Last Sunday (26th September) speakers addressed around 30 School and College students at the launch of SSAW in Central London. The meeting focused on the war in Afghanistan along with other issues such as Palestine and public service cuts. The statement issued by School Students Against War at the start of the meeting was this : "This government is determined to push through cuts that will hit school students hard. The 735 planned new schools are not going to be built. That means tens of thousands of school students forced to learn in crumbling classrooms that are long overdue for replacement.
"Our education is being put on the line to save money.
"The war in Afghanistan is costing £5bn each year.
"Over 77 per cent of Brits are opposed to the war, but the government stubbornly continues to send our troops to die and spend our money blowing apart Afghanistan and slaying women and children."
The meeting resolved to Organise a PROTEST ON SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER AT DOWNING STREET, with the theme being halloween. People also suggested that we work with Anti-Cuts and Anti-Fascist campaigns. Watch this space for more details of the protest!
OUR LATEST CAMPAIGN POSTER : http://bit.ly/cj6LEk
The Morning Star coverage of the meeting : http://bit.ly/cfoRRh
THE TRUE FACE OF THE IRAQ WAR
Next week Tony Blair launches his autobiography. It will attempt to legitimise and justify the attack and war on Iraq. The video below is footage of the US Army shooting down several Innocent civillians carrying cameras.
Baha Mousa was a 26 year old Iraqi receptionist kicked and beaten to death by the British Army while in custody. TONY BLAIR is a war criminal. The decisions he made directly incited the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civillians. He should face a war crimes tribunal and be JAILED.
www.stopwar.org.uk
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Please email us on : schoolstudents@stopwar.org.uk and we will add you to our mailing list. Also tell us if you are planning to come to our National meeting! Why the war matters
SCHOOL STUDENTS AGAINST WAR NATIONAL LAUNCH/RESSURECTION
WHY THE WAR MATTERS
National Launch 2PM
SUNDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2PM
Marchmont Community Centre
60-62 Marchmont Street
LONDON
WC1N 1AB
After three years of inactivity school students against war is starting up again. With soldiers and civillians dying everyday in Afghanistan, Israel's cold blooded massacre on the flotilla and the goverments savage cuts and attacks on our public services and schools. While our nuclear weapons system is replaced and more resources put into the immoral, unwinniable war in Afghanistan. The army recruiting services and cadets visit schools throughout the country promoting the army as though it is a free vacation. They fail to mention the increasing percentage of soldiers who develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the fact that you have to fire on demand. Former soldier Joe Glenton who was jailed for refusing to return and fight in Afghanistan said at a Stop the War rally in July, "I have learnt that the real enemy is not the man infront of your rifle, but the man behind telling you to pull the trigger". It is time for us to take a stand.
JOIN US
Build Schools Not Bombs
Cut War not Public Services
Troops Home from Afghanistan
Stop Islamophobia
Defend the Muslim Community. Defend Our Civil Liberties
Free Palestine
Military Out of Our Schools
ACT NOW
Join the Facebook Group School Students Against War
Get in Touch schoolstudents@stopwar.org.uk
Find Out More www.ssaw.co.uk www.stopwar.org.uk
Amy - 07506723332 - National - London
Barnaby - 07592728397 - National - London
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Schools Under Attack while Billions is Put Aside for War
Last week, after promising during the election that there would be no more than £6bn of cuts, all of them in 'efficiency savings' which wouldn't hurt school students or anyone else, the Education Secretary Michael Gove shocked the nation by announcing that plans to rebuild 715 schools across the country would be cancelled. Tens of thousands of school students woke up to discover that the leaking ceilings and crumbling buildings they had thought would soon be gone, would now no longer be replaced with the gleaming new buildings the had looked forward to. For those students, who so desperately need new facilities and a better learning environment, their education will now suffer.
