Britain’s State Terrorism, Economic Blackmail and Double Standards in the Middle East

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Britain’s State Terrorism, Economic Blackmail and Double Standards in the Middle East

Vigils to Mark the Death of the 100th British Soldier to Die in Iraq

Protests at British Nuclear Bomb Plant

The government has continued its policy of interference in what it refers to as the "wider Middle East" in recent weeks. As well as maintaining the illegal military occupation of Iraq, it has continued to issue threats and bully the Iranian and Palestinian people, and announced increased military intervention and the provision of £455 million of enslaving "aid" in regard to Afghanistan. The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, was forced to acknowledge that the military and other forms of intervention employed by Britain, the US and the other big powers have not brought any greater stability to this region, which is of crucial economic and strategic importance to all the big powers. But all the signs suggest that the British government intends to continue and even step up its policy of interference in this region.

In regard to Iran, the government, despite claiming that is not considering a "military option", is maintaining its hostile and sabre-rattling approach and accusing the Iranian government of "developing a nuclear weapons capability", while admitting that it has no firm evidence and accepting that Iran has every right to develop nuclear power. The British government, along with the US and the other big powers, is demanding that it must have "objective guarantees" that Iran’s nuclear power programme cannot lead to a nuclear weapons capability because of what it refers to as "the unquestionable record of deceit in the past". But history shows that that this is a phrase more applicable to Britain, the US and the other big powers, not just in regard to international affairs in general but particularly in relation to the support that has been given to Israel’s nuclear weapons programme.

This week the government, alongside the governments of the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and representatives of the EU issued a statement indicating that they "shared serious concerns" about Iran’s nuclear programme, ahead of Thursday’s board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency. But as many commentators have pointed out, while Britain and the other big powers bully and threaten Iran and the DPR of Korea about their nuclear programmes, they are totally silent about and supportive of the proliferation and possession of nuclear weapons by those states that they consider their military and economic allies.

In relation to the Middle East, Jack Straw and the British government like to present themselves as the greatest defenders of "democratic change". But the recent election victory of Hamas in Palestine, which Jack Straw even went so far as to refer to as a "terrorist organisation", was immediately greeted with demands and threats, even before a new government, likely to be dominated by Hamas, has taken office. Although in the case of Afghanistan, Britain and the other big powers were more than happy to pledge increased financial and military support for the so-called "Afghan Compact", in regard to Palestine they threatened the possibility of a halt to international "aid" if Hamas did not change its stance towards Israel and renounce its armed national liberation struggle.

The stance that the British government and the other big powers are taking in regard to what they refer to as the "wider Middle East" is based on the economic and strategic interests of the big monopolies and nothing else. The policy of the New Labour government remains one of state terrorism and economic blackmail, bullying, threats and double standards. It is an approach that now lies fully exposed and one that has led to increasing opposition both in Britain and throughout the Middle East.

Cpl Gordon Pritchard, 31, of the 7th Armoured Brigade, became the 100th British soldier to die when his Land Rover was hit by an explosion during a patrol in Basra. Vigils were held in Parliament Square and across the country in support of the Military Families against the War to condemn Britain’s occupation of Iraq and to demand that the troops be brought home immediately. The names of the 100 dead were read out and speeches made by relatives of the dead soldiers and representatives of the anti-war movement.

We are posting herewith the words spoken by Roger Nettleship on behalf of South Tyneside Stop the war Coalition at the rally in Newcastle on Saturday.

To have your son, brother, husband, father killed in any war is a burden that must be hard to bear.

However, when so many of the military families know as we do that the wars the British government is waging to annex and occupy counties like Afghanistan and Iraq, are unjust, when the war and occupation of Iraq is illegal how much more painful must that be.

On this occasion it is right for us to come together to join with the military families in sharing their grief and their condemnation of the illegal war against Iraq – and its occupation.

To mark as well not only the dead, but the hundreds of British soldiers that have been maimed or injured, figures which the MOD seems to keep as a closely guarded secret.

Neither, can we stand here and condemn the death and injury of British soldiers without also the condemning the deaths of 100,000s of Iraqi that have been killed – the whole scale demolition of their country and their homeland by this illegal war and occupation.

Our message to ourselves and to every one is – let us step up our work to bring the troops home. Thousands of British troops are being redeployed to Afghanistan. Let us organise to stop all these wars of occupation of other lands once and for all.

As we speak, the propaganda continues to demonise Iran and other countries as they did Iraq. Let us be clear also about this. The propaganda to dehumanise Muslims with cartoons. It is a prerequisite for genocide. Just as Hitler started by demonising the Jews with cartoons. How many thousands more will be killed in this state terror that has been justified in the name of fighting individual terror. Let us build on our most precious asset – our unity and our humanity, our self reliance on our own work to stop the wars and end the occupations and defend the rights of all the people.

Evening Vigil - January 31st at the Monument Newcastle upon Tyne - Photo: Stan Gamester

Further photos of some of the vigils: http://stopwar.org.uk/new/Archive.htm

While the British government is playing a leading role in the ever-increasing threats against Iran over that country’s nuclear programme, it is pushing ahead with its plans for a new generation of British nuclear weapons.

Britain is one of the world’s five "officially" declared nuclear weapons states and it opposes other countries, such as Iran, even having the technology which might let then develop nuclear weapons in the future.

At the heart of these plans is the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Southern England. A range of new facilities for developing and testing nuclear weapons is being built there.

On Wednesday, January 25, the local Planning Committee accepted the government’s latest proposed developments at the site despite the presence at the meeting of many objectors.

Before dawn on Monday, January 30, protestors gathered at two of the entrances to the site. Some sat down in the road. Others hang banners on the fence and lined the side of the road carrying banners and placards opposing the new developments and Britain’s whole weapons of mass destruction programme.

The protest ended after about four hours with a march through the local town.