THE VIOLENT EVENTS IN LONDON
OXFORD STOP THE WAR COALITION MEETING
Thursday 28 July 2005, 7.30pm, Oxford Town Hall.
OXFORD STOP THE WAR COALITION MEETING
Thursday 28 July 2005, 7.30pm, Oxford Town Hall.
Dear friends,
We have seen tragic events during this month, to which we urgently need to formulate a response.
INNOCENT DEATHS
Following the bombing of London’s transport system, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent people, we now have the tragedy of Jean Charles de Menezes. An entirely innocent man, Mr de Menezes was followed by plainclothes police as he left his home to go to work. He was then chased into an underground train, caught, held immobile on the floor by two policemen and shot eight times (seven times in the head and mouth) by a third. Eye-witnesses have described the sheer terror on his face. July has been a month when the “war on terror” has come home in the most horrifying way.
CATASTROPHIC DENIAL
Through all this, our government has been in a state of catastrophic denial – refusing to accept the existence of any connection between these events and its foreign policy in Afghanistan and the Middle East. This is not an argument which convinces many but is repeated over and over again. Instead of acknowledging his culpability, Tony Blair is looking for scapegoats and has targeted Britain’s Muslims – blaming an ‘evil ideology’ of ‘hate’ which is growing within the Muslim population. The head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, claims the Muslims are in a ‘state of denial’ about terrorism. The government is also about to introduce a package of extremely repressive legislation, designed to curtail various democratic rights, including freedom of speech.
NEW CHALLENGE
If there were any doubts about the continued need and relevance for the anti-war movement, these have been dispelled by the shocking events in London this month. Stop the War Coalition vigils, marches and meetings are more important now than they have ever been. We need to rise to this new challenge with a renewed, united anti-war, anti-racist and pro-civil liberties response.
COME TO THE MEETING
Please come to Thursday’s important meeting, where we will be discussing these issues and deciding what that response should be. We will also be having a brief discussion about other future activities.
We have seen tragic events during this month, to which we urgently need to formulate a response.
INNOCENT DEATHS
Following the bombing of London’s transport system, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent people, we now have the tragedy of Jean Charles de Menezes. An entirely innocent man, Mr de Menezes was followed by plainclothes police as he left his home to go to work. He was then chased into an underground train, caught, held immobile on the floor by two policemen and shot eight times (seven times in the head and mouth) by a third. Eye-witnesses have described the sheer terror on his face. July has been a month when the “war on terror” has come home in the most horrifying way.
CATASTROPHIC DENIAL
Through all this, our government has been in a state of catastrophic denial – refusing to accept the existence of any connection between these events and its foreign policy in Afghanistan and the Middle East. This is not an argument which convinces many but is repeated over and over again. Instead of acknowledging his culpability, Tony Blair is looking for scapegoats and has targeted Britain’s Muslims – blaming an ‘evil ideology’ of ‘hate’ which is growing within the Muslim population. The head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, claims the Muslims are in a ‘state of denial’ about terrorism. The government is also about to introduce a package of extremely repressive legislation, designed to curtail various democratic rights, including freedom of speech.
NEW CHALLENGE
If there were any doubts about the continued need and relevance for the anti-war movement, these have been dispelled by the shocking events in London this month. Stop the War Coalition vigils, marches and meetings are more important now than they have ever been. We need to rise to this new challenge with a renewed, united anti-war, anti-racist and pro-civil liberties response.
COME TO THE MEETING
Please come to Thursday’s important meeting, where we will be discussing these issues and deciding what that response should be. We will also be having a brief discussion about other future activities.
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29.07.2005 11:04
- death of millions of innocent people in iraq for the sake of control of the iraqi oil fields -
if these aren't related to the issues of unnecessary poverty and human suffering in the world and the major issues causing global warming. Then what is.
i despair at the bombings in london - the killing of innocent people - just as much as i do the innocent deaths of those in iraq - just as much as the death of the innocent brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes.
Maybe Police chief Sir Ian Blair has apologised to his family but his statement that
the "only one way to stop someone who is a suicide bomber" is so totally futile and inappropriate because there was no reason to believe that he was. And now they are talking about the fact that his visa was out of date - as if that in any way shape or form aleviates their mistake.
I look forward to seeing what came out of the meeting yesterday. I'm sorry I wasn't able to go.
L