UK Iraq Feature Archive
No More Whitewashes!
05-02-2004 14:35
Nine members of the public decided to use Prime Minister's Question Time today to question directly Tony Blair on the important issues of the occupation of Iraq, and the real reasons that the United Kingdom went to war. Refusing to be silent on hearing the Prime Minister's evasions on these important issues, each stood up and made one simple demand: "No more whitewashes, Tony!"The Oxford residents are all furious at Parliament's inability to hold the Government to account over its war, which resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 Iraqi civilians, and the subsequent occupation which has killed thousands more Iraqis, as well as hundreds of American and British soldiers. The protestors were keen to point out that the war on Iraq, as well as the occupation, was illegal under international law, regardless of the presence or absence of weapons of mass destruction.
The disrupted speech came several hours after demonstrators dressed as judges poured white paint over downing street's gates in a protest against the government's persistant clearing of itself of any wrong-doing.
Press Release | Report | Solidarity statement and "heckling guide"
Some Hutton puzzles
05-02-2004 00:00
the government and the BBC - a debate which has hinged upon the accuracy
and completeness of its findings. Much has been written about what Hutton
'didn't say'. Surprisingly little detailed analysis, however, has dissected
what he did say. The following, based upon an admittedly cursory reading of
the report, suggests that
1) the report's conclusions reflect a pattern of biased and selective
consideration of evidence 2) The report's avowed refusal to comment upon
the actual WMD issue conceals sufficient comment upon the issue to give the
government the opportunity to forestall further criticism.
Circus2Iraq
21-01-2004 20:49
“We got into our clown kit in Eman’s place behind the barrier made out of metal locker doors in the camp at the air force centre we went to a few days ago to arrange the show. There’s a curtain across the gap in the barrier and another across the doorway into Eman’s room. Inside are a couple of rugs on the floor, a gas cooker and a picture of Al Sadr on the wall, the Shia cleric killed by Saddam. The ceiling is a patchwork of pieces of wood, gappy, so the place is impossible to keep warm. The building houses an indoor swimming pool, no longer fully enclosed, and Eman’s family’s space is concocted out of such walls and ceilings as are left and whatever junk they could seal it with.”
Wildfire | Baghdad Burning | Arms And The Man | Electronic Iraq
Judicial Review: 'Kidnapped' Protestors Challenge Police
15-01-2004 09:41
The campaigners claimed the police overstepped their powers and furthermore that they breached articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, guaranteeing freedom from arbitrary detention, the freedom of speech and assembly, and respect for physical and psychological integrity.
Police statements revealed that at 10.45am an order was issued by Chief Superintendent Lambert to stop and search the coaches including instructions for the coaches to be turned around and escorted non-stop back to London if any 'dangerous items' or items likely to be used to conceal identity were found. It is this order that will now be scrutinised. Michael Fordham acting on behalf of the protestors said the police were within their powers to seize certain items, and that they even possibly had the right to detain certain individuals under public order and common laws, but they overstepped the law and infringed both common law and human rights law, by the blanket nature of their action (despite intelligence notes showing that the police were aware that the coach passengers were made up of individuals and members of various groups) and the way evidence was used in an attempt to justify this.
The case continues today at the High Court and a decision is expected from Lord Justice May and Mr Justice Harrisonin in around three weeks time.
Court Report (15/1) | Video of Protest Outside Royal Courts | Comments | Corporate Media Reports
See Press Release | Campaign Website | Archive Indymedia Coverage | Archive Video Report
Freedom from Nightmare in Iraq
01-01-2004 20:39
Anjool Malde, 28.12.2003
Manchester University student Urslaan Khan made the headlines earlier this month, arrested in Iraq on suspicion of trying to join a group fighting coalition troops. An inquisitive individual with a philosophical outlook on life, he finally returned safely to the United Kingdom for the Christmas vacation, able to give his side of the story.
On a break from studies at Egypt’s University of Alexandria, he had initially travelled to Jordan at the start of a planned pilgrimage to find the Saudi embassy closed. “So I considered Iraq as an alternative and took a £7 coach down there. I was there for tourism”, he calmly says. “I wanted to see how the people of Iraq were coping with the new situation.”
Screening of film about Edinburgh Youth against the War activities
03-11-2003 00:00
“OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER”
A film about the youth anti war movement in Edinburgh 2003 made by Edinburgh Youth Against War with Pilton Video.
Trade Union Delegation To Iraq
15-10-2003 15:15
On October 5th six trade unionists from the FBU, TSSA, RMT and NUJ travelled to Baghdad for a series of meetings with the newly formed democratic Iraqi trade unions. The trip organised by the Stop the War Coalition and hosted by the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions was the first of its kind since the war and occupation. The tour stopped at various workplaces including a Metalworks, a Fire Station, a Transport Depot, an Oil Refinery, and Baghdad University.
All agreed that the delegation had been a success and hopefully the first of many to forge links with Iraqi workers who will soon be fighting attempted privatisation by western companies.
End the Occupation Demo 27th Sept
28-09-2003 09:29
Between 10 and 100 thousand people (eleven ?) from all over Britain marched against the occupation of Iraq in London yesterday.
Pictures and comments: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ]
Pictures, story and comments: [ 1 ]
Women contingent: [report and pics]
Video: [1 long clip, 1 short clip, 1 quicktime virtual tour of crowd]
Debate about coverage of demo on IMC: [ 1 ]
Simultaneously, in Edinburgh a banner drop and a rally took place, whilst it was streaming down with rain.
Full article | 2 additions | 1 comment
Judicial Review Granted in RAF Fairford Coach Case
19-08-2003 23:00
Solidarity action with anti-war protester in Edinburgh
20-07-2003 06:43
More background info: [prisoner report, pics, audio , spontaneous demo at police station, ], all 22nd of march.
On Thursday July,17th 2003, a more or less spontaneous solidarity action called by the comedian Mark Thomas and supported by Members of Scottish Parliament Mark Ballard and Colin Fox, took place in front of the St.Leonards police station, Edinburgh, with about 60 protesters ready to hand themselves in for displaying postcards with a similar design in public. pics [1, 2 ]
LIBERTY Slams Use of Anti Terrorism Act to Suppress Peace Protests - Did the Home Secretary Lie to Parliament?
17-07-2003 13:41
Download full Liberty report: (pdf)
Corporate Media Coverage of Liberty report
War on Freedom and Democracy (10 page Statewatch pdf, Sept 02)
Leeds Says No To War on Iraq: Round-Up
30-06-2003 23:00
Oxford peace activists seem to be winning the legal battle
25-06-2003 13:25
Toby and Phil, the 'B-52 Two', were granted bail Friday the 20th and finally have their freedom! Charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage when they tried to disarm a B52 warplane at RAF Fairford in March 2003, they pleaded not guilty as they acted lawfully to uphold international law. The Gloucester Crown Court will make a judgement on the legality of the war on 19 September.
Several other people with Fairford related cases had good news also. Two Oxford activists were offered bindovers in place of charges of aggravated trespass, a citizen from Oxford pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage and aggravated trespass - the case was adjourned, and two others had their charges of criminal damage to the main gate of Fairford completely dropped. Mysteriously the gate -related charge of another Oxford activist is still being pursued and was adjourned for the time being.
* The "B-52 Two" WEBSITE
* pictures of Phil and Tobi getting out of jail
* video of a vigil held by supporters of Phil and Tobi outside Gloucester Prison
* Prisoners for Peace website
Peace activist on trial.
25-06-2003 12:08
On the 10th of march 2003, Danish peace activist and grandmother, Ulla Roder, was arrested for damaging a Tornado war-plane at RAF leuchers in Fife so it couldn't be used in an attack on Iraq.Other Tornados from Leuchers were involved in the bombing of Iraq using cluster bombs and radioactive Depleted Uranium.
Ulla is currently on remand in Cornton Vale Prison, and her trial will start soon.
More information under these links:
Free Ulla Campaign
Trident Ploughshares
Scottish CND
Barcelona Against The War: Protests And Strike
11-04-2003 22:00
The city of Barcelona was shaken on Thursday 10th as thousands of people took to the streets in a day of protest against the killing in Iraq and the permanent war. Many businesses were closed, following a call by several anarchosindcalist unions [CGT | CNT | SO] for a general strike of 24 hours. Actions were continuing until the late evening.
Since the early morning, groups held protest actions in front of banks and chain shops, shutting down many of them and convincing others to participate in the general strike. Around midday, large groups of people - often forming spontaneous demonstrations - converged from all sides onto the city centre. There, at least ten thousand people started a loud and colourful cacerolazo demonstration, banging on pots and pans, lamp poles and police cars, and setting up mobile sound systems. Protest rallies ("escraches") were held in front of a big bank (more pics) which is involved in the arms business, at the stock exchange (more pics 1 | 2) and at the ministry of the economy.
Moving back to the city centre, a group of protestors shut down the Burger King "restaurant" at Plaza Catalunya and opened a popular kitchen on the street in front of it (more pics) as part of the campaign "Active Boicott". Demonstrations continued until the late evening, including an anarchist demo, a shut-down protest at a petrol station, and a human mosaic. As every night during the past weeks, a giant cacerolazo ended the day. All over the city, people got out on the pans. As every night, a deafening roar filled the streets, a massive outcry against the war, whilst, at the same time, expressing the increasingly popular demand of "Que se vayan todos!" (They all must go!), a slogan taken from the streets of the Argentina's popular revolt and now shouted in Barcelona as a rejection to the right wing Spanish government of the Popular Party.
This day of action was just the latest in a long series of events against the war, that under the slogan "Guerra a la Guerra" (War to the War), have been taking place in Barcelona and elsewhere in the Spanish state during the past weeks. Seven houses all over the city were squatted for anti-war events, demonstrations took place on almost a daily basis transforming the city onto a continuous state of protest, and several camps were set up in the city centre, one of them directly in front of the doors of the local government palace, were activist groups and social movements have been discussing the war, the relation of the anti-war movement to other social movements, and where actions have been planned. For this weekend further protests are being planed in the city, including a Reclaim The Streets street party.
In Madrid there was also mobilisations during the whole day (more pics) as well as in Valencia and in many other cities and towns all over the Spanish state. Other recent international anti-war reports received in the IMC-UK newsiwre include:
• Civil inspection of a NATO base in Valencia (Spanish State)
• 1,000 people gathered outside the Dail on April 2nd to protest about Ireland continued use as a US BASE [video | audio]
• A 20.000 strong demosntration in Athens on April 3rd.
• Around 1,000 people marched once again to Shannon airport in Ireland on April 12 to demand for the immediate withdrawal of US military aircraft and personal from the airport. pics and video
• Photo of April 12 San Francisco (US) peace march. See photo gallery
• 3,000 people marched in Oslo(Norway) against the attack on Iraq and for peace (pic) on April 12.
• A 3 year labour camp sentence imposed on an Armenian conscientious objector.
• USA: Conscientious objector sent to Iraqi War Zone.
IMC-Barcelona in English language | IMC-Global
Peace Protesters still active!
09-04-2003 22:00
In Scotland anti war actions are still taking place nearly every day, despite the police tactics getting more and more restrictive for the protesters. On Thursday 3rd of april the autonomous demonstration suceeded in blocking an Esso garage for about an hour, following on from the demonstration a week earlier on the 27th of april.On Friday the school students suceeded in blocking the traffic with a sit-in before marching of in a cordon of police to the American embassy. Friday saw also a mass mave-in of posters and postcards as a solidarity action for a protester, who was arrested alongside with others on the anti-war demo the 22nd of march for his design of the American flag.
An anti-war exhibition by local artists also opened on Friday, to be seen untill the 13th of april, in the Roxy Art House.
On Saturday, activists went to protest in front of the BP headquaters in Grangemeouth, Fife.
