Dear Joe,
On hearing of the defenceless decision to sentence you to nine months'
detention in a military prison Tyneside Stop the War Coalition would like to
express our solidarity with you. We fully support your principled stand
against an unjust war and sympathise with the personal distress it must
have caused both you and your family.
Unlike Gordon Brown, who told the Chilcot Inquiry that the illegal war in Iraq
was the right thing to do, we believe you were right to refuse return to
Afghanistan to fight a war you believed to be unjustified and a senseless loss
of life for Afghans and Iraqis alike.
Here on Tyneside we have been privileged to welcome both your wife Clare
& mother Sue in addressing public meetings calling for the troops to be
brought home from this unwinnable & senseless war, as supported by the
majority of people in this country.
We send our best wishes to you and your family sure in the knowledge that
you will be absolved and recognised for your just stand, but those
Ministers and Generals that sent you and your comrades to Afghanistan will
never be absolved. In fact history will condemn them.
All good wishes,
Tyneside Stop the War Coalition
