| |
National
day of DIE-INS against war on Iraq
Monday 17 March
In town centres, government offices and military bases across
the country.
Obstruct
& Resist!
A Week of Nonviolent Action to Stop the War
17th -23rd March 2003
|
War Zone Whitehall die in, December 2002
Contacts: email
or phone 0845 458 2564.
NEW!!! See press
releases and photos from the week of action
Download publicity
leaflet in pdf format
Download
editable leafet in Word format which you can use to explain
to the public what you are doing.
|
|
|
Introduction
|
|
Despite the polls, the Parliamentary rebellion
and the massive anti-war March on February 15th Tony Blair
is still set on waging an illegal and immoral war against
Iraq. We need to move from dissent to nonviolent resistance.
Help make the 17th-23rd March a week of nonviolent
action against the war. Start organising your action today!
Obstruct & Resist! is supported by ARROW, D10,
voices uk & others.
Obstruct &
Resist! 17-23 March
A National Week of Nonviolent Action to Stop the War
Actions
and preparations we know about
Thursday 13th March
Nonviolence workshop in Oxford. Contact 01865 794504 or
07796 430141.
Friday 14th March
Nonviolence Workshop in Hastings. Contact andreaneedham@onetel.net.uk.
Saturday 15th March
Die-ins
- Salisbury,
City Centre at 2pm (stopthewar@salisbury.greenparty.org.uk
or 01722 744665)
- Bromley
oustdie the entrance to the Glades Shopping Centre at 12
noon (anngarrett@onetel.net.uk).
Saturday 15th March
'Disgrace the Base.' March and NVDA at Portsmouth Naval
Dockyard. Meet 2pm at St Mary's Church, corner of Fratton
Road and St Mary's Road, 5 minutes from Fratton Railway
Station. Org. by Portsmouth Resistance. Contact 023 9281
8849.
Sunday 16th
Nonviolence workshops in Hackney (hackney@stopwar.org.uk,
0797 906 6447) and Sheffield (tel. 0114 258 1093, riveramazon@hotmail.com)
and Powys (01686 412 233)
Global
vigils for peace at
7pm.
3,700 vigils and more will be taking place in 108 countries.
The Global Vigil for Peace is going to be huge -- one of
the largest coordinated vigils in history. If you're not
already signed up, it's not too late to get involved. Organised
by MoveOn.org. You can
find a vigil in your area at: http://www.globalvigil.org
Monday 17th
Die-ins
- Birmingham: Meet 1pm outside the main library - University
of Birmingham campus. 'Bring bandages and slings.' Contact:
jansmith@blueyonder.co.uk
- Cambridge. Meet outside the Guildhall, 1pm. Contact josh@camsaw.org.uk
or 07901930441.
- Wrexham. Assemble in Queen's Square at 4.15pm. Contact:
Genny Bove at wrexhamsaw@yahoo.com or 0845 330 4505)
- Southampton. Blockade of Vosper Thornycroft, major producer
of warships and other military equipment.12 noon. Contact
02380 550159.
- Oxford. Cornmarket, 1pm. tel. 01865 794504 or 07796 430141
- London: * An autonomous group of students from eight different
universities are planning a die-in in London. Meet them
in front of Senate House, University of London, Malet Street,WC1E
at 12 noon. More details: Oscar Reyes at oereye@yahoo.co.uk
or 07813 940104.
- Roehampton University War Concern Coalition are organising
a die-in near Parliament. Meet 2pm for 2.30pm in Parliament
Square. Contact Andy on 07786 868615 for details.
- Fairford. Contact Nuala Young on 01865 - 749 459.
- Hastings. Contact Andrea on 01424 460 579.
- Birmingham. (sarahteversham@yahoo.co.uk).
- Norwich: Students from the University of East Anglia are
organising a die-in in the square at 1pm. Contact J.THoms@uea.ac.uk
- Penzance: Die-in on the steps of the Town Hall from 12noon
to 1pm (if no arrests). Contact Peter la Mare: pete@plumpeace.nildram.co.uk
- Sheffield. Meet at the C of E Sheffield Cathedral - Church
Street, at 12.30pm. samarshall2001@hotmail.com or (0114)
2555586.
