LEWISHAM STOP THE WAR COALITION
Fundraising
Walk for Local Palestine Action Activists
Past Events
South London Cyclists
for Palestine
Barrier
to Bridge Fundraising Walk
Refugees Welcome Event
Catford Town Hall
Iraq and Syria:
Stop the Cycle of War
How Can We Get
Peace in Palestine?
Missiles on Blackheath
Protest Walk June 2012
Hands off Syria and
Somalia Public Meeting 19 March 2012
Hands off Libya Public
Meeting 5 April 2011
March for the
Alternative 26 March 2011
Beach Party, Greenwich
6 January 2011
Banners for November 2010
Demo
Lewisham
Peace Justice Solidarity Event for Gaza, 18 September 2010
Budget Day Protest in
Lewisham
Peace, Justice, Solidarity
Gig at the Albany
Vigil for 100th British
Soldier Killed in Afghanistan in 2009
National Demonstration
24 October 2009
Afghanistan: The
Unwinnable War 8 September 2009
Vigil and Naming the Dead
22 August 2009
Peace, Justice, Solidarity at
Lewisham People's Day
Public Meeting on
Viva Palestina Convoy
Songs for Gaza, Town
Hall 18 February
Lewisham Centre Saturday
31 January
Lewisham Lloyds TSB
Protest Saturday 31 January
Gaza Local Vigils 14 and 15
January 2009
President Bush Visits
Lewisham
South London
Cyclists for Palestine
Fundraiser
for Medical Aid for Palestinians, with Attila the Stockbroker
Wednesday 25 July
7.30 pm
New Cross Learning
283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Entry free, Donations sought
Please reserve a place at Eventbrite
Attila the Stockbroker will be cycling all the way to
New Cross from Southwick on the south coast.
At Easter 2018, 28 cyclists from the
UK set out on a fundraising cycle ride through the West Bank, raising money for
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Eight of them were from south London.
When the trip
was planned, they had no idea that the brutal repression of the Great March of
Return in Gaza would be beginning just as they set off.
They were
raising money for MAP, whose limb reconstruction unit in Gaza is now working
tirelessly to deal with the bone-shattering effects of sniper fire on unarmed
protesters.
|
|
Limbs that would have been amputated in 2014 can now
be saved, thanks to the facilities and training funded by MAP, but only if
the fixators shown here can be purchased. |
|
Listen to the story of the trip, see videos and
latest reports from Gaza and enjoy a set from the brilliant Poet Attila the
Stockbroker* |
Sendoff at Lewisham Station |
*Trump, Brexit and a diagnosis of bladder cancer. Attila deals with them all head on: UNDAUNTED
www.attilathestockbroker.com
35th
Anniversary of the Massacre
Join us to meet
eyewitness Dr Swee Ang, who
will take our messages of support to the commemoration in Beirut
Live
Music and Poetry
·
Ukadelix Deptford-based
ukulele band
·
Jim Radford internationally famous
folk singer
·
Steven
Lunnon singer-songwriter
Friday 15 September
2017, 1930 hours
New Cross Learning, 283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Funds raised will go
to Medical Aid for Palestinians to help Palestinian refugees from Syria in
Lebanon.
Speaker
Dr Swee Ang
Volunteer doctor and eyewitness
Co Founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians, who will
take our songs and messages to the 35th anniversary commemoration in
Beirut.
THE MASSACRE
In the summer of 1982, “PLO fighters” (ie Palestinian men of fighting age) were evacuated from
Beirut under the supervision of the Multinational Force, and the women, children
and elderly people left behind began to rebuild their lives during the respite
from Israeli shelling and air raids.
On 15 September 1982, Israeli Defence
Force (IDF) besieged the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, using tanks and setting up checkpoints.
They also set up panoramic observation posts.
Starting on 16 September 1982, the Israelis allowed
what were alleged to have been Lebanese Christian militias (collectively
referred to as “phalangists”), but likely to have
included foreign mercenaries, to enter the besieged camps and massacre at least
3000 now defenceless people, continuing through the
nights assisted by the light of flares provided by the Israelis.
Pregnant women, babies and toddlers were ripped apart
and thrown in rubbish piles. Women were
raped, boys were castrated and many others were mutilated before being
killed. Others were lined up against
walls with their hands and feet tied and machine-gunned.