The list of condemned schools was published, and teachers rushed to check if their school had been shown mercy, only for the Secretary of State to later admit that the list was wrong anyway! By Monday, he was releasing his fifth list, and schools up and down the country were frantically trying to work out if they would be spared from the axe. In the panic and confusion, one thing is for certain; school students will lose out. Schools that are falling apart will now have to remain in use forever, but with a smile and a wink Michael Gove assures us he really had no other choice. If we're going to reduce our deficit, he claims, the cuts will have to come from somewhere, and slashing plans for new schools seemed like the best cuts possible.
But if Gove really cared about school students, perhaps it would have occurred to him that if his government brought the troops home from Afghanistan today, in just eighteen months time we would save all the money that he plans to grab from schools instead. That's right; by bringing our soldiers home from a war they are losing, we could save all those seven hundred and fifteen schools and ensure that a whole generation of school students is able to learn properly in modern and up-to-date facilities. What's more, if the troops come home today by the end of this parliament we would save more than three times the amount the government plans to save by bringing pain and misery to schools up and down the UK.
As it is, the Coalition has chosen to continue to spend billions so that brave men and women can go on dying in a far-off land while cutting billions from education. Shereen is a student at a school in Newham in East London. She told the Socialist Worker newspaper:
“Our school is really old. There are cracks in the walls and in the ceilings. The worst thing is that it’s really hot because there’s no ventilation.
“We have fans but they make so much noise that we have to turn them off in lessons. You just end up concentrating on fanning yourself instead of the lesson.
“If we’d had our school rebuilt it would have shown that someone cares about us.”
She is right of course. Spending money on our schools would show that the government cares about us. Telling us that cuts to our education are 'unavoidable' but
that £76bn will still be spent on renewing an outdated and unnecessary Nuclear Weapon, goes a very long way to proving just how much they really care.
School Students Against War will step up our work in schools and across society as a voice for school students who want money spent on our education and not on wars and vast weapons. Join the facebook group today.
Another British soldier speaks out against the war
Ross Williams is 22 and from Neath in South Wales. He joined the army in 2007 and was sent to Iraq in 2008. Ross went absent without leave (Awol) for one and a half years and was sentenced to nine months in Colchester military prison. He was released last week and spoke to Siân Ruddick.
"When I was in Colchester at military prison I shared a cell with Joe Glenton," says Ross. "Joe was jailed for refusing to fight in Afghanistan." Before his imprisonment Joe had become active in the Stop the War campaign.
Ross says, "I told him my story and he said, 'You've got to get out there and tell people.'
"So I want to speak out. Parents think it's a good thing for their children to join up but it's not. People are being killed in Afghanistan for nothing and the Ministry of Defence doesn't care. "All they're worried about is looking after number one—themselves.
"Soldiers come back and get treated like shit. The army throws you on the scrapheap. The army has ruined my life. I want to make sure they don't do the same to anyone else. The idea that people are comrades is just a joke—but being selfish isn't what I'm like. I like helping people out, and you want people to do the same for you. I gave them everything, and what did I get in return?
"Things are very hard for me now I am back. I find it hard to talk to people, and my temperament has changed. I feel myself getting angry and feeling like I'm going mad. I've never been like that before, I've got a reputation of being a calm and polite person. But people have started to talk about my temper now.
"The army can destroy you. Some people leave and become alcoholics and addicted to drugs. I'm glad I haven't turned out that way. I joined because I had nothing better.
"I see guys who don't do very well in school and think it'll make their family proud if they join the army. But it's a waste of life.
"I saw in the paper a British soldier had died in Afghanistan after being shot in the face and all I can think is—what for? For nothing—absolutely nothing."
"I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are wrong. These wars are illegal and we shouldn't be out there," says Ross. "The people at the top are risking the lives of others when we shouldn't even be there.
"Troops are coming back destroyed and devastated. The military and the government just use people up. Soldiers' careers and lives are ruined by what they have seen and what they've been put through.
"I joined the army because there is nothing here in Neath, no jobs and no future. It seemed like a very tempting offer. I went down to the careers office and they sold me the world. But it was a load of bollocks.