Peace Vigils were also held on Monday, 7th of april in front of the US consulate. The next women's vigil will take place on Saturday, 12th of april Night outside City Chambers on Royal Mile from 9-10pm.
More actions are also to take place on Wednesday,9th of april, when Glasgow activists have announced a demonstration, starting off at Kelvinbridge Underground at 5pm to march to BBC studios, Queen Margaret Drive.
On Saturday, 12th of april, another mass demonstration will take place in Glasgow and in London, following on from the one on the 29th of march.
M22 Anti-War Protests Around The World
23-03-2003 23:00
On March 22, anti-war protests took place all over the world, from Argentina to Vienna, in order to disrupt the killing of innocents, and to highlight the attack against Iraq.
A compilation of reports from over 15 US and Canadian states, 7 European countries as well as countries in the far east, demonstrates the wide variety of protest, from candle-light vigils in Seoul, Air base breaches in California to eighty thousand marching in the streets in of Stockholm [pics] and Helsinki [pics], whilst Barcelona saw half a million taking to the streets [photos 1 | 2]. In some places the police repression was very strong against protesters, such as in Madrid [video | photos], Athens [Pics 1 | 2] where 300.000 demonstrated, and Hamburg [photos 1 | 2 | 3]
The reaction against the war on Iraq in the Oceania region has also been both swift and massive, with huge demonstrations on the 22nd and continuing. In Cape Town over 8000 pupils and workers took to the streets to protest, with a continuos picket at the consulate, with shifts of 50 people picketing 24 hours a day.
Stop the War- Stop the City!
22-03-2003 23:00
Direct actions and peace demonstrations took place again today. In Edinburgh, lots of speeches and a die-in in front of the Scottish Parliament started the anti-war protest, before school students speeded the demonstration off to Princess Street to block the traffic several times with sit-ins before marching to the US consulate followed by another row of speeches.
Then back to Princes Street with more Sit-Ins and Die-Ins to Charlotte Square.
Police until then has been astonishing relaxed, but become violent, aggressive and provoking when plain-cloth policemen brutally tried to arrest a protester for no apparent reason which kicked off the bystanders to intervene, resulting in more arrests and detention.
Whereas the speakers of the rally tried to support police tactics by asking demonstrators repeatedly not to bother, the police had to let the detained people go due to crowd pressure.
The crowd finally walked off to have a solidarity picket in front of St.Leonards police station, St.Leonard Street.
The demonstration broke through police-lines, when police tried to block their way.
The solidarity picket is still continuing after 10 pm on Saturday night.
In Glasgow there was a big demonstration, and protesters were boxed in for over one and a half hours by police.
Hoosie, from Faslane Peace Camp has been beaten up by police and is now hospitalised with bruised kidney and bruised liver.
He was arrested on Thursday at an action for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
More direct actions against the war reported
22-03-2003 23:00
The British army building in Glasgow has been attacked by protesters on Sunday night. Resistance is also awakening in Galloway, where depleted uranium is tested. From Dundee, first independent reports and pictures come in about anti-war actions during the last week. In Dumfries pupils went out of school to demonstrate, too. For Edinburgh a big demonstration has been called for next Saturday, as well as for a critical mass on Friday evening and anti-war actions on Thursday midday.
Looting against the war in Edinburgh!
20-03-2003 23:00
Edinburgh was again facing a traffic collapse when 2 demonstrations blocked Princes Street on Thursday, the day when war broke out.The protest at noon broke out from Parliament Square and onto Princess Street. Police tactics got more confrontational with horses, motorcycles and lots more forces employed to try to disempower the protesters, such as tried by speech-showering politicians.
This did not stop demonstrators running into the capitalist shops owned by multinational corporations and looting stuff whilst shouting anti-capitalist slogans, redistributing it to fellow protesters or just throwing it away.
Some people were arrested or detained by the police during the protest.
A solidarity picket took place in front of the police station.
The Peace protesters were released as soon as the last demo finished.