BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY STOP THE WAR GROUP

     
no war!


This page has had to move because of censorship by the University of Birmingham. Read more about it here.

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Thanks are due to the School Icons Club for some of the graphics on thess pages.


... For might makes right,
And till they've seen the light,
They've got to be protected,
All their rights respected,
Till somebody we like can be elected.

Members of the corps,
All hate the thought of war,
They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means.
Stop calling it aggression,
We hate that expression.
We only want the world to know
That we support the status quo.
They love us ev'rywhere we go,
So when in doubt -
Send the Marines!

     Tom Lehrer, 1965


Behind Closed Doors: Military influence, commercial pressures and the compromised university

Behind Closed Doors: Military influence, commercial pressures and the compromised university, launched on 12th June 2008 is the result of an in-depth investigation into 16 of Britain's universities, including some of the most prestigious. The Report uses new data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and builds upon the material assembled in the two previous studies of military involvement in UK universities. We estimate that the average level of military funding of UK universities is up to five times higher than government figures suggest. The report also reveals the pervasive extent of the military influence in UK universities, which raises significant disquiet among some university staff to whom we spoke about the growing presence of military and commercial influences on campus and their effect on the research agenda. The report highlights how, since 2002, new military research groups have sprung up in universities, supported by publicly-funded research councils, military corporations and the Ministry of Defence. The growth in the number of such groups has been accelerated by the UK 2006 Defence Technology Strategy.

Read the report here
It's on the site of Scientists for Global Responsibility


Thanks for the memories ....

A telling little film about the decades-long relationship between the US government, the CIA and Saddam Hussein.

Thanks for the memories


We're so sorry, say University

"BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY dons apologised to the Muslim students who were elected to the students union but prevented from taking office."

Full story here, on the Black Information Link site.


On "glorifying terrorism"

Good article by Iain Macwhirter, 19th Feb 2006


UK Anti War Internet Radio Station

Revoradio - Dropping beats not bombs. Listen to it here:

www.revoradio.org.uk


Iran and Israel: The Ambiguous Nuclear Weapons

A brilliant, minutely-documented account of how Israel acquired nuclear weapons, on the Palestine Chronicle website. It ends with a petition for a nucelar-free Middle East. Do sign it.

Iran and Israel: The Ambiguous Nuclear Weapons


URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS

A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain, the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences for the future of Iraq.

Already on July 14, 2004, veteran correspondent Robert Fisk reported from Iraq that: /"University staff suspect that there is a campaign to strip Iraq of its academics, to complete the destruction of Iraq's cultural identity which began when the American army entered Baghdad."

Sign the petition here
There is another version of the petition here


Does your university invest in arms companies?

Well here's what it says for Birmingham on the Campaign Against the Arms Trade site:

Universities: West Midlands

End Unlawful Imprisonment

A site campaigning against the Terrorism Bill, Guantanamo Bay etc.

End Unlawful Imprisonment

Eyes Wide Open

Compelling short anti-war video made by a US peace group:

Wage Peace movie

Iraqi Oil Workers' Union

Check out this new website:

http://www.basraoilunion.org/

Iraq Body Count - the report

This is "A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005". You can read a summary and download the entire document HERE.

The dossier represents the results of two and a half year's of very intensive unpaid work by members of the Iraq Body Count project, founded by Hamit Dardagan and John Sloboda. The other authors of the report are Kay Williams and Peter Bagnall. These four, along with a team of over a dozen scrutineers, have devoted several tens of thousands of hours to the painstaking accumulation and analysis of press and media reports detailing civilian deaths in Iraq.


"We are all complicit in torture"

Very strong stuff, and not for the squeamish. Robert Fisk at his angriest and best.

We are all complicit in these vile acts of torture - but what can we do about it?
On the Information Clearing House website, reproduced from the Independent.


B*U*S*T* THE WAR

Birmingham University Against the War Society is an official Guild-affiliated student society.

Watch this space for future meetings.

B*U*S*T is affiliated to the National Stop the War Coalition, and listed on their website under "Youth and Student Groups - West Midlands."