"In the recruitment office, they get bonuses for recruiting people to their department, even if it's not suitable. The guy who was in there when I went was from the artillery, so that's what I got signed up to.
"I was operating an AS90 155mm self-propelled gun in Basra. The training before I went was appalling. On the plane there were a few of us on our first tour and I began to realise we were not prepared. There are loads of boys out there who don't know what they're doing. Attacks and live rounds were common place.
"At the base in Basra, where most of the British soldiers were based, there was ammunition being fired into the camp. We'd have to jump up and take cover. I injured my knee when we were on patrol. We came under live fire and I was jumping down from the vehicle because you're supposed to just get down.
"The guy behind me was scared and untrained—he pushed me off and I landed on my knee. This was early December 2008. I'd hurt my knee before and wasn't really fit for Iraq but the army didn't care. I spent two weeks in hospital and it was the worst time of my life.
"One day two Gurkhas was brought in with shrapnel wounds. They couldn't move from their beds. An attack began and everyone got under their beds. I could tell the rounds were landing very close. I looked up and could see that the Gurkhas couldn't move. So I got up and took my body armour and lay it on one of them.
"I got back under my bed and could see an officer under the table. I shouted across to him, 'do the same, give someone your jacket'. He said, 'No, you have to look after number one.' He didn't care about anyone but himself. I was there, trying my best and this officer just didn't care.
"I lost all my confidence at that moment, with the army. We were supposed to be helping people in Iraq but we were just making a mess.
"I was sent home when I came out of hospital and was flown into Brize Norton RAF airbase. I should have been met by an army official and be checked out in a military hospital. But no one met me. It was 3am and I had to call my parents to pick me up. They had to drive for over four hours to get me. The army abandoned me.
"My head was messed up, I'd just come out of a fight zone into civilian life with no support whatsoever. They were supposed to set up physiotherapy for me. But I ended up having to drive myself to my first appointment with an injured knee. I crashed the car that day because I couldn't press the brake.
"That's when I hit my limit, my breaking point and went Awol. I thought, 'I can't risk my life for this shower of shit.'
"It's always in the back of my mind, I get nightmares and have flashbacks to Iraq. I keep questioning why I did it, why I put myself through it.
"When I was Awol, it drove me to money problems and all sorts. In the end the past caught up with me. I had a court martial and served four and a half months in prison. There were other young guys in the court that day for going Awol. The outside world doesn't always get to hear about them but there are quite a few soldiers going Awol.
"Before sentencing I was told by an army CPN [community psychiatric nurse] that I might have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In prison I tried to get seen by the nurse but they cancelled the appointments. They said they were treating me the best they could, but it was a nightmare.
"I felt totally alone and had no one to turn to. One day the medic came around and gave me someone else's medication. I didn't feel safe in there. No one had a clue or cared. I couldn't believe this was what I got in return, after I'd given them everything. I want to do meetings and stand up against the army. Now I'm out I want to ruin them.
"After I served my sentence I was just thrown back onto the street. I feel so distant, I'm not Ross any more. I can't stop thinking about it all.
"When I was getting on the train back from prison some guy stopped me and asked me if I'd been in MCTC [Military Corrective Training Centre]. He said people like me should be shot for being cowards. I just said, 'You don't know what you're talking about, you get all this from the media but the truth is different.'
"Now I want to clear my head and get a job and move on. I'm not getting any help or treatment from the army, they don't give you any back up. I've just got to carry on with my life.
"I've been betrayed by the army—and it's certainly not what is advertised to the public. When people die they get talked up, but these generals and government ministers don't give a shit about us. It's not their kids being killed."
Thousands defy ban to march on Parliament
The demonstration on Monday was a tremendous success and a big victory for our movement. It was attended by at least 5,000 people, a hugely impressive turnout for a weekday. Coaches came from far and wide and the number of students on the march was particularly impressive. Many colleges brought their biggest delegations since the Febuary 15 2003.