The area was under the control of and in the full view
of the Israelis.
DR SWEE ANG
Foreign doctors and nurses volunteering in the
hospitals were subjected to mock executions and marched through streets between
piles of dead bodies. Among them was the surgeon Swee
Ang.
Dr Ang will be attending the
commemoration in Beirut on the 35th anniversary of the massacre, but beforehand
she will be speaking at our solidarity event at New Cross Learning.
SOLIDARITY
FROM SOUTH EAST LONDON
We plan to send messages of solidarity which she will take
with her to Beirut, which will include songs, photographs and video
messages. We are calling on local
singers and musicians musicians to contribute songs
old and new.
“WE ARE THE
CHILDREN OF SABRA AND SHATILA AND WE ARE NOT AFRAID”
On 22 September, Dr Ang
found herself surrounded by, orphaned children, who wanted her to take their
picture, making victory signs in front of their destroyed homes.
It is not possible to know what subsequently happened
to those children, but Dr Ang went on to be one of
the founders of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) which continues to work for
the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as
refugees. The Palestinian people will
not give up their struggle.
Time for an End to
the UK Arms Trade
Wednesday 16 August
2017, 1930 hours
New Cross Learning, 283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Speakers
Ben Griffin
Veterans for Peace
Former SAS soldier and Iraq war veteran
Billy Hayes
Former General Secretary of CWU
National Stop the War officer
DSEI
(Defence & Security Equipment International) is the world’s largest arms
fair. It allows arms buyers and sellers to network and make deals. It happens
once every two years, in the second week in September, at ExCeL
– the huge exhibition centre in London Docklands. Come along to our public organising meeting
to plan for how we can make this year the last.
Read more at https://www.stopthearmsfair.org.uk/about/dsei/
CARRY ON TAKING
ACTION
Our fundraising
activities on 16 October raised over £500 for L’Auberge des Migrants between heavy showers, and you can
still donate to our crowdfunding page, which has raised over £400.
See some photos here.
Also, SISI TV made a video.
Continue to support l’Auberge des Migrants
Their work
continues. Read their statement to be read at the beach
in Greenwich.
Mobile Phones are desperately
needed as a lifeline for children and others if the camp is demolished. You can also donate to Phone
Credit for Refugees.
Write to your MP or
Councillors
You can write to any
of your local or national representatives by entering your home postcode at Write to Them. Here are some suggestions for points that you might raise.
WHY WE ARE DOING
THIS
Unaccompanied
Children in Calais
We welcome Lewisham
Council’s decision to take up to ten refugee families from Syria ... BUT
what about those children in Calais? Ten percent of the population of the
"Jungle" are thought to be unaccompanied children. In May this year,
the Government agreed to take unaccompanied children from Calais but nothing
can happen until local Councils commit to take action, process safe passage to
the UK and organise fosters carers for these child refugees.
This is Urgent
Hundreds of children
are living in the woods, exposed to all kinds of dangers from traffickers, from
cold and hunger and from the risks of trying to get on to trains and lorries (a fourteen year old recently died).
The dangers will only
get worse when the camps are dispersed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Full details at http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/events/stop-the-war-events-national/2713-20-feb-2016-london-stop-trident-national-demonstration
Below: members of
Lewisham Stop the War plugging the demonstration in Lewisham on Saturday 5
December. We thought the banner poles
were going to break in the wind, but they didn’t. Generally good reception.
This event was a
great success, raising over £1000 already for L’Auberge
des Migrants. We heard some shocking
stories and surprising statistics, but the evening ended on a high note, with
people dancing in the Council Chamber.
Donations can still
be made at Eventbrite
|
|
|
Francois Guennoc of L’Auberge de
Migrants meets Mayor of Lewisham, Steve Bullock |
|
|
|
Traditional
Ghanaian music got people dancing |
|
|
|
The Council
Chamber was full |
Tuesday 3 November,
1830 food and refreshments (for a donation), 1930 main event
Lewisham Town Hall
(Civic Suite), Catford Road SE6 4RU
Online bookings Click here for Eventbrite page
To avoid booking fee
or for concessions, contact michael@lewishamstopwar.org.uk
A fundraiser to provide building materials for Auberge des Migrants
Introduced by Sir
Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham
Followed by:
• François
Guennoc, Secretary of L’Auberge
des Migrants, a charity working to support migrants in calais.
