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 At a conference of 'Resistance and Solidarity' 900 people crammed into the Central Hall in Manchester on 30th January to hear reports from trades unionists, students. pensioners anti racist and anti war campaigners.
Sue Glenton, mother of rebel soldier Joe Glenton, told of how the Army had dropped the charges against Joe of desertion and disobeying his commanding officer.
The conference unanimously agreed to adopt demands for jobs not bombs and the cancellation of Trident replacement.
A fuller report on the Stop the War workshop and the conference is here.
Jobs Not Bombs workshop report
'A sister told me last week that her 27 years old brother, unemployed, married, with a little baby had signed up to the Army and is going out to Afghanistan. But he thinks the war is wrong‘, explained Nahella Ashraf introducing the session, ‘he was really desperate and needed a job'.
Although army recruitment is up overall by 14%, Keith, unemployed from Glasgow, reported that although recruiters were in the jobs centers, and military jobs were now being pushed more, one recruiter had told him that there were few takers, ‘because of the Rose Gentle effect.’ Rose, whose son was killed in Iraq, has campaigned relentlessly against the war and has spoken in schools.
“When an Army showroom opened in Hackney, one of the poorest and blackest areas of London, our STWC group got a lot of support protesting outside. Student protests at the local college forced management to withdraw an invite to the army,’ explained Gareth.
Sue Glenton, mother of rebel soldier Joe Glenton said, 'I used to work for a big training company for 18 - 25 year olds, but it was not real training on offer, it was a just holding centre. The boss had a big new car but the kids on the scheme were being ripped off'.
‘While the three main parties talk of cuts in public spending, they never talk of cuts in military spending. The £100 billion for Trident replacement could be used to build 30 new hospitals of create 5,000 new fire fighter jobs,’ said Nahella.
‘Why is it that our working class kids are in the front line in Afghanistan?’ asked Nahella, ‘we need real jobs not war jobs!’
Final Conference session
"Yesterday Tony Blair was called up before the Chilcot enquiry. He said he was right to start a war on Iraq that killed a million people, and he would do it all again. He called for a further war on Iran. He did not even get a proper grilling over his actions.
Also yesterday Lance Corpral Joe Glenton was up before a court marshal. Charged with desertion, disobeying his comanding officer, marching against the war in Afghanistan, and speaking to the world's media against the war in Afghanistan he faced up to ten years in prison.
All these charges were dropped. Why?
Already a quarter of the British people believe that Tony Blair should face trail charged with war crimes. To jail Joe for opposing the war was politically not possible
Also the resistance Joe showed was matched by solidarity from people across the country. He received so many letters that it took a guard half an hour every day to open them all! There is no trades union in the army but those letters were the equivalent of trades union solidarity.
If Joe can disobey orders from his commanding officer, then we should all have the confidence to stand up to the bullying boss in the workplace, the racists and fascists on the streets, the government and employers cutting jobs.
Resistance and solidarity can win." |
Reports of Activities 
