February, 10 2023, 10:39am EDT
Stop the War's Iraq Demonstration 20 Years on
LONDON
Stop the War Coalition will be marking the 20th anniversary of the largest demonstration in British history on 15 February 2023. On this day over a million protestors took to the streets of London to join the Stop the War protest and oppose the Iraq war.
We predicted the war would fail to make the world a safer place and would cause untold misery in Iraq. Unfortunately these predictions proved all too correct with the war causing hundreds of thousands of deaths, a global refugee crisis, the shattering if Iraq's economy and the rise of Islamic State. The legacy of this illegal war lingers today both here and in Iraq, yet still no one has been held to account.
We are calling all those who took part in the March in 2003 to send in their photographs of the day to office@stopwar.org.uk and post on social media using #Iraq20years.
On 20 March, to commemorate the start of the US/British invasion, Stop the War will be holding an event at the Swiss Church in Covent Garden, London.
This 20th anniversary coincides with the one year anniversary of another major conflict - this time in Ukraine - which is threatening to become a major power confrontation in Europe. In opposition to the recent escalation and the key role played by the British government, Stop the War has called a Peace Talks Now - Stop the War in Ukraine demonstration on 25 February. Assemble at BBC, Portland Place, W1A 1AA at 12 Noon.
As Chris Nineham, Vice Chair of Stop the War said:
"This anniversary is important because the million plus who marched against the war in Iraq were tragically proved right. The war was a disaster for the people of Iraq and the wider region. The anti-war movement is once again gearing up to protest against escalating war, this time in Ukraine.
"We hope that our arguments prevail before further tragedy ensues."
Stop the War was founded in September 2001 in the weeks following 9/11, when George W. Bush announced the "war on terror". Stop the War has since been dedicated to preventing and ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. Stop the War opposes the British establishment's disastrous addiction to war and its squandering of public resources on militarism. We have initiated many campaigns around these issues.
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