Amendment to “Stop The War”, NUS NEC 8 September 2006

Posted on December 15, 2006
Filed Under Inside NUS

Amendment to: “Stop the War” (see below for motion)

Add believes 5. That we should continue to take a stance equally opposed to both big power bullying and reactionary forces opposed to it. In Iraq this means supporting the emerging workers’, women’s and student movements against both the US/UK occupation and the Islamist “resistance” militias; in Israeli/Palestine and Lebanon it means support for democratic, secular, anti-war and working-class forces including the Israeli peace movement.

Replace further believes 3 with: In the need to combine opposition to a military attack, economic sanctions etc against Iran with support for workers’, women’s and student resistance to the Iranian dictatorship, eg the ongoing Tehran busworkers’ struggle for an independent union.

Add resolves 2. While supporting Stop the War Coalition actions against an attack on Iran, including the demonstration at Labour Party conference, make clear and public in our promotion of these actions our political disagreements with the Stop the War leadership on the need for a position combining opposition to war with support for democratic, secular and working-class forces in the Middle East.

Original Motion
Submitted by Suzy Wylie

This union believes:

1. That the disaster and chaos of the so-called “war on terror ” continues to devastate the Middle East. The death toll in Iraq is well over 100,000 and thousands more have lost their lives in Afghanistan. After several years of occupation primarily by US and UK forces, the situation in these countries continues to deteriorate.

2. That George Bush and Tony Blair are using increasingly aggressive rhetoric directed at other powers in the region, in what Blair refers to as an “arc of extremism ”, particularly Iran.

3. The Israeli army recently launched an attack on and invasion of Lebanon in which over 1,100 people were killed and one million displaced (with children constituting a third of these figures), and the position taken by the NUS NEC meeting of 3 August which backed up Bush and Blair's position in refusing to call for an immediate unconditional ceasefire.

4. The Stop the War Coalition have called a ‘Time to go' demonstration outside the Labour party's annual conference on 23 September, calling for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, against an attack on Iran, and against replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons programme.

This union further believes:

1. The so-called “war on terror ” has been a disaster for the people of the Middle East and for the world in general, and has created immense hostility towards the imperialist occupying powers.

2. The threats towards Iran, and possible military intervention, follow directly in this vein: the need to control oil, and the need to maintain control in the face of a possible alliance between Iran and Shia forces in Iraq.

3. Israel's assault on Lebanon was inexorably linked to the “war on terror ”.

4. The position taken by the NUS NEC on Lebanon, and more particularly its refusal to support the 23 September demonstration was not only a huge mistake, but also cuts directly against the mood of the anti-war movement which represents a majority of people in the country, including a majority of students.

This union resolves:

1. To support, publicise and send transport to the Stop the War Coalition's ‘Time to go' demonstration (detailed in ‘believes 4').
2. To also give this level of support to any emergency demonstrations organised by the Stop the War Coalition in response to the current crisis, and to future events.