Tia and me

Bradford Spring tshirts from Philosophy Football

Bradford Spring: 'a change for all seasons' Posted: 06 Apr 2012 06:43 AM PDT This comes via Philosophy Football: '29 March 2012 was a sensational moment in British political history. George Galloway has dubbed his victory in Bradford West the Bradford Spring. There's never been anything quite like it: a party from the Left, outside the Westminster mainstream, turning a safe Labour seat into a 10,000 majority against war and cuts, for a progressive alternative. Wear 'Bradford Spring' on your chest wherever you are and share in the joy of, for once, the neo-liberal consensus being shattered. And even better, for every shirt sold Philosophy Football will give one FREE to the army of young helpers, many unemployed, who helped win the victory in Bradford West. A small help toward ensuring the 'Bradford Spring' becomes a change for all seasons. Sizes small- XXL. Plus: women's skinny-rib fitted. Available from here. Share

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Bradford: Was it 'the Muslims who won it'?

Thanks to Alex Snowdon for this great response to Mehdi Hassan

Luna17

---

British Muslims, the anti-war movement and the Left - a response to Mehdi Hasan Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:33 PM PDT This is a response to Mehdi Hasan's article 'British Muslims must step outside this anti-war comfort zone'. I was surprised and dismayed when I read the latest article by Mehdi Hasan, politicaleditor of the New Statesman. He is someone I respect and very often agree with.But his article for the Guardian struck me as severely mis-judged. Hasan makes a number of propositions. I will run through them and indicatewhere in his article you will find them (this may seem fussy, but at leastnobody can complain I'm not substantiating my summary of his views). First, he argues that claims that 'it was the Muslims wot won it' for George Galloway are in fact correct (1st paragraph). Second, he echoes the right-wingpreoccupation with religion (specifically Islam) in understanding the BradfordWest result - at the expense of political considerations like poverty,inequality, war and austerity (second, third and fourth paragraphs). Third, he argues that Muslims have been preoccupied with war and need to focusmore on domestic issues, notably austerity, which they have allegedly failed tomobilise around (fifth, sixth and seventh paragraphs). Fourth, he suggests thatan anti-austerity agenda was not (contrary to Galloway's own claims) animportant factor in Respect's win (eighth paragraph). Fifth, he argues that Muslims' apparent preoccupation with foreign policy givesracists a propaganda boost. He seems to be saying here that Muslims are partlyresponsible for fuelling Islamophobia. This is a deeply contentious claim - one I hope he retracts (tenth and eleventhparagraphs). Sixth, and finally, he seems to imply that being taken seriously as more thanjust anti-war requires a rejection of Respect. Considering Hasan's ownpolitical allegiance, he seems to be suggesting that Muslims should getinvolved in Labour because it works across the political board, whereas Respectmeans being stuck in 'an anti-war ghetto'. I am being a little more speculativein saying this is part of his argument, but it's a synoptic point based on areading of the whole article and a knowledge of his other work. Before I respond to particular points, let's get a few potential misconceptionsout of the way. Hasan does not have any automatic authority here because he is himself aMuslim. Neither should we - conversely - dismiss him because he is aLondon-based pundit with a nice salary who's out of touch with working classMuslims in Bradford. These things are irrelevant. It is the political substance that matters - I don't care who themessenger is. Hasan himself sadly has different standards. When Richard Seymourchallenged his lazy analysis on Twitter, his response included a jibe about theSWP. This sectarianism only served to diminish him. It is very welcome that Hasan has acommendable track record of often powerful and incisive anti-war writing and support for the anti-warmovement. But that doesn't prevent him being wrong about this. Let's run through those points in turn. The high Muslim population of Bradford West was, yes, a demographicfactor making it more likely that Galloway could make an electoralbreakthrough. But the 'it was the Muslims wot won it' line is one I'd expect toread in a right-wing paper like the Telegraph. It reinforces the notion of acohesive Muslim block which can be mobilised for elections. That's the popularright-wing stereotype Hasan is drawing on here. This notion depends, in turn, on two further assumptions. One, that theMuslim community is operating in a dubious and communalist manner in relationto elections. Two, that Muslim voters are dupes who will do whatever they'retold, an unthinking and undifferentiated mass. Hasan must be aware of theseperceptions - and the extent to which right-wing commentators have mobilisedthem in the last few days. He could use his column to challenge them or toimplicitly reinforce them. He made the wrong choice. Then there's the use of religion as the prism through which to assessthe result. Again, this is a right-wing trope. It depoliticises the wholesubject and condescendingly (and inaccurately) treats Muslim voters as Muslimsonly, when they might also be workers or unemployed or parents or pensioners orwhatever other categories you can think of. It is a discourse that accepts coreright-wing assumptions. What about the argument that Muslims should care about, and organisearound, issues other than war and imperialism? Well, yes. But who on earthargues otherwise? If there isn't anybody arguing otherwise then it is - bydefinition - a straw man argument. Instead of engaging with a genuinealternative viewpoint, he is setting up a false case then shooting it down.There will have been Muslims on the 26 March demo, but they weren't necessarilymobilising as Muslims, through the Muslim community. Two million workers tookstrike action on 30 November 2011. Some of them will have been Muslims. His dismissive reference to an 'anti-war ghetto' is disappointing.It wasn't always the case that Muslim communities were politically involved andforming alliances with non-Muslims. One of the greatest achievements of theanti-war movement was, and remains, the on-going co operation and unitedmobilisations of Muslims with non-Muslims on the left, peace activists, tradeunionists, and so on. This should not be treated dismissively with the cheapcaricature of an 'anti-war ghetto'. Such unity had to be worked for, argued for, fought for - in opposition to elements of the left which were sceptical (to put it politely) of working with Muslims, and simultaneously the more separatist and reactionary