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Oxford Indymedia

Jo Wilding in Iraq film screening - Sunday November 6th

richarddirecttv | 31.10.2005 12:41 | Oxford

oxford indymedia presents:

"A Letter to the Prime Minister - Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq"

+ Iraqi eye-witness speaker

7.30pm - Sunday November 6th

East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley Road & Princes St

Entrance £3/£2





'A Letter to the Prime Minister' follows Jo Wilding on her remarkable journey of the last few years, in solidarity with the people of Iraq.

Narrated as a letter to Tony Blair and using original diary extracts, the film follows Jo’s activities in Baghdad before and during the 2003 Invasion, and traces the non-violent resistance to US/UK policy in the region.

Wilding serves as witness to the destruction of the lives of ordinary people during the bombing campaign and their subsequent neglect by Occupation forces and the interim authorities but she also acts, forming the Boomchucka Circus to work with school children and refugees.

In April 2004, that help extended to travelling into Falluja, when even Al Jazeera had pulled out, to stand alongside the civilians trapped and targeted by US forces.

Exclusive footage from the besieged city of Falluja creates a moving picture of the terrible impact UK & US foreign policy has had on ordinary Iraqi people, while the film itself stands as a powerful act of remembrance and questions an unjust and damaging Occupation.

Overall, Jo concludes that Tony Blair and George Bush are war criminals.

Director, Julia Guest. Duration 52 minutes.

“Powerful doc” (Time Out) For more info see:  http://www.alettertotheprimeminister.co.uk/

At this screening, oxford indymedia is delighted to present in person an Iraqi humanitarian aid worker, who is active in the cities which have suffered onslaught from the occupying forces. She is an eye-witness to the devastating sieges on Falluja, and will be able to report on the latest situation in Iraq.

richarddirecttv

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

Blame Saddam Hussein and the terrorist insurgents!

01.11.2005 09:47

You talk as if Iraq was a normal, peaceful happy country before Britain and America invaded. What you forget is that Iraq was a terror state with the worst human rights record in the world before the war, when it was under the savage rule of Saddam's Baath Party. Then after the war the terrorist insurgents tried their best to turn Iraq back into a terror state, killing tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians in the proccess. It was for this reason that the battle of Falujah happened, because the insurgents have seized control of an entire city - Falujah and held it under seige. 95 per cent of all deaths so far in Iraq have also been caused by the terrorist insurgents!

Voice of Reason


did jo wilding go to falujah?

01.11.2005 11:45

I respect her IF she did, but as someone who has worked in Baghdad, I strongly suspect she embellished many of the stories on her weblog, not least the part in which she is held by the insurgents in Falujah. If that really happened why didn't they keep her as hostage, like they did with margaret Hassan and Ken Bigley? Both of whom they murdered after failing to get concessions from the UK government. Seems very fishy to me. I would advise people to treat her tales with some caution.

Simon


The voice enlightens us again

01.11.2005 22:46

O mighty Voice of Reason. We look to u to save us from anti war satanic monsters. I believe EVERYTHING u have said and ANYTHING u will say in the future. but for the non convinced anti christs would u be able to provide them with evidence of yor truthful facts.

PS

a survey in southern Iraq (supposed coalition support territory) for the ministry of defence showed that 65% of people were in favour of the suicide bombers and their attacks and over 70% were in favour of the insurgency. And this is supposed to be the least hostile region in Iraq. I wonder what they think in the rest of the country.

VICTORY TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE
BRITAIN USA AND CO FUCK OFF

dont follow the light


Got to be worth a watch

01.11.2005 23:32

I strongly suggest you go see the film and see what Jo Wilding has to say. Then make up your own minds.

voice of choice


Iraqi kidknappers

04.11.2005 14:36

Iraqi kidknappers have let quite a few people go free after a couple of days or weeks. I can think of two journalists [English and Irish] and a pair of Italian nuns who've been released just off the top of my head.

As a rule of thumb, it's Americans and 'contractors' who are the most likely to be killed by kidknappers.

Nymph0


Jo was in fallujah!

04.11.2005 14:50

*did jo wilding go to falujah?*

I left Jo behind in Baghdad a week or two before she was kidnapped. She was taken along with 3 others and I can't understand why you would doubt the truth of this. Thankfully Jo and the others didnt suffer the same fate as Margaret Hassan. But they are not the only group of hostages to have been released. Our 2 Italian friends from a NGO based in Baghdad were also taken and held much longer. Fortunately they too were released.
The thing Jo's abductors took into account was the work that she and her travelling companions were engaged in, namely working with kids (with the circus) and travelling into Fallujah to help transport the dead and wounded in ambulances. Footage of some of Jo's work inside Fallujah does exist, so if you really do doubt her word try and catch a screening of the above mentioned documentary and see the truth with your own eyes.
Luckily Jo had a video camera with her when she was taken with footage of our work with the circus, showing the abductors this footage went some way to aiding her release.

fisheye
mail e-mail: fisheye@circus2iraq.org
- Homepage: http://www.circus2iraq.org


Silly people.

04.11.2005 14:55

I'm as sure as I can be that Jo a) did not embellish anything and b) has tried as best she could to portray a fair view of what Iraq was and now is like in the film. Go see it, then comment.

This bit is aimed at the snipy people above:
Personally, I thought that the story needed telling and put my money where my mouth is, along with a few others. But I understand that it's much easier to try to bring other people down than to do something worthwhile yourself.

Scott

Scott
mail e-mail: scott@ethosuk.org.uk


re: did jo wilding go to falujah?

04.11.2005 15:12


Jo outside makeshift clinic in Fallujah
Jo outside makeshift clinic in Fallujah

Simon,

I think you should actually view the film before making such crass assumptions. I've included two shots from the footage shot by Julia Guest of Jo in Fallujah itself during the seige.

Copies of the film area available, as well as where you can currently see the film and listen to others who were there are on the website.

When you have journalists like John Pilger and Dahr Jamail backing this film up your claims are shown to be naive and cynical.

-iRoy

iRoy


OK Jo went!

09.11.2005 11:10

I did say i would respect her if she did go to Falujah, I expressed surprise that she was spared by the same people who murdered Margaret Hassan in similiar circumstances. It seems she was very lucky indeed in that case and also brave like Hassan. The fact that political oppurtunists like John Pilger believe her means nothing in itself! The photos however are good evidence, without them the claims on her weblog would appear difficult to ratify.

Simon


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