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 No to Police Brutality: Justice for Ian Tomlinson!
'Our rally for Ian Tomlinson is taking place very near to where the Peterloo Massacre happened in St Peter's Fields nearly two hundred years ago. The fight for justice goes on today.
'Twenty years on from the Hillsborough disaster we still see the smearing of people who are the victims of injustice. They smeared Jean Charles de Menezes. Now we have seen the smearing of Ian Tomlinson. Who would have thought that this would become a normalised process?
'The sense of injustice prevails, but we can put a spotlight on state oppression. I am proud to be part of this battle for justice. If we do not stand up for justice, then who will?'
John Hobson, at the rally demanding Justice for Ian Tomlinson in Manchester's Albert Square
Defend the Right to Protest! Remember Ian Tomlinson! 
"Greater Manchester Stop the War along with CND and the Muslim Association of Britain, Manchester branch would like to express our sympathies to the family and friends of Ian Tomlinson.
"It is devastating that the very people who are tasked with protecting the public could attack an innocent man on his way home from work. Even if he had been one of the many thousands out demonstrating on the 1st April he had the right to expect the police to protect him.
"We demand the rights of all demonstrators to be treated with fairness and justice and have the opportunity to demonstrate without fear of police intimidation or attacks." Ian Tomlinson died after being attacked by police in London. At the G20 protests a woman demonstrator was slapped and truncheoned at the G20 protests. Riot police attacked peaceful protesters chanting "this is not a riot". Over 100 climate change protesters have been arrested for planning protests at a coal fired power station. G20 police mask or refuse to give their number. 'Pakistani students' were arrested in high profile police raids like those we have seen over the Viva Palestina! convoy where they were later released without charge. Gaza demonstrators, many in their teens, were attacked by riot police out side the Israeli embassy."
This is all evidence of a change to a more brutal approach of the police towards protesters. Is it now a crime to demonstrate? We demand the right to protest without fear of assault or arbitrary detention! "Muslims are proclaimed guilty of 'terror' offences before there is any evidence, beore charges are made, before a trial. There is a pattern of scapegoating going on here. They are using islamophobia in an attempt to win support for their wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan." "Policing of demonstrations in London has become more repressive and violent. After our Gaza demonstrations in January were attacked by the police, National Stop the War Officers warned senior police officers that it was 'only a matter of time before these aggressive and inflammatory policing tactics on demonstrations brought tragic consequences'. Ian Tomlinson. making his way home after work was attacked by police during the G20 protests. He then died. The attack on Mr Tomlinson, and other acts of brutality by the police at the G20 protests, show that life and limb are potentially in danger from these policing tactics for anyone exercising their lawful and democratic right to protest" Nahella Ashraf Chair, GM STWC.
Stop scapegoating the Muslims!
Before they have been charged with any crime 'Pakistani Muslims have', we are told, 'been stopped from carrying out a huge al-Qaeda raid in Manchester'. Follow the media and you would think they had already been found guilty. The debate is whether they were going to bomb the Trafford Centre or was it to be the Arndale Centre. Similar allegations were made six years ago when young Muslim men were arrested in Longsight. Charged under Anti Terror Laws the lead story in the media then was that 'Muslims were out to bomb the Manchester United match'. Turned out that these youth were fans with shirts and tickets to the game. They were later released without charge. Last month drivers from Blackburn were stopped and arrested taking humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Viva Palestina! convoy. The lead story in the media then was that 'Muslim men driving buses' had been 'charged under anti terror legislation'. This was the only coverage about the convoy full of aid raised for Gaza from across the region. All were later released with out charge. It has been revealed that MI5 have been involved in torture and rendition of Muslim men.
"There is a pattern here. Muslims are being scapegoated. They are presumed guilty before any charges are made, no trial having taken place. It is as if they are Muslim so they must be guilty! The press repeat stories planted by unnamed 'sources' in the media. "We have seen this all happen before, with the Irish in Britain, with the Jews in Germany. Islamophobia is being used to help justify the escalation of an unpopular war in Afghanistan, to pave the way for further US attacks on Pakistan. Stop the War will always stands together with our Muslim brothers and sisters against racist Islamophobia".
Mark Krantz convener GM STWC
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