The size and spirit of the march reflected the deep public disgust at the government's continued support for Bush's wars. It also showed the determination of the movement. A feeder march of students from SOAS, Kings, LSE and Scotland were received with cheers as they approached the square, chanting ‘defy the ban, we will march’.
The police's attempt to ban the march, no doubt at the insistence of government ministers, served only to increase the turnout. The scale of the response and the tremendous public stand taken by Tony Benn, Walter Wolfgang, Brian Eno and others made it impossible for the police to stop us on the day. And so a disturbing assault on our civil liberties was overturned and the views of the anti war majority were delivered to parliament.
As usual, School Students Against War had one of the biggest contingents on the demonstration with 60 people. 30 of which came from a new group in Cambridge. This reflects school students anger over these wars and shows that we are still willing to take action as all of the school students had to take a day off school to attend the demonstration. Click Here to see videos and images from the demonstration >>>
School Students Picket Kids Connections
School Students Against the War (SSAW) organised a picket yesterday (Thursday 2 August 2007) outside the offices of Kids Connections (114-118
Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1), an agency employed by the Ministry of
Defence to write 40 lesson plans for use in UK schools this September and
entitled the ‘Defence Dynamics Project’. These plans are a blatant
propaganda exercise aimed at justifying the invasion and occupation of
Iraq.
Included in their ‘Fact Sheet’ about Iraq is the following: “Over 150
healthcare facilities completed and many more are in progress. 20
hospitals rehabilitated. 750 nurses trained in maternal and child health
services. Immunisation programme re-started in 2003.”
The real facts are to be found in the report released this week by the NGO
Coordination Committee in Iraq (made up of 80 international NGO’s, 200
Iraqi NGO’s and supported by OXFAM) which states: “4 million Iraqis are
‘food-insecure’ and in dire need of humanitarian assistance. More than 2
million people are displaced inside Iraq and over 2 million have fled
abroad, the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world. Child
malnutrition has risen from 19% before the US-led invasion in 2003 to 28%
now. Of 180 hospitals countrywide – 90% lack key resources including basic
medical and surgical supplies.”
Twenty school students picketed the agency's head quarters and had a huge impact. Kids connections is now refusing to comment on the Defense Dynamics Project and is referring all enquires to the MOD. School Students Against the War planned to hand in a letter to Kids Connections (signed by SSAW, Tony Benn and Lindsey German) demanding that they cut their links with the MOD and terminate the Defence Dynamics Project immediately. On the day, Kids Connections refused to come and meet with the students and would not accept the letter despite them previously saying they welcome feedback.
This campaign is has been launched in conjunction with School Students Against the War's Military out of our schools campaign. Largely due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 10,000 soldiers leave the armed forces every year and the military is facing a recruitment crisis, with more people leaving than joining. For this reason, the military have stepped up their campaign to recruit in schools. School Students Against War have started a campaign to stop the military recruiting in our schools and will be organising actions around the country and working with school students, teachers, parents and trade unions.
Disgruntled British soldiers are leaving the armed forces in droves - fed up with repeated tours on the front line, MPs warned today.
Staffing shortages have hit nearly 6,000, meaning that there are not enough servicemen and women to meet the demands placed on them by military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, an influential MPs' committee said.
Frequent overseas deployments, heavier workloads and the difficulty of combining service with family life were among the reasons why numbers leaving some parts of the armed forces early have reached a 10-year peak, warned the House of Commons public accounts committee.
More Than 5000 People March Outside Labour Leadership Conference
Blair has become one of the most hated political figures in history because of the terrible wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been forced to resign early because of his huge unpopularity and the continued strength of the anti-war movement.
Gorden Brown, the person who has funded the illegal wars since the start, was crowned leader of the Labour party and Prime Minister yesterday in a special Labour leadership conference in Manchester where yet again the anti-war movement was out in force with more than 5000 people marching on the streets of Manchester representing 86% of the population in Britain.