• Kofi
Mawuli Klu,
Co-Vice-Chair of the Pan-Afrikan Reparations
Coalition in Europe (PARCOE)
• Live
music from refugee musicians
• Quiz:
How much do you know about the refugee situation? (set
by Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network)
Organised by
Lewisham Stop the War, Lewisham and Greenwich CND, Lewisham United Nations
Association, Lewisham Anti-Racist Action Group
Film Showing: Drone
The truth behind the
secret CIA drone war
Thursday 24
September, 1930 hours
New Cross Learning, 283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Walk the Green Chain
for Gaza
11 October 2015
A sponsored walk to raise money for Medical Aid for
Palestinians from Oxleas Woods to Crystal Palace.
We are lucky to live in a city nearly four times
the size of Gaza, which we can leave whenever we like, but in which there are
large areas of green space. Much of Gaza
has been reduced to rubble and is still under blockade.
This walk is a great way of appreciating what we've
got in London while spreading the message about Gaza. It doesn't matter how much or how little
money you raise: just enjoy the day out and spread the word.
Please let us know
if you plan to take part. You can do it
in your own time.
We really want people to take part.
A guide to getting to the start and how to set up your JustGiving page
can be found here WalktheGreenChain.pdf. If you are familiar with JustGiving, just
click on this link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising-page/creation/choose-url?pcid=09c82dc6-dc65-4aaa-88cf-fe94fdb16ff3&parentActivityTypeId=Sporting.
If you can’t take part, but want to support financially, please donate
via the JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/Lewisham-Stop-the-War3
Here are some pictures from last year.
Start
Finish
Letters to MPs and Councillors and Replies
We have
written to all locally-elected representatives about Afghanistan and encourage others
to do the same, just as many of us wrote to our MPs about Gaza earlier in 2009.
We have a catalogue of them at the new MP and
Councillor Letters page.
PAST EVENTS
Winston
Churchill
Celebrate
the centenary of the International Congress of Women
Thursay 14 May 2015 7.30 -
9.30 pm
New Cross Learning (former New Cross Library)
283 – 285 New
Cross Road, SE14 6AS
|
An evening of
film, prose, poetry, music and discussion, introduced by Natalie Bennett Leader of the Green
Party |
|
In 1915,
women from Germany and the UK met at The Hague to call for a negotiated end to
the First World War. Come along and find
out more.
Light refreshments available
Fundraising evening for Medical Aid for Palestinians
This event took place on 4 December 2014, but you can
still donate towards it; all proceeds to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/Lewisham-Stop-the-War2/.
We are still adding images and videos, which will be
available via the Lewisham Stands With
Gaza link on the left.
Stop the Cycle of
War
Public meeting
Wednesday
15 October 2014 7.30 pm
New Cross Learning (former New Cross Library)
283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Speakers
Sami Ramadani
Middle East activist and journalist
Jim Brann
CND Council member,
London Region
5 October 2014
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/758371627553278
If you want to support, please donate via the JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Lewisham-Stop-the-War/
Start
Finish
A sponsored walk to raise money for Medical Aid for
Palestinians from Oxleas Woods to Crystal Palace.
We are lucky to live in a city nearly four times
the size of Gaza, which we can leave whenever we like, but in which there are
large areas of green space. Much of Gaza
has been reduced to rubble and is still under blockade.
This walk is a great way of appreciating what we've
got in London while spreading the message about Gaza. It doesn't matter how much or how little
money you raise: just enjoy the day out and spread the word.
Please let us know
if you plan to take part. You can do it
in your own time. More
details and guidance here WalktheGreenChain.pdf.
Tuesday 26 August
2014
To view
videos of this meeting, click on the link for Palestine Meeting Videos on the
left.
