STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No. 1050 13
June 2008 Email [email protected] T: 020 7278 6694 Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
ANTI-BUSH DEMO GOES AHEAD LIB DEMS SUPPORT RIGHT TO PROTEST
The demonstration against George Bush’s state visit to the UK on Sunday 15 June will definitely take place, now the police have accepted that we can assemble in Parliament Square.
The campaign to get the ban lifted on us marching from Parliament Square to Downing Street continues. Today, the Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary, Chris Huhne, wrote to the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, calling on her to overturn the ban on the anti-Bush march.
Calling the ban ‘the final straw’ after Wednesday’s vote on 42-day detention, Huhne says, “Just because the votes of these protesters cannot be bought, it does not mean that their voices should not be heard by those in 10 Downing Street. In this country we have a long tradition of peaceful protest and I would be shocked if British civil liberties were curtailed at the request of a foreign government.” (See full text of the letter below.)
This is a very important demonstration against a war criminal who should be on trial rather than “honoured” by a state visit. But it is now also a key event in the battle to reclaim our civil liberties, which have been under continual attack under the guise of the “war on terror”. The shameful farce of Gordon Brown bribing through parliament his detention without trial legislation and the ban on our march to Downing Street are just the latest examples.
Stop the War urges all its supporters to join us in Parliament Square on Sunday 15 June at 5.00pm, when we will insist that war criminals are not welcome here and asserting our right to demonstrate peacefully. It is still our intention to defy the ban on our march from Parliament Square to Downing Street.
GEORGE BUSH NOT WELCOME HERE DEFEND OUR RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST END UK SUPPORT FOR US WAR POLICIES DEMONSTRATE SUNDAY 15 JUNE, 5.00PM PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ Called by Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British Muslim Initiative
THE FULL TEXT OF LIBERAL DEMOCRAT SHADOW HOME SECRETARY CHRIS HUHNE’S LETTER TO THE HOME SECRETARY:
Dear Home Secretary,
I am writing to urgently request that you review the decision of the Metropolitan Police to ban the anti-Bush march taking place this Sunday 15 June from marching down Whitehall. As you will be aware the Stop the War Coalition have organised dozens of peaceful marches past Downing Street, and I am deeply concerned that the request has been denied.
In this country we have a long tradition of peaceful protest and I would be shocked if British civil liberties were curtailed at the request of a foreign government. I hope that you can also confirm that the decision of the Metropolitan Police was not made at the request of the US authorities.
A static demonstration in Parliament Square is no replacement for a protest march down Whitehall and I urge you to work with the police and the protesters to ensure they are able to make their voices heard outside Downing Street. Just because the votes of these protesters cannot be bought does not mean that their voices should not be heard by those in 10 Downing Street.
Kind Regards,
Chris Huhne Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
CONTACT THE HOME SECRETARY AND CALL ON HER TO OVERTURN THE BAN ON THE MARCH TO DOWNING STREET: * Tel: 020 7035 4848 * Fax: 020 7035 4745 * Email: [email protected]