Tuesday 18th
Die-in / street party in Farnham. Organised by SIAD (Surrey
Institute of Art and Design) students against the war. Contact
Paul on 07734432951 or paul@sheeky.freeserve.co.uk.
Wednesday 19th
- Wake up Straw to the Reality of War! Meet 7am (prompt),
at Oval Tube station. Org. in association with Wansworth
Stop the War. Contact nickbuxton@yahoo.co.uk or 07712 652004.
- Non-Violent Direct Action Training in preparation for
Foil The Base and other Leeds realted anti-war civil disobedience.
5-7pm Leeds University Union, Lounge number 2. Contact for
more info. ipi0pepw@leeds.ac.uk.
Thursday 20th
Blockade of Exxonmobil House in Leatherhead, Surrey (07734432951
or paul@sheeky.freeserve.co.uk)
Saturday 22nd
Actions at Menwith Hill spy base (http://www.now-peace.org.uk)
and USAF Fairford (National Demo, www.gwi.org.uk).
See events and actions for more,
including regular vigils around the country.
|
| |
|
|
|
Ideas
for the die-in
Your die-in could:
- be a piece of street theatre or an act of nonviolent civil
disobedience.*
- take place in your town/city/village centre, your local
war memorial, place of education or work, your local pro-war
MP’s office, military recruitment centres; the offices
and factories of weapons-producing firms, petrol stations,
military bases etc.
- be creative. Make props (bandages, shrouds, coffins);
use fake blood (though be aware of charges like criminal
damage!); have a flyer to distribute to the public; create
a soundtrack; use a projector to create a suitable backdrop
for your action …
- involve hundreds of people – or just two!
It’s up to you!
Here are some possibilities, not all mutually exclusive:
(a) Hold a short procession - eg, from an army recruitment
office to the war memorial
(b) Dress in black
(c) Have a leaflet to hand-out explaining what you're doing
and why (see sample below)
(d) Dress as war-wounded
(e) Use props - eg small, white children's coffins
(f) Bring sensitive banners and placards
(g) Hold the die-in in complete silence from beginning to
end
(h) Broadcast noises of war
(i) Before dying, everyone hold hands for a minute's silence
(j) After finishing the die-in, again, everyone hold hands
for a minute's silence
|
|
Ideas
for other actions
AN UNEXHAUSTED “DISARMOURY” OF POSSIBILITIES ranging
from the perfectly legal to the eminently arrestable*
Arrest – war criminals*
Blockade – military bases and factories*
Buy – a share in BAe Systems and go to their AGM
Camp – outside your local naval base, for a day, a week,
a decade
Climb – military fences with good intentions*
Cycle – around town as part of a “critical mass”
action
Die – (symbolically) in town centres, at war memorials,
military bases* etc
Disarm – weapons systems with household hammers**
Elevate – your conscience
Fly-post – and feel the glue dribbling down your forearms
Garden – dig-up the lawn of the Ministry of “Defence”
and plant peas for peace*
Hold – a People’s Parliament in Parliament Square*
Imagine – there was a war and only George, Saddam and
Tony turned up
Incite – service people not to fight*
Inform – service people of their rights
Inspect – your local military base for weapons of mass
destruction*
Join – hands between mosques and churches and synagogues
Keep – information flowing, especially to those with
no access to the internet
Leaflet - your local street at lunchtime
Lock-on – to the gates of your local RAF/USAF base*
Make – tea/love/faces not war
Notify – everything and everyone of your opposition
to war
Occupy – military recruitment centres
Organise – nonviolence trainings and legal support
Party - for Peace, inside or outside, the noisier the better
Paint – messages for peace on Ministry of “Defence”
buildings*
Perform – street theatre
Pray – on a military runway*
Pour – red paint outside your local army base*
Quit – your military-related job; Refuse – to
pay your taxes (or a portion thereof); don’t fund the
war machine
Remember – solidarity with refugees
Risk – your liberty; Sign – the Pledge of Resistance
Strike – phone in with better things to do; Stop –
the City
Support – imprisoned war resisters
Take – care not to harm any living creature; Undermine
– authority by obeying your elevated conscience
Vigil – in silence, with banners and placards
Wear – a badge; Wear – nothing, and cycle down
Whitehall singing “Give Peace A Chance”*
Write – messages for peace on your pound notes; XYZ
– eXercise Your nonviolent imaginationZ |
| |
Publicity
A simple leaflet will do (download
an editable example), unless you're trying to catch the
authorities by surprise. Include: date, place, starting time,
proposed duration of die-in, manner of dress, whether or not
people dying will be risking arrest, information on staying
dry and warm (see below), contact number and email.
