Aims and Objectives
This is a statement issued by the National Stop the War Coalition, to which the Bradford Coalition is affiliated.
The Coalition is campaigning under the following slogans:
Stop the war
No to a racist backlash
Defend civil liberties
The resolution below, setting out the Coalition's platform, was ratified at public meetings held in October 2001 in London.
The aim of the coalition should be very simple: to stop the war currently declared by the United States and its allies against 'terrorism'. We in no way condone the attacks on New York and we feel the greatest compassion for those who lost their life on 11th September. But any war will simply add the numbers of innocent dead, cause untold suffering, political and economic instability on a global scale, increase racism and result in attacks on civil liberties. The aims of the campaign would be best expressed in the name Stop the War Coalition.
Supporters of the Coalition, whether organisations or individuals, will of course be free to develop their own analyses and organise their own actions. But there will be many important occasions when united initiatives around broad stop the war slogans can mobilise the greatest numbers.
The campaign should have weekly open meetings that can divide into working groups as appropriate and a small number of officers who report directly to the weekly meetings.
We call on all peace activists and organisations, trade unionists, campaigners and labour movement organisations to join with us in building a mass movement that can stop the drive to war.
We are committed to opposing any racist backlash generated by this war. We will fight to stop the erosion of civil rights.
