Demonstrate Stop Bush and Blair’s War! Stop the US torture of prisoners Hands off Somalia and Iraq Stop the bombing now Saturday Feb 23 Assemble Hyde Park, London 1pm The Stop the War Coalition has called another national demonstration on February 23 to show Bush and Blair we will not allow civil liberties to be trampled on in the name of a war on the poorest countries in the world. The vicious treatment of the prisoners at Camp X-Ray has shocked millions. Even many who supported the war have been horrified to see prisoners bound, shaved and gagged, kept in open air pens with no hope of a proper trial. The truth is camp X-ray has exposed the brutality of Bush and Blair's so called 'war on terror'. Far from liberating Afghanistan, the West has turned a desperately poor country into a disaster area. US bombing killed thousands of innocent Afghans. The warlords have returned to rule over devastated cities while millions of refugees are on the edge of starvation. Incredibly, the US is still bombing the country. Across the world the West's action has been a disaster. It has pushed India and Pakistan to the brink of war and given cover to Ariel Sharon's murderous attacks on the Palestinian people. It has allowed governments around the world - including our own - to roll back civil rights and scapegoat muslims. The US is now planning phase two of the war. They are threatening action against Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Iraq...the list goes on. There are already hundreds of US troops in the Phillipines and a major naval build up off the coast of Somalia. For all these reasons our movement must stay in the streets. On Saturday 800 people braved pouring rain to picket the Israeli embassy in London. Across the country we are getting reports of lively, well attended Coalition meetings. Now we need to pull out all the stops for February 23. Action We urge coalition groups to call meetings immediately to organise for the 23rd. Here’s an action check list: * Street stalls/tube or rail leafletting * Mass postering * Protests at screenings of Black Hawk Down to get publicity * Contact local trade union groups for support * Visit your local mosque with leaflets * Organise a public meeting on ‘what has the war achieved’ (you can show the new video ‘Not in our Name’ as well) * Street Theatre protests about Camp X ray. (Last week 10 activists protested outside the US embassy gagged and bound in Orange suits. The protest made the TV news. Try it in your local shopping centre this Saturday) * Get in touch with everyone on your contact list. + Book Coaches NOW there’s less than 4 weeks to go! Materials available Leaflets (£10 for 1,000), posters (£5 for 100) and the new TV Choice anti war video ‘Not in our Name’ are all available from the StWC office, or you can pick them up from Housmans or Bookmarks bookshops in London. The leaflet will also be put on the website for you to download. Anti War Teach Ins A number of teach ins have been organised across the country including: * 9th February, School of Oriental and African Studies, London * 17th February, Manchester * 2nd March, Cardiff Contact the office for further details on [email protected] � see you on the 23rd! Stop the War Steering Committee.
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