A-Infos (en) SchNEWS 401, Friday 25th April, 2003

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wake up! wake up!! WAKE UP!!! It's yer
SchNEWS
LIBERATE THIS!
"25,000 litres of anthrax. 38,000 litres of botulinum toxin.
500 tons of sarin, mustard [gas] and VX nerve agent. Several
mobile biological weapons labs. An advanced nuclear weapons
development program." - what George W. Bush reckoned Saddam
was hiding under his moustache.
Remember why the US/UK went to war? Supposedly Iraq had a
massive stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and was
therefore a threat to world peace. Hans Blix and his team of
UN weapons inspectors went looking for them, Saddam Hussein
grudgingly cooperated, and the inspectors found... er, not a
lot.

But despite the blatant lack of justification, Emperor Bush
invaded Iraq anyway (he'd been told to by his dad's mates)
and Iraq used its weapons to defend itself - not mustard gas
or intercontinental ballistic missiles after all, but rifles
and crappy old tanks against the world's foremost military
superpower. Someone should have listened to former UN
weapons inspector Scott Ritter who described the Iraqi army
as being "in total disarray, capable of little more than
manning security pickets along the Iran-Iraq border... I
have visited numerous Iraqi military barracks and have seen
soldiers in tattered uniforms and bare feet."

So, where DID all those supposed evil weapons of mass
destruction get to? Well, your on the ball SchNEWS has
managed to track down some of them at Britain's own Faslane
naval base in Scotland. 166 people were nicked at the base
on Tuesday when hundreds of protestors blocked the gates for
hours while others jumped the fences, sparking a security
alert and waving banners that read "Here Blix, we've found
them."

Faslane is home to three of Britain's four Trident
submarines. Each submarine carries 48 nuclear warheads, each
one 8 times as powerful as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima
which destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. British
Minister of War Geoff Hoon was keen to use them, threatening
Iraq that if they unleased THEIR weapons of mass
destruction, his country would do the same. But Saddam never
did unleash anything, which is a bit strange since he never
seemed one for restraint.

And now, if Bush doesn't turn up some weapons of mass
destruction soon, he will be exposed as the bullying liar he
truly is. Tony Blair is worried too - worried that no big
bad weapons will be found, or that if they are, the
Americans will be accused of planting them (surely not!).
Last week, Blair said that "some sort of objective
verification" of any weapons found might be a "good idea."
Smart boy, Tony.

Thank-you and goodbye

Saddam's statue in Baghdad was pulled down by a US tank for
the benefit of the Western corporate media, who fell all
over themselves to show a crowd of happy Iraqis on the scene
(Who wouldn't be happy that a scumbag tyrant had been
overthrown?). But if the TV cameras had panned out just a
little, you'd have seen that the square was really quite
empty. Maybe it was because those who had been maimed or
killed by US bombs (we'll never know how many cos' the US
can't be bothered to find out) just couldn't be asked to
join in welcoming their liberators.

And now the army of "liberation" is all too quickly and
predictably becoming an army of occupation. "No to America,
no to Saddam, no to tyranny," people chanted in Arabic on
Tuesday during a religious pilgrimage organized by Shia
leaders in Iraq. In the city of Kerbala on Wednesday,
hundreds of thousands of Shia protested at America's first
attempt to put together a puppet government, while in Mosul
thousands protested and the pro-American governor's car was
torched. American soldiers killed at least 10 Iraqis and
wounded dozens of others when they fired on the rally. One
Iraqi demonstrator warned, "If the US prevents us having a
religious leader as president, we will reject it. If al-Hawz
a [the Shia leadership] orders us to turn ourselves into
bombs, we can make the US leave Iraq. We say, 'Thank you for
getting rid of Saddam. Now goodbye.'"

Respected journalist Robert Fisk observed, "All across
Baghdad you hear the same thing, from Shia Muslim clerics to
Sunni businessmen, that the Americans have come only for
oil, and that soon - very soon - a guerrilla resistance must
start. No doubt the Americans will claim that these attacks
are 'remnants' of Saddam's regime or 'criminal elements'.
But that will not be the case." As Dr Wamid Omar Nadmi, a
leading political scientist at Baghdad university commented
"What we're faced with today is not a choice between
secularism and religion. We're facing an invasion and
foreign rule. We have to work together to end it."

