The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] The following statement was released at 11.00 GMT on Saturday 27 April by 16 organisations grouped in the newly formed "Campaigns Coordinating Committee of Sheffield" which unites organisations in the Black, Asian, Middle Eastern and white communities of Sheffield. Other organisations have active observer status but are not listed because of possible funding problems. The demo on Saturday 4th May will certainly be the largest demonstration seen of any kind in Sheffield for nearly twenty years. It combines solidarity with palestine with opposition to war on Iraq. All involved hope that this initiative will be emulated up and down the country and across the world, and anyone who wants to visit Sheffield for the day is more than welcome! **************************************** Justice for Palestine - Hands off Iraq Call for May 4th demonstration 11.00am Barker's Pool S1 Palestine Enraged by the massacres in Jenin, Nablus and elsewhere; appalled by the use of tanks and helicopter gunships against towns and refugee camps and by the continuing siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; and inspired by the refusal of the Palestinian people to surrender their dream of liberty, we - the united organisations of the Sheffield community - call on the people of Sheffield to turn out in force on May 4th to demonstrate their support for Justice for Palestine. The recent atrocities have been the last straw. We have watched with mounting anger as the UK government continues to sell arms to the Sharon regime and pressurise the Palestinian leadership to accept a parody of an independent state. We call on the people of Sheffield to boycott Israeli products, and to press the UK government to terminate military and economic ties to the Israeli government, until Israel ends its illegal military occupation of Palestinian land. Iraq Dozens of reports by UN agencies indicate that crippling UN Security Council sanctions have killed over a million Iraqis and wrecked the lives of most of the survivors. Despite this, US and UK governments continue to veto demands for sanctions to be lifted. Current UK government policy is to join with George W Bush in a full-scale war on Iraq. Such a war would cost hundreds of thousands of lives and threaten world peace. The pretext for this threatened war is Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction - yet Israel is allowed to possess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and the Bush administration has publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons against four named Middle Eastern states - Iraq, Libya, Iran and Syria. We denounce the true aims of this threatened war: to install a pliant regime in Baghdad and to return Iraq's oil to the control of Exxon and BP. We say 'Hands off Iraq!' Sheffield The twin crises in Iraq and Palestine are a life and death question, not just for Iraqis, Palestinians and Israelis, but also for the people of Sheffield. If we allow such crimes and outrages to be committed in our name, with our taxes and our votes, then we will become brutalised and we will open the door to racism and fascism here in this city. We call on the people of Sheffield to turn out in force on May 4th to help turn Sheffield into a fortress of solidarity and unity! We ask all organisations and individuals who claim to speak for Sheffield people to add their names to the list of sponsors of the May 4th march, and to help us make the voice of Sheffield people heard in London and around the world. Justice for Palestine! Hands off Iraq! Everyone to Sheffield town centre on May 4th! called by Sheffield Campaigns Co-ordinating Committee contact sheffieldagainstwarcoalition@yahoo.com Muslim Association of Britain (Sheffield Branch), Sheffield Stop the War Coalition, Sheffield Green Party, Sheffield CND, Sheffield Trades Council, Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Yemeni Community Association, Sheffield Socialist Alliance, Yemeni Youth Association, Sheffield Iraq Campaign, Arab Community, Al-Khair, Al-Rahman, Sheffield University Palestine Society, Sheffield Hallam University SWSS, Sheffield Anti Nazi League _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk