The Human Shield Movement, today warned President Bush and Tony Blair that any attempt at an illegal ‘Iraq-style’ war against Iran would be met by a massive mobilisation of western Human Shields, the like of which has never been seen. Already over 500 people have now pledged themselves as potential human shields in the event of an imminent invasion of Iran, and that number is climbing every day.
The Human Shield Movement gained global prominence in the 2003 when hundreds of so-called Western civilians of all ages and backgrounds 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 and have been collecting pledges of people willing to go to Iran should an invasion look imminent.
Organisers are hoping that by organising early they will be able to mount a sizeable army 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.
President Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’ State of the Union in address in 2002 was a precursor to the Iraq invasion. In February 2005 his address hinted at his future intentions in Iran. Since then, the election of the radical Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian President in July has made the White House even more determined to invade.
In September the US and Britain persuaded the IAEA board to overrule its inspectors, declare Iran in breach of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and say that Iran's activities could be examined by the UN security council. A Security Council Resolution affirming the breach could pave the way for ‘a legal invasion’. As recent experience has shown, even failure to gain a Resolution might not deter these two countries from waging ‘an illegal invasion’.
In November, the front pages of the British newspapers were filled with the story that Iran was supplying the roadside bombs to Iraqi militants used for killing British soldiers. This coming so soon after the nuclear weapons programme story, suggests that the media are complicit in ‘softened up’ the public for war. There is little coverage for stories like the one in the Guardian highlighting that the fact that the supposedly sophisticated devices used as roadside bombs have been manufactured inside Iraq for many months and do not need to be imported from Iran.
Although travelling to Iran or Syria is seen as a ‘last resort’ the Movement is determined to be more organised this time around. 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;
“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. If we had had 10,000 human shields in Iraq before the war, Bush and Blair would have hesitated in their rush to war. Unfortunately in 2003, we had little more than a month to mobilise human shields. This time it will be different. This time we will be prepared.”
For more information contact
humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk
If you would like to pledge yourself as a human shield contact humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk
The Human Shield Movement gained global prominence in the 2003 when hundreds of so-called Western civilians of all ages and backgrounds 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 and have been collecting pledges of people willing to go to Iran should an invasion look imminent.
Organisers are hoping that by organising early they will be able to mount a sizeable army 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.
President Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’ State of the Union in address in 2002 was a precursor to the Iraq invasion. In February 2005 his address hinted at his future intentions in Iran. Since then, the election of the radical Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian President in July has made the White House even more determined to invade.
In September the US and Britain persuaded the IAEA board to overrule its inspectors, declare Iran in breach of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and say that Iran's activities could be examined by the UN security council. A Security Council Resolution affirming the breach could pave the way for ‘a legal invasion’. As recent experience has shown, even failure to gain a Resolution might not deter these two countries from waging ‘an illegal invasion’.
In November, the front pages of the British newspapers were filled with the story that Iran was supplying the roadside bombs to Iraqi militants used for killing British soldiers. This coming so soon after the nuclear weapons programme story, suggests that the media are complicit in ‘softened up’ the public for war. There is little coverage for stories like the one in the Guardian highlighting that the fact that the supposedly sophisticated devices used as roadside bombs have been manufactured inside Iraq for many months and do not need to be imported from Iran.
Although travelling to Iran or Syria is seen as a ‘last resort’ the Movement is determined to be more organised this time around. 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;
“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. If we had had 10,000 human shields in Iraq before the war, Bush and Blair would have hesitated in their rush to war. Unfortunately in 2003, we had little more than a month to mobilise human shields. This time it will be different. This time we will be prepared.”
For more information contact
humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk If you would like to pledge yourself as a human shield contact
humanshieldsiran@hotmail.co.uk
Comments
Hide the following 9 comments
independent on sunday claim last week bombs from uk security services
22.10.2005 23:16
a former agent who infiltrated the ira told the paper that the technology reached the middle east through the ira's co-opration with palestinian groups. in turn, some of these groups used to be sponsored by saddam and the baath party. he was quoted "there is no doubt in my mind that the technology used to kill out troops in basra is the same british technology from a decade ago".
this, along with early reports, later changed, that the two british sas undercover agents arrested and later illegally freed in iraq recently not only had weapons and fake id, but also a car full of explosives, makes it clear that our security forces are regularly stirring up trouble and blaming it on other groups for political motives.
full article available at
rikki
as they say on aintitcoolnews, PLANT!!!
23.10.2005 00:55
But to go closer.
1) Wrong-footing. The attempt to compare (in detail) a future strike agains Iran with the previous action against Iraq, planting the idea that one already knows the form of US plans. Basic military psy-ops. Connecting this to the Human Shield movement (many genuine members, many spies, and a fully infiltrated leadership) is somewhat clever, since by definition, human shields ONLY work for certain kinds of attack plans.
QUOTE
number of human shields in Baghdad was not great enough to provide an effective deterrent
UNQUOTE
2) The movement is NOT about deterrence, but making a statement that might cause enough normal voters in the US/UK etc to have a combined response that would suitably de-power their leaders. More shields MIGHT raise the profile of the movement, but it would also get more spies into Iran. Of course, now we move into double-bluff territory, where making Iran suspicious of the REAL purpose of such a movement becomes a possible intent.
QUOTE
election of the RADICAL Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian President
UNQUOTE
3) Did Cheney or Blair write this article??? Always watch for slips of the tongue like this- they are far more common then you would ever guess- same as when governments post statements with the Microsoft draft function active, allowing people to see the various changes the document went through before being published.
