The New Dark Age

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

1) JOE GLENTON’S FIRST PUBLIC SPEECH SINCE RELEASE
2) I’M A WARMONGER, GET ME OUT OF HERE
3) HOW TO LOBBY YOUR MP
4) TONY BLAIR’S PROVEN CULPABILIY IN MASS MURDER
5) NEW LOCAL STOP THE WAR GROUPS
6) SONG OF THE WEEK: WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE

1) JOE GLENTON’S FIRST PUBLIC SPEECH SINCE RELEASE

On Monday 26 July, Joe Glenton, the soldier who said no to the war in Afghanistan, will make his first public speech since his release from military custody. He will speak at Stop the War’s Time To Go rally in London, when he will be joined by Caroline Lucas MP, Mark Steel (comedian and Independent journalist) and Ross Williams, another soldier jailed for refusing to fight an unjustified war (full list of speakers below).

Joe Glenton suffered months of imprisonment for making his stand against the war, and has shown great courage and principle throughout (SEE bit.ly/reppW). The anti-war movement owes him a great debt and we hope everyone living in the London area who can, will be there on Monday when we show our appreciation.

Please circulate details of the rally to welcome Joe’s release and encourage as many people as you can to join us on 26 July.

RALLY: AFGHANISTAN – TIME TO GO MONDAY 26 JULY 7PM CONWAY HALL, 25 RED LION SQUARE, LONDON, WC1R 4RL

SPEAKERS: Lance Corporal JOE GLENTON, just released from prison following court martial for refusing to fight in Afghanistan, ex-soldier ROSS WILLIAMS, jailed in 2008 for refusing to fight in Iraq, CAROLINE LUCAS MP, JEREMY CORBYN MP, MARK STEEL, comedian and columnist, LINDSEY GERMAN, Stop the War Coalition, YASMIN KHAN, War On Want.

2) I’M A WARMONGER, GET ME OUT OF HERE

Joe Glenton’s release coincides with the vindication of all the reasons he gave for refusing to return to Afghanistan.

Thirty-four British soldiers have died in the last ten weeks, including ten in the last ten days. The rush from politicians to name a withdrawal date is a clear sign that they recognise the obvious: they are losing the war.

“We need to find a way of declaring victory and getting out,” was in reality the conclusion of the Kabul Conference on 20 July, attended by 40 foreign ministers from the US and its allies (SEE bit.ly/beCvEt).

The same reasoning lies behind the British government’s announcement that all UK combat troops will be withdrawn by 2015, “if the conditions in the country are right to do so”.

This is a critical moment for the anti-war movement. We face at least five more years of Afghan civilians and invading soldiers dying in a war which has no other purpose than to save the face of the warmongers.

At the current rate of dying, we can anticipate another thousand British soldiers being killed and many thousands of Afghan civilians.

We need to mobilise the widest opposition to reflect the view of the vast majority in Britain that there should be no more pointless deaths and the troops should all come home now.

Stop the War has called a national Troops Home demonstration for November 20, the day that Nato meets in Lisbon, when Afghanistan will be the main issue for discussion.

Between now and the national demonstration we will organise a range of events, both national and local, to raise the profile of the anti-war majority, including a lobby of parliament in early September, when MPs will debate and vote on a motion on Afghanistan – the first time it has done so since the invasion in 2001.

Leaflets for the national demonstration on November 20 will be available from the Stop the War national office very soon: Contact office@stopwar.org.uk or 020 7801 2768.

3) HOW TO LOBBY YOUR MP

Local Stop the War groups will be lobbying their MPs at constituency surgeries this weekend and we are encouraging all our supporters to join the campaign ahead of the debate in parliament in September by using our online lobbying resource. LOBBY YOUR MP NOW: bit.ly/cJv5Id

4) TONY BLAIR’S PROVEN CULPABILITY IN MASS MURDER

Devastating evidence given to the Iraq Inquiry by Carne Ross, former UK diplomat to the United Nations, and Baroness Manningham-Buller, former head of the British secret service, effectively implicated Tony Blair in mass murder, including the deaths of 52 people in the 7 July 2005 bombings. However, the chances of the Iraq Inquiry producing in its final report anything that would lead to Blair’s indictment for war crimes remain less than zero. (SEE bit.ly/cZk42i)

5) NEW LOCAL STOP THE WAR GROUPS

It’s very encouraging that new local Stop the War groups are being formed (Canterbury is the latest). If there is no local group in your area, or school or college, and you would be interested in setting one up, the Stop the War national office can provide help and advice. We can also give contact details if there are other Stop the War supporters where you live, who may be interested in getting involved.

STOP THE WAR NATIONAL OFFICE: office@stopwar.org.uk or 020 7801 2768.

6) SONG OF THE WEEK: WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE

In keeping with the sentiments of the warmongers and soldiers alike (no doubt endorsed by the Afghan people), we have made our song of the week WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, which became an anthem for the anti-war movement in the Vietnam war. (SEE VIDEO: bit.ly/c1kVOH)

Email office@stopwar.org.uk Tel: 020 7801 2768 Web: stopwar.org.uk Twitter: twitter.com/STWuk