Lucas: Chilcot proves Blair lied about reasons for going to war - Stop the War meeting tomorrow

Caroline Lucas the Green party MP, said today that the report is 'damning' and shows that Blair and colleagues 'lied' to the public about their reasons for going to war.

She said:

“Chilcot’s report is damning for Blair, his cabinet and all those MPs who voted to take this country into an illegal and immoral war in Iraq. Iraqis continue to pay the price for an invasion that took place long before other options for a peaceful resolution were explored. 

"This report confirms the series of serious failures that led to this disastrous war. We know for sure that Government Ministers, including Tony Blair, lied to the public about their reasons for going to war. He said he would support George Bush ‘whatever’ eight months before the war – and thousands of lives were lost because he stuck to that promise despite the evidence in front of him.

“This report confirms that Blair had indeed decided to back the Iraq war far earlier than he has previously admitted. His claim that it was a war solely to eradicate WMDs is now in tatters. Blair knew he would never have garnered enough support for regime change, so he lied to Parliament and the Public to invade Iraq.

“We can now see the consequences of this horrific war: many thousands of civilians dead, hundreds of British troops killed and injured and continued civil wars raging across the Middle East.

"Ultimately we should have never needed this report because MPs should have taken note of the clear evidence presented to them and voted against the war. There's no doubt that Tony Blair should take much of the responsibility for this disaster - but every MP who closed their ears and eyes to the facts and voted for the war should now publicly apologise.

"411 MPs walked through the lobbies to vote alongside Blair for the Iraq war - and both parties need to take responsibility for that. The Prime Minister is the only leader in Westminster to have voted for the war and he should apologise in full for doing so.

"Parliamentary and constitutional failures are a constant feature in this report. The relevent checks and balances were not in place and we need to urgently explore how we can better hold the executive to account in this country. 

"Moving forward from today it's crucial that we learn lessons. That's why I'm demanding that the Prime Minister today joins me in calling for all future votes on military intervention to be unwhipped - so MPs use the facts and their conscience as their guide rather than threats from their party machinery."

Stop the War Coalition responded to the Chilcot Report with this statement:

The Chilcot report is a damning indictment of Tony Blair and those around him who took us to war in Iraq.

The report vindicates Stop the War and all we have been campaigning for over the years.  This report would not have happened without our campaigns and our ceaseless demands for Blair to be held to account.

It clear that Blair used lies and deception to get his way, that the war was unnecessary and illegal and that everything was done to ensure it went ahead.

The victims are the Iraqis, those soldiers who died and were injured, but also the whole political system traduced by this process.

The anti-war movement and the millions who marched were vindicated by this report and we now demand justice.

We welcome the fact that this report is so damning but for us this is not the end but the beginning. Meetings should be held in every town and city around the country. There must be legal sanctions against Tony Blair and he should no longer be considered fit for any office.

If you are in London, join us tomorrow (7 July) at the People's Response to Chilcot public rally at Mary Ward House at 7pm

Reacting to the publication of the Chilcot Report, Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said:

“The Green Party believes the report’s final confirmation that the Iraq war was ‘not a last resort’ and that the British government decided to invade before all the peaceful options had been exhausted is a verdict that must produce action. We must not just say 'never again' but act to make that fact.

“That the judgements about the severity of threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were presented with a certainty that was not justified is simply inexcusable. Never again must the executive be able to lead us to war based on massaged information.

“And never again should MPs be told how to vote on such a critical matter. The Government should, immediately, announce that all future military interventions will have unwhipped votes in the House of Commons. We must never again see MPs being cajoled into voting along party lines when their conscience tells them otherwise. No MP should answer when asked why they voted for war 'I was told to.'

"Those MPs must be given genuinely independent legal advice about the legality of the action. They must know it is their responsibility to act legally, and that they could face sanction if they don't live up to it."

Speaking from Westminster, Shahrar Ali, Green Party Deputy Leader, said:

"The Green Party is resolutely committed to finding non-violent solutions to conflict situations and unequivocally opposed the war in 2003.

"The headline points of this mammoth report are chilling, yet unsurprising to all those who have been calling for Blair to be investigated at the International Criminal Court. 

