Tuesday 8 December 2015

Fight back against the pro-fascist Stop the War Coaliton

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The recent activities of the Stop the War Coalition have cause consternation not just amongst it's normal critics but amongst it's current supporters. Caroline Lucas, the Green Party's only MP has decided to quit the StWC:

A spokesman for Ms Lucas said:

“Caroline was specifically troubled by some Stop the War Coalition statements after the Paris atrocities. Though the pieces were subsequently taken down she felt unable to associate herself with them.

“She was also concerned that some Syrian voices were not given an opportunity to speak at a recent meeting organised by the StWC in Parliament.

One of the pieces taken down from the StWC was by Matt Carr who had prised the "internationalism and solidarity" of ISIS comparing these evil bastards to the International Brigades who fought against Franco and the rise of fascism in Spain. Carr has now given an apology of sorts and says:

"..I gave genuine offense to people who have no such agenda, who were outraged by the comparisons"

However Carr's apology seems to be more motivated by the realisation of the damage his analogy gave to both Jeremy Corbyn and the StWC who he is in political alliance with.

Meanwhile there are those in the Labour Party who are now fighting back. 

Labour Internationalists have issued the following letter which you can sign using the link at the end of the piece:

Dear Jeremy,

We write, as supporters of a progressive foreign policy, to urge you to reconsider your decision to attend the Stop The War Coalition (StWC) fundraiser on Friday 11th December.

We believe that StWC stands apart from the Labour movement’s values of Internationalism, anti-fascism and solidarity. The vast majority of Labour MPs who heard Hilary Benn’s powerful speech in parliament last week (regardless of how they voted), supported his broad argument that fascism must be defeated, and that the UK must be prepared to join coalitions to do this.

This message of Internationalism is not one that the StWC can credibly claim to agree with. It continues to give a platform to Syrian regime loyalists while blocking and silencing the Syrian Solidarity Movement UK. It has consistently acted as an apologist for President Putin’s worst excesses in Ukraine and Crimea.

In recent weeks alone, the initial response from StWC was to blame the terror attacks in Paris on the French, and it has published an article claiming that Daesh is similar to the anti-fascist International Brigades in its “spirit of internationalism and solidarity.”

The rush to blame Western liberal democracies has resulted in StWC all-but absolving dictators and terrorists of their butchery. This is not an anti-war movement. It is an embarrassing sect belonging to the extreme-left. Indeed, StWC provides a vehicle for parties and sects that are hostile to the Labour Party.

We urge you to distance yourself from this organisation. We believe that Labour Party unity, and electoral credibility in the face of a Conservative government that is pursuing a right wing domestic agenda, would be advanced if you pulled out of this event.


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