No to NATO Expansion
Public meeting
Wednesday
9 April 2014 7.30 pm
New Cross Learning (former New Cross Library)
283 – 285 New Cross Road, SE14 6AS
Speakers
Lindsey German
Convenor, Stop the War Coalition
Jim Brann
CND Council member, London Region
Called by
Lewisham Stop the War, Lewisham and Greenwich CND, Lewisham United Nations
Association
The USA and EU have sought to incorporate Ukraine into the military and
economic structures of the West. The USA has spent $5 billion on building
anti-Russian organisations in Ukraine. This support
led to the recent "revolution" in Ukraine, involving Fascist groups,
in which the elected Russian-speaking president was deposed.
Russia is a nuclear power which opposed military intervention in Syria; it
is threatened by the continual growth of the Western military power around its
borders, despite the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact, and has responded to
protect its naval base in Crimea. Russia also seeks to defend the interests of
the Russian-speaking community.
We call for the UK Government to seek a peaceful settlement in which
·
The different communities
in Ukraine live side by side in peace
·
Ukraine is not militarised in a way that threatens the security of Russia
|
|
Who is Really
Threatening to Take Over? This map shows the ongoing expansion of NATO. The Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1989, since
which NATO has expanded into the countries shown in green and yellow. |
Public Meeting
Wednesday 31 July 2013 7.30 pm
New Cross Learning
(former New Cross Library)
283 - 285 New Cross
Road SE14 6AS
Come and listen to an illustrated eyewitness
account from the front line of Idlib by journalist Ewa Jasiewicz, plus
Samir Dathi, Stop
the War National Officer.
|
photo by Masoud
Bashoura |
“Syria is not Libya, it will not implode, it will explode beyond its borders.” – Kofi Annan |
An Olympic
Event We Weren't Told About
Deadly ground to air missiles are
soon to be stationed at
Oxleas
Woods and Blackheath
It’s claimed they will keep us safe from terrorist air
attacks during the Games
This is nonsense
They would be a magnet for terrorists, and with a
range of only 3-4 miles
anything they hit
could fall anywhere in Greenwich, Lewisham or Bexley
More Olympic
Missile Information at www.stoptheolympicmissiles.org
Join the
Protest Walk
on Saturday 9 June
Follow
on Facebook Download Flyer
Lewisham
Stop the War and Lewisham and Greenwich CND
2.00 pm Depart from Café at Oxleas Woods
overlooking
the proposed missile site
2.40 pm Junction of Academy Road and
Ha Ha Road (speaker)
walk past
car park tarmac on Woolwich Common
3.20 pm Charlton House – Peace Garden
(speaker)
3.45 pm Blackheath – War Memorial
(speaker)
walk
along Charlton Way, past the illegally enclosed
Circus Field, crossing
Shooters Hill opposite the
illegally
demolished park gates
4.20 pm Whitfield Mount on Blackheath
proposed
missile site
Buses 89, 486 and 53 all run close
to the route so you can join the march at any point
Syria and Somalia
Thursday 29 March 2012
7.30–9.30pm at Come the Revolution café
465–467 New Cross Road SE14 6TA
Speakers
Sami Ramadani
Middle East Analyst
Muna
Hassan
No more wars
in the Middle East –
stop the madness now
The USA and Europe have lurched from war to war in the
Middle East. Afghanistan, Iraq, and then Libya, and now there are threats of
new wars in Somalia and Syria.
In each case, the intervention of the West has been a
disaster for the people that live there. Afghans are daily being terrorised under military occupation, tens of thousands of
Iraqis have been killed and tens of thousands more have been driven into exile,
and Libya is now in the midst of a civil war with 30 000 dead.
The intervention of the West in Somalia and Syria will
be just the same – it will make a difficult situation for the people that live
there even worse. All these conflicts are ultimately about oil, and the oil is
not worth the blood.
It is time for the people of all the countries of the
Middle East and Africa to determine their own future and assert democratic
rights.
Stop the War
and CND say leave Somalia and Syria alone.
Libya and the
Middle East
Tuesday 5 April 2011
7.30–9.30pm at Social Centre Plus
(the occupied former Job
Centre)
120–122 Deptford High Street, SE8 4NP*
Join the debate questioning the US and UK’s
military
intervention
in Libya and the Middle East Revolution
Speakers
Chris Nineham
Stop the War National Officer
Carol Turner
CND National Council
Sami Ramadani
Iraqi Democrats Against
Occupation
*50 yards from Deptford Station
How can we afford it?
The cost of one missile could keep a library or children’s centre open
for several years.