"Whether on grounds of Blair's intent to bypass the UN, diplomacy not having been exhausted, or critical papers being denied to the Foreign Office, I support those renewed calls for a criminal investigation."

People's Chilcot Tribunal June 8th

From Stop the War Coalition

There is a growing sense of anticipation in relation to the publication of the Chilcot report. However, after years of lies and obfuscation, it is reasonable to be sceptical about the recent media claims that the soon to be released Chilcot report will provide a genuinely scathing critique of the process that led us into the Iraq War.

Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has already called for Tony Blair to be tried in the Hague for war crimes. It is well documented that Blair was committed to regime change (which is entirely illegal under international law) over a year before the invasion actually started.

It is also well documented that the intelligence dossiers which were used by the government to justify going into war were highly misleading. As Professor Steven Kettell noted, the weapons expert Dr David Kelly, who died in the wake of the invasion of Iraq, revealed that members of the intelligence community were alarmed about the way in which their opinion was ignored by Tony Blair's war-mongering clique.

Stop the War Coalition is hosting a People's Chilcot Tribunal to establish who was to blame for the catastrophes of the Iraq War, including over a million deaths and millions of refugees who are still fleeing the devastated country. There will be testimony from a wide range of people including former UN envoy to Iraq Hans von Sponeck, ex-soldiers Ben Griffin and Geoff Martin, writer Tariq Ali, Iraqi dissident Sami Ramadani, political commentator Peter Oborne, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German, CND chair Kate Hudson, Peter Brierley from Military Families Against the War, and former MP Alice Mahon.

You can book your place here. Please invite your friends as well. We will also hold a public meeting the day after the report is released

8th June 3pm-8pm Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre. 25 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EAJ
 

Brent councillors join criticism of Stop the War Coalition and Lucas steps back from involvement

Brent Labour councillors Neil Nerva, Bernard Collier and Sam Stopp have signed an Open Letter to Jeremy Corbyn launched today by a new organisation called Labour Internationalists.

The letter LINK urges Corbyn to pull out of the  Stop the War Coalition dinner he is due to attend on Friday and states;

We believe that StWC stands apart from the Labour movement’s values of Internationalism, anti-fascism and solidarity. The vast majority of Labour MPs who heard Hilary Benn’s powerful speech in parliament last week (regardless of how they voted), supported his broad argument that fascism must be defeated, and that the UK must be prepared to join coalitions to do this.

and concludes:

We urge you to distance yourself from this organisation. We believe that Labour Party unity, and electoral credibility in the face of a Conservative government that is pursuing a right wing domestic agenda, would be advanced if  you pulled out of this event.

Meanwhile it was announced today that Caroline Lucas, Green MP, had stepped back from her involvement with Stop the War Coalition a few weeks ago.

The spokesperson said:

Caroline stepped back from the Stop the War Coalition a few weeks ago. Her busy parliamentary and constituency schedule means that she doesn’t have time to fully engage with the role of a Patron and, in light of some recent StWC positions that she didn’t support, she felt standing down was the responsible thing to do. Like the Stop the War Coalition, Caroline is opposed to British bombing in Syria because it will neither keep Britain safe nor help bring about a lasting peace in Syria.

Caroline was specifically troubled by some Stop the War Coalition statements after the Paris atrocities. Though the pieces were subsequently taken down she felt unable to associate herself with them. 

She was also concerned that some Syrian voices were not given an opportunity to speak at a recent meeting organised by the StWC in Parliament.

StWC has played an important role in building the anti-war movement in Britain, and Caroline will continue to work in support of peace.

That view is not necessarily the view of the Green Party as a whole. Policy is made at its twice yearly conference rather than by its MP or leader.

Many Green Party members support the StWC through attending its demonstrations and meetings, although this is not uncritical support.

Shahrar Ali, Green Party Deputy Leader,spoke at the Stop thr War 'Don't Bomb Syria' demonstration at the end of November. LINK

Whatever criticisms we can make, Stop the War Coalition remains the single strongest anti-war organisation in the country and I don't doubt governments, both Labour and Tory, would have engaged in more military adventures if it had not been for StWC's ability to mobilise large numbers in opposition.

