No to War on Iraq!
Protests in Britain Take a Stand against the Drive to War

Workers' Daily Internet Edition : Article Index :

No to War on Iraq! Protests in Britain Take a Stand against the Drive to War

Polls Show almost all Britons against War with Iraq

Anti-War Scottish Train Drivers Refuse to Move Weapons

Irish Women's Peace Camp Opposes Use of Territory by US Troops

No War on Iraq! End Israeli Occupation! Solidarity with Palestine!
Liverpool TUC Anti-War March

San Francisco dockers tell Liverpool demo:
Victory to the International Anti-War Movement!

ADVANCE THE DRIVE FOR PEACE AND PROGRESS
Galvanize the People’s Forces for the Battles Ahead!

In solidarity with the international actions on Saturday, January 18, and as the people's forces mobilise for the national demonstration on February 15, many thousands of people joined protests up and down the country against war with Iraq.

In London, the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the British Armed Forces in Northwood was the focus of British demonstrations, as anti-war activists staged a mass breach of the Official Secrets Act. Over 150 activists took photos of the base, which is forbidden under the Act, in an action titled Operation Internal Look. The army base in west London is the command post for British rapid deployment forces and would play a key role in directing British forces in the event of an attack on Iraq.

During the protest two people dressed up as a pantomime horse, one donning the mask of US President George W Bush. On the rear end of the black-and-white steed, Tony Blair's face was pinned next to the tail. The action was organised by Voices in the Wilderness UK, ARROW (Active Resistance to the Roots of War) and the D10 group. On Sunday there was a blockade of the base.

Sian Jones, of the D10 group, said, "Today, with the help of the world's media, Northwood has been put on the map. We hope many more people will come and join us here tomorrow and blockade this base from which Britain is planning to unleash terror on the 22 million people of Iraq." As expected nobody was arrested for breaching the official secrets act but bizarrely the police did arrest Angela Broome, 67, a Christian Peace activist from east London, apparently because they mistakenly thought she was under bail conditions to not go within 1 mile of Northwood because of her involvement in an action redecorating the sign at Northwood with fake blood on December 22 2002.

Emma Sangster, a member of Voices In The Wilderness UK, said : "What we are hoping to do is to show our opinion to the world and show that we know the significance of this place (Northwood)."

In Liverpool an estimated 2,500 people gathered to voice their opposition. The march included trade unionists, pro-Palestine groups and a republican Irish marching band, as well as many working people.

In Cardiff between 1,000 and 1,500 people marched through the city centre.

In Bradford police said at least 2,000 people attended an anti-war protest, including the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James. Amongst the protesters were Jewish and Muslim groups, peace activists and local politicians, all with the common cause of saying no to war. Neil Kingsnorch, of Yorkshire CND, said there were 3,000 people present, making it the biggest peace rally in the city's memory.

A police helicopter circled overhead and officers on horseback rode alongside as the sea of banners moved slowly across Bradford to regroup in the city's centenary square. It was here amid the chants and the sounds of a jazz band another demonstrator, Saskia Solomons, explained the impetus behind the march. "This is about people getting together and fighting for a cause" she said. "It's not just politicians, people across the nation are worried about this war."

Elizabeth Dever, from amongst the marchers, said that she believes that by taking to the streets, her voice will be heard. "I think that the more people that turn out to demonstrate means that Blair can't possibly justify going to war in the name of the people of Britain" she said. Elizabeth is opposed to war in Iraq because she claims it is "morally unjust" ."Iraq is on its knees as a result of sanctions and I don't think bombing them is going to help the situation at all," she added.

After the rally, religious groups from across Bradford came together to hold an interfaith vigil in the square. Reverend Geoff Reid, from Bradford's Methodist Touchstone Centre, was one of those taking part. He talked of the considerable depth of anti-war feeling in the district and says that he has "never before seen such unanimity amongst the churches on a single political issue". Geoff Reid said, "I know there are some Christians who believe it is right to go to war, but you have to look very hard to find them. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and other Church leaders have been very clear in their opposition to the line taken by British and American governments."

