ASLEF *), Chris Nineham (Globalise Resistance), John Rees (Socialist Workers Party), Bernard Regan (NUT Executive *), Asad Rehman (Newham Monitoring Group), Ratin Roy (SOAS: School of Oriental and African Studies), Carlos Rule (Socialist Labour Party), Tanja Salem Al-Awda (Campaign for Palestinian Rights), Helen Salmon (National Executive NUS *), Jane Shallice, Christine Shawcroft (Labour Against the War), Dr. Ghayasuddin Siddiqui (Muslim Parliament), Rae Street (Peace activist), Shahedah Vawda (Just Peace), Hilary Wainwright (Editor, Red Pepper), Wolf Wayne (Green Socialist Network and Socialist Alliance).

* means elected in a personal capacity.

Marxist_Mike
- Homepage: http://www.swp.org.uk/

i think 'marxist mike' confirms the comnplain

16.12.2002 17:00

marxist mike reels off a list to prove the SWP is not 'controlling' the STWC ... but what a crew! all religious moralists, lefty hacks and bloated union officials. this kind of person is not going to stop any war, and anyway, most of the modern day students are little blairs in thin disguise, anxious that a war will ruin their careers... as for people like tam dalyell, note how he felt unable to vote against blair's "cleverly worded" motion in the commons. what did he expect ? what happened to noreena hertz since she called for "limited" military action? is she hiding under guy taylor's bed ?
these kind of groups exist to sap the opposition, to absorb and neutralise it; they are acting as the left wing of the labour party now, and in due course hope to take over.

anyone for stuffing?