Which Way The War Blows
imc-uk-features | 12.12.2006 14:54 | Anti-militarism | Iraq
The reinvigoration of anti-militarism campaigns, with a renewed focus on direct and confrontational actions, continued this week as the first in a series of open public meetings were held in London and New York, building on calls (UK | US) to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the war on Iraq (Monday, 19th March, 2007) with a "Global Day of Action for Iraq and Beyond".
In reaction to this, the Stop the War Coalition has called for Tuesday, 20th March 2007, to be "National Troops Out Day", with an afternoon demonstration in Central London ending with a mass die-in and Troops Out rally in Parliament Square, in place of their now traditional Embankment-to-Hyde Park march. Despite this nod to civil disobedience, past events suggest everything will be tightly stage-managed and agreed with the police in advance (reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4).
Campaigns advocating and organising anti-militarist action include: Block the Builders | Campaign Against the Arms Trade | Counter Recruitment UK | Iraq Occupation Focus | Smash EDO | State of Emergency | Stop Arming Israel
Recent anti-militarist activity has had an increasing air of militancy borne out of the escalating crises in Gaza, Darfur and Iraq (to name but three), and frustration at past failures to act effectively, with actions ranging from a picket of the London Soldier army recruitment event; a blockade and a march at Brize Norton airbase; daily Faslane 365 events (reports: 1 | 2 | 3); monthly anti-Trident replacement blockades at AWE Aldermaston; a human chain surrounding the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) headquarters; pickets outside the Halloween Defence Industry Dinner and Reed Exhibitions' (organisers of DSEi arms fair) Counter Terror World exhibition and conference which was aimed at "Strengthening State Security"; regular blockades and pickets of Brighton arms company EDO (reports: 1 | 2 | 3); to the targetting of companies accused of complicity in Israeli war crimes including two lock-on blockades at Carmel Agrexco's London distribution centre (reports: 1 | 2) and a picket at an event at which a Caterpillar Vice President was the keynote speaker.
Meanwhile many of the people arrested at two anti-militarist events inside the SOCPA anti-protest zone are still waiting to hear what, if any, charges they face for their involvement in the No More Fallujahs weekend and the Sack Parliament (video) day of action - which reportedly cost over £300,000 to police, or £1,000 per participant.
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