Anti-war groups vow to bring Britain to a halt

Monday March 03, 2003 22:16

by Anti war activist

Anti-war groups vow to bring Britain to a halt

Below you will find brief excerpts for a recent Oberver article which shows the extent of direct action that will erupt on the streets of Britain the minute a war against Iraq starts. This will also give all the various Irish Anti war groups some fresh ideas to keep the momentum going and expanding. For the full article log onto the Observer's website which is free at http://www.observer.co.uk

Anti-war campaigners are planning massive civil disobedience and direct action protests to try to bring Britain to a halt on the day any bombing of Iraq begins.

Activists from the Stop the War Coalition, which organised the huge London march yesterday, intend to hold a series of demonstrations and actions within hours of news breaking that the first bombs have been dropped.

They will be joined by other protest groups, including anarchist cells and organisations linked to the annual May Day protest movement and anti-globalisation campaigns. While the overwhelming majority aim to be peaceful there are fears that some protests may turn violent.

Action to be organised across Britain will include strikes, blockade main roads, attempts to enter government buildings and sieges or invasions of military bases. Events where Ministers appear will be targets for sabotage and disruption.

One anarchist group in Hereford plans to block local roads the morning after any bombing starts to try to make 'business as usual' impossible, said one local member. Other activists plan 'Stop the City' campaigns in Bristol and Brighton.

Protests are being organised through the internet and at meetings. A particular focus of demonstrators is likely to be both British and American military bases, airfields and naval facilities.

There have already been a series of direction action protests around the country in recent weeks. Last month, in the first such incident in more than 80 years, two Scottish train drivers refused to move a goods train carrying ammunition destined for British forces in the Gulf. More than a dozen colleagues at their depot now support the men's action. Last Friday five protesters were also arrested after locking themselves to the gates of No 10, Downing Street. In Ireland peace protesters are facing criminal charges after breaking into Shannon Airport and damaging US military aircraft stationed there.