Weekly Worker 471 Thursday March 13 2003
Stop the war
Anticipate violence?
Lindsay
German - convenor of the Stop the
War Coalition - got the 50-strong audience chuckling at the inaugural
meeting of the Haringey People’s Assembly for Peace on March 9. She told
us that a journalist had phoned the STWC office to ask: “Do you anticipate
violence on the day war breaks out?” Helpfully she added: “I think he
meant, are we going to break some windows?”
Discussion following the comrade’s comprehensive opening had two themes. First, practical arrangements for protest on Day X. Second - importantly - the democratic questions vividly highlighted by the anti-war movement.
“Only regime change can stop the war,” said one participant - although it was clear as the discussion went on that for some this goes no further than the fall of Blair, possibly with a big split in Labour. Welcome though this would be, the question is - what comes next?
The meeting unanimously elected two local activists - Peter (an ex-Labour man) and Pat - to the People’s Assembly on March 12, with Katy - a local STWC and SWP stalwart - also being sent as an observer.
Mark Fischer