* Read 'War Plan Iraq' by Milan Rai (Verso 2003)

'OIL 'AVE IT!'

Fancy that! Amnesty International has accused US-led forces
of better "preparation to protect the oil wells than to
protect hospitals, water systems or civilians." Ever since
US forces rolled into central Baghdad, one of the sole
public buildings untouched by looters has been the massive
oil ministry, which is under round-the-clock surveillance
and guarded by 50 US tanks, with sharpshooters positioned on
the roof and in the windows. "They came from the other side
of the world. Do you believe they're going to do much for
me? They've just come for the oil," fumed Salam Mohammad
Hassan, a doctor who lives near the ministry. Just
next-door, the Irrigation Ministry has been torched, with US
soldiers apparently unable to do anything to help.

* The US is demanding North Korea halt its nuclear weapons
programme, but the US has, after a 14-year break, recently
resumed production of plutonium parts for nuclear bombs.
Where's Hans Blix when you need him?

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PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE

Next Thursday is May Day, when hoards of rioting anarchists
try to bring the very foundations of our society crashing to
the ground....or something like that. This year it's time
for our very own war on terror, with pre-emptive strikes and
"an attack on the real weapons of mass destruction: oil
companies, the arms manufacturers, multinationals and
banks." In London there will be a number of autonomous
actions with main meet ups at 2pm at Lockheed Martin - the
biggest arms company in the world whose F-16 and F-22
fighter jets were used extensively by the US during the war
in Iraq and whose profits have shot up accordingly. Meet 2pm
Berkshire House, corner of High Holborn & Endell St. There
will also be a critical mass bike ride meeting 11am under
Waterloo Bridge, South Bank, and a 1pm Mayday Picnic at
Queen Anne's Gate. There is also a 2pm meet up at the Home
Office, Birdcage Walk, SW1. Later, everyone will be meeting
up at the headquarters of oil company Shell UK, on The
Strand, 4pm.

** London Class War have called a picket of the Wilkinson
store in Stratford, London. Wilkinson's use prison slave
labour to make many of their goods, picket 11.30am-1pm at
Wilko's, 78-102 The Broadway, Stratford.

** To help your day run smoothly send an SAE to BM Mayday,
London WC1N 3XX www.ourmayday.org.uk

** For the incomplete history of the origins of Mayday
www.midnightnotes.org/mayday

** There's a Mayday benefit this Saturday (26), music
featuring Headjam, The Lams, Fusing Naked and the Serum
Soundsystem. At Eton Mission Social Club, Hackney Wick,
London E9. 8pm till late. £4/3

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Crap Arrest of the Week

For jumping in puddles!
A twelve year old boy was arrested in Florida for "purposely
stomping in the water." For his crime, comitted on school
grounds, he was handcuffed on his way back to class, taken
to jail, and charged with disruption of an educational
institution. The boy spent two hours sitting by himself in a
police holding cell before being released!

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IRAte

As Tony Bliar presses the IRA to provide 'crystal clarity'
as a prerequisite for restoring devolution in Northern
Ireland, his own government continues to ensure that the £10
million Stevens 3 report - which details how senior-ranking
British army officers and police helped Ulster Defence
Association (UDA) paramilitaries commit murder - will never
see the light of day.

Last Thursday, a 20-page 'summary' was all that was released
of the massive 3000 page report (the result of 14 years of
investigation) which centres on the murder of human rights
solicitor Patrick Finucane in 1989, and details how this was
just one of many killings by UDA paramilitary murder gangs
acting on direct instructions from the British army's Forces
research Unit (FRU), targeting 'IRA sympathisers'. In other
words, the kind of state-sponsored terrorism that Bliar is
so busy criticising when it happens anywhere else in the
world.

The report also proves conclusively that MI5, Special branch
(RUC), and the army colluded to ensure that nobody was ever
investigated, let alone prosecuted for what Finucane's son,
Michael, has described as "a policy of state-selected
assassination". The report is known to contain the names of
at least 20 army and police officers who, if the evidence
ever reached the public domain, would certainly face
prosecution.

