The Human Shield Movement today warned President Bush and Tony Blair that any attempt at military intervention against Iran would be met by a massive mobilisation of human shields. The human shields plan to travel to Iran and position themselves around civilian infrastructure sites, such as sewage plants and power stations, in order to try and prevent their destruction by bombing or missile raids. Over 500 human shields from 14 countries have already been issued with visas and are preparing for departure to Iran “within the month”.

The Human Shield Movement gained global prominence in the 2003 when several hundreds Western civilians of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities descended on Iraq in an attempt to prevent the invasion. The movement has been out of hibernation since President Bush’s State of the Union in Februrary 2005 and have been collecting pledges of people willing to go to Iran should an invasion look imminent.

Organisers hope that by organising early they will be able to mount a sizeable group of volunteers willing to try and stop a future destructive folly in the Middle East. The Human Shield Mission to Iraq only had a matter of weeks to organise before the start of ‘Operation Shock and Awe’ and as a result the number of human shields in Baghdad was not great enough to provide an effective deterrent.

Today, a powerfully-worded warning was sent to the White House, as well as a letter to Downing Street urging Tony Blair to unequivocally distance himself from the President’s warmongering stance. A spokesperson for the movement, Schlomo Stankowic said today;

“Travelling to Iran as human shields has always been seen as the ‘last resort’. Unfortunately it seems that we fear are fast approaching the point when it will become necessary. Traditional methods of protest are ineffective in the face of the messianic determination of Bush and Blair to implement their global vision. We will not be protecting nuclear or military installations but will attempt to ensure that the civilian infrastructure isn’t destroyed in an attempt to cause suffering and chaos in Iran and sew the seeds of insurrection and regime change.

We already have over 500 people who have got their visa requirements sorted and there are thousands of others who have pledged themselves as human shields and who will be ready to travel to Iran at short notice. Military action against Iran would be based on the principle of ‘anticipatory self defence’ or ‘preventive war’. By allowing the concept that wars can be fought on the basis of what states might do rather than what they have done or are about to do, we shatter the precepts of international law and destabilise the world. It is up to all of us to do everything in our power to save this planet from this dangerously misguided foreign policy. “

For more information contact  humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk

If you would like to pledge yourself as a human shield contact  humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk