TAUNTON
DEANE STOP THE WAR COALITION - PRESS RELEASE
Monday
3rd March 2003
Acting Co-ordinator: Cllr.
Alan Debenham
49 Clifford Avenue
Taunton TA2 6DL
Tel. 01823 321304
or 07753 447 669
STOP-THE-WAR DEMO WAKENS TAUNTON
Somerset's stop-the-war day
of demonstration on Saturday, with some
500 banner laden peace protesters marching through Taunton centre,
ending with a rally at the front of County Hall, certainly wakened the
whole town to the throng of chants and whistles. Rhythmic shouts of
"Don't Attack Iraq" and "Stop the War", followed by
chanting : "One,
two, three, four - we don't want to go to war; Five, six, seven, eight
- stop the killing, stop the hate;" filled the air as the long march
wended it's way through the shopping centre, with traffic at all
junctions very well supervised by the police.
The rally was greatly enhanced
by an excellent professional public
address system donated by ASA Sound Systems of Wellington, speeches
being compered by Taunton Deane Stop-the-War Coalition's joint
organiser, Councillor Alan Debenham . People attended from peace groups
all over Somerset, including Wellington, Bridgwater, Highbridge &
Burnham, Yeovil, Glastonbury & Street, Minehead & Watchet, Frome
&
Shepton Mallet, and Exeter.
Jefferson Horsley, Taunton Deane Council leader, fresh from his
Council's recent resolution telling Blair to follow the French/German
line, kicked-off the speeches of exhortation for peace campaigners to
maintain, and if anything increase, their "no war" protests.
He was
followed by County Councillor Sue Miller, speaking about parliamentary
peace actions and Steve Bush, joint organiser of TDSTWC, bringing
everyone up to date on the establishment and future actions of the local
Stop-the-War Coalition.
He said that, in parallel with
what was being urged by the national STWC
(www.stopwar.org.uk), on the day war broke out all local anti-war
supporters were requested to stage 'walk-outs' from their work places
-
using Union support, as appropriate, and for whatever length of time -
including students from schools and colleges. From 6pm. onwards, there
was to be a mass peace vigil in Taunton centre, continued indefinitely.
He urged all active protesters to attend Taunton centre every Saturday
from 11am. regardless for peace demonstration and running a stall; also
every Monday everyone would be welcomed to committee meetings at the
Perkin Warbeck, East Street, Taunton, from 6.30pm onwards.
Reverend Bruce Thompson spoke
emphatically about the immorality of the
proposed Bush-Blair war against Iraq and how all people of religious
conscience should take action to avert it. Dave Moody spoke on behalf
of the Socialist Party, which was deeply involved in stopping the war
and urging walk-outs and TUC-led strike actions, making passionate
pleas for consideration for the suffering people of Iraq. James Kerr,
leader of the Taunton Students Against War (TSAW), spoke of his pride
in
the actions of local students to mount recent peace demonstrations in
Taunton and he urged them to continue to actively pressurise politicians
and join in the planned "Students' Critical Mass" cycle ride
through
Taunton next Friday, starting at 4.30pm from the Brewhouse Theatre and
ending in a rally at Vivary Park.
Lizzie Alnatt, from the Exeter
Peace Group, urged everyone to come to
the Exeter Regional Peace Protest March and Rally next Saturday,
commencing at 12 noon from Belmont Road, Belmont Park. Jeff, from the
Sedgemoor Peace Group told the rally of their 11am Saturday vigils in
the centre of Bridgwater inviting attenders and also urging all present
to come to the mass demonstration at the American air base in Fairford,
Glos., on Saturday 22nd March, when it was hoped coaches would be
available from all Somerset peace groups.
An elderly lady insisted on
speaking to represent the 'oldies' on the
march and she made an impassioned call for peace from all those older
folk, like herself, who had actually experienced the deathly horror of
war and bombings. A woman, who had lived much of her life in America,
spoke about how large numbers of Americans were campaigning against
Bush's first-strike war against Iraq and, in some cases, being
persecuted for displaying their protests.
Alan Debenham, march and rally
organiser, commented : "It's been a great
day for those who want complete rejection of the planned Bush-Blair
phoney, immoral and illegal war against Iraq. If Blair and his
government continue to refuse to be swayed by the enormous mass of
stop-the-war protesters, then I don't give much for his and his party's
political future. Maybe, we can look forward to a Lib-Dem/Green alliance
- plus Ken Clarke and Ian Liddell Grainger - to take over? What with so
many young people being on the march and now secretary of state, Clare
Short, making scathing criticism of Tony Blair, we've got everything to
play for and we fully intend to up our anti-war actions for as long as
it takes to stop this war and any other wars."
Journalists and photographers
are welcome at all events - nb. Critical
Mass Cycle Ride next Friday !!!!
Further information : www.tauntonstopwar.org.uk or nationally,
www.stopwar.org.uk or Alan Debenham
(see above) and Steve Bush 07976
641304 or 01884 255540 (office)