Stop the War, as its name states, is a Coalition, and contains people of many different parties, religions and philosophies and is a vital part of a movement that challenges increasing aggression and militarism. It has come under attack from media and right-wingers as a means of undermining its fundamental challenge to the flimsy basis of  Cameron's.

At such a time they deserve our support.

Lucas differs from Labour Internationalists in her anti-bombing position. She said in a recent Huffington Post article:

I listened carefully to the Prime Minister make his case for why the UK should join the bombing campaign against Isis. The debate in the House of Commons was thorough, and the horror and revulsion at recent atrocities in Syria, Paris, Beirut and elsewhere is shared by MPs from across the political divide. 

Yet I have still to see any evidence to suggest that UK bombing Isis targets in Syria is likely to increase our security here in Britain or help bring about a lasting peace in the region in question - to the contrary, the evidence appears to suggest it would make matters worse.

Nerva, Collier and Stopp appear to be supporting military intervention, if not the bombing operation itself.

UPDATED: Support Refugees Welcome Here National Day of Action September 12th

Please note now assembling at 12 and marching to Downing Street

National Day of Action, Called by Stand up to Racism, BARAC, Stop the War Coalition, Migrant Rights Network

This event has been called in response to various reports of refugees fleeing war, persecution, torture and poverty losing their lives or struggling to find a safe haven. This includes the death of 200 refugees off the coast of Libya, around 70 refugees in a truck in Austria and on going reports of refugees drowning crossing the Mediterranean, stranded in Hungary and prohibited from moving around the EU, and those in Calais struggling to find sanctuary.

The government response to this has been disgraceful. Unlike Germany, Italy and Greece, Britain has not offered a safe haven for these people.

On Monday 14 September Home Secretary Theresa May will be meeting with EU leaders about the refugee crisis. We must learn the lessons of history and call on the government to take a humanitarian and compassionate response to refugees.

We are calling on the British government to meet its share of the responsibility for providing protection. Let's send a strong message: we say refugees are welcome here.

We are also calling for a national day of action on Saturday 12 September, organise local events at places of worship or unveil a "Refugees Welcome Here" banner at football matches, use your imagination!

Join us on Saturday 12 September 2015 12 noon at Marble Arch anf marching to Downing Street, London FACEBOOK

Caroline Lucas writing in the Independent today LINK said:

 “The heart wrenching scenes we’re seeing– of children being washed up dead on beaches, of people being detained en masse on trains, of thousands upon thousands risking their lives to come to Europe – serve as a reminder of our duty to help those in peril however we can.

“We have the capacity to take more refugees in Britain, but the Government lacks the will to do what’s right. Indeed David Cameron’s reluctance to give a home to those in need is a damning indictment of his administration’s pernicious attitude to those fleeing atrocities in other countries. When our Prime Minister’s only real action of note is to fund higher fences in Calais, it’s clear he’s lost all perspective of the gravity of the situation.

Britain can and must do more – it’s time for the Government to wake up to the cruelty of its current stance and give many more refugees the chance to settle here.”

 

Shahrar Ali speaks out on Confronting a World at War

Shahrar Ali: UK must not add to suffering of those fleeing war

Shahrar Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, is to speak at the Stop the War Coalition’s Conference ‘Confronting a World at War’ this afternoon. He will speak on the subject of war and migration

The conference brings together writers, activists and politicians from around the world to analyse recent conflicts and current foreign policy approaches.

Shahrar Ali said:

The Green Party will contribute to this important debate about conflict resolution with an analysis of unjust war as a major cause of displacement of peoples. Too often governments fail to recognise the long-term impact of foreign policy disasters on the lives of untold families, forced to flee from persecution or from the destructive power of arms these governments have sold abroad or used themselves.

The UK must not add to the suffering of those fleeing from war with the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on movement, which often have inhumane consequences. We must hold to our collective obligations as a common humanity and take joint responsibility for instability we have directly caused or are implicated in.

We have clear policies on dialogue, peace, diplomacy and international cooperation which aim to tackle forced migration at source, to grant communities both the capability to live in peace and also the right of return.

