NAMING OF THE DEAD VIGILS
TAKE PLACE IN NEWCASTLE AND SUNDERLAND
Naming of the Dead soldiers and Afghan people
at Newcastle Monument - December 9th 2009
Photos: Rachel
Sunderland - Naming the Dead - December
9, 2009
Photo: DD
WHY HAVE 100 SOLDIERS DIED IN AFGHANISTAN THIS YEAR?
The hundredth British soldier to die in Afghanistan this year because
Gordon Brown and the other big parties refuse to learn the lessons of history:
that the people of Afghanistan and other countries that they invade will never
accept occupation by foreign powers. That the people of Britain want to play a
role as peacemakers in the world and not warmongers. Firstly, by removing
British troops from foreign soil. They want an anti-war government not a pro
war government. Gordon Brown says that Lance Corporal Alan Drane, 23, the 100th
dead soldier this year died to safeguard Britain against terrorist attack. But
no Afghan has ever attacked Britain, or any other country. Britain has invaded
Afghanistan many times. It is Britain's role, alongside the US, that is the
real threat to peace and security in the world.
By increasing the number of British troops sent to kill and be killed in
Afghanistan to over 10,000, Gordon Brown has condemned many more soldiers and
countless Afghans to die in this unjustified war.
Bring the Troops Home!
Fight for an Anti-war Government!
'Naming the dead' Monument Newcastle on Saturday
August 22nd, 2009 after the 200th UK soldier was Killed in Afghanistan. The
speakers also named 200 Afghan people also killed to reflect the huge loss of
life in Afghanistan and to demand that Britain brings its troops out
Afghanistan. The event was organised by Tyneside Stop the War Coaliton and
South Tyneside Stop the War Coalition.
In June
2008 North East England Stop the War groups marked the death of 100 soldiers in
Afghanistan at the Monument, Newcastle.
More
than 20 people took part in the vigil and read out the names of 100 dead
British Soldiers and 100 dead Afghans killed during the occupation.
The
Chair of the Tyneside Stop the War Coalition, Roger Nettleship, spoke before
the naming of the dead.
Roger
said that when British soliders were sent to Afghanistan then Defence Secretary
John Reid had said they were there for 'reconstruction' and 'would not fire a
shot'.
He spoke
about the hundred soldiers and thousands of Afghans killed since then, and the
occupying forces do not even keep accounts of those they kill.
Stop the
War Coalition has organised similar naming the dead ceremonies in many towns as
and cities across Britain.
Vigil and Naming the dead in 2006 after 100 soldiers
killed in Iraq
Roger
pointed out that more than two years ago, in February 2006, we gathered in the
same place to mark the 100th British soldier killed in Iraq - as well as the
thousands of injured soldiers and the hundreds of thousands of dead and maimed
Iraqis.
We said
then that we opposed the redeployment of troops from Iraq to Afganistan.
We say
now we must step up the work to bring the troops home and that we must organise
to stop all these wars of occupation once and for all.
Roger
said that as we name the dead, the propaganda continues to attempt to 'justify'
the unjustifiable the continued occupation of Iraq and Afgahnistan.
New
Labour and the other war-supporting parties continue to attempt to 'justify'
their crimes as occupiers, painting themselves as liberators in a great cause -
just as those behind Hitler did 70 years ago ... until the world people put a
stop to their war-mongering.
Roger
emphasised that the people of Britain, the people of the United States, as well
as the resistance to occupation and the peace movements around the world, are
aiming to put a stop to them yet again.
He said:
'This time let us act now to put a stop to their plans for a new world war, so
people don't suffer the 40 million dead in a new world war they are
planning.'
He concluded by saying that we were naming a hundred soldiers and a hundred
Aghans.
'Let their deaths not be in vain and let us take our movement against war
forward ...'