Why is the West continuing to interfere in the Middle East?
For a century the West has appointed governments in the Middle East as
it has seen fit. Often the West has
supported dictatorial and oppressive
governments for two reasons: 1) they have given the West free access
to the oil, and 2) they have
been reliable allies in whatever wars the West chose to fight.
Where will our intervention end?
The No Fly Zone in Iraq lasted twelve years, followed by a full
invasion. What will be our role if there is a
partition of Libya?
The people reclaim their destiny
Recently there have been political movements in the Middle East which
show that the peoples of the Middle
East are determined to reclaim their political
destiny. This is a good thing for the whole world, and the West
should not interfere. The West
should not be appointing governments in Libya or anywhere else.
Is depleted uranium being used?
British and US forces have deployed such ‘dirty bombs’ in Iraq and the
Balkans and are probably deploying
them as ‘bunker busters’ in Libya. How will it help save lives if Libya is
left radioactive for billions of years?
March for the Alternative to Cuts 26 March
2011
Lewisham Stop
the War took part in this enormous demonstration. The obscene costs of even more obscene wars,
for which there is never-ending funding, make the destruction of the welfare
state even more despicable.
Beach Party Greenwich, 6 January 2011
It was a
great evening and definitely something that we should do again.
Preparing for 20 November Demo
Greenwich
and New Cross 18 November 2010
Here are some
pictures of the successful activity at Greenwich University (in front of rush
hour traffic, and with a good response from students and staff) and where we
left the banners in New Cross.
Budget Day Protest Against Cuts
Tuesday 22
June 2010
Lewisham Stop
the War took part in a protest against the vicious cuts in jobs, services and
pensions that are being made against a background of billions being spent on
wars and occupations. Photos
by Owen Liddle.
At the Albany
Theatre, Deptford, the Lewisham Young Mayor, with Lewisham Peace, Justice and
Solidarity, presents
Sunday 7
March 2010
Music
from 1900
|
Falling Embers |
band |
alternative/punk/rock |
|
Tony Lording |
singer songwriter |
country/blues/folk |
|
Shiikane |
band |
R & B/Gospel |
|
Paul Moody |
singer songwriter |
rock/soul |
|
Jim Radford |
singer songwriter |
folk |
|
Bruise |
duo |
folk |
|
Damusia |
singer songwriter |
blues/jazz |
|
Strawberry Thieves |
socialist choir |
|
Food and Bar
from 6.30 pm Caribbean food, including vegetarian dishes, from the Albany café
Discussion and Films
from 4 pm
|
Seventy years of struggle against
racism in fascism in London |
The next steps with
local anti-racist campaigner |
|
Greener Cities and Saving the Planet |
by green activist Jim
Jepps |
|
Pictures of Afghanistan and Eyewitness
Account |
by photo-journalist
Guy Smallman |
|
Everyday Life in Palestine and the
Relief Convoy to Gaza |
Pauline Collins and
Leah Levane talk about their experiences |
There will
also be stalls from the campaigning groups participating in Peace, Justice,
Solidarity.
The Albany is
in Douglas Way, off Deptford High Street, walking distance from Deptford and
New Cross railway stations, Deptford Bridge DLR and buses 47, 53, 177, 188,
199, 225 and 453.
See www.thealbany.org.uk/infopoint/12/Your-Visit
for map and more details.
Vigil for 100th
British Soldier Killed in Afghanistan in 2009
1700 - 7.30
pm Wednesday 9 December 2009
National Demonstration 24 October 2009
Pictures by Owen Liddle
|
Joe and Clare Glenton at the front of the march (see
local Afghanistan meeting) |
|
|
|
|
|
The Lewisham banner on the road |
|
|
|
Lewisham Stop the War and CND banners in Trafalgar
Square |
Afghanistan: The
Unwinnable War
Tuesday 8 September 2009, 1930, Lewisham Methodist
Church Hall, Albion Way.
