October 2002
Concerned students called to arms |
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| Don't Attact Irag demonstrations.
Picture courtesy of the Stop the War website |
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Concerned students in Nottingham
are being called to arms to take part in peaceful demonstrations aimed
at stopping war with Iraq.
Report by Gregor MacGreor
A NTU Platform article |
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Organised displays of civil disobedience in Nottingham
are being promoted by the Stop the War Coalition and the Muslim Association
of Britain.
The protests will take place on the 31st October 2002 and will be
aimed at making Tony Blair and his New Labour government take notice
of the hundreds of thousands of UK citizens who believe that this
nation should not go to war with Iraq.
The demonstrations will be co-ordinated to take place all around the
country at the same time, following in the foot steps of the September
28 protests that saw some 400,000 protestors converge on London in
peaceful fashion.
The programme of events for those complaining will include guest anti-war
speakers, local marches and with central protests taking place in
Nottingham City Centre planned for the evening.
Students have been rallied by many prominent anti-war parliamentarians,
including Tony Benn who has advocated for an organized showing of
civil disobedience.
Potential objectors wishing to take part are being advised to make
placards, block traffic and generally show civil disobedience in a
peaceful and harmonious manner.
The chances of war with Iraq are seemingly increasing with US President
George Bush announcing in a speech to the state of Ohio that Iraq
must disarm or face military attack. Bush has declared that "the
threat from Iraq only grows worse with time."
Opponents of the US reject this, such as the CND and the Stop the
War Coalition who believe that the US is only interested in attacking
Iraq due to it’s oil acquisitions and for strategic reasons.
They also cite how Iraq does not currently possess any nuclear weapons
compared to the vast stockpiles of nuclear warheads available to US
forces.
The US and Britain have announced that intelligence sources have confirmed
that Iraq could have weapons of mass destruction within 2 to 3 years
and maybe quicker if Iraqi agents successfully procure the right materials
from a state already holding nuclear materials.
Meanwhile, the US and Britain are trying to convince the UN to accept
a new resolution that threatens Iraq with military force if it reneges
on it’s recent offer to allow weapons inspectors back to Baghdad.
Whether the offer from Tyrant Saddam Hussein is genuine, a time-delaying
tactic or move to gain political support remains to be seen.
France, China and Russia have so far reacted negatively to the proposed
tough new resolutions that could precipitate US and British forces
going it alone to dismantle the current Iraqi regime. Other Middle
Eastern states have also withheld support for an attack on Iraq. |
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