Saturday, October 31, 2009

Call for Action: Protest against NATO! Edinburgh, 13 November

If anyone of you are in UK or Scotland this November, drop by Edinburgh on the 13th as friends from all over the world crash NATO's party.

In November the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will meet in Edinburgh. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is an attempt at legitimising the alliance with a hint of democracy. This is a front. The NATO PA does nothing but maintain NATO's role as a global military force used by the west to dominate and control. Its influence stretches from the highlands of Scotland where nature reserves are used as playgrounds for NATO's war games, to the highlands of Afghanistan where villages live in fear of NATO attack.


The movement against NATO is growing across Europe and the world. In April thousands took to the streets of Strasbourg to protest against the NATO summit. In June Scandinavian activists disrupted a NATO training exercise in Sweden. In NATO occupied Afghanistan the Revolutionary Women Of Afghanistan have continued to speak out against NATO's collusion with patriarchal forces still ruining lives in their country.


Now the UK anti-militarist movement sets its sights on Edinburgh for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Its time for a show of strength. We need to show NATO that their militarism is neither wanted or tolerated.


This is an invite for anti-militarists everywhere. Come to Edinburgh and help us resist NATO and militarism. The NATO Welcoming Committee is calling for a mass demo on Friday the 13th of November, the first day of the Parliamentary Assembly. Details of the demo will be released closer to the time. Bring warm clothes, noise, banners and whatever else you hope to find. If you live out of town, aim to be in Edinburgh the day before. Accommodation will be available from Wednesday the 11th of November.


The NATO Welcoming Committee will provide a convergence space for activists to converge and stay in throughout the Assembly, as well as providing food, medical services in terms of street medics and a well-stocked medics space, legal support through the Scottish Activist Legal Project, trauma support and other forms of support to activists.

The NATO Welcoming Committee has signed up to the AMN’s principles.
These are:
We embrace a diversity of tactics
We will not publicly condemn other peoples actions
We have a respect for life


See you on the streets!
The NATO Welcoming Committee
http://natowc.noflag.org.uk
natowc [at] noflag.org.uk

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