Sheffield anti-war demonstration 8th December 2001

Following is a press release put out by the Sheffield Stop The War Coalition prior to the demonstration:

Contact: Rachel Cohen ~ 07932 646 163 ~ rachel@lara-cohen.fsnet.co.uk

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Anti-War Demonstration Today Saturday 8th December. Assemble: Barkers Pool 12.30pm

Sheffield Stop the War Coalition is going ahead with a stop the war demonstration in Sheffield city centre today.

The march will assemble at Barkers Pool at 12.30pm and move off at 1pm. It will return to Barkers Pool for a rally. At the final rally there will be a minute's silence in sympathy with the victims of this violent war.

People are asking whether there is still a need for the Stop the War Coalition to exist, let alone to march - critics have suggested that 'surely, the action has been proved right?' The Sheffield Stop the War Coalition rejects this suggestion:

The government declares the war in Afghanistan won. Yet there are already reports of gun battles breaking out on the streets of cities between different victorious factions, and little evidence that our new 'friends' the Northern Alliance are going to offer any more freedoms for women, or democracy, than did their Taliban predecessors. Hundreds have been killed in 'accidental' bombing raids on villages and residential areas of towns. Meanwhile the US disregards the Geneva Convention by offering support for the inhumane murder of surrendering troops and passing legislation to allow for military tribunals to exercise summary justice (followed by a shooting squad execution) for the vanquished.

And the humanitarian crisis continues unabated: with reports of thousands still clustered at the Pakistan borders without either food or shelter, and many thousands having fled the centres of bombing raids (such as Kandahar) for remote parts of the country where they are without any means of subsistence. However, as the US continues its bombing raids, aid agencies are not able to get help through to the starving.

So have the dangers of international terrorism seriously diminished? There seems little evidence in favour of this at present. What we have seen is the stirring up of huge anti-western feeling all over the Middle East, as well as a growth in support for fundamentalist groups. We have also seen an escalation of the Israeli State's campaign of terror against the Palestinian people.

And now, with the US government threatening to redirect the campaign against other states, there seems more reason than ever to reiterate the simple plea: Stop the War. This is the message that people in Sheffield will take to the streets today.

Notes to editors:

Sheffield Stop the War Coalition is a broad based organisation of groups and individuals opposed to military retaliation for the events of September 11th. It is affiliated to the National Stop the War Coalition. More information about Sheffield Stop the War Coalition and its past events can be found at www.sheffieldagainstwar.org.uk.