In the evening, around 200 people gathered in London outside St Martin in the Field Church, Trafalgar Square, to hear Tony Benn state the case against conflict with Iraq. "What we're about is trying to prevent a war that will kill hundreds of thousands of people many of them children ...it would be done without the authority of the UN and without people being asked," he said.

Candlelit vigils also took place in the evening including in London, Birmingham and Nottingham.

In Glasgow, the Scottish Coalition for Justice Not War held a peace conference ahead of a bigger rally next month.

Carole Norton, CND's national chairman, said: "There's people from all over the community, there's people here from different religions, different backgrounds and that's great, everybody is coming together to make a stance against this war."

Stop the War Coalition Media Release 16 January 2002

Two surveys have revealed almost all Britons are now against waging a war with Iraq.

Following a debate on war on the the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 a staggering 27,500 listeners rang in to the studio poll of which 87% said they were against war.

And Channel Four News last night, 15 January, revealed results of their poll in which viewers were asked: Has the government proved the case for a war with Iraq? 81% said no. Just 19% said yes.

"Practically no one in the country agrees with Mr Blair's war drive, and these polls prove it," said Stop the War Coalition Convenor, Lindsey German last night.

The Coalition is calling on everyone opposed to war with Iraq to join their demonstration in London on February 15.

The demonstration is being organised jointly with CND and the Muslim Association of Britain and is widely expected to be the largest political protest ever held on British soil.

"The protest on September 28 involved some 400,000 people. With polls like this, we are confident that February 15 will be a far bigger event," added Ms German.

Scottish train drivers on January 8 refused to move a freight train carrying ammunition destined for British forces being deployed in the Gulf.

Railway managers cancelled the Ministry of Defence service after the crewmen, described as "conscientious objectors" by a supporter, said they opposed Tony Blair's threat to attack Iraq.

The two Motherwell-based drivers refused to operate the train between the Glasgow area and the Glen Douglas base on Scotland's west coast, Europe's largest NATO weapons store.

English Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS), which transports munitions for the MoD as well as commercial goods, attempted to persuade the drivers to move the weaponry. They did not succeed, and the MoD was forced to cancel the train and the ammunitions were transported by road. It is reported that a total of 15 drivers threatened some form of anti-war action.

The action by the Scottish train drivers is in the fine tradition of the Liverpool dockers who refused to unload Chilean copper after the CIA-organised coup and the assassination of Salvador Allende in 1973. In 1988, the dockers blockaded shipments of uranium originating from apartheid South Africa and Namibia. A famous example of workers taking a principled internationalist stand is when in 1920 stevedores on London's East India Docks refused to move guns on to the Jolly George, a ship chartered to take weapons in the attempt by the imperialist powers to crush the Russian revolution.

Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War Coalition, said of the Scottish train drivers: "We fully support the action that has been taken to impede an unjust and aggressive war. We hope that other people around the country will be able to do likewise." A spokesperson for CND said, "What a marvellous example these brave drivers have set. It takes a lot of courage to do what they have done."

An Early Day Motion in the House of Commons tabled by John McDonnell "applauds the courageous and principled action" of the Motherwell drivers, saying that it is every citizen's right to refuse to take part in the war effort.

A 24-hour women's peace camp has been initiated at Shannon airport in western Ireland. The camp is to protest against the use of the airport as a staging ground for US troops being deployed to the Persian Gulf in preparation for the Anglo-US war on Iraq. According to the organisers, they spent the first weekend of 2003 in a tent at the entrance to the base, and decided to establish a 24-hour camp after receiving "overwhelming support from the general public". The camp is emblazoned with numerous signs denouncing US war plans and in support of the right of the Iraqi people to peace and sovereignty. Irish anger has also been aroused over the arrogance of the US military in using aircraft of the country's national airline, Aer Lingus, with its distinctive colouring.

The Irish Independent has also reported that the country's Green Party is considering the possibility of launching legal action to block the US use of Shannon. Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the action was unconstitutional and violated Ireland's traditional neutrality.

On Saturday, January 18, more than 1,000 people from all over Ireland gathered in Shannon as part of the international day of action to protest at the use of the airport to refuel US war-planes.

