Tuesday, December 16, 2014

No British Base in Bahrain. Troops out of Iraq.

Stop
          the War Coalition

No British Base in Bahrain. Troops out of Iraq.

The British government announced plans last week to build a new permanent naval base in Bahrain. The Bahrain monarchy is well known for its appalling human rights record, most notably its crushing of the pro-democracy movement in 2011 with the help of another British ally, Saudi Arabia.

Once again in the name of security and democracy the British state has struck a deal with one of the most reactionary and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.

This week Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced that hundreds more troops, including combat-ready soldiers, will be deployed in Iraq. This comes after the commons vote in September when David Cameron promised MPs that "Her Majesty’s Government [would] not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations" to convince MPs to vote in favour of a bombing campaign in Iraq.

A small number of MPs have signed an Early Day Motion to oppose the Bahraini deal, noting how it will exacerbate tensions in the region. Please help us build the campaign to stop a new British base in Bahrain by signing our petition:

We the undersigned oppose the plans by the British government to open a new military base in Bahrain, the first British base “east of the Suez” since 1971. Rather than increasing military deployment in the Middle East we should be ending our disastrous interventions in the region.

Bahrain is a repressive, undemocratic regime that brutally crushed the movement for democracy in 2011. Britain should not be showing complicity with the actions of the Bahraini monarchy.

Click here to sign the petition against a Naval Base in Bahrain

In the new year Stop the War is supporting a parliamentary briefing on Iraq, Bahrain and the Middle East. This will take place at the Houses of Parliament at 6.30-8pm 19th January.

The latest on Bahrain and Iraq from the Stop the War web site
Christmas offer on our two most popular pamphlets

Thousands of copies of our acclaimed No Glory, the real history of the First World War have reached schools, universities, libraries, members of the public and Stop the War supporters. This popular short history provides an excellent rebuttal to the government's line that the First World War was a war fought for democracy and freedom.

You can now get your copy of No Glory along with our latest pamphlet Iraq III: NO for a special price of £5 including p&p. Written by Andrew Murray, Iraq III: NO provides a background to the War on Terror, the ensuing spread of terrorism and the new threats posed by a third Iraq war. It provides essential arguments against this latest intervention to support the anti-war campaigning of all our supporters.

The normal price for both pamphlets is £8 including p&p. To benefit from the offer and to ensure you receive the pamphlets in time for Christmas, you must order on or before the 17th December.


Stop the War Coalition | office@stopwar.org.uk | 020 7561 4830