Speakers were
|
Lindsey
German |
National Convenor, Stop the War Coalition |
|
Clare Glenton |
Wife of Joe Glenton, facing court martial for
refusing to return to Afhanistan |
Lindsey German (left)
Stewart Halforty and Clare Glenton
For more
information, see the link to the Stop the War site at http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1400/1/
Also, a South
London Press report at http://www.southlondonpress.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=36069&searchword=afghanistan
Vigil and Naming the
Dead 22 August 2009
Following the
announcement of 200th British soldier being killed in Afghanistan, on the
following Saturday we held a vigil near Lewisham Clocktower. Names of British soldiers and Afghan civilians
were read out.
|
Owen Liddle |
Owen Liddle |
|
Bruce Levy |
Bruce Levy |
|
Bruce Levy |
Owen Liddle |
|
Owen Liddle |
Owen Liddle |
Report taken from the New Worker Newspaper.
"Stop the War campaigners
gathered around Lewisham Clock Tower in South
London last Saturday to mark the death toll of British troops serving
in the futile and illegal war in Afghanistan passing 200.
Those present - individuals and
representatives of a wide spectrum of progressive organisations
- took turns to read out the names of the 206 dead British troops and a similar
number of dead Afghan civilians.
The casualty rate among Afghan
civilians is far higher than among the invading troops but it seems that no one
is keeping records and the numbers and names of the dead are hard to find. Most
British reporters in the country are embedded with British troops and rarely
get to interview the victims of British and American bombing raids..
A lot of information has been
supplied by a London reporter, Guy Smallman, who has
travelled to Afghanistan to make his own independent investigation. Even so,
information about many of the dead is patchy; some are known only as "Amin's mother" or "Khan's baby son".
The ceremony attracted
a number of passers by and shoppers who stopped
to listen to the list of names being read."
Peace, Justice,
Solidarity at Lewisham People's Day 2009
Lewisham Stop
the War was one of many organisations involved in a special marquee at People's
Day with theatre, music, videos and discussion.
We hope to do the same in future years.
For more
details of the programme and the organisations involved and pictures from the
day, see www.lewishampeacejusticesolidarity.org.uk.
7.30 pm St
Andrews Centre, Brockley SE4 2SA, corner of Brockley Road and Wickham Road
· Solidarity with Gaza
· End the War on Terror
· Build the G20 Demonstrations
Speakers
Stewart Halforty
Lewisham Stop the War convenor, recently returned from Gaza http://www.theroadtogaza.org/
Kevin Ovenden
from the Viva Palestina convoy, just returned from
delivering a lifeline to Gaza
Souheir Turkmani from south London, also on the Viva Palestina convoy
Nearest stations Brockley, Crofton Park; buses 171, 172 (484 very near). See map below, but note that the embedded map gives the correct area but may put the arrow in the wrong place. If you click on "View larger map" it seems to be correct.
Songs for Gaza,
Wednesday 18 February
Fundraising Event for Palestine Overwhelmed by Support
Rajai Ayyad
(oud), Fadi Rumman (orgue) and Dr Abdullah
Abu Hilal (singer) receive applause from the audience
Some
videos are now available. See the Videos Page.
"Songs
for Gaza" was a fundraising event for Medical Aid for Palestinians which was held in the foyer of
Lewisham Town Hall in Catford.
There was so
much local support for the people of Palestine that much of the potential
audience would have had to be turned away on health and safety grounds.
Thanks to the
support of Lewisham's directly-elected Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, who also introduced
the event, the town hall staff pitched in to make sure that the event could be
moved to the main Council Chamber before the main performances.
As well as
the lively musical acts, which were greatly enjoyed by the audience, local
members also put on a moving performance of Caryl
Churchill's ten-minute play "Seven Jewish Children" with less than a
day's preparation.
In the light
of the situation in Gaza, about forty local people had been involved in an
organising meeting on 20 January 2009. One of the suggestions that came
out of it was to try to contact the Palestinian musicians and organise a
musical event. To go from that suggestion to putting on such a successful
event by 18 February is an amazing example of local teamwork and cooperation.
A total of
£1175.34 was raised from ticket sales, raffle and bucket collection.
Funds and donations were also raised through stalls and refreshments.
The
main musical acts were
The Camden Band from Abu Dis,
Palestine
Featuring Ahmed Eriquat
(oud)
Rajai
Ayyad (shebatech)
Dr Abdullah Abu Hilal (voice)
Fadi
Rumman (orgue)
Velvet Fist
women's a cappella singing group Listen to Velvetfist
Organised by Lewisham Stop the War Coalition
Lewisham and Greenwich Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament
Sydenham
and Forest Hill Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
South East London
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Britain-Palestine
Twinning Network
Sound
Equipment provided by the Lewisham Young Mayor's office.
