Bob Crow (RMT Gen. Sec.)

Brothers and Sisters, it’s a pleasure to be here today. I’ve just come back from South Korea, where today they’ll be holding a massive demonstration, not against North Korea but against America and Britain for trying to attack Iraq.

We’re being told, has Iraq got weapons of mass destruction? Well I don’t know if they’ve got weapons of mass destruction or not, but I know that Britain’s got weapons of mass destruction, and I know that America’s got weapons of mass destruction (cheering). And it’s an absolute liberty, to tell people in North Korea they can’t have nuclear weapons. I don’t want nuclear weapons in North Korea, in Iraq, in America, in Britain, or in anywhere else throughout the world (cheering). But don’t go round bombing people and telling them they can’t have nuclear weapons.

And also we hear that Blair is fuming that there’s people on the march today. For a Labour leader, he should be absolutely disgraced with himself. I don’t know what the difference is between a Romanian leader not listening to the people of his country, and a British PM not listening to the people of his country either (cheering).

And we need to be absolutely clear. You can have all the resolutions you want to pass in trade union conferences, you can have all the demonstrations. But if the leadership of this country don’t represent people properly, and if war does break out, we should turn around and say that we are prepared to occupy our industries and not be prepared to allow a war to take place, anywhere throughout the world (cheering).

As you can see, they put me on here to be the moderating voice today. We have got to start waking up, a union like ours, which a hundred and three years ago set the Labour Party up, we’re not prepared to have a Labour Party go around and viciously attack innocent people. And the question’s got to be put, how much longer are you going to carry on giving money to a political party that’s carrying out the same vicious attacks the Tories did? If you support peace, you’ve got to mobilise all those people out there concerned, to a political party that’s going to support peace throughout the world.

I’d like to praise the people like Jack Heyman, who’s over here from America, who don’t represent those American warmongers, but support working people.

And my position is absolutely clear. Unless this government starts listening, we need to take united industrial action if need be, to protect our industries, and also protect civilisation. Thank you very much (cheering).



Jack Heyman (International Longshore Workers Union Local 10, Oakland California)

It’s an honour to be here with you, with a million people protesting against the war in Iraq (cheering). We have to say to Blair, that yes we will trample on the grass here in Hyde Park to protest your atrocities. (cheering).

You, Blair and Bush, are intending a bloody massacre. You intend to use Depleted Uranium. You intend to use possibly nuclear weapons. Let us not forget, that the only country in the world to have used nuclear weapons against a civilian population is the United States of America. (cheering).

There are hundreds of thousands of people, that will be marching in the streets of America tomorrow, in Washington DC, and across the country to San Francisco, to say “No to War”.

The important development that has been taking place is that the trade union movement has formed a new organisation called “Labor Against War” that organises 4 million trade unionists against this bloody war. (cheering).

And what we need to do, is what Rosa Luxembourg, the revolutionary workers leader from Germany said almost a hundred years ago. The main enemy is at home. The main enemy is at home! (cheers).

And we have to organise. The Liverpool dockworkers told us that the struggle must be international, and that is true. And the railroad, train drivers have set the example. The way for us to stop this war is by using the power of the working class, to not load military cargo (cheering).

Down with Blair, Down with Bush, Trade Unions have the power to stop the war, Let’s use it! (cheering).



Keith Sonnet (Deputy Gen. Sec., UNISON)

Good afternoon. Our Prime Minister said, that he didn’t want future generations to say they knew about the threat from Iraq but they did nothing. Well all of us here today, don’t want future generations to say they could have stopped the madness, but they did nothing. They could have stopped the thousands of innocent men, women and children being killed, but they did nothing. They could have reduced the threat of terrorism, but they did nothing but increase it. They could have produced a peace settlement in the Middle East, with an independent Palestinian state, alongside a secure Israel, but they did nothing (cheering).

Today in London, Glasgow, Belfast and throughout the world, we are showing that we do care, and that we are determined to create a better future. We are raising our voices and telling our government and our Prime Minister that Britain does not and will not support war with Iraq.

There is no justification for it. Whether or not there is a second UN Resolution, there is no justification for war with Iraq. We will not allow Britain to be the excuse for Bush and the United States to take military action.

I am proud that so many public service workers are on this demonstration today, and so many members of UNISON. Our General Secretary Dave Prentis is in Glasgow, addressing the Scottish rally and can’t be here today. I’m also proud to be able to announce that UNISON, Britain’s biggest trade union, representative of 1.3 million workers, will be immediately affiliating to the Stop the War coalition. We will, with our members, be continuing the campaign to stop the war.

Together we can win. Let’s stop the war! (cheering)