IRISH ANTI WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM) – PRESS RELEASE 14 MARCH 2012
US PEACE MUM CINDY SHEEHAN TO SPEAK AT PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN THIS FRIDAY, 5.30PM AT THE SPIRE, O’ CONNELL STREET, DUBLIN.
DEMAND END TO SLAUGHTER OF AFGHANI CITIZENS
NATO FORCES OUT OF AFGHANISTAN
BRING IRISH TROOPS HOME NOW
In a statement released today the Irish Anti-war Movement (IAWM) expressed outrage at the latest carnage in Afghanistan with the killing of at least 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, by a 38-year-old US army staff sergeant in Kandahar last weekend.
The IAWM has called for a protest in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan this Friday 16 March at 5.30pm at the Spire on O Connell St.
US Peace Mum Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in Iraq, will address the protest. She will later speak at a Public Meeting at 7pm at the Teachers Club on Parnell Square West.
The IAWM statement noted that the Afghan war and occupation has brought nothing but mass slaughter and devastation to the Afghan people and huge cost in lives and money to the United States, Britain and the other invading countries. The reality of this pointless war has been brought home in recent weeks by the deliberate burning of the Koran by the US Army (which provoked nationwide outrage), the pictures of US troops urinating on the bodies of Afghans they had killed, the killing of six young British troops on 7 March and now this massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a US staff sergeant.
IRISH ANTI WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM) – PRESS RELEASE 14 MARCH 2012
US PEACE MUM CINDY SHEEHAN TO SPEAK AT PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN THIS FRIDAY, 5.30PM AT THE SPIRE, O’ CONNELL STREET, DUBLIN.
DEMAND END TO SLAUGHTER OF AFGHANI CITIZENS
NATO FORCES OUT OF AFGHANISTAN
BRING IRISH TROOPS HOME NOW
In a statement released today the Irish Anti-war Movement (IAWM) expressed outrage at the latest carnage in Afghanistan with the killing of at least 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, by a 38-year-old US army staff sergeant in Kandahar last weekend.
The IAWM has called for a protest in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan this Friday 16 March at 5.30pm at the Spire on O Connell St.
US Peace Mum Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in Iraq, will address the protest. She will later speak at a Public Meeting at 7pm at the Teachers Club on Parnell Square West.
The IAWM statement noted that the Afghan war and occupation has brought nothing but mass slaughter and devastation to the Afghan people and huge cost in lives and money to the United States, Britain and the other invading countries. The reality of this pointless war has been brought home in recent weeks by the deliberate burning of the Koran by the US Army (which provoked nationwide outrage), the pictures of US troops urinating on the bodies of Afghans they had killed, the killing of six young British troops on 7 March and now this massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a US staff sergeant.
The statement continued by noting that “protests across Afghanistan show that the recent atrocities have generated massive anger and that the majority in Afghanistan is opposed to the occupation. The latest Index poll conducted by ComRes in Britain shows that 73% of the British population want the troops home immediately. The only reason tens of thousands of NATO troops remain in the country is to save face for the western politicians who have started and supported this war.”
“Keeping the troops in Afghanistan even for one or two more years will lead to the completely avoidable death of untold Afghans civilians and no doubt large numbers of NATO soldiers. The only prospect for peace and progress in Afghanistan lies in withdrawing all foreign troops immediately.”
Jim Roche, PRO of the IAWM said:
“The awful war and occupation in Afghanistan is now officially regarded as a total failure. US representatives are already reputedly holding peace talks with representatives from the Taliban in Qatar, while lethal Drone attacks are still killing civilians, six young British soldiers were killed this week and now this horrific murder of innocent civilians by a supposedly deranged army sergeant. But it is the war itself that is ‘deranged’ and has been from the beginning. It is outrageous that this war is still going on. All foreign troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan immediately including the 7 Irish troops working with ISAF under NATO command.”
He continued:
“The US and Britain are desperately seeking an exit strategy from Afghanistan that will not make them look bad but will undoubtedly result in more violence for ordinary Afghans. Meanwhile the centre of attention is now turning back to the middle east with the war drums beating for an attack on Iran and the horrific violence by the Assad regime in Syria against its own people being cynically used by the west to encourage regime change there to facilitate the west’s maneuvering against Iran.”
“At the same time Israel target practices on the people of Gaza killing 23 including children and the US support suppression of human rights activists in despotic Bahrain. Western powers do not care for human rights. If they did they would get out of Afghanistan, stop threatening Iran, stop supporting Israel’s subjugation and murder of the Palestinians and stop arming depotic regimes in the Middle East.”
END
For further info contact:
Jim Roche, PRO Steering Committee IAWM, Tel. 087 6472737
John Molyneux Steering Committee IAWM, Tel. 085 7356424
Daryl Southern, Coordinator, Steering Committee IAWM, Tel. 085 277 6505
Website – www.irishantiwar.org
@IrishAntiWarMvt <https://twitter.com/#!/IrishAntiWarMvt>
Find us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/25608030879/>