Lewisham Centre
Saturday 31 January
Following the
Lewisham Centre's refusal to allow a collection on behalf of a charity working
to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Palestine, despite allowing collections
for similar charities working elsewhere, it was decided that Lewisham Stop the
War, Lewisham and Greenwich CND and South East London PSC would hold a
collection in the Centre, without permission, on behalf of behalf of the Disasters Emergency
Committee Appeal for Gaza (please follow the link if you want to
contribute).
About ten
people went into the Lewisham Centre, with nothing other than leaflets
promoting the DEC appeal and collection buckets; no banners or placards. We
were asked to leave almost immediately. We explained to the staff, who were generally quite reasonable, that we had no choice
in the light of the management's decision to bring politics into the issue of
charity collections by specifically refusing a collection for a charity working
in Palestine.
Unfortunately,
the duty manager became threatening and abusive and we had no choice but to
retire to the stall outside. Nevertheless, while we explained the situation,
members of the public continued to donate, and we made a total of £186.22 for
the DEC Gaza Appeal.
Pictures Below.
Collecting inside the Lewisham Centre
The stall outside
Lewisham Lloyds TSB
Protest Saturday 31 January
Straight
after the collection in the Lewisham Centre we went to Lloyds TSB to protest at
the closure of Interpal's bank account. Interpal
is a respected UK charity which helps alleviate the agony of Gaza. It has been
thoroughly investigated by the Charities Commission and given the all-clear.
For full details of the protest in Bristol that inspired our action, see the Bristol Protest Page.
Although the
main purpose was to protest at the unethical decision by Lloyds, a bank which
is now 43% owned by the taxpayer, we also had a collection bucket and made
£31.28 for Interpal.
Pictures below.
Dolls were used to represent babies murdered
in Gaza
Gaza Local Vigils 14
and 15 January 2009
The vigils in
Greenwich and Lewisham were very successful; David Leal's excellent lanterns
were very effective, as were the flags and banners. We got hoots of support
from car drivers and a lot of interest from staff and students at the college
in Greenwich, as well as free food from the sausage man in Lewisham. Some pictures
below from Lewisham.
Naming the Dead:
Thursday 20 November 2008
With over 300
British soldiers now killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the calls are getting
stronger for the troops to be brought home. In line with events around the
country, there was a naming the dead ceremony at the war memorial in Lewisham
Way on Thursday 20 November.
Ex-serviceman
Jim Radford give a moving speech referring to way that troops are having to
risk their lives, not to protect this country, but to attack countries which
have never threatened the UK. He mentioned how, far from it bringing freedom
and democracy to Afghanistan, conditions are worse than before the occupation,
including the treatment of women.
Ex-serviceman Jim Radford and ex-councillor Gurbash Garcha
Names of
British servicemen were read out, along with the names of innocent Afghan
people, including many elderly people and children, killed at wedding parties
or indiscriminately by other bombings.
Activists' Meeting in Lewisham with Andrew Murray
Andrew
Murray, national Chair of the Stop the War Coalition, came to our organising
meeting on Tuesday 11 November at Ladywell Leisure
Centre. This was a very successful meeting which discussed a number of ideas,
the most urgent of which is the Naming the Dead Ceremony on 20 November.
We
organised a coach to get the demonstration in Manchester on Saturday 20
September 2008.
See
the Manchester demonstration page for pictures.
President George W
Bush Visits Lewisham
President
George W Bush visited Lewisham on Saturday 13 September 2008 and met several
local people. They were pleased to hear that a lack of oil in the area means
that they are unlikely to be bombed in the immediate future.
The president tries to recruit some local
people for the military
Lewisham
Stop the War Coalition provided security and used the visit to promote a
message that we are sure the President would approve of.
The President in Lewisham High Street
George
W Bush has never been shy of talking to the camera, although he did not appear
to know what he was saying or who he was talking to.
The
President's security team struggle to keep him on course as he rushes to greet
more potential recruits.
President George W Bush stops off for a drink
at the Goldsmith's Tavern.