NAMING THE DEAD: MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AGAINST THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

On the 2nd anniversary of the April 2004 siege of Fallujah, join this unauthorised demonstration in Parliament Square to remember the Iraqi dead and resist the occupation of Iraq.

NAMING THE DEAD: MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AGAINST THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
on the 2nd anniversary of the April 2004 siege of Fallujah.

12 noon, Sunday 2 April, Parliament Square.

Organised by the Mass Action Group and supported by Nadje al-Ali, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship, Pax Christi, Chumbawamba, Maya Evans, Hastings Against
War, Iraq Occupation Focus, Ewa Jasiewicz, London Catholic Worker, Caroline Lucas MEP, Movement for the Abolition of War, Harold Pinter, Milan Rai, Sami
Ramadani, Mark Thomas, Voices UK, Jo Wilding, the Wrexham Peace and Justice Forum, Haifa Zangana.

"We buried many in the stadium for football until it became full. When you are burying you cannot stay long because [the Marines] will just shoot you" - Iraqi doctor working in Fallujah, April 2004

Remembering Fallujah
On 2 April 2004 US forces sealed off the Iraqi city of Fallujah in what became the first of two major assaults on the city. At least 572 civilians - including over 300 women and children - were killed in the subsequent siege (see www.rememberfallujah.org for more info).

Fighter bombers were used to attack residential areas, US snipers targeted ambulances and at least one US battalion had 'orders to shoot any male of military age on the streets after dark, armed or not' (New York Times, 14 April).

Since then, numerous other Iraqi towns and cities have been attacked by US-led forces for whom "mass detentions and indis-criminate torture appear to be the main tools" (Financial Times, 29 June 05). Thousands of Iraqis have been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes. Hospitals
have been attacked and white phosphorus used as a weapon. Unmanned Predator aircraft are now attacking targets in Iraq and Afghanistan "almost every day" (AP, 12 Dec 05).

Resisting Occupation
On Sunday 2 April 2006 hundreds of anti-war and peace activists - including Jo Wilding, who personally witnessed US war crimes in Fallujah in April 2004, and Maya Evans, who last Decemeber became the first person to be convicted of participating in an "unauthorised" demonstration within 1km of Parliament - will be gathering in Parliament Square for a mass act of civil disobedience, reading the names of 1,000 Iraqis who have died as a result of the invasion and occupation and demanding:

. an immediate end to the US/UK military occupation of Iraq
. massive reparations and debt cancellation so that Iraqis can rebuild their country free from foreign interference
. prosecution of those responsible for war crimes

PLEASE JOIN THEM. Wear black if possible and come prepared for a long ceremony and possible arrest.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an "unauthorised" demonstration within 1km of Parliament. Under the new restrictions on protest contained in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (April 2005) participation in such an event is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1000. For more info come to the legal briefing or check back here shortly. There will be post action support for anyone arrested.

A Nonviolent Direct Action Workshop & Legal Briefing will take place on Saturday 1 April at The Front Studio, Diorama 1, 34 Osnaburgh St, London NW1. (tube Great Portland St). Times: 11.30am-4.30pm (NVDA workshop); 4.30pm-5.30pm (legal briefing). The workshop will be run by Seeds for Change (www.seedsforchange.org.uk).

IF YOU CAN'T MAKE THE WORKSHOP OR THE BRIEFING BUT CAN MAKE IT TO THE WORKSHOP VENUE FOR 5.30PM THERE WILL ALSO BE A SHORT RUN-THROUGH OF THE PLAN FOR SUNDAY'S EVENT THEN.

For more info: