Peace message travels from Littleborough to Lisbon

Pat Sanchez and Rae Street set off from a cold Littleborough railway station on the evening of Wednesday 17 November 2010 and travelled to Lisbon by rail through the following night via France and Spain.

They arrived in the relative warmth and sunshine of the Portuguese capital at about the same time as NATO leaders laid out their plans to continue the war in Afghanistan until at least 2015.

In Lisbon, they joined other international delegates and protesters, including Jeremy Corbyn MP and CND national chair, Dave Webb in condemning NATO's decision to continue with its military occupation of Afghanistan, its policy of 'first use' of nuclear weapons and plans to spend tens of £billions on developing a so-called 'missile defence system'. They called for an immediate end to NATO's war in Afghanistan, an end to NATO expansion and for British withdrawal from the military alliance.

Pat Sanchez said: "We attended an inspiring conference that offered us a vision of the peaceful future we are all working for. People from many nations are working together against NATO's policies and were horrified by the latest the communiqué about that organisation's New Strategic Concept. Its contents made us more aware than ever that NATO's policies are no way to peace, but will bring greater dangers to the world.

“We are outraged that NATO is doing nothing further Obama's claimed vision of a nuclear free world, while their announcements lead us to suspect that the real plan is to develop new nuclear weapons and to share these amongst the previously nuclear-free states that have joined NATO in recent years.

“The US are now trying to include even Russia in their 'Star Wars' plans. Through NATO, they are trying to disguise attempts to gain even greater military dominance over the world, but we are confident that the peoples of the world will see through this subterfuge. We know that a 'Star Wars' missile system will not bring peace. We know that nuclear weapons will not bring peace. And we shall continue to resist the immoral squandering of tens of £billions on preparations for war.

“This is money that needs instead to be invested in education, in health and in alleviating poverty in Rochdale, in Britain and across the world.”

Afghanistan: Time to Go. Cut War Not Welfare. No to NATO

Rochdale peace campaigners joined national and international protests in London and Lisbon on Saturday (20 November 2010) calling for an immediate end to NATO's war in Afghanistan. The distinctive Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group banner was prominent in the crowds on the national 'Afghanistan: Time to Go' march from Hyde Park, while Pat Sanchez and Rae Street took their 'No to NATO' message all the way to the NATO summit in Portugal.

Philip Gilligan held a placard with the message 'Rochdale says Support our troops. BRING THEM HOME!!' in Trafalgar Square, while listening to speeches from former soldier Joe Glenton imprisoned earlier this year for refusing to return to fight in Afghanistan; other members of Military Families Against the War, whose sons, daughters and partners have been killed or are still serving there and from speakers highlighting the fact that the war in Afghanistan costs the country £5billion per year.

Philip Gilligan said,

"NATO's disastrous war is destroying lives and costing money. During the last few days, we have heard of the death of the 100th British soldier to die during 2010 and have, again, heard military experts tell us that this war is unwinnable. The governments of Blair, Brown, Cameron and Clegg have been sending our young men and women to be killed and to kill in Afghanistan for nine years, but nothing has been achieved beyond propping-up a notoriously corrupt regime in Kabul.

At a time when health services are being withdrawn from our town, when our council is planning to cut £50million from services and put 900 people at risk of losing their jobs and when many young people are to be priced-out of a university education because of increased tuition fees, it seems that the government can still find £5billion a year to spend on a futile war they know cannot be won and know is opposed by the overwhelming majority of the British public.

David Cameron meeting with other NATO leaders in Lisbon, now, tells us that the plan is for British troops to continue to be sent to Afghanistan to kill and be killed, there, at least until 2015. He is expecting us to accept another four years of pointless deaths, destruction and injuries, simply to save him and others from needing to admit that it was a mistake to invade Afghanistan in the first place. This disaster has already gone on for far too long. It needs to be stopped now. Our troops need to be brought home in 2010; not at some date in the distant future, by which time many more Afghan civilians and many more NATO troops will have died needlessly, just so the politicians responsible can save face."

Peace Group says 'Bring Them Home!'

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group called for British troops to be brought home from Afghanistan and for an end to NATO's war when they leafleted in Rochdale town centre on Saturday, 13 November 2010. They urged people to join them on the forthcoming 'Afghanistan: Time to Go' demonstration called by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative to demand an end to NATO's occupation.

They collected signatures on a petition which notes the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, and the destabilisation of Pakistan resulting from NATO's military intervention in the region and states that only the Afghan people can generate a political solution to their country's problems

Philip Gilligan on behalf of the group said,

"NATO's disastrous war costs lives and money, but achieves nothing. More British troops have already died in 2010 than in any previous year, while tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and more than two thousand NATO troops have been killed since 2001. While Rochdale is losing its hospital services and the Council is sacking essential staff, this war is costing the country £5billion every year. This is enough to offset the full cost of the government's cuts to Child and Housing Benefits and to still leave more than £2billion to spend on essential services.

Almost every day we hear of the deaths of British troops. 1,499 have been wounded. We need to bring our troops home. The killing in Afghanistan must stop."