Stop the War Coalition

The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) (informally just Stop the War) is a UK anti-war group set up on 21 September 2001. The war referred to in the Coalition's title is the War against Terrorism. The Coalition has been the most prominent group in Britain campaigning against the war in Afghanistan to depose the Taliban government, and the invasion of Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein. The demonstration against the latter on February 15 2003, which it organised in association with CND and the MAB, is generally accepted as the largest public demonstration in British history. Critics of the Coalition argue that the Socialist Workers Party has too much control over the organisation.

Formation

The impetus to form the Stop the War Coalition came following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks in the USA. The Coalition was launched at a public meeting of over 2,000 people in the Friend's Meeting House in London [1], which was chaired by Lindsey German, then editor of the Socialist Workers Party's magazine Socialist Review. German argued that the action in Afghanistan, then under contemplation unless the Taliban government gave up Usama bin Laden, would lead to that country's "destruction", and "possibly a wider conflagration in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and the Middle East." Other speakers at the meeting included Jeremy Corbyn (Labour MP for Islington North, Bruce Kent (of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), and John Rees (of the Socialist Workers Party).

Lindsey German became Convenor of the Coalition and a meeting on October 28 settled the Coalition's official aims. This meeting also elected a Steering Committee which consisted of a spectrum of left-winger's including representatives of Labour Left Briefing and the Communist Party of Britain though the Communist Party of Great Britain and Alliance for Workers Liberty [2] failed to get elected, although both became members of the Coalition and participated in its activities.

Key messages

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Banners on the march

The Coalition's title 'Stop the war' identifies it as part of the peace movement and has led to its supporters being nicknamed 'Stoppers' by those who disagree with its aims. Once the invasion of Iraq was underway, the slogan 'Not in my name' most widly used.

During the build-up to the Iraq war the Coalition adopted the slogan 'No to a racist backlash'. It asserted that a war against Iraq would be perceived as an attack on Islam and that muslims, or those perceived as muslim, would face racist attacks in Britain if the government joined the war. The Coalition worked closely with the Muslim Association of Britain in organising its demonstrations. It also has the slogan 'Defend civil liberties' and opposes rigorous policing of anti-war demonstrations.

Demonstrations

The largest demonstration organised by the Coalition was against the imminent invasion of Iraq on February 15, 2003. This was the largest demonstration ever seen in Britain with between 750,000 and 2,000,000 people. Speakers included Ken Livingstone, Tony Benn, and Charles Kennedy.

The Stop the War Coalition's 'Day X' demonstration as seen from the roof of the House of Commons.

Following a call made by Tony Benn in March 2003, StWC urged its local groups and supporters to organise actions on the day the invason of Iraq became. As this date was - for obvious reasons - unknown in advance, it was dubbed "Day X". This would eventually fall on 20 March 2003. Despite having very little time to put plans into action, events took place up and down the country: In London there was a large protest in Parliament Square; in Nottingham traffic outside an army recruitment centre was blocked for a while; and thousands of school students walked out of lessons.

Following the beginning of the war and the events of Day X, the Coalition organised another national demonstration on the next Saturday, 22 March. While the turnout for this march did not match the demonstration of 15 February - between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people turned up - it was noted that this was the largest anti-war demonstration held during wartime and had been organised with but a week's notice.

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StWC Placard

Action after the war

The Coalition held a series of protests during November 2003 climaxing in a march on the 20th protesting against the aggressive foreign policy of George W. Bush and the continued detention of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, which protesters claim is an illegal infringement of human rights and the Geneva conventions. A march past parliament was organised climaxing in a rally in Trafalgar Square. A papier maché statue of George Bush was toppled in an action reminisent of the much televised pulling down of a the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad by American soldiers. Speakers included maverick MP George Galloway(then member of Labour Party now expelled and joined Respect), SNP leader Alex Salmond and Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic.

The coalition estimates that 300,000 people were present at the demonstration, but this figure is disputed by the police estimate that puts it as low as 100,000 people.

On March 19 2005, STWC organised a large demonstration in Westminster with supporters marching from Hyde Park to Parliament Square via the US embassy. The supporters were calling for the invading troops to move out of Iraq, for the US to not attack Iran and Syria, for the UK government to halt reductions in the civil liberties of UK citizens including the right to protest and a free trial (which they allege would result from the recent Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 and Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005), and for a reduction in racism in the UK.

The date was chosen as the it was the international day of anti-war demonstrations, as called by the Assembly of the Social Movements at the 2004 European Social Forum. Estimates of the number of marchers vary from 45,000 by the police to over 100,000 by StWC to 200,000 by some observers. The protest was significant as it is the first time that a march has passed the US embassy in London since the protest at the Vietnam war.

Later in 2005 StWC sought to join the Make Poverty History coalition of groups campaining around the 31st G8 summit, held in July of that year, for an end to poverty, but was prevented from doing so. Nevertheless they independently organised for the MPH demo in Edinburgh on July 2 and in some areas campainers from MPH and StWC worked together on a local level. They also managed to negotiate a stage in the park at the end of the march. It has been speculated that they were prevented from joining the MPH coalition because organisers wanted to avoid radical criticism of the Labour government. Intriguingly fellow anti-war group and StWC member organisation CND were allowed to join.

Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, STWC in association with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain held a Vigil for the Victims at Peace Garden in Euston, London on Saturday 9 July 2005 and a further solidarity gathering at Russell Square, close to one of the Underground stations targeted, on Sunday 17 July 2005. At the later StWC national convenor Lindsey German condemned the bombings but added that “The only way to end the bombings is to withdraw from Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. When we have justice around the world we will have peace as well.”[3]. The StWC also participated in vigils accross the country.

Almost all the major British trade unions are affiliated to the Coalition and they are also mostly affiliated to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament group.

Notable Members

• Tony Benn, StWC President, left-wing Labour party member
• George Galloway, StWC Vice-President, Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow.
• Tariq Ali, StWC Vice-President, anti-imperialist (trotskyist) writer who is now a supporter of the Liberal Democrats
• Andrew Murray, StWC chair, full-time ASLEF official, leading Communist Party of Britain member
• Lindsey German, StWC convenor, leading SWP member, Respect candidate in the elections for London Mayor
• John Rees, leading SWP member, Respect candidate in the European elections
• Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party.
• Salma Yaqoob, Respect founding member

External links

• Stopwar.org.uk
• BBC News: February 2003 Protests
• BBC News: Protests at the outbreak of war
• BBC News: Anti-Bush protests
• Indymedia UK: February 2003 Protests

Articles on alleged domination of STWC by the Socialist Workers Party:

• Mark Thomas, "Crap Comrades", New Statesman
• SchNEWS, "Monopolise Resistance - The SWP try to hijack anti-war protests"