Now that the carnage in the Middle East has begun with the US and British bombers raining fire and destruction over Iraq and Kuwait, the anti-war movement in Britain must pull out all the stops to build on the strengths of Women Against War in the Gulf.
Since the new year Women Against War in the Gulf has been snowballing. The Women's vigil outside the Foreign Office in Whitehall started on Friday January 11. Despite police harassment, and the arrest of five sisters on the vigil, it has continued to be a focus for women's action against the war.
Importantly, it has received the attention of the mass media and we have been able to use this coverage to build a broad network of women anti-war activists. Many women have been brought into activity who previously would not have considered themselves political activists.
The next stage in building Women Against War in the Gulf is for us to establish links with those women who have relatives in the forces. Many of these women are angry, scared and, at the moment isolated from the anti-war movement. Women Against War in the Gulf can play a pivotal role in bringing these women into action and so allow the anti-war movement to reach out to much broader sections of the working class than it can reach at the present.
Women Against War in the Gulf can also play an important role in pulling together those health workers who are starting to organise against the war. A majority of the health workers are women – low paid and undervalued. This again will be vital in turning the anti-war movement out to ordinary working class women and men in Britain.
At the present time, the Committee to Stop War in the Gulf, does no appear to be looking in this direction. We would urge them to do so. Women Against War in the Gulf can play a key role in changing the orientation of the anti-war movement. We participate in both the Committee to Stop War in the Gulf and in the Campaign Against War in the Gulf and since our formation have called for a united and democratic mass anti-war movement. We think that our success in pulling together women from a wide variety of traditions – from Greenham Women to socialist feminists – serves as a model for the broader anti-war movement. Political differences must never be barriers to unity in action!
For more information about Women Against War in the Gulf contact: c/o 63 Upper Tollington Park, London N4 4DD. Tel. 071 272 7649