[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Britain To Be Shut Down If War Proceeds - Guardian

[Alfred Kagan]

>From: Tom_Childs at douglas.bc.ca
>Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 19:17:02 -0800
>Subject: Britain To Be Shut Down If War Proceeds - Guardian
>To: mai-list at moon.bcpl.gov.bc.ca
>Cc: rad-green at lists.econ.utah.edu, womi at lists.riseup.net,
>    project-x at lists.resist.ca, mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca
>Sender: owner-mai-list at moon.bcpl.gov.bc.ca
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>This is great!
>      "We want to completely close Whitehall and prevent the
>       the Ministry of Defence going to work."
>Regards,
>Tom
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
>
>Monday February 17, 2003
>The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk>
>
>Anti-war coalition leaders, emboldened by the massive turnout at peace
>rallies in London and around the world, are planning to try to shut
>Britain down should Tony Blair defy public opinion and go to war without
>a UN resolution.
>
>"We want people to walk out of their offices, strike, sit down, occupy
>buildings, demonstrate, take direct action and do whatever they think
>fit the moment war starts," said Lindsey German of the Stop the War
>Coalition yesterday.
>
>"We want to completely close down Whitehall and prevent the Ministry of
>Defence going to work. At 6pm on the first evening after the bombing
>starts, there will be demonstrations and vigils all over the country, to
>be followed by another march with CND on the first weekend after war
>starts."
>
>The coalition will decide over the next few days whether or not to call
>for a local "day of action" which would be an invitation for younger,
>militant groups around Britain to take direct action.
>
>Last year, with considerably smaller support, a similar call led to more
>than 300 demonstrations, including university occupations and wildcat
>strikes.
>
>International campaigners from the US, Asia and elsewhere are expected
>to meet in London in the next week to consider further coordinated
>opposition to war. But whatever the outcome, local groups will continue
>their diverse protest activities, which range from weekly vigils in
>Milton Keynes to next week's Cycle for Peace in London.
>
>American airforce bases such as those at Fylingdales in Yorkshire and
>Fairford in Gloucestershire, where activists have staged weekly "weapons
>inspections", are likely to become a focus for much activity.
>
>One of the key dates will be March 8, International Women's Day, which
>will see an anti-war march setting out from Parliament Square, organised
>by women who have been holding a weekly antiwar picket opposite Downing
>Street.
>
>That day's annual global women's strike, held in more than 70 countries
>each year to push for investment in caring work rather than military
>budgets, has been dedicated to the anti-war movement this year.
>
>The size of the London and Glasgow marches, together with the great
>diversity of people on them, has given people a shared confidence and a
>new moral authority, said Ms German. "People who oppose the war now feel
>that they speak for the majority. To get at least one million, probably
>two million, people on to the streets on Saturday is unprecedented. This
>was a national occasion," she said.
>
>Her sentiments were echoed by many people on Saturday's march, many of
>whom said they had never marched before.
>
>"Mr Blair has truly united Britain for the first time in my lifetime. I
>never dreamed so many people felt the same way as I did," said Joanna
>Fitcham, company director from Norfolk. "I shall be taking part in every
>demonstration I can from now."
>
>"Next time I'll bring all my friends," said John Tucker, 15, from south
>London, who had come with his mother.
>
>Barrie Botley, 58, from Folkestone, said he had been amazed by the
>numbers present. "The campaign is growing in momentum now and this won't
>be the last protest, I'm sure. It may well be small compared to what's
>come," he said.
>
>Several politicians yesterday predicted that the march would have
>repercussions throughout the Labour party and beyond.
>
>Tony Benn said: "It will go down in British history. In 50 years' time
>people will say 'were you really there?' It has given us great hope.
>This is crunch time. Tony Blair can now either be the leader of the
>Labour party or leader of the war party. "
>
>Prominent Labour anti-war MP Alan Simpson said that the march had united
>the anti-war movement with the anti-globalisation movement and could
>redefine British politics.
>
>"The party is split over this. There are only 180,000 members but more
>than one million people were in the park. The government no longer
>speaks for its constituency. If Blair takes us into the war we will
>launch a movement in the Labour party to indict him."
>
>Grassroots campaigners were equally quick to make the link with recent
>protests, which they believed had encouraged groups with diverse aims to
>join together and focus on specific issues.
>
>"I was involved in the protests against the Gulf war, but this is very
>different," said Mirjam Junker, from Germany, who joined the protests on
>Saturday. "There are more people and also a wider range of people. I
>think it's to do with the anti-globalisation movement.
>
>It was the beginning of many things; groups joining up and linking
>together. After Seattle people have learned to protest and take to the
>streets again."
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>Tom Childs - Audio/Visual Resources
>Douglas College Library
>New Westminster, B.C. Canada
>E: childst at douglas.bc.ca
>T: 604 527-5713 - library
>W: http://www.globaljustice.ca


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu