[casi] Forthcoming Anti-war Events

["Voices UK" <voices@DELETETHISviwuk.freeserve.co.uk>]

SOME FORTHCOMING ANTI-WAR / PEACE EVENTS

[A] Inaugural meeting of the DSEi NVDA working group: Thursday 10th July
[B] Cluster Bomb Action in Parliament Square: Friday 11th July
[C] Inaugural meeting of the Justice Not Vengeance Network: Thursday 17th
July
[D] Demonstrate at the Fairford Air Tattoo: Saturday 19th July
[E] Disarm DSEi Public Meeting: Saturday 26th July
[F] Coulport Disarmament Camp (Trident Ploughshares): 2nd - 15th August
[G] Reclaim the Bases Summer Camp: 22nd - 25th August
[H] Lakenheath Demonstration and Trespass Day: 5th - 6th October

******************************************
[A] INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE DSEi NVDA (Nonviolent Direct Action) WORKING
GROUP
Thursday 10th July, London.

Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) is Europe's largest arms
fair. It will be taking place between 9th - 12th September. A wide variety
of different groups are organising protests around

This initial meeting of the NVDA working group will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, 10 July @ London Action Resource Centre. Address: 62  Fieldgate
Street, London E1 1ES. Nearest tubes are Aldgate East or Whitechapel.

We may not continue to use this venue but its a good one for the
first-time experience anyway.

PLEASE network this far and wide to groups who might be interested in
participating in NVDA actions @ DSEi.  Everyone's invited!!

******************************************
[B] CLUSTER BOMB ACTION IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE
Tell the UK Government: Clear up your deadly litter.
Day of action in London, Friday 11th July.

There are more than ten thousand unexploded cluster bomblets in Iraq. One
cluster bomb drops around 200 bomblets over a wide area, many of which (at
least 5 %) do not explode on impact. These litter streets and towns in
Iraq, and detonate easily often when children scavenge for the valuable
metal encasing the bomb. They were used in the 1991 Gulf War, Kosovo, and
Afghanistan. These weapons are indiscriminate, and cause horrific civilian
casualties. Millions of people are at risk.

Join us in London on the 11th July to campaign (non-violently) against the
use of cluster bombs by coalition forces, and to show the British
Government that we expect them to clear up their deadly litter ASAP, and to
agree never to use such weapons again.

Meet at 10 am in Parliament Square.

- cover Whitehall and the surrounding area with paper cluster bombs,
- balloon 'cluster bomb' release at midday outside the Houses of Parliament,
- followed by a demonstration outside Parliament.

For more information, contact Kathryn Amos. Mobile: 07803 161723, landline
phone (answer phone) 01603 493091, or email k.j.amos@uea.ac.uk.

If you're planning to take part, we'd love to hear from you to get an idea
of numbers. Please let us know!

Please spread the word...

Further reading:
The cluster bombs that litter Iraq:
www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,968182,00.html
www.clearup.org
Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org

*************************************************
[C] JUSTICE NOT VENGEANCE: A NEW NETWORK
Thursday 17th July

We would like to invite you to the launch meeting of Justice Not Vengeance
(JNV), a new initiative from two co-founders of ARROW (Active Resistance to
the Roots of War), David Polden and Milan Rai. The meeting is taking place
on Thursday 17th July at the Quaker International Centre, 1-3 Byng Place,
London WC1E 7JH, and is open to all.

The aim of JNV is to create a network of anti-war groups of all
denominations, to help them to communicate directly with one another, share
ideas, information and campaigning materials and to foster democratic
decision-making in the development of local and national campaigning
strategies. Now is the time to consolidate, re-build and strengthen our
groups. We need good, solid information; direct and forceful campaigns and
clear, usable campaign materials.

In the launch meeting we will be discussing what ingredients activists and
groups would like to see in a new participatory anti-war network. We will be
setting out our vision of how JNV can help in this process.