One such prominent army figure is former head of the FRU,
Brigadier Gordon Kerr, recently spirited away to the
'theatre of war' in the Gulf. What's more the key witness in
any such prosecutions would have been the main double agent,
Brian Nelson (codenamed 1033), who infiltrated the UDA
whilst working for the FRU. Conveniently he 'passed away'
last week just days before the Stevens 3 report was due to
be released. What a strange coincidence!

Metropolitan police commissioner John Stevens (who headed
the investigation detailed in the report) has openly
complained of obstruction, being spied on, and betrayed by
police and army colleagues. An arson attack destroyed his
first report Stevens 1, in 1990.

As early as February this year, N. Ireland's Chief cop Hugh
Orde predicted that the Stevens 3 report - which has cost
£10 million in tax payers' money - would never be published
in full due to 'intelligence issues'. With Human rights
groups protesting this blatant cover up, the call is out for
justice and a 'full, transparent public enquiry.' Now surely
'crystal clear' Tony Bliar can't have a problem with that?
Can he?

Read all about it in the book they tried to ban: "The
Committee: Political Assassinations in Northern Ireland" by
Sean McPhilemy and "Ten-Thirty-Three" by Nicholas Davies.

Find out more: www.relativesforjustice.com www.irlnet.com

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PEACE ACTIVIST SHOT

British peace activist Thomas Hurndall is still in a coma
after an Israeli sniper shot him in the head two weeks ago
as he shielded children from the line of fire in the Israeli
occupied Gaza strip. Thomas is the third International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist to be killed or seriously
injured in the region over the past month. The Israeli
military has so far refused to comment.

It now appears that international peace activists may be
being specifically targeted by the Israeli military, but
volunteers are still continuing their work in the region.

London ISM: 07817 554 814 www.palsolidarity.org

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CAGEY DEALINGS

After a 30 month battle, the animal rights group Uncaged
have overturned a court order and won the right to publish
over 1000 leaked pages of details on animal experiments.

The leaked documents relate to xeno-transplantation, the use
of animal organ transplants in humans. The company involved,
Imutran, now part of Novartis, had claimed back in 1995 that
it was on the verge of successful xenotransplants. But the
documents, detailing work done at Huntingdon Life Sciences,
reveal a different picture - pig hearts were transplanted
into baboons, who all showed signs of organ rejection. The
baboons then suffered spasms, vomiting, diarrhoea, grinding
teeth and uncontrollable eye movements.

The research was sloppy, fraudulent and cruel - all with the
backing of the Home Office inspectors whose job it was to
regulate the experiments. At least 520 errors and omissions
occurred in the research and Imutran made lots of false
claims - so that they would be granted more licences by the
Home Office. The Home Office then failed to prosecute for
breaches in the law, instead sending letters of
"admonishment" and working with Imutran to underestimate the
degree of suffering caused.

Read the reports at www.xenodiaries.org

* The campaign to close Huntingdon Death Sciences continues:
0845 458 0630, www.shac.net

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HOME OFFENSE

Now that we've 'liberated' their country, the UK government
has started to draw up plans to bribe Iraqi asylum claimants
in the UK with offers of £3000 to go back to their once
beautiful but now barely functioning country. A similar
scheme that was put in place after they'd flattened
Afghanistan unsurprisingly didn't get many takers, so
instead the Home Office has now had to resort to forcibly
repatriating Afghanis, despite aid agencies describing the
situation in Afghanistan as far from safe. The Home Office
are hoping that by declaring Iraq and Afghanistan safe, they
will be able to kick out enough people and increase their
chances of meeting the target of halving the number of
asylum applications by September.

* On Wednesday the trial of eleven asylum seekers, accused
of involvement in the fire that destroyed part of Yarlswood
Detention Centre in February last year, began at Harrow
Crown Court (See SchNEWS 348). The eleven face charges of
Arson and Violent Disorder, the trial is likely to be
totally biased as many witnesses to the events on the day
have since been deported. The case is expected to last 8-12
weeks. The Campaign For Justice in the Yarlswood Trial
desperately need volunteer observers to watch court
proceedings each day - 07786 517379
observer_yarlswoodtrial@yahoo.co.uk

* Over Easter a camp was set up against the Baxter refugee
detainee centre in the South Australian desert. The camp was
forced to move 3km away though after police rode their
horses over people's tents. At the new site police arrested
one person for flying a kite! - Kite flying was banned under
the Taliban, who obviously no longer in control of
Afghanistan now run the Australian police. Armed police also
stormed the camp when they mistook a camera tripod for a
gun!

Detainees inside the centre, were subject to a lockdown
during the weekend. http://adelaide.indymedia.org

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Inside SchNEWS

Two Danish activists who threw paint at their Prime Minister
in protest at their country's involvement in the war on Iraq
have been remanded in custody awaiting trial. Messages of
support can be sent to them- Lars and Runes at
antikrig@ulydighed.dk

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SchNEWS in brief

** Anarchist punk band CONFLICT will release an
anti-globalisation anthem 'Carlo Giuliani' on Monday (28), a
call to arms in memory of the protester killed by Italian
police at the G8 summit in Genoa. Order it through your
local DIY record shop or from www.sisterray.co.uk

** On Workers' Memorial Day, Monday (28), there will be
events around the country,
www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-6445-f0.cfm

** Film showing of 'Evolving Minds' about psychosis,
spirituality and mental health, this Saturday (26) 7pm at
Cinemateque, Middle St., Brighton. Donation

** Tribute concert for friends of Pete Shaughnessy, May 4th
at the Foundry, Great Eastern Street, London (Old Street
tube). Pete, a legendary figure for all those involved in
the world of mental health, died tragically last Christmas.
Check out the new website in honour of him
www.peteshaughnessy.org.uk

** Annual Cannabis march and festival, Brockwell Park,
London. Saturday, 3rd May, Carnival style march from
Kennington Park, meet at noon. Festival starts 1pm, £3
donation. Info: 07931 243 855
www.ccguide.org.uk/cannabisfestival.html

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War briefs

** The peace camp at Welford in Berkshire has been
re-established. Bombs from Welford are regularly transported
to nearby Fairford to be loaded onto B52s which are still
flying missions over Iraq. Campers have vowed to stay at the
camp until the B52s leave the UK. More people are always
welcome. Info: 07736 964653/ 07984 290842.

** In the run-up to Mayday, Campaign Against the Arms Trade
Direct Action Network is organising a series of protests in
London aimed at stopping the corporations that are profiting
from the war on terrorism, including a visit to BAE Systems
AGM next Wednesday. Meet 30th, 9.30am at QEII Conference
Centre, Tothill St, London. More info on other actions 020
7281 0297 action@caat.demon.co.uk

** Enraged by local newspaper magnate Sir Ray Tindle's
decision to stop printing anti-war stories once the war
began in the 100 local newspapers he owns, a group in Totnes
have produced their own anti-war spoof newspaper 'Troubled
Times' Copies at
http://images.indymedia.org/imc/uk/the_paper.pdf or send an
SAE with 44p of stamps to the SchNEWS office.

** Taking Sides is a website that takes a critical look at
news about the war from around the world
http://takingsides.blogspot.com

** The producer of a US television mini-series called
"Hitler: The Rise of Evil" has been sacked for comparing the
situation in Germany which gave rise to Hitler and his evil
plans to the current situation in the US. In an interview he
said, "I can't think of a better time to examine this
history than now."

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...and finally...

We all know that anti-French frenzy in the US of A has led
some Americans to rename French Fries 'Freedom Fries,' but
now there's an American online petition dedicated to
"Sending back Liberty". No not THAT kind of Liberty - they
mean the Statue of Liberty! The designers of the petition
are claiming to want the New York landmark, which was once a
gift from the French, returned to France. And what do they
want to replace Lady Liberty with? Why a giant statue of
Ronald Reagan, of course-"The greatest president the world
has ever seen."


The website also recommends that 'patriots' chuck out any
French wine and cheese they've got stored, just one of many
helpful 'deFrenchyfying self-help methods'. Surely its a
piss take, isn't it?

See for yourself at www.sendbackliberty.us

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Disclaimer

SchNEWS warns all weapons inspectors not to go looking for
weapons of mass destruction at Faslane. Honest!

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