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[12 Oct 2008|08:53pm] |
During the gathering in November the Anti Militarist Network was set up. This website will no longer be updated.
Edinburgh Anti-Militarists is a group that formed after the protests in December against a NATO meeting near Edinburgh. We have formed to organise the gathering in Edinburgh which we hope will bring about effective resistance to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in November 2009.
Edinburgh Anti-Militarists are also very in need of funding. If you are able to make a donation to the gathering in order to cover its various costs, we would very much appreciate it. You can send a cheque payable to 'Edinburgh Anti-Militarists' c/o Edinburgh Peace and Justice Resource Centre, St John's Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4BJ.
Anti-Militarist Gathering – 29th & 30th November – 60 The Pleasance, Edinburgh
GATHERING OF REFLECTION AND PLANNING FOR A NEW ANTI-MILITARIST MOVEMENT.
The end of November will see anti-war, anti-militarist and peace activists from across the UK and beyond meet in Edinburgh. In these times of instability, it is vital that resistance to war and the military is as strong as possible. Edinburgh Anti-Militarists has spent over a month inviting a diverse range of groups and campaigns from across the anti-war movement past and present to come and discuss where the anti-war movement is, where it should be going, and how we’re going to get there.
GATHERING DETAILS:
Venue: Everyone attending should go to 60, The Pleasance, Edinburgh (see website for directions). There will be a welcome desk which will give you all the details you need for the gathering. The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you are planning on coming please email us to give us an idea of numbers.
If you are lost or have any other problems then we will be contactable from midday Friday on 07551359374.
Accommodation: If you need accommodation for Friday, Saturday or Sunday please email us and we will find you somewhere, although it is most likely you will need a sleeping bag and will be sleeping on the floor. You need to email us with as much time as possible. If you really need a bed to sleep in tell us and we will try and sort something out.
Food: Due to logistical problems we will only be serving lunch during the gathering. This will be vegan. If you have dietary needs please email us in advance.
Kids Space: We will be running a kids space at the gathering, but only if parents or guardians tell us in advance. If you plan on bringing kids to the gathering it is vital you email us and tell us first. Otherwise, we may not be able to help you.
Donation: The group that has put this gathering on has no substantial funding. We are depending on donations to pay for it. The suggested donation for this gathering is £10. This includes food and tea and coffee. If you can’t afford this then please come and pay less, if you can afford more please give more.
Aims And Guidelines: For the gathering we have come up with some aims and guidelines.
★ We organize on the principles of decentralization, autonomy, sustainability, and mutual aid
★ We will embrace a diversity of tactics and solidarity between the different groups attending the gathering
★ Build a movement capable of resisting and stopping current and future militarism and aggressive state violence
★ We will not tolerate relationships of domination and subjugation at the gathering, including but not limited to those rooted in patriarchy, race, class, and homophobia
Agenda: On Saturday we will start at 10:30. Please be there a bit before then. We will have talks and films from a wide range of groups and campaigns from across the UK. The timetable can be found bellow.
| | Room 1 | Room 2 | | 10:30-11:00 | Welcome & Housekeeping | - | | 11:00-12:00 | SCND on NATO and the
first strike nuclear capabilities (TBC) | - | | 12:00-13:00 | SSAW - the school kids walk out, film showing of "Old Enough To Know Better" (TBC) | Environmentalism and Militarism | | 13:00-14:00 | Lunch | Lunch | | 14:00-16:00 | Nukewatch and the film "Deadly Cargo", Reflection of Faslane 365, Faslane Peace Camp | Smash EDO show their film "On The Verge" and talk | | 16:00-17:00 | Disarm DSEi | The Bucharest NATO summit (TBC) |
Sunday will be a day of reflection and planning. We have a rough outline for an agenda (starting at 10:30 again) but we really need your suggestions and input, so if you have something which you think needs to be talked about or discussed please email us. We will also be taking suggestions and adding anything which arises on Saturday.
If you have any questions or suggestions please don’t hesitate to email us.
Thank you, and hopefully see you in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Anti-Militarists
Initial Call-out:
It should be clear by now that, whatever success the left and the peace movements have had, we are at the moment utterly incapable of doing more than generating good media coverage. It is time that we realized our collective strength. It is time that we looked beyond the ethics of banner waving to what we can achieve through direct action. In short, it’s time to move from anti-war protesting to anti-war resistance.
This movement has already begun. Smash EDO have taken its fight to the streets of Brighton, army recruitment centres across the UK get their windows smashed and daubed in graffiti on a regular basis and recently the rooftop of Ratheon Systems in Bristol was occupied, Nuclear bases at Faslane and Aldermaston have been besieged by blockaders, some examples of a huge number of ongoing campaigns and battles to shut arms factories, suppliers and military bases.
This is a call out to mobilise against militarism in the UK. In November 2009 the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will meet in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for five days of talks. Over 600 delegates from member states will gather to scheme and plot the extension of western imperialism through the so-called 'North Atlantic Treaty Organisation'.
This is a call out inviting you to the Anti-Militarist Gathering, taking place on Saturday and Sunday 29th & 30th November 2008, in The Societies Centre, 60 The Pleasance, Edinburgh. The gathering will take a critical look at the current state of the anti-militarist/anti-war/peace movement in the UK, celebrating the movement's successes and analysing its shortcomings, as well as providing a forum to discuss how we can build an anti-militarist movement capable of resisting and stopping current and future militarism and aggressive state violence. The gathering will also aim to bring together a broad-based network of groups and individuals to begin mobilising for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that will take place 13th-17th November 2009.
Join us in Edinburgh 29th & 30th November 2008 for a weekend of reflection and planning for a new anti-militarist movement.
Crash space and kids space will be provided and all venues are wheelchair accessible.
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