QUOTE
declare Iran in breach of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and say that Iran's activities could be examined by the UN security council. A Security Council Resolution affirming the breach could pave the way for ‘a legal invasion’
UNQUOTE
4) LIES- TOTAL LIES. If Iran fell foul of the NPT, it can just leave that treaty, and then its status would be IDENTICAL to Israel. The problem with Iran leaving the treaty is that then it COULD NOT get official help with its Nuclear Program from Russia, France etc. The point of the treaty IS NOT the threat of war, but the removal of nuclear technology assistance. If Iran could do all the work itself, and manufacture all of its equipment, it would not need to be in the treaty.
QUOTE
There is little coverage for stories like the one in the Guardian highlighting that the fact that the supposedly sophisticated devices used as roadside bombs have been manufactured inside Iraq for many months and do not need to be imported from Iran.
UNQUOTE
5) The selling of the Guardian, Blair's main pro-war, anti-muslim newspaper. The Guardian targets a key section of the UK (and wider) public. The trick above refers to the fact that the Guardian WILL refer to (apparently anti-Blair) details already known by the more curious and intelligent section of its readership, and thus repeats these details safely to gain confidence. This is this first rule of infiltration. Discover the information already in possession of your target group, and then make a point of giving the same information to them. They won't learn anything new, of course, but will be impressed, and think you are one of them. Then use that gained confidence to guide them in YOUR desired direction.
QUOTE
Although travelling to Iran or Syria
UNQUOTE
6) Dear lord- the crudeness of THIS one!!! Syria= Ba'athist, Sunni, secular. Iran = Shia, religious goverment. However, military psy-ops says to label all the enemies as 'Johny Foreigner'. The is called de-humanising, so you see target humans as one amorphous mass, not individuals.
QUOTE
Tony Blair to unequivocally distance himself from the President’s warmongering stance.
UNQUOTE
7) OPERATION BLAIR IS A PUPPET. Guys, this one is long dead?! Even stupid people seem to have noticed now that Blair LEADS THE WAY, not follows. Didn't you get the psy-ops dept memo saying that THIS black propaganda disinfo is over and done?
QUOTE
“Military action against Iran would be based on the principle of ‘anticipatory self defence’ or ‘preventive war’.
UNQUOTE
8) supposedly anti-war, but magically unaware that what Blair proposes already has a name- AGGRESSIVE WAR- a Crime Agianst Humanity that lead to the death penalty of Hitler's minions at Nuremberg. Still, it is always MORE important for a true anti-war person to push Blair's and Bush's OWN control phrases, isn't it (snigger).
Never really thought much about the Human Shield movement before this moment. Now I note it as just another front. The article would have been more convincing (although to me ANYTHING would have been more convincing) if it had contained reference to the heavy fines and inpending legal action that many of the US Iraq Human Shields now face.
I know many of you are wishful thinkers, and feel unhappy when I rip into some disinfo, psy-ops, or black propaganda piece. I'm sorry, I too wish things were better than they are. However, as I have said before, and will repeat many times again, the security services of the West receive (in total) tens of billions of pounds in funding, and their MAIN job is infiltration, intelligence gathering, control, and subversion. Given the people currently in government, why is it so hard to understand that WE are a major target. Blair controls the Mass Media, and gets EXACTLY the propaganda output he needs there. Innocent man butchered on the underground, and all the papers have a four page spread repeating EXACTLY the SAME lies disseminated after the event, and excatly the same justification for the death squad actions.
But here, and on other sites across the Internet, Blair faces his ONLY broadcast opposition. The other side of THAT coin is that he gets to 'draw out' his more vocal opponents, and he gets to 'plant' material that, while appearing anti-Blair, is actually pro-Blair given its affect on its target audience. He has more success than many of you want to concede, because most of you allow yourselves to be CONDITIONED by which ever mass media outlet is your poison of choice.
The article above screams to me PLANT no less so than the 'OUTRAGE against Iran because of gay issue' ones. The purpose is a little different admittedly, but the end result is still intended to be the same.
twilight
Syria is the next most likely target
23.10.2005 03:43
brian
Yoooo Hoooo, Twilight
23.10.2005 10:29
Now Twilight, what most of us are unhappy about is your complete failure to substantiate your claims, provide evidence, and so on. In fact what is particularly interesting is that when holes in your claims are identified, you clam up completely! There are at least 4 active threads over the last week!!
Stop spamming this site!
Observer
Human shields are totally misguided
23.10.2005 10:53
Only a few weeks ago people on here on this very website indymedia were strongly condeming the Iranian regime for executing two teenagers. The removal of such an evil despotic regime should be the top priority for people on a liberatarian website like this, not any action which will impede its removal!
Observer
Yawn Yawn
23.10.2005 13:07
Observer
the other observer
23.10.2005 15:21
Only a few weeks ago people on here on this very website indymedia were strongly condeming the Iranian regime for executing two teenagers. The removal of such an evil despotic regime should be the top priority for people on a liberatarian website like this, not any action which will impede its removal!'
Fascist !
The above description would leave the UK open to invasion also. To say Iranians want their country invaded is a joke. They are patriotic and believe in the right to have they're own nuclear power. The dissidents to the power in iran tend to be the young that are attracted by western culture. Islam is going through change in Iran and will continue to sway between moderate and hardline for many years. Invasion is not required!
munki logik
500 fewer moonbats
23.10.2005 20:08
Great
lulu against war
24.10.2005 12:36
st