13 March 2006: for immediate release
Representatives of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will take part tomorrow in the reading of Tony Benn’s letter to the UN and the Attorney General, calling for them to investigate breaches of the Nuremburg Charter and the Geneva and Hague Conventions by those responsible for the decision to invade and occupy Iraq. The reading will take place on Tuesday 14 March at 2:00 pm in Parliament Square. Mr Benn will give a brief overview of the letter and an explanation of his subsequent communication with the UN and the Attorney General.
Tuesday’s reading will be the first event in London in a week of worldwide action to mark the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. The week will culminate in a national demonstration through the streets of London on Saturday 18 March, assembling at 12 noon at the Houses of Parliament, marching via Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly, to finish with a rally in Trafalgar Square. Speakers will include Ken Livingstone, Baroness Jenny Tonge, Bianca Jagger, Bruce Kent and George Galloway. The demonstration is jointly organised by CND, the Stop the War Coalition, and the Muslim Association of Britain. There will be demonstrations in hundreds of cities throughout the world that day, including Baghdad and Basra. At the London demonstration, there will be an opportunity for all those present to sign Tony Benn’s letter, adding their name to the call for decision-makers to be held to account.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “It has been proven over and over again that the excuse for invading Iraq, namely its possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction, was false. We are now hearing the drumbeats of war against Iran, with the same people who misled us last time accusing the Iranians of seeking a nuclear weapons programme. This week’s events, starting with the reading of Tony Benn’s letter and culminating in the national demonstration on the 18th, will highlight the need to bring those responsible for the atrocities in Iraq to account, and will help to prevent a similar unnecessary conflict in Iran.”
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND’s Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org
3. Speakers at tomorrow’s letter reading include Tony Benn, Martin Bell, Craig Murray, Dave Randalls (from Faithless), Ken Loach, Mike Kustow (author and theatre director), Haifa Zangana, (Iraqi novelist), Lindsey German (StWC), Kate Hudson (Chair CND), Bruce Kent, Seyyed Ferjani (MAB), Nicholas Wood, Jeremy Corbyn MP, and George Galloway MP
4. Amongst 1000 signatories of Mr Benn’s letter to date are Rory Bremner, Brian Eno, Craig Murray, Baroness Jenny Tonge, Hans Von Sponeck, Janet Street-Porter, Haifa Zangana, Michael Gambon, John Pilger, Elfyn Llywd MP, Nicholas Wood, Reg Keys, Kate Hudson, Harold Pinter, Prof. Richard Dawkins, Bruce Kent, Michael Mansfield QC, Corin Redgrave, Jemma Redgrave, Mark Steel, Brian Sewell, Professor Ted Honderich, David Halpin FRCS, Rose Gentle, Andreas Whittam Smith, Lord Nicolas Rea, Hywel Williams, MP, Peter Day, Anabella Pellens, Nicolas Kent, Alan Plater, Jonathan Price, Willy Russell, Ralph Steadman, Richard Gott, Adrian Mitchell, David Gentleman, Julian Rea, Sylvester McCoy, Alex Salmond MP, Professor Robert Crick, Angela Flowers, Katie Mitchell, Bill Paterson, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Professor Steven Rose, Professor Hilary Rose, and Michael Rosen.