Party Vibe

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 2006/31
3 August 2006
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Telephone 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) BRING CHILDREN’S SHOES TO THE DEMONSTRATION
2) THEY’RE COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF BRITAIN
3) MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN SUPPORTS SATURDAY’S DEMONSTRATION
4) THE INDEPENDENT SUPPORTS THE DEMONSTRATION
5) MORE STEWARDS URGENTLY NEEDED
6) MANY THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS

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1) BRING CHILDREN’S SHOES TO THE DEMONSTRATION
Children are the main victims of the Bush and Blair wars. Almost half of
those killed so far in Lebanon are children. They make up one third of
the 3,225 injured, and about 45 per cent of the nearly one million
Lebanese refugees are under the age of 18. (SEE
http://tinyurl.com/r72kl)

Bring children’s shoes to the national demonstration on Saturday 5
August. We will leave them at 10 Downing Street. We want a mountain of
children’s shoes outside Tony Blair’s home to symbolise the horror at
his complicity in war crimes.

And where will Tony Blair be on Saturday, when tens of thousands will
march past his home calling for an immediate ceasefire, when the
majority of people in Britain support that call, when many in Blair’s
party are calling for a recall of Parliament, when almost all of his
ministers say Israel’s onslaught must stop now? He’ll be sunning himself
on holiday in Barbados.

Please bring children’s shoes on Saturday to leave on Tony Blair’s
doorstep. Bring them in memory of the hundreds killed in Lebanon. Bring
them in memory of the hundreds killed in Palestine. Bring them in memory
of the tens of thousands killed in Bush and Blair’s illegal wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

But bring them most of all in the knowledge that if we raise our voices
loud enough and if we mobilise overwhelming support for the cause of
peace, we can stop Tony Blair’s serial warmongering and help prevent any
more deaths of children caused by his slavish support for George Bush.

CEASEFIRE NOW DEMONSTRATION
SATURDAY 5 AUGUST: 12 NOON
ASSEMBLE SPEAKERS CORNER, HYDE PARK
(Nearest tube Marble Arch. Please note there are some tube restriction
this weekend)
MARCH passed the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, Piccadilly, Trafalgar
Square, Whitehall (leave children’s shoes outside Downing Street) to
Parliament Square for the rally.
For more details go to: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

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2) THEY’RE COMING FROM EVERY CORNER OF BRITAIN
Nearly fifty cities and towns from every corner of Britain — from
Glasgow to Exeter, from Swansea to Norwich — are sending hundreds of
coaches to London for Saturday’s demonstration. (details:
http://tinyurl.com/fzq2g). People in towns throughout the land have
arranged to meet in groups to come by train to London.

This nationwide mobilisation is unprecendented for an emergency
demonstration called at such short notice. In London itself, hundreds of
volunteers have been leafletting tube stations, shopping centres,
mosques, churches etc (we still need more help: Call 020 7278 6694).

The nationwide outrage at the carnage in Lebanon and Gaza will be
expressed by many tens of thousands in London on Saturday. Stop the War
has not experienced the level of response it is getting since February
2003, before the outbreak of the Iraq war. Over 1000 people every day
are asking to be put on our mailing list to be kept informed of our
activities.

There is still time to spread the details of the demonstration even
wider. People who know about the demonstration will want to be on it.
Tell everyone you know. Download the leaflet from our website and
distribute it wherever you can. Tell everyone to bring children’s shoes
to leave on Tony Blair’s doorstep.
LEAFLET: http://tinyurl.com/enffa

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3) MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN SUPPORTS SATURDAY’S DEMONSTRATION
The most prominent Muslim organisation in the country, the Muslim
Council of Britain (MCB), which has been a frequent vistor to 10 Downing
Street, has called on all Muslims to support the Stop the War
demonstration on Saturday 5 August. Its call has gone to mosques and
Muslim organisations throughout Britain. If you have a mosque near you,
download the MCB letter from the Stop the War website
(http://tinyurl.com/psdzp) and visit the mosque to encourage its members
to join Saturday’s demonstration, which will unite Muslims with
non-Muslims in our common cause of demanding an immediate and
unconditional ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

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4) THE INDEPENDENT SUPPORTS THE DEMONSTRATION
The Independent newspaper is sponsoring a special, limited edition
CEASFIRE NOW T-shirt, created especially for the demonstration by
leading fashion designer Katherine Hamnett. Cut out the voucher from The
Independent and exchange it for the T-Shirt at cost price at the
demonstration. Then wear it on the demonstration so its message is
displayed by hundreds of protestors. There will be a stall at Speakers
Corner, the demonstration assembly point, for exchanging your voucher.

The Independent has also launched a HELP SAVE THE CHILD VICTIMS OF WAR
campaign (http://tinyurl.com/r72kl), which reinforces our call for
everyone to bring children’s shoes to Saturday’s demonstration to leave
on Tony Blair’s doorstep.

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5) MORE STEWARDS URGENTLY NEEDED
All the signs are that our CEASEFIRE NOW demonstration will be much
bigger than would usually be expected for a demonstration called in the
August holiday period and with barely a week’s notice to build it. We
need more stewards to help organise on the day of the demonstration. If
you can help, please telephone the national Stop the War office on 020
7278 6694 or email your contact details to office@stopwar.org.uk.

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6) MANY THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS
We have had the most wonderful response to our emergency appeal to fund
Saturday’s demonstration and to continue the campaign against the
Bush/Blair wars, which they are now threatening ever more loudly to
extend to Syria and Iran. Stop the War Coalition would like to thank
everyone who contributed and encourage anyone who hasn’t to send a
donation now.

We need to continue raising the level of our opposition to the
Bush/Blair wars, if we are to ensure that they do not cause ever
escalating slaughter of innocent civilians and the destruction of whole
countries. It is the inspiring generosity of our supporters which has
helped Stop the War build the biggest anti-war campaign in British
history. We still have much work to do. Please donate.
TO DONATE, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/qvzt5