Sunday, 2 November 2014

Stop bombing Iraq and Syria - Protest on Sat 8th November


There will be a Rally on Saturday 8th November at 11.30am in St Nicholas Square, Aberdeen (outside Marks and Spencers) to protest the bombing in Iraq and Syria.

Hosted by Aberdeen and District CND, the protest will be entitled "The Way Forward for Iraq and Syria" and speakers will include Dame Anne Begg, MP, Christian Allard, MSP, Sean McVey of Radical Independence and Brian Carroll from the Aberdeen Trades Union Council.

All delegates, colleagues, friends and members of the public are welcome to attend this very important protest.

Jonathan Russell, Chair of Aberdeen and District CND said, "All those speaking at and attending the rally from across the political divide are horrified by the rise of ISIS and do see the need for action to deal with the rise of ISIS.

"However we are united in that we consider that the bombing will in the long-term make the situation worse as more people get killed and much needed infrastructure is destroyed. There is one thing many people in the Middle East hate more than ISIS and that is Western involvement."

Jonathan added, "Interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria have all been disastrous, leading to broken countries with hundreds of thousands dead and millions in refugee camps.

"Over the past three years there has been a massive increase in arms sales to the Middle East in particular Saudi Arabia but also Oman and Turkey. It is these very countries, allies of the West, that have funded and armed ISIS and through whom oil has been sold.

"We need to be starving ISIS of resources, supporting the Iraqi government and Kurds, giving many more resources to refugees and toward rebuilding these failed countries. Bombing by the West just feeds this wild frenzy of blood. We need a long term solution to the area this requires negotiation not more bloodshed."