LEWISHAM STOP THE WAR COALITION
Past Events
Budget Day Protest in Lewisham
Peace, Justice, Solidarity Gig at the Albany
Vigil for 100th British Soldier Killed in Afghanistan in 2009
National Demonstration 24 October 2009
Afghanistan: The Unwinnable War 8 September 2009
Vigil and Naming the Dead 22 August 2009
Peace,
Justice, Solidarity at Lewisham People's Day
Public Meeting on Viva Palestina Convoy
Songs for Gaza, Town Hall 18 February
Lewisham Centre Saturday 31 January
Lewisham Lloyds TSB Protest Saturday 31 January
Gaza Local Vigils 14 and 15 January 2009
President Bush Visits Lewisham
PUBLIC MEETING
Afghanistan
Cut
the War, not Jobs and Services
|
Tuesday
29 June 1930 -
2130 Methodist
Church Hall Albion
Way SE13 6BT Everyone
welcome |
|
Joan
Humphries
Military Families Against the War
John
Rees
National Officer, Stop the War Coalition
Romayne
Phoenix
Former Lewisham Councillor
Amina
Mangera
Lewisham Anti-Racist Campaigner
Bring the Troops Home
Waste of British and
Afghan Lives
Joan Humphries's grandson, Kevin, was killed in
Afghanistan in 2009; one of a total 300 British soldiers now killed since the
start of the occupation. No one is even
counting the numbers of Afghan civilians killed.
British troops are killing and dying to protect one of
the most corrupt governments in the world: a government that condones marital
rape, tortures its own citizens and was elected by massive fraud, and their
presence there increases, not decreases, the risk of terrorism to us here in
the UK..
Cost of War
The occupation of Afghanistan is costing £4 billion per
year, while ordinary people in the UK are facing savage cuts to jobs, services
and pensions.
What difference could a share of that £4 billion a year
make to the people of Lewisham? How many
of us will lose our jobs and services while no commitment is made to bringing
the troops home?
Racist Backlash
The majority of British people favour a withdrawal from
Afghanistan, but the main political parties are united in creating a climate of
fear to justify attacks on our civil liberties and continuing an unjust
occupation which is actually putting us more at risk of terrorist attack.
They don't
seem to care that this has resulted in a significant rise in anti-Muslim racist
attacks a rise in support for the Fascist English Defence League, and the
election of the first ever MEPs for the BNP.
Letters to MPs and Councillors and Replies
We have written to all locally-elected representatives
about Afghanistan and encourage others to do the same, just as many of us wrote
to our MPs about Gaza earlier in 2009. We have a catalogue of them at the new MP and Councillor Letters page.
PAST EVENTS
Budget Day Protest Against Cuts
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Lewisham Stop the War took part in a protest against
the vicious cuts in jobs, services and pensions that are being made against a background
of billions being spent on wars and occupations. Photos by Owen Liddle.

At the Albany Theatre, Deptford, the Lewisham Young Mayor, with Lewisham
Peace, Justice and Solidarity, presents
Sunday 7 March 2010
Music
from 7.30 pm
|
Falling Embers |
band |
alternative/punk/rock |
|
Tony Lording |
singer songwriter |
country/blues/folk |
|
Shiikane |
band |
R & B/Gospel |
|
Paul Moody |
singer songwriter |
rock/soul |
|
Jim Radford |
singer songwriter |
folk |
|
Bruise |
duo |
folk |
|
Damusia |
singer songwriter |
blues/jazz |
|
Strawberry
Thieves |
socialist choir |
|
Food and Bar
from 6.30 pm Caribbean
food, including vegetarian dishes, from the Albany café
Discussion and
Films
from 4 pm
|
Seventy years
of struggle against racism in fascism in London |
The next steps with local anti-racist campaigner |
|
Greener Cities
and Saving the Planet |
by green activist Jim Jepps |
|
Pictures of
Afghanistan and Eyewitness Account |
by photo-journalist Guy Smallman |
|
Everyday Life
in Palestine and the Relief Convoy to Gaza |
Pauline Collins and Leah Levane talk about their
experiences |
There will also be stalls from the campaigning groups
participating in Peace, Justice, Solidarity.
The Albany is in Douglas Way, off Deptford High
Street, walking distance from Deptford and New Cross railway stations, Deptford
Bridge DLR and buses 47, 53, 177, 188, 199, 225 and 453.
See www.thealbany.org.uk/infopoint/12/Your-Visit
for map and more details.
Vigil for 100th British Soldier Killed in Afghanistan in 2009
1700 - 1900 Wednesday 9 December 2009



National
Demonstration 24 October 2009
Pictures by Owen Liddle
|
Joe and Clare Glenton at the front of the march (see
local Afghanistan meeting) |
|
|
|
|
|
The Lewisham banner on the road |
|
|
|
Lewisham Stop the War and CND banners in Trafalgar
Square |
Afghanistan: The Unwinnable War
Tuesday 8 September 2009,
1930, Lewisham Methodist Church Hall, Albion Way.
Speakers were
|
Lindsey German |
National Convenor, Stop
the War Coalition |
|
Clare Glenton |
Wife of Joe Glenton,
facing court martial for refusing to return to Afhanistan |

Lindsey German (left) Stewart Halforty and Clare Glenton
For more information, see the link to the Stop the War
site at http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1400/1/
Also, a South London Press report at http://www.southlondonpress.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=36069&searchword=afghanistan
Vigil and Naming the Dead 22 August 2009
Following the announcement of 200th British soldier
being killed in Afghanistan, on the following Saturday we held a vigil near
Lewisham Clocktower. Names of British
soldiers and Afghan civilians were read out.
|
Owen Liddle |
Owen Liddle |
|
Bruce Levy |
Bruce Levy |
|
Bruce Levy |
Owen Liddle |
|
Owen Liddle |
Owen Liddle |
Report
taken from the New
Worker Newspaper.
"Stop
the War campaigners gathered around Lewisham Clock Tower in South London
last Saturday to mark the death toll of British troops serving in the
futile and illegal war in Afghanistan passing 200.
Those
present - individuals and representatives of a wide spectrum of
progressive organisations - took turns to read out the names of the 206 dead
British troops and a similar number of dead Afghan civilians.
The
casualty rate among Afghan civilians is far higher than among the invading
troops but it seems that no one is keeping records and the numbers and names of
the dead are hard to find. Most British reporters in the country are embedded
with British troops and rarely get to interview the victims of British and
American bombing raids..
A
lot of information has been supplied by a London reporter, Guy Smallman, who
has travelled to Afghanistan to make his own independent investigation. Even
so, information about many of the dead is patchy; some are known only as
"Amin's mother" or "Khan's baby son".
The
ceremony attracted a number of passers by and shoppers who stopped to
listen to the list of names being read."
Peace, Justice, Solidarity at Lewisham People's Day 2009
Lewisham Stop the War was one of many organisations
involved in a special marquee at People's Day with theatre, music, videos and
discussion. We hope to do the same in
future years.
For more details of the programme and the
organisations involved and pictures from the day, see www.lewishampeacejusticesolidarity.org.uk.
7.30 pm St Andrews Centre, Brockley SE4 2SA, corner of
Brockley Road and Wickham Road
·
Solidarity with Gaza
·
End the War on Terror
·
Build the G20 Demonstrations
Speakers
Stewart Halforty Lewisham Stop
the War convenor, recently returned from Gaza
http://www.theroadtogaza.org/
Kevin Ovenden from the Viva
Palestina convoy, just returned from delivering a lifeline to Gaza
Souheir
Turkmani from south London, also on the Viva Palestina convoy
Nearest stations Brockley, Crofton Park; buses 171,
172 (484 very near). See map below, but note that the embedded map gives the
correct area but may put the arrow in the wrong place. If you click on
"View larger map" it seems to be correct.
Songs for Gaza, Wednesday 18 February
Fundraising
Event for Palestine Overwhelmed by Support

