STOP THE WAR COALITION

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER
No. 1068 02 January 2009
Email office@...
T: 020 7278 6694
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER
1) POLITICIANS, MUSICIANS, WRITERS JOIN GAZA PROTEST
2) SHOES OF OUTRAGE FOR GAZA
3) MASS PROTEST OUTSIDE ISRAELI EMBASSY
4) HELP STEWARD THE LONDON DEMONSTRATION
5) LOCAL ACTION ROUND THE COUNTRY
6) NO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA
7) FUNDS NEEDED URGENTLY

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1) POLITICIANS, MUSICIANS, WRITERS JOIN GAZA PROTEST

Singer Annie Lennox, human rights activist Bianca Jagger,
comedian and author Alexei Sayle, Ken Livingstone, Jeremy
Corbyn MP, writer Tariq Ali and musician Brian Eno are among
the prominent politicians, musicians, activists and writers
attending a press conference on Friday 2 January to urge
people to join Saturday's demonstration in London.

All the signs are that this will be a very large
demonstration, reflecting the anger and outrage at Israel's
barbaric devastation of Gaza and its people. Please do all
you can to encourage friends, relatives, work colleagues,
fellow students, etc, to join us. (For those unable to join
the national demonstration, see details of local protests
below).

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION: SATURDAY 3 JANUARY
HANDS OFF GAZA: STOP THE BOMBING: FREE PALESTINE
ASSEMBLE 12.30 PM EMBANKMENT, LONDON WC2
Nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE

LEAFLET FOR DOWNLOADING: http://tinyurl.com/97udra
DEMO UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

TRANSPORT FOR NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION:
Local Stop the War groups who have arranged transport to
London include Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and
Walsall. For details go to: http://tinyurl.com/9e4ecb

SEE BELOW FOR LOCAL PROTESTS ROUND THE COUNTRY

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2) SHOES OF OUTRAGE FOR GAZA

With the death toll in Gaza now over 400, with 2000 more
injured, and with the United Nations saying the population
are on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe, Gordon Brown
has cloaked himself in Tony Blair's mantle. Brown says he
supports the call for a ceasefire but, just as Blair did in
the Lebanon war in 2006, Brown has slavishly tied himself to
George Bush in blocking a move by the United Nations to call
on Israel to stop bombing Gaza immediately.

In the spirit of Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who
used his shoes to protest over George Bush's war crimes, and
to register our disgust at Brown's hypocrisy, we are asking
protestors at London's demonstration on Saturday 3 January
to bring old shoes to leave for Brown when the march passes
Downing Street.

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3) MASS PROTEST OUTSIDE ISRAELI EMBASSY
Following Saturday's national demonstration, there will be a
mass protest outside the Israeli Embassy from 4.00 - 6.00
pm. Please join if you are attending the national
demonstration.

MASS PROTEST AT ISRAELI EMBASSY
After national demonstration
SATURDAY 3 JANUARY 4.00 - 6.00 PM
KENSINGTON HIGH STREET W8
(Nearest tube High Street Kensington)

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4) HELP STEWARD THE LONDON DEMONSTRATION

With a large turnout expected on Saturday we need more
stewards to help organise the demonstration. If you would
like to help, call or text 07958 745802

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5) LOCAL PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY

For people unable to attend the London national
demonstration there are an ever growing number of local
protests, which we are publicising as soon as we receive
details. The current list is Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol,
Cardiff, Caernarfon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull,
Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham,
Norwich, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton,
Swansea, Tunbridge Wells, Walsall and York.
FOR FULL DETAILS OF LOCAL DEMONSTRATIONS, SEE:
http://tinyurl.com/9e4ecb

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6) NO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA

* TZIPI LIVNI, Israel's foreign minister:
"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and therefore there
is no need for a humanitarian truce."

* RICHARD FALK, United Nations Human Rights Council:
The Israeli airstrikes, and the catastrophic human toll that
they caused, challenge those countries that have been and
remain complicit, either directly or indirectly, in Israel's
violations of international law. That complicity includes
those countries knowingly providing the military equipment
including warplanes and missiles used in these illegal
attacks, as well as those countries who have supported and
participated in the siege of Gaza that itself has caused a
humanitarian catastrophe.

I remind all member states of the United Nations that the UN
continues to be bound to an independent obligation to
protect any civilian population facing massive violations of
international humanitarian law - regardless of what country
may be responsible for those violations. I call on all
Member States, as well as officials and every relevant organ
of the United Nations system, to move on an emergency basis
not only to condemn Israel's serious violations, but to
develop new approaches to providing real protection for the
Palestinian people. (SEE http://tinyurl.com/a9co4l)

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7) FUNDS NEEDED URGENTLY

Stop the War urgently needs funds to help organise
Saturday's emergency demonstration and for the peace
activities we have planned for the coming months. Please
donate if you can. There are three ways to donate:

* ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/3dhzpn ;
* BY POST: Cheques made to "Stop the War Coalition". Send to
27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
* BY CREDIT/DEBIT CARD (from 5 January): Tel 020 7278 6694

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NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION: SATURDAY 3 JANUARY
HANDS OFF GAZA: STOP THE BOMBING: FREE PALESTINE
ASSEMBLE 12.30 PM EMBANKMENT, LONDON WC2
Nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE

LEAFLET FOR DOWNLOADING: http://tinyurl.com/97udra
DEMO UPDATES: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/)

MASS PROTEST AT ISRAELI EMBASSY
After national demonstration
SATURDAY 3 JANUARY 4.00 - 6.00 PM
KENSINGTON HIGH STREET W8
(Nearest tube High Street Kensington)