Press
releases
October 15 - Press release for immediate
release
CONTROVERSY AT STOP THE WAR COALITION AGM
From: Hands Off the People of Iran
*Stop the War Coalition claims “central theme” of
forthcoming conference is opposition to “any attack on Iran”. But
officers try to silence voices who are critical of
the Iranian regime. Hands Off the People of Iran and Communist Students
have their affiliations to STWC rescinded.
*“Crude political censorship”, claim spokespeople
for two disbarred organisations
Preparations for the Stop the War Coalition’s annual general meeting on
Saturday, October 27 have run into controversy with the exclusion of
two newly-affiliated organisations - Hands Off the People of Iran and
Communist Students .
On the day of the final deadline for motions and nominations for the
Coalition’s leadership (October 12), both organisations were sent
emails from the StWC chair, Andrew Murray, tersely informing them that
they were barred because “you are entirely hostile to the Coalition,
its policies and its work” (full letter below).
Yassamine Mather, a prominent exiled
Iranian socialist, a member of Workers Left Unity Iran and founder
member of Hands Off The Peoples Of Iran, commented on the supposed
‘hostility’ of her organisation (and CS, an affiliate of Hopi) to the
StWC:
“What is being implied here?
“Hopi’s founding statement has two core elements. First, total and
unconditional opposition to any imperialist attack on Iran. No doubt,
the StWC officers have no problem with that.
“Second, we are clear that this implies no support or softening of our
attitude to the Ahmadinejad regime. We make no apology for telling the
truth that Iran is a foully oppressive society. We are totally opposed
to Bush-style regime change - but we are positively for democracy
from below, for the working people of that country to take the running
of their society into their own hands!
“Is it this that makes us ‘hostile’ organisations in the eyes of some
StWC officials?”
This decision was agreed at the StWC officers meeting on the morning of
October 12 and communicated to Hopi and CS later in the day. Both
organisations had submitted motions, made nominations to the steering
group, had previously been in contact with the StWC office and had
their affiliated status verified. Thus, neither realistically had any
time to challenge this bureaucratic exclusion before the guillotine
fell.
Ben Lewis of Communist Students commented:
“Clearly, this is a political attack on one point of view in the
anti-war movement, timed to ensure that we had no time to properly
respond. Communist Students has been very active in its support for
Hopi - that’s why we have been branded as a ‘hostile organisation’”.
Hopi demands that Andrew Murray and his fellow officers are explicit in
what is being stated:
* Is any criticism of the Islamic regime in Iran at present “entirely
hostile to the Coalition, its policies and its work”?
* If this is so, what about those leading supporters of the StWC who
have already signed up to Hopi - Carolyne Lucas MEP, John McDonnell MP,
Ken Loach, Mark Steel or John Pilger (more supporters below)? Will they
now be purged? If Hopi’s views are incompatiable with StWC affiliation,
what about those supporters of Hopi who are in StWC?
* How do the exclusions of Hopi and CS square with the stated aims of
the StWC that “Supporters of the Coalition, whether organisations or
individuals, will of course be free to develop their own analyses and
organise their own actions” and “We call on all peace activists and
organisations, trade unionists, campaigners and labour movement
organisations to join with us in building a mass movement that can stop
the drive to war”? (www.stopwar.org.uk)
The motions from Hopi plus the nominations of Ben Lewis and Yassamine
Mather have now been re-submitted by StWC affiliate, the Communist
Party of Great Britain. Mark Fischer of the CPGB
underlined that “we are determined to see the politics of Hopi on the
floor of this conference, despite the best (or rather worst) efforts of
the Coalition’s officers”.
ENDS
Contacts:
Yassamine Mather - 07738 828 540
Mark Fischer - 07950 416 922
Ben Lewis – 07890 437 497
Material on this controversy is available on the
following websites:
Hands Off the People of Iran - www.hopoi.org
Workers Left Unity Iran - www.etehadchap.org
(Statements in English and Farsi)
Communist Students - www.communiststudents.org.uk
Communist Party of Great Britain - www.cpgb.org.uk
Supporters of Hopi include (for a full list, visit www.hopoi.org/supporters.html):
Diane Abbott MP - Labour
Harry Cohen MP - Labour
John McDonnell MP – Labour
Caroline Lucas MEP - Green Party
Dr Derek Wall - male principal speaker, Green Party
Cllr Rania Khan - Respect, Tower Hamlets
Cllr Fozol Miah - Respect, Tower Hamlets
Tommy Sheridan - Solidarity
Mark Steel - columnist and comedian
Bill Bailey - comedian
Haifa Zangana - writer
Ken Loach - film maker
Naomi Klein – author
John Pilger – campaigning journalist
Peter Tatchell - human rights activistProfessor Alan Macfarlane -
University of Cambridge
Professor Moshé Machover - King's College, London
Professor John McIlroy - Keele University
Professor Bridget Fowler - Glasgow University
Professor Christin Cooper - Strathclyde University
Dr Terry Brotherstone - University of Aberdeen UCU
Dr Adam Swift - University of Oxford
Professor Phil Taylor - University of Strathclyde
Professor George Joffe - King's College, London & University of
Cambridge
Peter Jowers - University of the West of England
Professor Guy Julier - Leeds Metropolitan University
Victor Kattan - Research Fellow, British Institute of International
& Comparative Law
Dr Gerry Kearns - University of Cambridge
Professor Jeremy Keenan - University of Exeter & University of
Bristol
Dr Andrew Cumbers - University of Glasgow
Dr Rolf Czeskleba-Dupont - University of Roskilde
Professor Bill Bowring - Birkbeck College, University of London
Professor Hamid Dabashi - Columbia University
Professor Moataz Fattah - Cairo University
Hopi
is a campaign established eight months ago around the central
slogans ‘No to imperialist war! No to the theocratic regime!’ As
well as British activists, the organisation centrally involves a large
number of Iranian exile organisations and individuals who have been
forced into exile to avoid arrest and imprisonment.
Communist Students was set up in December 2006. It
is an autonomous organisation for revolutionary minded students that
has been heavily involved in in anti-war campaigning work with Hopi.
From: "office@stopwar.org.uk"
<office@stopwar.org.uk>
To: yassamine_mather@yahoo.co.uk
Sent: Friday, 12 October, 2007 11:46:27 AM
Subject: Your application to affiliate to StWC
Dear Colleagues
The Officers of StWC have received your application to affiliate to the
Coalition and have decided to decline it.
A study of statements and articles issued by your organisation show
that you are entirely hostile to the Coalition, its policies and its
work. Nor is there any record of your supporting our activity and
initiatives. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to regard your
application as in any way supportive or sympathetic.
Your will therefore not be able to send a delegation to our annual
conference, nor will any resolutions or nominations for office you may
have submitted be valid.
We will refund any monies that may have been paid in respect of
affiliation as rapidly as possible. This decision will be
reported to the next meeting of the Steering Committee.
Yours
Andrew Murray
National Chair
StWC
November 8 2007: Article in The Independent, reporting
on Hopi's exclusion from the Stop the War Coalition
November 7 2007: Letter in The Guardian, signed
by Peter Tatchell, Michael Mansfield QC and other
November 8 2007: Reply from Andrew Murray and Lindsay
German
