Wales Iraq Newswire Archive

Banner drop in Wrexham yesterday in the wake of Chilcot and in solidarity with
- imprisoned WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning serving 35 years in a US military prison
- WikiLeaks Editor in Chief Julian Assange, now beginning his 5th year denied safe passage from his refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, in what the UN has ruled to be arbitrary and unlawful detention.
FREE MANNING! FREE ASSANGE! END THE WARS!

Yesterday, seven people gathered at short notice from 4.30pm on a busy route close to the centre of Wrexham and outside the office of Labour MP and Shadow Minister for the Middle East, Ian Lucas, to protest government plans (supported by Labour) to join the US-led coalition that's bombing Iraq again.

See also this previous article.

Thursday 25 September
4.30 - 6.30pm
39 Rhosddu Road, Wrexham LL11 2NS

Join us outside the office of Wrexham MP Ian Lucas which is on a busy route out of Wrexham with plenty of passing traffic at that time of day.

Demand NO British involvement in the US-led war on Isis in Iraq and Syria.

It's ten years since a group here in Wrexham occupied Ian Lucas' office in protest at his abstension on the crucial Iraq war vote and his abject failure to oppose the war once it had started although he'd previously said a second UN resolution was essential.

Now he's the Shadow Minister for Africa and the Middle East.

North Wales Armed Forces Day is this year being held in Wrexham. We are being asked to 'celebrate' and 'thank' our Armed Forces without any critical analysis of the recent conflicts they have been involved in. The event will be used by the military as a recruitment exercise, and much of this will be aimed at children.

Over 100 people have signed an open letter to Wrexham County Borough Council protesting its promotion, sponsorship and funding of this event and the use of a picture of a toddler in military gear to advertise it. The council has yet to respond.

Today our friend NSY is due to be taken from Campsfield House Detention Centre/Prison towards Heathrow…to be forced onto a flight to Baghdad, Iraq via Amman, Jordan, even though his life is in serious danger in Iraq as a minority Shabaki. But it’s not too late to stop him flying! The flight is not due to leave until 4.05pm. We’ve therefore launched a phone blockade. If you can, please spend at least 5 mins calling Royal Jordanian Airlines London offices to ask them to intervene to stop NSY's flight, as they are able to do.

MP Ann Clwyd commented today on the verdict in the trial of Bradley Manning. She said:

"At this point I would throw out some questions... What about the people who sent Manning to Iraq? Let's hear some things about them..."

 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/bradley-manning-uk-supporters

Good idea!