Stirling Army Recruitment Protest

Stirling Uni People and Planet | 16.02.2005 18:06 | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles

Students studying at Stirling University, involved with the group People and Planet, today protested at the Army Recruitment Centre in Stirling.

students protest in Stirling

They were demonstrating against the way that people are recruited for the army and say that the army concentrate on those with financial difficulties such as students or the unemployed, even going as far as to recruit inside Job Centre’s, and that this was an unacceptable way of persuading people to take a potentially life and death decission. The vigil also condemned the war in Iraq where hundreds of civilians have died and violence still continues.

When the students arived the big tough army boys ran in, locked the door and called the police. After a while the cops came and were slightly rude and took everyones name and address. Then, they kindly fucked off and left the students to get on with it. There was much support from locals (aswell as the disgruntled look on the odd Torry) with one young lad going as far as to chant "no more Bush! Shave your fannies!"

The leaflets that were given out had a message from Rose Gentle, who’s son was killed in Iraq, after he was sent out having just completed six months basic training, in June 2004. One banner said “think before you join up!” while another read “no blood for oil!”

Sam Jones, a member of Stirling Uni People and Planet, gave the message “I am here to try and persuade people to think about what they are signing when they join the military. Many people join up for the wrong reasons, like Gordon Gentle, and end up loosing their lives for a war that they, and many others, don’t want. Just yesterday I seen three boys, who can’t of been any older than 18, go inside the centre. Are they joining up to defend their country against attack, or because they are desperate for work want money? I am fed up of seeing young men and woman returning in body bags for lies and oil!”

After they got board they went to Glasgow and mucked about with about 200 coppers.

Today marks the second anniversary of the massive global protests against the war in Iraq and today groups all over the world will be taking action to make their voices heard. Although according to the Prime Minister the war is over, it appears to still be a very hot issue.

Stirling Uni People and Planet
e-mail: peopleandplanet@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.susaonline.org.uk/people&planet

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

response to the law

16.02.2005 22:32

Achieved, as opposed to sitting on your arse watching Hollyoaks you mean? PRobably nothing that you can quantify, but apart from that it creates a general atmosphere, a changing of people's systems of everyday thought. Every action counts - keep it up!

doxa

No point?

16.02.2005 23:03

You're right. There was no point. We should all stay at home and watch TV. Nobody should protest, and if they do, they deserve only ridicule. Long live apathy!

Bill

actually

17.02.2005 15:10

think how many people would of thought twice before going in to sign up or look for information? a wee kid was dragged by his mother into the centre while we were there. when he seen us hopefully he will be thinking "whats so bad about the army that people would go through that much trouble?". who knows, he could of said to his mum that night "I dont want to kill people". not all direct action has to break the law to be effective. if we had done a sit in we would of lasted 10 minutes. by standing there, we lasted all day.

long live all forms of resistance!

Exactly!

17.02.2005 20:14

You're absolutely right, Doxa, as opposed to sitting on our arses and watching Hollyoaks! Hope you weren't being sarcastic, because that could have made people feel like you were looking down on them. No one wants to have that impression, because we don't want anyone feel that some activists were better than others.

The illegal way is not the only way. It's not the wrong way either!! And YES, I think we can always do more, but that shouldn't be because some people tell us to, but because of what we believe in. I don't like people telling me what to do.

You shouldn't always concentrate on what people are not doing, but on what they are doing right (I don't want to generalise! too many people keep their arses on their comfy sofas and that's a bloody fact!). I have the impression that there is sometimes a hierarchy amongst activists, and I don't like that feeling. We're all on the same side after all. Let us focus on the similarities and not the differences.

Peace.

Sheep

They Know

29.06.2005 16:15

People who are going to join the Army do so at their own risk. And I'm sure that they know they could get shot or even killed while fighting for our country. I want to join the army one day, and when i do i don't want to be bothered by a load of tree-huggers protesting about how we shouldn't go to war. Everybody Knows you can get killed, because it has been on the tv alot of times.

Stuart