BUSTW is also affiliated to Justice not Vengeance.
Click on the mermaid to see the B*U*S*T website: Mermaids for 
Peace

Act Now! Lobby action over Birmingham 14 Students

Fourteen Muslim students from Birmingham University believe they are victims of religious discrimination after their elected to a student body was overturned. Read all about it, and support the campaign, on the BLINK website:

Birmingham 14 campaign

E-Lists

BUSTW has its own e-mail lists to keep members and supporters informed of local campaigns and activities. There are two lists, both maintained by Sue Blackwell:


Eviction of Brian Haw imminent

Brian Haw has been protesting against UK and US government policy towards Iraq since 1 June 2001 - right opposite the Houses of Parliament. This has upset Tony and his cronies so much that they are now proposting to change the law in order to evict Brian!

Brian Haw's website


Impeach Blair!

There is now a formal move to impeach Tony Blair, on the grounds that he misled Parliament. MPs from the Scottish Nationalists, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrats and the Tories have joined the call.

Read more about it on http://impeachblair.org.


Protect and Survive Mark II ???

It was only a matter of when, not if. As soon as the Government announced that it was issuing advice to the general public on what to do in a terrorist attack, it was a foregone conclusion that someone would spoof it.

Enjoy this site before HM Government takes it - and perhaps its author - away.

Preparing for Emergencies


The Human Face of Political Dissent

Here is an article written by Brian Doherty and John Sloboda of Keele University, reporting some research and analysis on the state of the anti-war movement, based on surveys of people who attended the big February 15th anti-war demonstrations in 2003.

It is entitled 'The Human Face of Political Dissent: what we know about the anti-war marchers of February 2003".

You can download it here.

The paper is written specifically as a resource for activists (including academic activists) and NGOs, rather than with the RAE in mind.  The authors invite activists to reproduce and circulate it wherever they feel it is useful.


Sign the Petition to get to the whole truth about Gulf War Syndrome

The Inquiry begins on the 12th July 2004. We are told that most of the sessions will be for 'medical experts'. There are only two sessions planned to hear evidence from Gulf war veterans. How can that be enough to get to the truth?

Sign the Petition here

The Petition is organised by Payday, working with the Global Women's Strike.


Factsheet on the bogus "handover"

This Factsheet, by Iraq Occupation Focus, exposes the realities of the continuing occupation. It is two sides of A4, accessibly written and well designed, and can be used in street stalls, workplaces, colleges, etc.

The Factsheet can be downloaded HERE (in Adobe PDF format).


American and British torture in Iraq

Absolutely shocking pictures
- of American torture and sexual humiliation, only some of which have appeared in the British press to date. This site also comtains some of the script of a CBS "60 minutes" broadcast in which the pictures were shown.

Uncensored version
These pictures are not for the squeamish, so please only open them if you have a strong stomach. Also please note that this site appears to be a pro-Saddam one which neither Sue nor BUSTW endorses, of course, but that does not detract from the seriousness of what is shown in these images.

International Red Cross Report on the Coalition Forces' treatment of Prisoners
Dated February 2004. In .PDF format.

NEW! Eye-witness accounts of Fallujah - on the excellent Understanding the Present Crisis site run by Andrew Chitty, a lecturer in philosophy at Sussex University.

Resolutions passed at the STW Conference on 28th Feb 2004


To download the full Hutton report - aka "whitewash", click here.



An American War-Wolf in London

This image was made into placards taken down on the coaches which BUSTW sent to the anti-Bush demo - it got a mention in the Times, no less, as well as Socialist Worker. Well folks, the latest gossip is that Bush liked it so much here last time that he's coming back, probably in January or February 2005 in time to help Blair with his election campaign. So we may be able to use this work of art again!

Guardian report of the demo on Thursday 20th November.

"Boycott Bush" - a list of US goods NOT to buy/

Recent Articles

"This war on terrorism is bogus": Michael Meacher, Saturday September 6, 2003 The Guardian

Michael Meacher, Labour MP & former environment minister summarises evidence that the 9/11 attacks gave the US an ideal pretext to use force to secure its global domination. Strong stuff!

"The Forgotten and the Damned" by Linda Heard.

This is an excellent article about the plight of the Guantanamo Bay detainees, on the "Strike the Root" website.


FREE ULLA!

On March 10th, internationally renowned peace campaigner and grandmother, Ulla Roder, broke into RAF Leuchars and disarmed a Tornado jet that was due to leave to attack Iraq. Other Tornadoes from the UK were used to drop cluster bombs and depleted uranium. After taking her peaceful action, she waited to be arrested and is now on remand at HMP Cornton Vale in Stirling.