Our Objectives

The purpose of the JNV network is to empower activists and campaign groups.
We aim to:

> promote non-violent and non-military responses to international terrorism
   (including US state terrorism) and facilitate/support non-violent
resistance
   within Britain to the 'war on terrorism'
> continue to provide hard-hitting, anti-war and anti-repression briefings
and
   other campaigning materials and resources
> support local anti-war groups in Britain by enabling them to share ideas,
   information and campaigning materials directly and by providing them with
   a forum to democratically debate and decide on their strategy and tactics
> support campaigners by organising regular gatherings in different parts of
the
   country and by providing training in non-violent civil disobedience and
other
   campaigning skills
> organise acts of open, mass non-violent civil disobedience against the
'war on terrorism'
> organise political and financial support for those prosecuted and/or
imprisoned
   as a result of their involvement in nonviolent resistance
> strengthen ties between the British anti-war movement and movements in
Europe,
   the United States, and around the world.

Membership & Affiliation

Membership of JNV (for individuals) and affiliation (for groups) will be
open to all who support our 7 core principles. There will be no fixed
membership or affiliation fee. Membership or affiliation will entitle you to
regular briefings and campaign alerts. Please use the membership form that
will soon be available on our website <www.j-n-v.org>.

JNV's 7 Core Principles for anti-war groups:

  1) We condemn the terrorist atrocities committed on September 11th 2001.
  2) We also condemn the idea of taking revenge for these deaths by military
      retaliation against Afghanistan, Iraq or any other countries.
  3) We believe that the proper reaction to the September 11th atrocities is
to proceed
      on the basis of international law, following the UN Charter, and
working through the
      extradition law, to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice.
  4) We believe that the right response to the problem of proliferation is
to disarm all
      countries of all weapons of mass destruction, applying the same
non-proliferation
      rules and inspection systems to all the countries of the world.
  5) We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim communities in Britain,
and demand
      an end to anti-Muslim attacks and prejudice.
  6) We reject the erosion of civil liberties in the name of
'anti-terrorism', whether in Britain
      or elsewhere. We cannot defend freedom by destroying it.
  7) As a network, we are committed to campaigning solely by non-violent
means.

Open Meetings

We will hold monthly, open planning meetings in Central London. Please come
along to our launch meeting on the evening of Thursday 17th July, to be held
at the Quaker International Centre, 1-3 Byng Place, London WC1E 7JH. Click
the link below for a map of the area, or paste the entire link into the
address bar of your browser.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=529722&Y=182130&A=Y&Z=1

We look forward to seeing you.

Jesse Schust
Jonathan Stevenson
Milan Rai
David Polden
Antonio Fortin

JNV
<www.justicenotvengeance.org>

***********************************************
[D] DEMONSTRATE AT THE FAIRFORD AIR TATTOO : SAT 19th JULY

Related Link: http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com
Official RIAT Website: http://www.airtattoo.intheuk.com/
Participants are also encouraged to plan their own actions &
demonstrations.

DATE: Sat 19th July. TIME: 12.00noon Onwards.
MEET: Fairford High St. (On the junction of Mill Lane & Park St.)
NOTE: This is a *Disorganised Demo*. Each group should aim to provide
it's own team of Legal Observers, if they so desire. For advice on legal
support visit:
http://www.activistslegalproject.org.uk/legalsupport.htm

"The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) will take place from
15th-20th July. This event provides western military powers with the
chance to flaunt their power, & an opportunity for arms companies to
advertise their wares. This year the B52 bombers, that were used for the
'Shock & Awe' bombing of Iraq, will be returning to Fairford, this time
to 'entertain' the British people, along with the notorious B2 Stealth
Bomber, & many others. Fairford has become the hub of the US military
machine, it's therefore vital we expose & oppose the militarisation of
Fairford before the next US/UK war of aggression is decided upon. People
must understand, these weapons of mass destruction are responsible for
the death & maiming of 10's of
thousands of people around the world, & that this mass slaughter has not
stopped, & will never stop until we say no."