Don't forget to contact the press about your event
- see here for more information.
Please contact us if we can help to publicise your
event. |
| |
|
Legal
issues and resources for direct action/civil disobedience
Choose whether or not those 'dying-in' will be running the
risk of arrest. If you want to hold a legal event, then
gain permission from the relevant authorities ahead of time.
For public land this will probably involve communicating
with the police. If you go to visit them, go in a pair,
so that you can maintain a polite yet assertive line. If
you wish the die- in to be an act of civil disobedience
- ie participants run the risk of being arrested for breaking
a law (eg obstruction of the highway) - then arrange nonviolence
trainings, legal briefings and legal support for the day
(see below).
There is a number of aspects of direct action/civil disobedience
that it is useful to have some information on vefore you
start, from forming affinity groups to legal information.
See here
|
| |
Other
things to think about
DURATION
If appropriate choose time-limit for your die-in (eg half
an hour) and include this in your publicity.
STAYING DRY AND WARM
"In case of cold and damp, bring black bin bags lined with
a couple of newspapers to lie down on". It can get very cold
lying down on a road or pavement for half an hour!
MANNER AND DRESS
There are various ways of holding a die-in.
ROLES
There are many possible roles during a die-in: those who symbolically
die; those holding vigil - possibly with banners and placards
- nearby; someone to announce the beginning of the die-in
(maybe with a short speech, maybe with the sound of a bell);
a time-keeper (who can inform those lying down when to get
up if there's a time limit); leafleters; police liaison; press
spokesperson(s); legal observers; legal support team (including
solicitors on call). See (3) below for more on legal support/observers.
FINISHING
If you have a time-limit it's a good idea for the time-keeper
to go round those who have 'died' to tell them when five minutes
is left. After everyone has got up, holding hands in a circle
can be a powerful way of ending. At the end of the silence,
one person could briefly mention follow-up activities and
planning meetings.
AFTER THE DIE-IN
Give people the option of going to a nearby cafe or community
hall: to share thoughts and feelings, and to organise further
actions and meetings (including support for anyone arrested).
For many people this will be the first time they've taken
part in this type of nonviolent action - so make sure they're
made to feel welcome and supported.
REMEMBER
Your event is just one of many taking place around the country!
So far 'die-ins' have already been organised in Hastings,
Wrexham, London, Oxford, Southampton, Birmingham, Hastings
and Fairford on the 17th and in Salisbury and Bromley on the
15th. |
| |
Civil
disobedience
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
Philipines and Eastern Europe, the Suffragettes, Danish resistance
to Nazi occupation during WWII, the Argentinian Mothers of
the Plaza de Mayo and many others. |
| |
Nonviolence
Nonviolent action rejects any actions that would harm or dehumanize
another person. |
| |
Supporting
groups
ARROW
Voices in the Wilderness
d10 |
| |
Continuing
protest
Many people in Britain have now
signed the Pledge of Resistance
committing themselves to taking part (or supporting) acts
of nonviolent resistance to the war, should it take place.
Plans for civil disobedience
in the event of an attact now exist in many places.
See Events and Actions for more.
|
Register your event
Please register the details of your local
event by emailing ARROW.
Please also inform your local media of your anti-war vigil.
|
