Why we continue to campaign

The Stop the War Coalition is opposed to the so called "war on terror" by the United States and its allies. Using the excuse of the September 11th attacks they are seeking to use their military might to impose their will on the world. Our campaign was started to campaign against the murderous onslaught on Afghanistan, Iraq was next on the list, but George Bush's blood-lust is not yet satisfied. When asked "where next?" by anti war MP Alice Mahon, Tony Blair immediately replied "North Korea". Already the USA is using its victory in Iraq to impose its will on other states: Iran and Syria have been threatened that they must stop supporting Palestinian resistance fighters, or face "serious consequences". Our campaign is needed to campaign against America's next war target, which will be surely unveiled in the coming weeks and months.

The war has led to an increase in racism against Asians, and Moslems in particular. Our campaign is needed to answer these racists lies.

Unarmed civilian protesters have been mown down by US troops in Fallujah and Mosul. A humanitarian disaster is building in Iraq, with lack of clean water, essential drugs and electricity, threatening hundreds of thousands, particularly the elderly and children. The oil wells have been "liberated" but the Iraqi people will remain under the yoke of colonial rule. But without justice there will never be peace. We will continue to campaign against the occupation of Iraq and Palestine.

On Saturday 3rd May, the Financial Times reported a senior US government official admitting that the Americans knew that Iraq had no Weapons on Mass Destructions. Instead he argued war was justified because Iraq had 1000 scientists who could have restarted the weapons program at any time. Before the war Tony Blair told us that Iraq posed a real danger to Britain, the easy victory by the American and British troops in Iraq show this to have been completely false. The war was justified by lies. We will continue to expose those lies, and therefore make it more difficult for the war-mongers to justify their next adventure. Remember that in September last year Tony Blair said Iraq was 6 months away from a nuclear weapon. Tony Blair was not telling the truth, and documents produced by the governement were forgeries.

(This statement was agreed at the organising meeting on the 20th January 2003)

Swindon Stop the War Coalition condemns the unlawful detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay by the US Government and at Belmarsh Prison by the UK government as gross violations of human rights and in contravention of the Genera Convention. Stop the War coalition, along with other pressure groups and organisations, will campaign to help secure release or fair trials for those who are suffering as part of this international act of inhumanity. We campaign against attacks on civil liberties, such as the Civil Contingencies Bill that will restrict the right to protest.