Ulla, who is a Danish Trident Ploughshares activist, first became famous in 1999 when she was one of three women who disarmed a Trident related floating laboratory at Loch Goil in Scotland, and was later acquitted on the grounds that she acted to prevent a greater crime. More recently Ulla has been at the forefront of the campaign to stop Star Wars, and she established a peace camp outside Fylingdales air base in Yorkshire.

Ulla believes she has a strong moral and legal defence for her action. However, were she to be found guilty of criminal damage to the Tornado, Ulla could be imprisoned. Accordingly, Ulla needs your support NOW.

The newly formed "Free Ulla Campaign" is compiling a list of organisations who agree that:

For more information, please see http://www.free-ulla.org


What's going on with Waitrose ?

Our favourite supermarket, isn't it? Well it's a bit pricey, but they've got best selection of organic veg, apart from the box delivery. And mm, the bread! They're supposed to be owned by their workers as well, aren't they? Like a co-op? That makes them really cool, right?

Wrong ! Did you know that they're ticket agents for the Fairford RIAT, the huge arms dealers junket deep in the heart of rural Gloucestershire? Do really want to buy your babyfood, your organic parsnips, your birthday cake, your romantic dinner party ingredients, your loo rolls, from an outfit that openly supports the war machine?

WHAT TO DO : Ring them up, write and COMPLAIN and if that doesn't work, go somewhere else. And tell everyone you know to do the same.

A full list of Waitrose supermarkets and their telephone numbers is given here

USAF Fairford was the 'forward deployed' base for 14 B52 bomber planes which dropped cluster bombs, cruise missiles and JDAMS on Iraq in March and April of this year. The RIAT takes place on 15 - 20th July. It is expected to draw 200,000 arms dealers and military aviation experts into sleepy rural Gloucestershire.


So, where ARE those Weapons of Mass destruction then??

A couple of relevant articles:


Guild of students Censors BUSTW leaflet!

"Mandela Leaflet is banned" -Read the article in the Times Higher, 16th May 2003.


Army truck held up by BUSTW
Day X: members of BUSTW hold up an Army truck on the Bristol Road!


Urgent petition of international scholars of Mesopotamia and the Near East
- to the United Nations and UNESCO for the safeguarding of Iraqi cultural heritage. Well, better late than never .....


Collateral Damage??

This site is keeping a running total of civilian casualties to counteract the lies from politicians:

Irag Body Count

... and this site, from the excellent Robert Fisk, has pictures of civilian victims of the war on Iraq. Not for the squeamish - these are highly distressing.

Iraq War Victims

See also The "Shock and Awe" Photo Gallery.


Women In Black vigil every Saturday at 12 noon, Victoria Square


People's Assembly for Peace Wednesday 12th March

Read the report on the BBC website

Latest anti-war Activities in UK Universities


Rotterdam Demo Calls for Workers Boycott of Weapons Transport

A moving account of how some Dutch socialists commemorated the anniversary of the 1941 February Strike against the Nazis with a call for united workers' action to stop weapons transports through the Netherlands. Includes an account of the original 1941 "februaristaking".

Face of Peace
Picasso's "Face of Peace" re-created on the Santa Monica Beach on 16th Feb.


BU STW banner
BUSTW members Protest at Jack Straw's visit - Friday 6th September 2002
Photo by Stalingrad O'Neill

Reports of Previous Protests, with Picture Gallery!


Disinvestment Campaign

Academics - your pension fund is being invested in the Arms Trade. Take a look at the top 100 investments of the Universities' Superannuation Scheme.

The USS Home Page also gives a statement about its policies for "socially responsible and sustainable development". Hmmm.....


Relevant Links and Contacts:

Stop the War Coalition:

National website of STWC

Phone:0207-053-2155 or 0795-123-5915
e-mail office@stopwar.org.uk

Miscellaneous anti-War Links, in approximately alphabetical order:


ALTERNATIVE MEDIA SITES


IFOR Resources

IFOR is the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. The following resources on War and Peace in Iraq were compiled by the IFOR Secretariat in October 2002. Descriptions and comments on the sites are by IFOR: sorry, I haven't had time to check them all personally! - SAB.


This site is maintained by Sue Blackwell.
It was last updated on 23rd June 2008