The Green Party has opposed recent UK interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, and holds that the UK needs to rethink its current defence policy. In particular, the Green Party advocates the abolition of Trident.

Confronting a World at War Conference speakers tomorrow includes Green's Deputy Leader Shahrar Ali

Shahrar Ali, Green party deputy leader, is among the speakers at this conference. He will speak on migration and war.

Confronting a World at War conference

BOOK ONLINE NOW Box office 020 7561 4830
Saturday 6 June • 10am - 5pm

TUC • Great Russell Street

London WC1B 3LS

hahrar Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, is to speak at the Stop the War Coalition’s Conference ‘Confronting a World at War’ on Saturday 6 June.

The conference brings together writers, activists and politicians from around the world to analyse recent conflicts and current foreign policy approaches.

Shahrar Ali said:

“The Green Party will contribute to this important debate about conflict resolution with an analysis of unjust war as a major cause of displacement of peoples. Too often governments fail to recognise the long-term impact of foreign policy disasters on the lives of untold families, forced to flee from persecution or from the destructive power of arms these governments have sold abroad or used themselves.

“The UK must not add to the suffering of those fleeing from war with the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on movement, which often have inhumane consequences. We must hold to our collective obligations as a common humanity and take joint responsibility for instability we have directly caused or are implicated in.

“We have clear policies on dialogue, peace, diplomacy and international cooperation which aim to tackle forced migration at source, to grant communities both the capability to live in peace and also the right of return.”

The Green Party has opposed recent UK interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, and holds that the UK needs to rethink its current defence policy. In particular, the Green Party advocates the abolition of Trident.

·      See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2015/06/05/green-party-deputy-leader-to-speak-at-international-anti-war-conference/#sthash.H9UaAMi9.dpuf

Meet the speakers

·      Mustafa Barghouti is an activist and the General Secretary of the Palestine National Initiative. He has been a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and was Minister of Information in the Palestinian unity government.

·      Medea Benjamin is a leading US peace activist. She is the co-founder of Code Pink and one of the best-known progressive figures in the United States.

·      Tariq Ali is a noted writer and filmmaker. A veteran of the movement against the war in Vietnam, he has for decades been one of the most prominent critics of Western militarism and imperialism.

·      Lindsey German is the convenor of the Stop the War Coalition and one of its founders. She is the author of a number of books, including How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women (2013). She regularly appears in the media.

·      David Edgar is one of Britain’s most prominent writers and playwrights. He is the President of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, as well as a Professor of Playwriting Studies.

·      Richard Sakwa is a Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. His book Frontline Ukraine (December 2014) offers a powerful critique of Western propaganda surrounding the crisis in Ukraine.

·      Victoria Brittain is a prominent author and journalist. She is a former associate foreign editor of the Guardian. She wrote a play about the Guantanamo Bay concentration camp and has co-authored Moazzam Begg’s book Enemy Combatant. She is on the Council of the Institute of Race Relations and is a Patron of Palestine Solidarity.

·      Seumas Milne is a distinguished journalist and writer. He is a columnist and associate editor at The Guardian and the author of the best-selling book The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners.

·      Mark Weisbrot is a writer for peace and social justice. He is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He has written for publications such as New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian etc. He is the co-writer of the screenplay for Oliver Stone’s film South of the Border.

·      Jeremy Corbyn is a Labour MP and a leading British campaigner for peace and social justice. He is the chair of the Stop the War Coalition.

·      Andrew Murray is the Chief-of-Staff at UNITE the Union. He is the former chair of the Stop the War Coalition and is now its Deputy President. He is co-author of the book Stop the War: The Story of Britain’s Biggest Mass Movement (2005).

·      Chris Nineham is the vice chair and founding member of the Stop the War Coalition. He is the author of a number of books including People vs. Tony Blair: Politics, the media and the anti-war movement (2013).

·      John Rees is a national officer and a founding member of the Stop the War Coalition. He is the author of a number of books including Imperialism and Resistance (2010) and A People’s History of London (2012).

·      Explo Nani-Kofi is a Ghanaian-born social researcher and a campaigner for social justice. He coordinates the Campaign against Proxy War in Africa and is the Director of the Kilombo Centre for Civil Society and African Self-Determination.

