British Military Families Against the War

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Wednesday July 05, 2006 19:44

by Miriam Cotton

Blair plans life-imprisonment for conscientious objectors

In an even more serious reflection of the experiences of the Pitstop Ploughshares in Ireland, Flight Lieutenant Malcolm Kendall-Smith has been put through the ringer for his conscientious objection to the Iraq War.

Kendall-Smith was imprisoned for three months and released last week from gaol under the following conditions:

He is electronically tagged
He is forbidden to talk to press
He is subject to a 6.30pm curfew.

Anti war groups in Ireland should demonstrate their support for Kendall Smith and other soldiers like him, if they have not done so already. For these men, women and their families the reality of the war is of course altogether more urgent. In a trial that was a travesty of justice Kendall Smith’s evidence proving that the Iraq war was illegal was dismissed as irrelevant although it was the entire basis for his objection.

The UK Government is now proposing new legislation which states that any soldier who refuses to take part in a "military occupation of a foreign country or territory" can be jailed for life.

Mark Steel, Mark Thomas, Tony Benn and many others were present at the Night of Conscience benefit for Military Families Against the war and which, because of the conditions imposed on Kendall-Smith, he was unable to attend himself. He did manage to pre-record a message to the people gathered which can be listened to on the MFAW website, however.

“I mean, imagine if soldiers had always refused to obey their superiors. They'd never have gone to the Somme to capture three miles of Belgium at a cost of more than one million lives - and then where would we be?”

(Mark Steel, The Independent (UK), 5th July 2006.) Full column here:
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/mark_st...1.ece

For more information about Military Families Against the War :

http://www.mfaw.org.uk/mkspage.html

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Comments (2 of 2)

Don't Worry

by P. Riest

Mon Sep 18, 2006 02:20

there is no need for these imperialist occupation troops to ever come home, the 'boys' in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively have more than enough will and firepower to bury them 'in situ'.

So, where is the problem?

Victory to the Resistance !

Rose Gentle/MFAW issue statement about Afghanistan

by M Cotton

Wed Jul 05, 2006 20:59

The following press statement was issued by MFAW today:

PRESS STATEMENT 05.07.06
MILITARY FAMILIES AGAINST THE WAR
CONTACT: Andrew Burgin
Telephone: 07939 242229 or 020 713 1717
Email: andrew@burgin.freeserve.co.uk
Web:http://www.mfaw.org.uk/
AFGHANISTAN: A STATEMENT FROM ROSE GENTLE AND REG KEYS, FOUNDER MEMBERS OF MILITARY FAMILIES AGAINST THE WAR (MFAW)

Today another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan. Six have
died in the last three weeks. Our thoughts are with their families.
When British armed forces were sent into Iraq they were told that Iraq
posed a direct threat to this country and had weapons of mass
destruction which threatened us all. This was a lie and known to be so
by our Prime Minister at the time.

Now our armed forces are being misused once again. Thousands of British
troops have been sent to the Helmland province of Southern Afghanistan.
They have been told they are on a mission to help reconstruct that
country and are engaged in a 'hearts and minds' operation. Two months
ago John Reid said that he hoped British troops would leave without
'firing a shot'. MFAW expresses the gravest concern about Mr Reid's
fairytale.

British armed forces are now engaged in a full-scale war in Afghanistan.
This engagement has not been debated or voted on in Parliament. Once
more our troops are being used as a cover for the excesses of George
Bush's foreign policy. Their patriotism is being abused.

Young men and women join our armed services in order to defend their
country and are proud to do so. They do not expect to have their oath of
allegiance betrayed by being sent to war under false pretences. Such is
the case with Afghanistan as it was with Iraq. Our campaign has been
contacted by many families of British servicemen and women who are
extremely concerned by this deployment.

We seek an urgent meeting with Defence Secretary Des Browne, to discuss
this perilous situation for our troops.

Rose Gentle
Reg Keys

MILITARY FAMILIES AGAINST THE WAR
CONTACT: Andrew Burgin
Telephone: 07939 242229 or 020 713 1717
Email: andrew@burgin.freeserve.co.uk
Web:http://www.mfaw.org.uk/

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Comments (2 of 2)