On Saturday, an anti-war march was held in Liverpool, timed to coincide with mass demonstrations in Washington, San Francisco, the Middle East, and around the world. It was organised by Liverpool TUC, Liverpool Friends of Palestine and Merseyside Stop the War coalition.

"The public is strongly opposed to war with Iraq," Liverpool TUC President Denis Dunphy said. "The question is, what are we as trade unionists and peace activists prepared to do to stop the war?" He said, "The war will affect everyone but we do have the power to stop it. We need to raise the issues in our unions and talk with colleagues in Merseyside and the North-West about appropriate action."

Sheila Walsh, of the Liverpool Friends of Palestine, said the strong turnout demonstrated the strength of feeling "against this war which we are being dragged into".

"Sooner or later," the organisers of the demonstration say, "we can use our power to stop this war."

Brothers and Sisters,

We, the officers and members of the San Francisco longshore union, send solidarity greetings from the West Coast of America to you anti-war protestors in Liverpool. Trade unionists and anti-war activists here in California will be marching in protest against Bush and Blair’s impending war with Iraq. As the newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, reported today in an article headlined, "Labour finds an issue to march for", trade unions are rallying like never before against this bloody war. Clearly this war is not being waged in the interests of the working class. It is an imperial war fought for the domination of the world’s oil fields. And their phoney "war against terrorism" is being used to target immigrant workers, trade unions and the civil liberties of all.

The railroad workers who refused to operate the train with military cargo in Scotland should be applauded by all who seek to stop this war before the massive military onslaught begins. Their exemplary action shows that the working class has the power to stop this bloody war machine. A few years ago, the courageous Liverpool dockers showed us in their struggle that workers the world over must unite through solidarity actions to challenge the might of international capital.

The capitalist governments are using the military to threaten trade unions, as was done to us in the ILWU, the U. S. West Coast longshore union, and now to the Fire Brigades Union in Britain. No doubt our task is daunting, but without the organized working class’ confronting the domination of the world by an unfettered capital, surely we face the destruction of trade union gains at home and the unmitigated slaughter of innocent peoples abroad.

DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF TRADE UNIONS!
DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS!
DEFEAT THE BLOODY IMPERIAL WARMONGERS!
VICTORY TO THE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT!

The officers of ILWU Local 10:

President Richard Mead
Secretary-Treasurer Clarence Thomas
Business Agent Trent Willis
Business Agent Jack Heyman

17/01/03

Following is the statement of the US Marxist-Leninist Organization for the International Anti-war Days of Action, January 18, 2003.

The US Marxist-Leninist Organization salutes each and everyone here and worldwide standing as one to say We Demand Peace! In the face of the government’s relentless drive to war, the people are rising undaunted to say NO! to US aggression worldwide. NO War on Iraq! These International Days of Action are vibrant expressions of the determination of the people to turn things in their favour. From small towns to cities, from east to west and north to south, the broad range of people and organizations joining together against war is rapidly growing. What stands out is that people are refusing to accept that their solutions for peace and progress are being ignored. Confidence is growing with the realization that it is the people who are decisive in winning change.

This demonstration is yet one more battleground in the struggle unfolding over who decides, whose security will be defended, and whose will carried out. Its overwhelming success is visible in the presence of people from all fronts of struggle, from all corners of the country, from the many nationalities, immigrants, seniors, youth, women and workers.

As the government attempts to dishearten everyone by imposing its dictate and starting war, what is needed is continued work and organizing to galvanize the people’s forces for the decisive battles ahead. Building our unity, our links, our common work in the thick of struggle is vital. Support every sign of resistance, join together to defend rights, with courage and conviction organize together to win change!

Change is in our hands, the people’s hands, and they are capable powerful hands. Together we do have solutions.

In organizing today and in redoubling efforts to strengthen all the fighting forces for tomorrow, Americans are letting the government know that we are a force to be reckoned with. We demand peace. We stand with the peoples everywhere in saying our aim is to bring into being another world fit for human beings. Our aim is to secure the future for humanity. Together we say it is Our Future, We Decide! And precisely for this reason, we are meeting the government’s refusal to submit to the will of the majority by declaring:

We Have Just Begun to Fight!