Stop The War Coalition Explained And The Groups Most Controversial Moments
The Rise And 'Fall' Of The Stop The War Coalition
Eve Hartley— The Huffington Post UK
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Jeremy Corbyn has been urged to severe ties with the Stop The War coalition, amid a series of controversial statements about terrorism and air strikes on Syria.
Former shadow cabinet ministers Tristram Hunt and Caroline Flint have asked the Labour leader to decline his attendance at the group's Christmas party, while Green MP Caroline Lucas has resigned as a patron of of the group, citing concerns about the positions it has adopted.
Lucas said the group "reaped the world wind of western support extremist violence in Middle East".
The coalition was once hugely successful and oversaw the largest political protest in British history against the war in Iraq when an estimated 1 million people took to the streets.
Amid a series of controversies, a tweet and article published by Stop the War in the wake of the terror attacks on Paris suggested France had "reaped the whirlwind" of Western support for extremist violence in the Middle East.
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The rise of Stop The War
Stop the War was founded in September 2001 in the weeks following 9/11 when George W. Bush announced the "war on terror". The group has since been dedicated to preventing and ending the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere.
Formed to oppose the so-called War on Terror, it had 2,000 supporters who gathered near Kings Cross. The original chair was from the Socialist Workers Party - Lindsey German.
The rise of Stop The War
The Iraq war demo(01 of03)
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Stop the War organised the largest demonstration against the invasion of Iraq on 15 February, 2003 - with up to 1 million in attendance. Speakers included Tony Benn, Jesse Jackson, Charles Kennedy and playwright Harold Pinter. Protesters widely used the slogan "Not in my name", though ultimately the march failed to stop the invasion. (credit:Scott Barbour via Getty Images)
Opposing UK intervention in Syria (02 of03)
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In 2013, Stop the War was central in mobilising opposition to UK bombing of Syria, as proposed by David Cameron's government.
This led to the historic decision in parliament when MPs voted against military intervention. (credit:Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images)
Jeremy Corbyn(03 of03)
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Corbyn - a founding member of the coalition - stepped down as chair of the coalition when he was elected Labour leader in 2015. He had served in the role since 2011.
He's seen here with former Labour MP Tony Benn as they arrive to pass a letter through the gates of Downing Street, in support of the Stop The War Coalition. (credit:Ian Nicholson/PA Archive)
Controversy
Stop The War (2)
Blaming West for Paris attacks(01 of03)
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Following the Paris terror attacks in November, Stop the War said Paris had “reaped the whirlwind” of Western support for extremist violence in the Middle East.
In a now deleted blog post, campaigners wrote that there would be no Islamic State had it not been for the “American crime of aggressive war against Iraq”.
The piece added: “Let’s be as clear as possible. The hellish world we live in today is the result of deliberate policies and actions undertaken by the United States and its allies over the past decades.”
It concluded that without intervention, there would have been “no ware on terror and not terrorist attacks in Paris”.
Stop the War later posted a new statement which read: “We wish to express our condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
“There can be absolutely no justification for the horrific shooting and bombing if large numbers of innocent people in concerts, bars and cafes.”
Wrote it is 'Time to go to war with Israel'(02 of03)
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A genuine headline on website said it is “Time to go to war with Israel” - which saw many commentators take to social media, bringing down the "pacifist" group and questioning its ideology.
Refused to give Syrians a platform on a debate about Syria(03 of03)
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The coalition were accused of preventing victims of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad from speaking at an anti-war event in November.
During a panel event to discuss the case against British military intervention in Syria, the group included no Syrians on the speaker’s panel.
Human rights activist Peter Tatchell told Left Foot Forward that no Syrians were included on the panel and the Syrian activists who turned up to the event were threatened with arrest. (credit:Hannah McKay/PA Wire)