2) DIRECTIONS TO FAIRFORD
For extensive advice on transport & directions visit the RIAT website:
http://www.airtattoo.intheuk.com/
DIRECTIONS: Fairford is 6 miles east of Cirencester, 10 miles north of
Swindon & 20 miles west of Oxford. Fairford is on the A417 going east
to west. Or along the A361 going north to south, turning onto the A417
at Lechlade village. The A417 runs straight through Fairford Village.
USAF Fairford is 20 minutes walk from Fairford, along Horcott Rd.
PARKING: Is easiest in Mill Lane/Park Street. There's a free car park
at the top of Fairford village High Street just north of the church.
ROAD DIRECTIONS BELOW:
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=410000&Y=200000&scale=200000
FOR A MAP OF FAIRFORD VILLAGE:
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?X=415000&Y=201000&scale=10000
MAP OF THE BASE BELOW:
http://www.cynatech.demon.co.uk/images/USAF%20Fairford%20map%20b.jpg

**********************************************************
[E] DISARM DSEi PUBLIC MEETING
26th July, 2pm.
University of London Union, Malet St, WC1
Nearest tubes: Goodge St or Russell Square

DSEi (Defence, Systems & Equipment International) is the largest
European arms fair.  It will be taking place in London's Docklands between
6-12 September.
At the last fair in 2001 there were 664
exhibitors and delegates were invited from 68 different countries to
buy guns, bombs, military planes, small arms, mines and tanks.

SHUT DOWN DSEi
A week of protest and resistance is planned including a unity march,
counter conference, vigils, NVDA and a day of direct action blockades.

COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETING
Find out what's being organised, contribute your ideas, share your
thoughts, join a working group.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
DISARM DSEi, c/o 11 Goodwin St, N4 3HQ
07817 652 029, disarm@dsei.org, www.dsei.org

Discussion list: DSEi2003-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

DISARM DSEi has over 30 supporting groups, see www.dsei.org for
further details.

******************************************
[F] COULPORT DISARMAMENT CAMP
2nd - 15th August

The camp is sited in Peaton Wood, Coulport, on the shores of Loch Long just
half a mile from the Trident warhead depot, and a few miles from Faslane
naval base, home to Britain's Trident nuclear weapon submarines. The
Coulport camp is the longest running and biggest TP camp and in recent years
it has had participants from Japan, the USA and from all over Europe.
The site provides comfortable camping space for many people. You will need
your own tent and sleeping bag but communal vegan food is provided on a
donation basis. During the camp we will be carrying out many disarmament
actions at the Trident bases, commemorating Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days, and
holding workshops on nonviolence and other campaign issues. Ideally you will
be able to come for the whole camp but you will be very welcome even if you
can only manage some of the time.

During the camp last year activists swam onto and painted a Trident
submarine, cut their way into the Coulport base, blockaded the gates of both
bases and took part in a number of vigils and commemoration events. There
were 55 arrests.
Recently the British Ministry of defence admitted that they had spent almost
£500K "protecting" the Trident bases on the Clyde from protesters and
repairing damage caused by them -so it is clear we are having an impact!
There are lots of disarmament opportunities at these bases, even during the
camp when the MOD police know we are around.

Join the email list for planning the Coulport camp by sending a blank
message to: coulport-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Post messages to: coulport@yahoogroups.com

LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN COME!
For more information before the camp call 0845 45 88 366 (from outside UK
++441259753815) e-mail: davidmc@enterprise.net
Phone number at the camp: 08 45 45 88 369 (active from 1st August)

******************************************
[G] RECLAIM THE BASES SUMMER CAMP
22 - 25 August.

22-25 August at Bluebell wood AWE Aldermaston, near reading
D10 proudly presents Reclaim The Bases summer camp : skill sharing,
training, workshops & tips on NVDA, anti-militarism, military bases and
legal
issues with a focus on practical actions.
More information at http://www.reclaimthebases.org.uk or 07887585721

