Three hundred people came together in London on Tuesday (September 25th) to form and anti-war campaign – which was named the Stop The War Coalition.
It followed a highly successful rally in London last Friday which attracted 3,000 people and ran to three overflow meetings, and the launch of media workers against the war which was held on Monday with 70 people present.
Tariq Ali gave the opening address pointing out that whilst the new war coalition war mobilising for a war with aircraft, and warships, and troops heading for south Asia, there was actually no agreement amongst the coalition as the war aims or even who should be attacked and how.
He called for the biggest and broadest anti-war movement possible and advocated the slogan "we are not at war".
He pointed to the successful protests which have taken place against the war in particular 5,000 people picketed Downing Street last Saturday. There were also sizeable demonstration in a number of other cities, including Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow.
He argued that this response reflects millions of people in Britain who do not endorse the war aims of Bush and Blair, and whilst totally condemning the terrorist attack and wanting to see something done about it, think that what is being proposed will only make things worse. There is, therefore, he said, the basis for a substantial anti-war movement in Britain and it is our obligation to build it.
The meeting decided to launch a big campaign against the war in every arena possible. After setting up the campaign the meeting broke up into work groups dealing with various areas of the campaign: trade unions, students, media, anti-racism and asylum seekers, and on Islamophobia.
It was reported that a campaign in the colleges and at the freshers fairs had already produced thousands of signatures against the war.
It emerged at the very good trade union working group that ASLEF has already passed a resolution opposing the war as an emergency resolution for LP conference, and that the RMT is discussing a similar resolution on Thursday.
The meeting discussed a launching a big campaign in the unions against the war including the demand for an emergency TUC conference to discuss it.
This was given a boost by the news that train drivers’ union ASLEF has already passed an emergency resolution against the war, to be tabled at the coming Labour Party conference in Brighton.
Plans were made to campaign in the various unions, and also to ensure that the campaign committee and the public platforms of the campaign have adequate trade union representation.
The Stop The War Coalition will be holding weekly open meetings, which will include meetings of the working groups.
England
Big rallies, vigils and meetings against the war drive have been taking place all over the country, and meetings are being organised to form local campaigns. 180 rallied in Portsmouth, while 500 joined a protest in Oxford on September 22.
The Socialist Alliance is giving full support to all anti-war events, and an updated listing on planned events across the country can be found on its web site:
www.socialistalliance.net .
Scotland
Immediately after 11th September, the Scottish Socialist Party discussed anti-war initiatives. A paper was produced by the weekend and meetings called for the following week.
On Thursday 20th a meeting of 250 was held in Glasgow and large meetings were held in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.
The Glasgow meeting was called by the SSP and had Tommy Sheridan, Alan McCoombes and Lindsey German on the platform.
On Saturday 22nd over 1,000 attended a CND organised rally in the centre of Glasgow and similar action took place across Scotland.
The latest issue of Scottish Socialist Voice takes the line ‘No More Carnage’.
Anti War groups are being set up in many localities in Scotland, although at this point there is no coordinating committee.
USA
STUDENTS have been among the leading elements mobilising against the war threat across the USA, as thousands of reservists have been called up by Bush’s war machine.
2,500 rallied against the war in the University of Berkeley, as part of a nationwide effort involving 146 universities in 36 states. In New York University, a meeting of 250 students cheered a socialist speaker who insisted that "We have every right to ask questions of this government".
As the anti-war movement develops, a former US Attorney General, Ramsey Clark, has put his head firmly above the parapet of patriotic hysteria, and called a protest demonstration outside the White House for September 29, warning that: "A new and widespread war by the USA in the Middle East can only lead to a spiral of violence".
In Brazil, anti-war campaigners are organising a series of mass rallies in Sao Paolo, beginning on September 28.