Four anti-war activists are appearing in Lion Yard Magistrates Court, Cambridge, this week for taking part in protests at the outbreak of war on Iraq.
CAMBRIDGE STUDENTS AGAINST WAR PRESS RELEASE
For more information contact
1800hrs, Monday 30 June 2003
ACTIVISTS IN COURT FOR DAY X PROTEST AT OUTBREAK OF WAR
Four anti-war activists are appearing in Lion Yard Magistrates Court,
Cambridge, this week for taking part in protests at the outbreak of war on
Iraq. Over 300 people blocked the Catholic Church junction, at the
intersection of Hills Rd and Lensfield Rd, on 20 March in a protest that
lasted several hours. The Day X protest was part of a nationwide day of
civil disobedience on the first day of war. Three of the activists are
charged with wilful obstruction of a public highway, and one with
assaulting a police officer. All have entered not guilty pleas.
Twelve police officers including two senior officers are appearing as
witnesses, commenting among other things on issues of police conduct and
brutality during the protest. The case will raise substantial issues as to
the legality of war, as well as the use of the public highway for protest.
Mika Minio-Paluello, one of those on trial, said:
"The war on Iraq, as we're now finding out, was both a humanitarian
disaster and based on lies."
Amelia Bercusson, who was also at the protest, said:
"We signed petitions, we wrote letters to MPs, we marched in Cambridge,
we marched in London - two million of us - and still Tony Blair
did not listened. Still he chose to wage an illegal, immoral, and
unnecessary war. In those circumstances, how could ordinary life just go
on?"
The trial continues at Lion Yard Magistrates Court, Cambridge, from 9.30am
tomorrow.
Notes for editors:
1. Out of the 24 arrests on the day, 13 were charged, with most of those
charged receiving cautions.
2. Iraq Body Count, the worldwide update of reported civilian deaths in
the war on Iraq, currently estimates that between 6,011 and 7,653
civilians have died as a result of the conflict. See
.
3. The honesty of UK and US government claims about Iraq's WMD
capabilities has been called into question in recent weeks. For a summary
of the main unanswered questions, see Dr Glen Rangwala's article in the
Independent on Sunday, 29 June 2003, at
.
4. The situation in Iraq is far from stable, with a coalition soldier
being killed on average every day.
5. CamSAW was founded as a response to the events of September 11 and the
resulting 'war on terror' and attack on Afghanistan. With the current
situation in Iraq, and the possibility of further conflicts, this
coalition of students from Cambridge University, APU and local higher
education and sixth form colleges will remain. See .
For more information contact
1800hrs, Monday 30 June 2003
ACTIVISTS IN COURT FOR DAY X PROTEST AT OUTBREAK OF WAR
Four anti-war activists are appearing in Lion Yard Magistrates Court,
Cambridge, this week for taking part in protests at the outbreak of war on
Iraq. Over 300 people blocked the Catholic Church junction, at the
intersection of Hills Rd and Lensfield Rd, on 20 March in a protest that
lasted several hours. The Day X protest was part of a nationwide day of
civil disobedience on the first day of war. Three of the activists are
charged with wilful obstruction of a public highway, and one with
assaulting a police officer. All have entered not guilty pleas.
Twelve police officers including two senior officers are appearing as
witnesses, commenting among other things on issues of police conduct and
brutality during the protest. The case will raise substantial issues as to
the legality of war, as well as the use of the public highway for protest.
Mika Minio-Paluello, one of those on trial, said:
"The war on Iraq, as we're now finding out, was both a humanitarian
disaster and based on lies."
Amelia Bercusson, who was also at the protest, said:
"We signed petitions, we wrote letters to MPs, we marched in Cambridge,
we marched in London - two million of us - and still Tony Blair
did not listened. Still he chose to wage an illegal, immoral, and
unnecessary war. In those circumstances, how could ordinary life just go
on?"
The trial continues at Lion Yard Magistrates Court, Cambridge, from 9.30am
tomorrow.
Notes for editors:
1. Out of the 24 arrests on the day, 13 were charged, with most of those
charged receiving cautions.
2. Iraq Body Count, the worldwide update of reported civilian deaths in
the war on Iraq, currently estimates that between 6,011 and 7,653
civilians have died as a result of the conflict. See
.
3. The honesty of UK and US government claims about Iraq's WMD
capabilities has been called into question in recent weeks. For a summary
of the main unanswered questions, see Dr Glen Rangwala's article in the
Independent on Sunday, 29 June 2003, at
.
4. The situation in Iraq is far from stable, with a coalition soldier
being killed on average every day.
5. CamSAW was founded as a response to the events of September 11 and the
resulting 'war on terror' and attack on Afghanistan. With the current
situation in Iraq, and the possibility of further conflicts, this
coalition of students from Cambridge University, APU and local higher
education and sixth form colleges will remain. See .
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Body count
30.06.2003 22:24
A.Oto
democracies are better than dictatorships
01.07.2003 14:36
1. Out of the 24 arrests on the day, 13 were charged, with most of those
charged receiving cautions.
- well i hope that all those arrested will be released without charge and their right to protest upheld but perhaps they should think about what their actions were meant to achieve. Any such action under Saddam (i.e. a demonstration however peaceful) would not have resulted in this.
2. Iraq Body Count, the worldwide update of reported civilian deaths in
the war on Iraq, currently estimates that between 6,011 and 7,653
civilians have died as a result of the conflict. See
- millions died under Saddam as well. the Iraq Body Count site was celebrated as a reliable source by posters on this site during the war but is now ignored because it didn´t match the gross over- predictions of groups such as STWC. It was these figures that lead many to believe that "genocide" was going to take place in Iraq and to go along to protests. Perhaps these activists wouldn´t even have been arrested if they weren´t spurred on by such blatant lies and the demonisation of the USA. Who is counting the bodycount of the victims of capitalism and dictatorships in the world? Who is working for a future for everyone?
3. The honesty of UK and US government claims about Iraq's WMD
capabilities has been called into question in recent weeks. For a summary
of the main unanswered questions, see Dr Glen Rangwala's article in the
Independent on Sunday, 29 June 2003, at
-This is the weakest argument as a large section of the anti-war camp was up for giving the UN an indefinite time to find the weapons. Blix himself said Iraq had not complied and if the troops haven´t found Saddam yet, does that mean he doesn´t really exist? This argument can go on and on and most of those who have decided to hate the US whatever will never believe it when they are found. Critically, if the protests against the war were about "humanitarian" issues then why are WMDs important anyway? Aren´t mass graves, torture cells and execution chambers enough?
4. The situation in Iraq is far from stable, with a coalition soldier
being killed on average every day.
-Yes but there was hardly peace to defend in Iraq under Saddam and his military militias was there? Are you happy that a soldier dies a day? Perhaps you should think about why they are being killed and by whom. Certainly not by left-wingers wanting a free and emancipated future. A recent poll said that most Iraqis want the US troops to stay until stability comes but some right-wing militias are trying to stop this. More reason for them to stay I guess and also irrelevant to the arrests that took place a long time before this was known to be the case.
5. CamSAW was founded as a response to the events of September 11 and the
resulting 'war on terror' and attack on Afghanistan. With the current
situation in Iraq, and the possibility of further conflicts, this
coalition of students from Cambridge University, APU and local higher
education and sixth form colleges will remain. See .
-well good luck to you but perhaps a rethink is in order. Why don´t you highlight the abuses taking place worldwide and start campaign for justice for all people now rather than knee-jerk reactionary protests when it´s too late. Our capitalist democracy is by no means perfect but supporting dictatorships is far from the answer. Whether you see the future as an anarchist or communist one is irrelevant. This sort of change can only come via empowerment and human rights. Hopefully the people of Iraq will now have these ASAP.
Feudalism/Dictatorship to Capitalism to Communism is what Marx predicted. Try www.marxists.org for more info.
Mr Tops