Rajai Ayyad (oud), Fadi Rumman
(orgue) and Dr Abdullah Abu Hilal (singer) receive applause from the audience
Some videos
are now available. See the Videos Page.
"Songs for Gaza" was a fundraising event for
Medical Aid for Palestinians
which was held in the foyer of Lewisham Town Hall in Catford.
There was so much local support for the people of
Palestine that much of the potential audience would have had to be turned away
on health and safety grounds.
Thanks to the support of Lewisham's directly-elected
Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, who also introduced the event, the town hall staff
pitched in to make sure that the event could be moved to the main Council
Chamber before the main performances.
As well as the lively musical acts, which were greatly
enjoyed by the audience, local members also put on a moving performance of
Caryl Churchill's ten-minute play "Seven Jewish Children" with less
than a day's preparation.
In the light of the situation in Gaza, about forty
local people had been involved in an organising meeting on 20 January
2009. One of the suggestions that came out of it was to try to contact
the Palestinian musicians and organise a musical event. To go from that
suggestion to putting on such a successful event by 18 February is an amazing
example of local teamwork and cooperation.
A total of £1175.34 was raised from ticket sales,
raffle and bucket collection. Funds and donations were also raised
through stalls and refreshments.
The main
musical acts were
The Camden
Band from Abu Dis, Palestine
Featuring Ahmed
Eriquat (oud)
Rajai
Ayyad (shebatech)
Dr
Abdullah Abu Hilal (voice)
Fadi
Rumman (orgue)
Velvet Fist
women's a cappella singing group Listen to Velvetfist
Organised
by Lewisham Stop the War
Coalition
Lewisham and Greenwich Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament
Sydenham and
Forest Hill Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
South East London
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Britain-Palestine
Twinning Network
Sound
Equipment provided by the Lewisham Young Mayor's office.
Lewisham Centre Saturday 31 January
Following the Lewisham Centre's refusal to allow a
collection on behalf of a charity working to alleviate humanitarian suffering in
Palestine, despite allowing collections for similar charities working
elsewhere, it was decided that Lewisham Stop the War, Lewisham and Greenwich
CND and South East London PSC would hold a collection in the Centre, without
permission, on behalf of behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal for Gaza (please
follow the link if you want to contribute).
About ten people went into the Lewisham Centre, with
nothing other than leaflets promoting the DEC appeal and collection buckets; no
banners or placards. We were asked to leave almost immediately. We explained to
the staff, who were generally quite reasonable, that we had no choice in the
light of the management's decision to bring politics into the issue of charity
collections by specifically refusing a collection for a charity working in
Palestine.
Unfortunately, the duty manager became threatening and
abusive and we had no choice but to retire to the stall outside. Nevertheless,
while we explained the situation, members of the public continued to donate,
and we made a total of £186.22 for the DEC Gaza Appeal.
Pictures
Below.

Collecting inside the Lewisham Centre

The stall outside
Lewisham Lloyds TSB Protest Saturday 31 January
Straight after the collection in the Lewisham Centre
we went to Lloyds TSB to protest at the closure of Interpal's bank account. Interpal is a respected UK
charity which helps alleviate the agony of Gaza. It has been thoroughly
investigated by the Charities Commission and given the all-clear. For full
details of the protest in Bristol that inspired our action, see the Bristol Protest Page.
Although the main purpose was to protest at the
unethical decision by Lloyds, a bank which is now 43% owned by the taxpayer, we
also had a collection bucket and made £31.28 for Interpal.
Pictures
below.

Dolls were used to represent babies murdered in Gaza



Gaza Local Vigils 14 and 15 January 2009
The vigils in Greenwich and Lewisham were very successful;
David Leal's excellent lanterns were very effective, as were the flags and
banners. We got hoots of support from car drivers and a lot of interest from
staff and students at the college in Greenwich, as well as free food from the
sausage man in Lewisham. Some pictures below from Lewisham.




Naming the Dead: Thursday 20 November 2008
With over 300 British soldiers now killed in Iraq and Afghanistan,
the calls are getting stronger for the troops to be brought home. In line with
events around the country, there was a naming the dead ceremony at the war
memorial in Lewisham Way on Thursday 20 November.

Ex-serviceman Jim Radford give a moving speech
referring to way that troops are having to risk their lives, not to protect
this country, but to attack countries which have never threatened the UK. He
mentioned how, far from it bringing freedom and democracy to Afghanistan,
conditions are worse than before the occupation, including the treatment of
women.

Ex-serviceman Jim Radford and ex-councillor Gurbash Garcha
Names of British servicemen were read out, along with
the names of innocent Afghan people, including many elderly people and
children, killed at wedding parties or indiscriminately by other bombings.
Activists' Meeting in Lewisham with Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray, national Chair of the Stop the War
Coalition, came to our organising meeting on Tuesday 11 November at Ladywell
Leisure Centre. This was a very successful meeting which discussed a number of
ideas, the most urgent of which is the Naming the Dead Ceremony on 20 November.
We organised a coach to get the
demonstration in Manchester on Saturday 20 September 2008.
See the
Manchester demonstration page for pictures.
President George W Bush Visits Lewisham
President George W Bush visited Lewisham on Saturday
13 September 2008 and met several local people. They were pleased to hear that
a lack of oil in the area means that they are unlikely to be bombed in the
immediate future.

The president tries to recruit some local people for the military
Lewisham Stop the War Coalition provided security and
used the visit to promote a message that we are sure the President would
approve of.

The President in Lewisham High Street


George W Bush has never been shy
of talking to the camera, although he did not appear to know what he was saying
or who he was talking to.

The President's security team
struggle to keep him on course as he rushes to greet more potential recruits.

President George W Bush stops off for a drink at the Goldsmith's Tavern.