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Press
release Feb 15th 21:15
Voices in the Wilderness UK/ ARROW/ the D10 Group 0794 7839992
Sat, in the name of love
Over a hundred anti war activists
sat down in the road around Eros, Picadilly Circus Saturday
night, following the massive anti war march in central London.
At 6pm 150 people were sitting in the road, with several
hundred supporters standing nearby, including a samba band.
Dozens were arrested for highway obstruction, lifted off
the road and "de-arrested" by police as the crowds cheered
in support. Five of those arrested for highway obstruction
were taken to Charing Cross police station. Information
so far is that 3 of them (Angie Zelter, Dave Rolstone and
Voices in the Wilderness UK(1) joint co ordinator Gabriel
Carlyle) have been "de-arrested" at the police station.
The other two arrested, Michael Nendick and Kevin Johnstone,
are currently still in Charing Cross police station.
After the initial flurry of activity, police briefly re
opened the road, but it was closed again by spontaneous
small sit downs, until about 8.15pm when the crowd dispersed.
Milan Rai, joint co ordinator of Voices in the Wilderness
UK, which co organised the sit down with ARROW(2) and the
D10 Group(3), said, "Today's march was an inspiration, there
was fantastic atmosphere and we sent a very clear message
to Tony Blair that this country doesn't want war. If he
does take us into a war with Iraq, he can be sure that the
mass civil disobedience at Piccadilly Circus tonight will
be magnified many times."
Call 0794 7839992 (1) see http://www.voicesuk.org for more
info (2) See http://www.j-n-v.org for more info (3) See
http://www.thed0group.org
Anti war message delivered to Downing Street
NEWS RELEASE 14th February 2003.
"War breaks my heart" say Valentine War Protesters locked
to Downing Street Gates
Five anti-war activists have, this morning (10am Friday
14th February) locked themselves to a huge pink heart constructed
from wood and metal at the gates of Downing Street in an
attempt to stop the War on Iraq.
"War breaks my heart" is the message, the protestors are
wearing huge pink fluffy hearts are attempting to deliver
a Valentine card to Mr. Blair. The police are warning them
of arrest for obstructing the highway.
In a protest against the humanitarian cost of a war on Iraq,
the five Oxford based protestors are attached by their arms
to the heart 'lock-on' which is emblazoned with the message
"War Breaks My Heart".
"There will be 500,000 Iraqi casualties1 if this inhumane
conflict goes ahead. It could create almost a million refugees"
said activist Rebecca. "This is a war to further an aggressive,
profit-led, US agenda2. It's a war that is putting the quest
for resources over the lives and homes of innocent families.
This is a people that have suffered daily bombing raids
and terrible, punitive sanctions for the twelve years since
the last Gulf War. They have suffered enough."
Activist KathrynTulip said "War is not the answer. You cannot
bomb your way to peace! The UK has no place supporting this
obscene conflict. Blair needs to end his love affair with
Bush and listen to the people.".
Photographs available from Sam Thomas 020 7490 3633
Notes for the Editor:
1.According to a leaked UN document entitled 'Likely Humanitarian
Scenarios' : "as many as 500,000 people could require treatment
to a greater or lesser degree as a result of direct or indirect
injuries". The document then goes on to describe the collapse
of the primary healthcare system and damage to basic infrastructure
such as water and power. Food shortages will lead to a "dire"
nutritional status for 3.03million people. The conflict
is expected to create 900,000 refugees. www.casi.org.uk/info/undocs/
war021210.html
2. For example a recent Deutsche Bank report indicates that
US corporation Exxon Mobil have the most to gain from "regime
change" in Iraq. Exxon are widely credited with putting
Bush in power, and Bush widely credited with serving their
interests by refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol on Climate
Change. Exxon also fund the American Enterprise Institute
which has been vocal in calling for war.
The Oxford Pledge of Resistance group is one of a growing
number of groups committed to taking and supporting non-violent
direct action against war on Iraq. For more information
on the Pledge of Resistance see www.j-n-v.org On Sunday
19th January 6 activists from the same group locked themselves
to a huge pair of purple Y-fronts carrying the message "War
is Pants" outside the gates of the Northwood Joint Operational
Command Base in London. It took Ministry of Defence Police
4 hours to cut the protestors free of their lock-on.
Thousands are expected to show their dissent in a sit-down
protest after the anti-war march tomorrow. Organised by
ARROW Active Resistance To The Roots of War), Voices in
the Wilderness and D10, the "Love not War, Peace not Hate"
sit down is planned for 5pm moving from Green Park to occupy
a central London street.
Press Release February 4th
2003 ARROW/ Voices in the Wilderness UK/ The D10 Group
Call 0845 458 2564/ 0794 7839992
Mass love-in planned after anti war
march Anti war activists are planning a mass "love-in" after
the February 15th anti war march at Eros, Piccadilly.
Activists will gather in Green Park at 5pm (or later if
the march hasn't finished by then) and make their way to
Piccadilly, following giant love hearts, where they will
sit down, risking arrest for highway obstruction.
The march, which is expected to be the largest ever anti
war march in Britain, will finish at Hyde Park Organisers
CND, the Stop the War Coalition and the Muslim Association
of Britain expect over half a million people to attend.
(Assemble Embankment 12pm) ARROW, Voices in the Wilderness
UK and the D1O group, organisers of the sit-down, which
is supported by CND and Women in Black expect several thousand
to join the sit- down after the march.
Milan Rai of ARROW said, "Lots of people who were coming
to London for this huge march asked us to help organise
a mass act of civil disobedience after the march. People's
lives in Iraq depend on how great we can make the political
costs of war. One way of increasing the political cost is
by escalating protest into resistance, into nonviolent civil
disobedience. The fact it will be Valentine's weekend chose
Eros as the ideal site for a mass love in."
"We believe that civil disobedience and nonviolent action
are powerful tools that we can use to resist an illegal
and immoral war. In using these tools we are drawing on
a rich tradition of protest and dissent that includes not
only Gandhi and Martin Luther King but also the 'People
Power' revolutions in the Philippines and Eastern Europe,
the Suffragettes, Danish resistance to Nazi occupation during
WWII, the Argentinean Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and many
others."
Look out for the love hearts after the march!
See www.j-n-v.org for more details
Call ARROW/ Voices on 0845 458 2564/ 0794 7839992
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