*******************************************
[H] LAKENHEATH DEMONSTRATION AND TRESPASS DAY
5th - 6th October

Demonstrate 12noon-4.00pm, Sun 5th Oct
Trespass: 6.00am to midnight  Mon 6th 2003

Lakenheath in Suffolk is the primary U.S. tactical airbase in Europe. It has
about 30 nuclear weapons deployed there (although the authorities refuse to
deny or confirm their existence). Apart from those at Faslane, these are the
only nuclear weapons in Britain and they are totally under U.S. control, as
is the whole base. The Lakenheath nuclear weapons form part of NATO's
arsenal - and NATO has a first strike policy. We believe that some of these
nuclear weapons were flown out to Diego Garcia during the build up to the
war on Iraq. Certainly Lakenheath aircraft played an active part in the
bombing of Iraq which took place over the previous 10 years.

THE DEMONSTRATION
will be part of "Keep Space for Peace" week.

It is intended to draw attention to the fact that the Lakenheath nuclear
weapons are currently used to threaten non-nuclear states in the same way as
America's weapons in space will if star wars becomes reality.

Bring banners, drums, instruments and
most importantly yourselves and your friends.

(If you are coming to the trespass, this will be a wonderful opportunity to
look around the base beforehand)

For further information on demo or trespass write to:
LAG, Forge Bungalow, The Street, Shotesham, Norwich, NR15 1YL
or ring Zina: 0116 247 0121
or e-mail: dwhiggin@dhiggin.fsnet.co.uk
THE TRESPASS IS PART OF
 the International Citizens' Inspection of nuclear bases in Europe.

We hope people will come in pre-formed affinity groups and spend the day
trying to get into Lakenheath Airbase to sit (or chain themselves, or dance,
or play music, or play badminton) on the runway; hang banners or peace
cranes; do citizens inspections; chain themselves to aircraft; plant seeds
etc. to prevent aircraft from landing and taking off that day.

Since the base and police are bound to know that something is planned for
the day, we think autonomous groups will be more effective and successful
than if everyone acts together. We hope that affinity groups will make a
plan in advance, deciding how and where they intend to get into the base so
they have the appropriate tools with them and know what they want to do once
they are in. Also that they will provide their own transport, driver (could
this person help with pickups from police stations later in the day?) and
observers on the day.

Lakenheath Action Group will provide
- Meeting space, accommodation and food for Sunday and Monday nights
- A briefing and nonviolence training on Sunday night
- Legal support on Monday and Tuesday including picking people up from
police stations when they are released
- Press work on the day
- Information about USAF Lakenheath

We are asking groups and individuals to agree to the following groundrules:
1. to be open and accountable for their actions on the day
2. to be sincere and respectful towards people they meet
3. not to engage in physical violence or verbal abuse towards any individual
4. not to carry any weapons
5. not to commit criminal damage except what is needed to get on base
6. not to bring, use or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs (other
than for medical purposes) on the day.

Please be aware that people going on base may be handled roughly. Since the
war Lakenheath (along with Mildenhall, Fairford and Molesworth) has been
guarded by the U.S. National Guard (the U.S. equivalent of the Territorial
Army here). Prior to that there had been something along the lines of an
unwritten agreement that US military personnel would not touch peace
protestors. Since they have arrived this seems to have changed. Protestors
on base at Mildenhall have been rugby tackled, sat on and had their arms
wrenched behind their backs by U.S. personnel even when they have already
been sitting on the ground in a completely nonthreatening way. No one has
been badly hurt but bruises do seem likely.

PLEASE TELL L.A.G. BY 26th SEPTEMBER IF YOU/A GROUP INTEND TO TAKE PART IN
THE TRESPASS (Ring Zina on 0116 247 0121)






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