STOP THE WAR COALITION

NEWSLETTER No. 1020

05 October 2007

Email office@stopwar.org.uk 

T: 020 7278 6694

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

1) WE WILL DEFY GOVERNMENT BAN ON ANTI-WAR MARCH

JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION. SPREAD THE WORD

2) TONY BENN'S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY

3) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER

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1) WE WILL DEFY GOVERNMENT BAN ON ANTI-WAR MARCH

JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION. SPREAD THE WORD

Stop the War President Tony Benn has delivered a letter to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to make clear why our Troops Out demonstration at Parliament on Monday 8 October will take place, despite the ban by the government and police. It is essential that the voice of the antiwar majority in this country is present at Parliament when Gordon Brown makes his long awaited statement on Iraq.

Stop the War has designated tomorrow, Wednesday 3 October, as a day of action to build support for the demonstration and to create a mass sign-in campaign, using a special NOT ONE MORE DEATH postcard, designed by eminent artist David Gentleman. The postcard calls for troops out now and for the British government to break with US war policies. (See postcard here:

It is our basic right to demonstrate. As Tony Benn says, "The authority for this march derives from our ancient right to free speech and assembly enshrined in our history, of which we often boast." This is why Tony will be joined on our march by Labour Party NEC member Walter Wolfgang, musician Brian Eno and many more soon to be announced.

Comedian and broadcaster Mark Thomas, announcing his participation, said, "This is a ham-fisted attempt to prevent us from demonstrating. We will ignore the ban. We have the moral and logical high-ground. I will be marching on Monday 8 October."

Stop the War has been inundated by phone calls and emails from across the country, expressing outrage at this attack on our right to protest peacefully, many saying they will be travelling to London to join the demonstration, both to insist that all British troops are withdrawn from Iraq and to defend our civil liberties.

The situation in Iraq is worsening by the day, with hundreds being killed each week and the virtual collapse of most public services. The cause of this horrific suffering is George Bush's occupation and British troops are only in Iraq to give him political cover. Every day the troops remain prolongs the death and destruction for the Iraqi people.

Our demonstration will call for the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Iraq. We will also call for all troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, for an end to the British government's subservience to US foreign policy and for Gordon Brown to oppose George Bush's current threats to attack Iran.

We urge everyone who has opposed our government's war policies and who has been appalled by the repeated attacks on our basic rights to join our demonstration.

DEMONSTRATE: PARLIAMENT MONDAY 8 OCTOBER

NOT ONE MORE DEATH - BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW

ASSEMBLE FOR RALLY 1.0 PM TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Speakers include:

TONY BENN

MARK STEEL, comedian and writer

BEN GRIFFIN, ex-soldier who served in Iraq

BOB WAREING MP

GEMMA TUMELTY, president, National Union of Students

LINDSEY GERMAN, national convenor, Stop the War

BILLY HAYES general secretary, Communication Workers Union

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2) TONY BENN'S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY

To: The Right Hon Jacqui Smith MP

Home Secretary

House of Commons

London

SW1A OAA

Monday October 1st 2007

Dear Home Secretary,

I am writing to you as President of the STOP THE WAR COALITION, to give you advance notice that there will be a demonstration in Trafalgar Square the day Parliament meets calling for the immediate withdrawal of all British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan at which I shall be speaking along with others.

Afterwards many of those present - including myself - will be marching along Whitehall to the House of Commons to meet MPs and urge them to support this call for a withdrawal, as I shall be doing in approaching Malcolm Rifkind my own local MP. We shall be doing this in an orderly manner and I am making available to those who wish to have one, a postcard over my printed signature as a Privy Councillor, asking the police, and others to assist them. I enclose a copy of this postcard.

The authority for this march derives from our ancient right to free speech and assembly enshrined in our history, of which we often boast and which we vigorously defended in two world wars.

I am copying this letter, and its enclosure, to Jack Straw, the Commissioner of the Metropolis, and as a courtesy, to the Prime Minister's office.

I hope that you will be able to re-assure me that those who demonstrate and march down Whitehall will enjoy your full support and the support of the police. But it is only fair to tell you that the march will go ahead, in any case, and I will be among those marching.

Yours in peace

TONY BENN

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3) GORDON BROWN OPEN LETTER PUBLISHED 3 OCTOBER