·      Kate Hudson is the General Secretary of CND and an officer of the Stop the War Coalition. She was Head of Social and Policy Studies at London South Bank University and is now a Visiting Research Fellow.

·      Bruce Kent is a famous peace activist. He was the General Secretary of CND from 1980 to 1985 and its chair from 1987 to 1990. He was also the President of the International Peace Bureau. He is a member of Pax Christi.

·      Lee Jasper is an anti-racist activist and politician who served as Senior Policy Advisor on Equalities to the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.

·      Jonathan Steele is a distinguished journalist and author. He was Foreign News Editor and Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Guardian. A recipient of several journalism awards, he is a broadcaster on the BBC and a writer for the London Review of Books.

·      Sami Ramadani is a noted Iraqi dissident. He was an exile from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and founder of Iraqi Democrats against the Occupation. He was for many years a lecturer in sociology at London Metropolitan University. He is a member of the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition.

·      George Galloway was a most prominent campaigner against the Iraq War in 2003. He is famous for his appearance at the US Senate in defence of his anti war stance. He was Respect MP for Bradford West until May this year. He is also a broadcaster of the current affairs programme Sputnik on RT.

·      Jenny Clegg is a lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies at the University of Central Lancashire. She is the author of several books, including China’s Global Strategy: Towards a Multipolar World (2009).

·      Hamja Ahsan is a curator and human rights activist. He leads the Free Talha Ahsan campaign. His brother, Talha Ahsan is a British-born award-winning poet with Asperger’s syndrome who was extradited to the US.

·      Chris Cole is a peace activist and the founder of Drone Wars UK. He is a former Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and co-ordinator of Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

·      Steve Bell is treasurer  of the Stop the War Coalition and a campaigner for Palestine, and against racism and war.

·      Ahmed Al-Ashaf is a political activist, Director Yemenis Culture Centre.

·      Sabby Dhalu is a campaigner, the secretary of Unite Against Fascism and an organiser for Stand up to Racism.

·      Malia Bouattia is the NUS Black Students’ Officer who has been at the forefront of opposing Islamophobia and the heavy-handed policing of British universities.

·      Judith Orr is a writer and campaigner. She is the editor of the Socialist Worker and a national officer of the Stop the War Coalition.

·      Carol Turner is a national officer of the Stop the War Coalition and a member of the national council of CND. She is author of a forthcoming book on Labour and foreign policy.

·      Matt Willgress is a prominent anti-war and social justice campaigner. He is the national coordinator of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

·      Daniel Jakopovich is a writer and anti-war campaigner. He was a guest lecturer at the University of Cambridge and at several other universities, and is a member of the Council of the International Peace Bureau. His forthcoming book is entitled Essays in Defence of Human Dignity.

·      Anas al Tikriti  is from the British Muslim Initiative. He is of Iraqi origin, was one of the chairs on the demo on February 15^th 2003 and is a well known campaigner and speaker against the war.

·      Kevin Ovenden is a writer and campaigner around Palestine and the Middle East. He helped to found Viva Palestina.

·      Sarah Colborne is the director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

·      Erdelan Baran is a member of the foreign affairs committee of the Kurdish organisation, KNK.

·      Shahrar Ali was elected deputy leader of the Green Party in 2014, becoming in the process the first BME deputy of a UK parliamentary party. He has been a vocal critic of successive government’s failed foreign policy and anti-terror legislation.

·      Malia Bouattia is the NUS Black Students’ officer.

·      Akinola Davies Jr is a London-born videographer and activist with the organization Nigerian Lives Matter.

·      Barbara Ntumy is an anti-war, anti-racism and anti-austerity campaigner.

·      Laura Avarez is a Mexican activist. She has been active in several NGOs in Mexico and in London, and has worked for the National Commission for Human Rights in Mexico.

·      Rania Khan is an ex-councillor, teacher and anti-war activist.

·      Kim Sharif is a human rights activist, solicitor, and Director of Yemeni Human Rights.

Confronting a World at War conference

BOOK ONLINE NOW Box office 020 7561 4830
Saturday 6 June • 10am - 5pm

TUC • Great Russell Street

London WC1B 3LS