Swindon Stop the War press release:

Swindon peace protesters demonstrate for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

Supporters of Swindon Stop the war Coalition will be travelling to London this Saturday for an emergency demonstration calling for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. Spokesman for the Swindon group Andy Newman explains: “We are seeing slaughter of civilians on our TV screens, and mass destruction of Lebanese towns, yet the British government is not only failing to press for an immediate ceasefire, but allowing British military air bases to be used to send more missiles to Israel. There is very strong feeling about this, and we want the government to change its mind.”

RAF Brize Norton, just half an hours drive from Swindon was used on Monday night for American flights carrying munitions to Israel. An Atlas Cargo Flight arrived at 9.10pm from Kelly Airforce base at San Antonio and left at Brize Norton at 00.16am on Tuesday on route to Tel Aviv. An Israeli cargo 747 was also at Brize Norton at the same time[1]. Andy Newman said: “By allowing British military bases to be used directly to support the Israeli military Tony Blair has stepped out of the role of honest broker, and is making us an actual military ally of Israel – this must stop.”

Swindon South MP, Anne Snelgrove has also signed a letter along with 59 other MPs calling for a ceasefire, saying: “we condemn both the Hizbollah rocket attacks which had killed 17 civilians in Israel by 25 July, and the disproportionate Israeli military strikes which in the last few weeks have killed over 370 civilians and displaced over 500,000 in Lebanon, and killed over 100 in Gaza. Rocket attacks by militias on Israeli towns do not protect the people of Palestine or Lebanon. Likewise the people of Israel are not protected by military might which targets homes, bridges and roads in Lebanon, cuts electricity and water supplies to the majority of homes in Gaza, including refugee camps, and which has done far more damage to Lebanon’s democratically elected government than it has to Hizbollah. Such actions are unacceptable, immoral and illegal” [2]

The coach for the London demonstration leaves at 9:30 am from regent Circus outside Swindon College. Ring 01795 520903 to book places.


[1]  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/08/346711.html
[2]  http://www.caabu.org/index.asp?homepage=resources&article=mp_statements&detail=guardian_mps_letter_on_lebanon_ceasefire


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STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 2006/31
3 August 2006
Email  office@stopwar.org.uk
Telephone 020 7278 6694
Web: www.stopwar.org.uk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) BRING CHILDREN'S SHOES TO THE DEMONSTRATION
2) THEY'RE COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF BRITAIN
3) MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN SUPPORTS SATURDAY'S DEMONSTRATION
4) THE INDEPENDENT SUPPORTS THE DEMONSTRATION
5) MORE STEWARDS URGENTLY NEEDED
6) MANY THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS

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1) BRING CHILDREN'S SHOES TO THE DEMONSTRATION
Children are the main victims of the Bush and Blair wars. Almost half of those killed so far in Lebanon are children. They make up one third of the 3,225 injured, and about 45 per cent of the nearly one million Lebanese refugees are under the age of 18. (SEE
 http://tinyurl.com/r72kl )

Bring children's shoes to the national demonstration on Saturday 5 August. We will leave them at 10 Downing Street. We want a mountain of children's shoes outside Tony Blair's home to symbolise the horror at his complicity in war crimes.

And where will Tony Blair be on Saturday, when tens of thousands will march past his home calling for an immediate ceasefire, when the majority of people in Britain support that call, when many in Blair's party are calling for a recall of Parliament, when almost all of his ministers say Israel's onslaught must stop now? He'll be sunning himself on holiday in Barbados.

Please bring children's shoes on Saturday to leave on Tony Blair's doorstep. Bring them in memory of the hundreds killed in Lebanon. Bring them in memory of the hundreds killed in Palestine. Bring them in memory of the tens of thousands killed in Bush and Blair's illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But bring them most of all in the knowledge that if we raise our voices loud enough and if we mobilise overwhelming support for the cause of peace, we can stop Tony Blair's serial warmongering and help prevent any more deaths of children caused by his slavish support for George Bush.