They had 3 simple messages to the new Prime Minister:
- Get the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan
- Don't attack Iran
- Break with US foreign policy
The petition, signed by thousands of people across the country, was handed in to the conference by the leaders of the Stop the War Coalition and Military Families Against The War. ( Click Here to Watch)
School Students Against War had a huge delegation of 70 school students with more joining along the march and had the largest and most lively contingent on the march.
This demonstration was a huge success and sent a warning to Gorden Brown that if he doesn't listen to our demands he will be forced out just as Blair was. 25 June 07
Troops Out of Our Schools Campaign Launched
On the 24 May London School Students Against War held their launch meeting for the Troops Out of our Schools - Troops Out of Iraq campaign. This was attended by 40 School Students representing 10 different schools from around London.
The campaign has been set up to stop the military recruiting from our schools which has been on the increase since the disaster of the Iraq war as has the number of serving men and women leaving the armed forces.
George Solomou, who spoke at the meeting, refused to continue serving when Britain invaded Iraq. He highlighted the reality of being a soldier: poor pay, bullying from commanding officers and "being trained to kill - the most unnatural thing a human can do to another human."
Chris Nineham from the Stop the War Coalition (pictured above), while outlining the tragic situation in Iraq and the success of the anti-war movement in contributing to Blair's downfall, stressed the importance of building bases
in our schools in order to create massive resistance to the military in schools.
The meeting was successful as there was a real sense of the students taking the campaign forward by building strong groups in their schools, petitioning their schools with signatures from the students, teachers, parents and trade unionists in their area and organising demonstrations when the armed forces come into their schools. SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION HERE
Tony Blair goes this week...His wars continue
Tony Blair's resignation follows one of the bloodiest months for British and American troops since the illegal Iraq invasion four years ago. Thousands of Iraqi civilians continue to be killed every month.
The British electorate has consistently opposed Blair's war policies. His party's disastrous election results on May 5 showed the political consequences, with only 27% of voters supporting Labour. Blair's successor will become prime minister at the end of June. Whoever that is should be left in do doubt that the war in Iraq must end now
U.S. Walls Off Baghdad Neighborhood
21 MARCH 2007
In Baghdad this week, U.S. and Iraqi officials defended plans to build a barrier around a Sunni enclave, supposidly to protect its inhabitants from surrounding Shiite areas, while residents expressed concern it would isolate the community.
The U.S. military has said that the wall being built in Baghdad was meant to secure the minority Sunni community of Azamiyah, which "has been trapped in a spiral of sectarian violence and retaliation."
The area, located on the eastern side of the Tigris River, would be completely gated, with entrances and exits manned by Iraqi soldiers, according to the military.
The wall will be 12 feet high, about 2 feet thick and topped with coils of barbed wire. The military earlier said it would run three miles.
Residents and local officials in the neighborhood complained that they had not been consulted in advance about the barrier, and many were skeptical of the further divisions it would cause.
"This will make the whole district a prison. This is collective punishment on the residents of Azamiyah," said Ahmed al-Dulaimi, a 41-year-old engineer who lives in the area. "They are going to punish all of us because of a few terrorists here and there."
"I don't think this wall will solve the city's serious security problems," Ahmed Abdul-Sattar, a 35-year-old government worker, told the Associated Press. "It will only increase the separation between our people, which has been made so much worse by the war."
“Our school is really old. There are cracks in the walls and in the ceilings. The worst thing is that it’s really hot because there’s no ventilation.
As usual, School Students Against War had one of the biggest contingents on the demonstration with 60 people. 30 of which came from a new group in Cambridge. This reflects school students anger over these wars and shows that we are still willing to take action as all of the school students had to take a day off school to attend the demonstration.
Tony Blair's resignation follows one of the bloodiest months for British and American troops since the illegal Iraq invasion four years ago. Thousands of Iraqi civilians continue to be killed every month. 