About

Stop The War National Group

The Stop the War Coalition was formed on September 21st, 2001 at a public meeting of over 2,000 people in London. The platform statement above was ratified at public meetings held in October 2001 in London.

1. 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 condemn the attacks on New York and we feel the greatest compassion for those who lost their life on 11th September 2001. But any war will simply add to 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.

2. 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.

3. The Coalition shall elect a steering committee which reflects the breadth of those involved to carry forward the aims and objectives. Local groups should have regular, open and inclusive meetings.

4. 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.

5. We are committed to opposing any racist backlash generated by this war. We will fight to stop the erosion of civil rights.

Strathclyde University Stop The War Group

Strathclyde University Stop The War coalition was formed in December 2006 with a launch rally that was attended by 50 to 60 people. As a fairly new group it started small but the numbers slowly grew and the growth is continuing with new members joining over the months. Within the 2006-2007 term time the newly founded group became a strong force on campus as well as off campus. Activity began with stalls to build up for both the Stop The War conference at Glasgow University in February and the Anti-Trident. The issue of Trident was on the frontline through much of the 2007 semester. The presence of Adam Ingram on campus led to members of the group attending the pro-trident meeting and challenging the Labour MP, a challenge which he praised. This was followed up by a public meeting discussing Trident and the arguments against it. Friendly debate was key to this.

As of 2007 the Strathclyde University group is aiming to build its numbers in the new university year through a continued presence on campus and working in conjunction with other university groups such as SUMSA (Strathclyde University Muslim Students Association). The group is also launching a website in the coming month which will archive previous events as well as keep both members and non members updated about upcoming events.