CEASEFIRE NOW DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 5 AUGUST: 12 NOON
ASSEMBLE SPEAKERS CORNER, HYDE PARK
(Nearest tube Marble Arch. Please note there are some tube restriction this weekend) MARCH passed the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall (leave children's shoes outside Downing Street) to Parliament Square for the rally. For more details go to:  http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

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2) THEY'RE COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF BRITAIN
Nearly fifty cities and towns from every corner of Britain -- from Glasgow to Exeter, from Swansea to Norwich -- are sending hundreds of coaches to London for Saturday's demonstration. (details:  http://tinyurl.com/fzq2g ). People in towns throughout the land have arranged to meet in groups to come by train to London.

This nationwide mobilisation is unprecendented for an emergency demonstration called at such short notice. In London itself, hundreds of volunteers have been leafletting tube stations, shopping centres, mosques, churches etc (we still need more help: Call 020 7278 6694).

The nationwide outrage at the carnage in Lebanon and Gaza will be expressed by many tens of thousands in London on Saturday. Stop the War has not experienced the level of response it is getting since February 2003, before the outbreak of the Iraq war. Over 1000 people every day are asking to be put on our mailing list to be kept informed of our activities.

There is still time to spread the details of the demonstration even wider. People who know about the demonstration will want to be on it. Tell everyone you know. Download the leaflet from our website and distribute it wherever you can. Tell everyone to bring children's shoes to leave on Tony Blair's doorstep.
LEAFLET:  http://tinyurl.com/enffa

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3) MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN SUPPORTS SATURDAY'S DEMONSTRATION The most prominent Muslim organisation in the country, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which has been a frequent vistor to 10 Downing Street, has called on all Muslims to support the Stop the War demonstration on Saturday 5 August. Its call has gone to mosques and Muslim organisations throughout Britain. If you have a mosque near you, download the MCB letter from the Stop the War website
(  http://tinyurl.com/psdzp ) and visit the mosque to encourage its members to join Saturday's demonstration, which will unite Muslims with non-Muslims in our common cause of demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

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4) THE INDEPENDENT SUPPORTS THE DEMONSTRATION
The Independent newspaper is sponsoring a special, limited edition CEASFIRE NOW T-shirt, created especially for the demonstration by leading fashion designer Katherine Hamnett. Cut out the voucher from The Independent and exchange it for the T-Shirt at cost price at the demonstration. Then wear it on the demonstration so its message is displayed by hundreds of protestors. There will be a stall at Speakers Corner, the demonstration assembly point, for exchanging your voucher.

The Independent has also launched a HELP SAVE THE CHILD VICTIMS OF WAR campaign (  http://tinyurl.com/r72kl ), which reinforces our call for everyone to bring children's shoes to Saturday's demonstration to leave on Tony Blair's doorstep.

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5) MORE STEWARDS URGENTLY NEEDED
All the signs are that our CEASEFIRE NOW demonstration will be much bigger than would usually be expected for a demonstration called in the August holiday period and with barely a week's notice to build it. We need more stewards to help organise on the day of the demonstration. If you can help, please telephone the national Stop the War office on 020 7278 6694 or email your contact details to  office@stopwar.org.uk.

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6) MANY THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS
We have had the most wonderful response to our emergency appeal to fund Saturday's demonstration and to continue the campaign against the Bush/Blair wars, which they are now threatening ever more loudly to extend to Syria and Iran. Stop the War Coalition would like to thank everyone who contributed and encourage anyone who hasn't to send a donation now.

We need to continue raising the level of our opposition to the Bush/Blair wars, if we are to ensure that they do not cause ever escalating slaughter of innocent civilians and the destruction of whole countries. It is the inspiring generosity of our supporters which has helped Stop the War build the biggest anti-war campaign in British history. We still have much work to do. Please donate.
TO DONATE, GO TO:  http://tinyurl.com/qvzt5