elements inside Muslim communities. Hasan claims to want to help Muslims emerge from their 'anti-warghetto'. Yet he is the one claiming they're not politically sophisticatedenough to have been motivated by anything other than anti-war sentiment lastThursday. This takes some nerve. Read the accounts by people who live in theconstituency to get a sense of the mix of factors influencing the result. Twogood examples are here and here. Let's also take a step back to reflect on why Respect originated in thefirst place, and why its earlier incarnation (2004-07, prior to the verydamaging split in November 2007) had modest but significant success. There werethree levels to the political basis of Respect. The first level was the war on terror and the anti-war movement which itprompted. The war in Iraq especially created a massive rift between Labour andmillions of its supporters. This was true throughout society, but particularlyacute in the Muslim community. The second level was deeper: a general disaffection with a New Labouradministration that pursued policies of privatisation and deregulation,curtailed trade union rights, eroded civil liberties, stoked up Islamophobia,and allowed the gap between rich and poor to grow. Iraq was very importantitself, but also a lightning rod for a whole set of other issues. The third level was deeper still: the legacy of a quarter of century ofneo-liberal policies, recurring capitalist crisis, growth in inequality, and ageneralised anti-establishment mood marked by a sharp alienation frommainstream politics and a nagging sense that democracy had become hollowed out. It is this multi-layered analysis that provides an understanding of howa radical left-of-Labour electoral challenge was possible. This analysis isstill largely relevant today. Labour is now in opposition, so the situation isnot exactly the same. But last Thursday reminded us that Labour has notrecovered from the damage done by its culpability in the devastation of Iraq. This failure to recover credibility and support isn't merely a matter of Labour's relationship to its own past. It has a great deal to do with the party's continued support for allmanifestations of the 'war on terror'. It should, then, be clear that Hasan gets it fundamentally wrong when hetries, vainly, to separate war from everything else that matters to people,Muslim and non-Muslim alike. It is a conservative argument by depoliticisingthe votes cast for Galloway, fragmenting politics into artificially separatespheres, and ignoring the capacity for people who are Muslim to be a wholebunch of other things too. We come, then, to the most troubling element in the article. Here iswhat Hasan writes: 'It isn't just a combination of anti-terror laws and media demonisationthat has hindered efforts at Muslim integration into mainstream Britishsociety. So, too, has the reluctance of many British Muslims to step outsidethe political comfort zone of the anti-war movement. When we only talk offoreign affairs, is it any wonder that we seem to come across as foreigners?Muslims do not lack for opponents or antagonists; those who want to portray usas foreign, alien, un-British, are growing in number. We should not be handingthem a club with which to beat us.' I find it hard to believe Hasan can really believe this, but it is what he haswritten. Hasan is putting 'the reluctance of many British Muslims to stepoutside the political comfort zone of the anti-war movement' together with'anti-war terror legislation and media demonisation' as a cause of problemswith Islamophobia and discrimination in our society. If that isn't at leastpartially blaming the victims of racism for the racism they suffer, what is it? It crassly overlooks the contribution of the anti-war movement to Muslim'social integration', the way the movement broke down barriers and helpedconfront and challenge rising anti-Muslim racism. Can Hasan really think thatMuslims demonstrating over foreign policy issues is responsible, even slightly,for racist perceptions of British Muslims as 'other' and deserving of socialexclusion? It is the 'war on terror' and the poisonous, racist discourse which has beenits ideological accompaniment that has promoted such bigotry towards Muslimshere. The anti-war movement has pushed in the opposite direction. When tens ofthousands of British Muslims took to the streets of London to protest againstIsrael's brutal assault of Gaza, united with many others not from Muslimbackgrounds, were they 'handing them [racists] a club with which to beat us'?Were they aiding 'those who want to portray us as foreign, alien, un-British'? Finally, we come to Hasan's implicit endorsement of a supposedlyall-encompassing Labour over an apparently single-issue Respect. It isrevealing what Hasan doesn't say here. The Labour Party historically has anappalling record on imperialism and war (whatever the stance of many individual members). In the last decade it has been evenworse. Those who can be broadly defined as the Labour Left are often much betteron these issues - especially most of the Campaign Group MPs and of course manythousands of grassroots party members - but I'd argue that many of the broadLabour left have a poor record. For every Jeremy Corbyn or Paul Flynn there are10 'soft left' MPs who won't vote for troops to be brought home fromAfghanistan, but will vote for bombing Libya. Voting against the invasion ofIraq (as many of them did, under enormous pressure) has not been matched bybroader opposition to the 'war on terror'. Rather than lecturing ordinary Muslims, shouldn't Hasan be directing hiscriticism at elected MPs, Labour Party leaders and so on? Why isn't hedemanding they connect with Muslims by adopting anti-war policies? (there areof course many other reasons for adopting such policies). # Why doesn't he demand they address the deep grievances over disastrous New Labour policies (across a range of issues) felt by people from all backgrounds? Hasan is writing for a left-of-centre readership which isoverwhelmingly non-Muslim. Aside from the specific errors he makes, hecertainly has a strange sense of audience and priorities. I have devoted more time than I would have liked to refuting thisarticle. But when people on the left echo the arguments of the right, giveammunition to our opponents and undermine those of us fighting cuts, war andracism, then they need to be called out. It has been clear from my Twitter timeline that some socialists - whoshould know better - have defended Hasan's article. We need to see clearly and hit the correct targets if we'regoing to be build stronger (and multi-racial) movements of resistance andnurture a powerful, non-sectarian, Left. Share

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Sanum's report from Sounds Like Freedom

So, for my first blog post of the year Sanum Ghafoor gives us a fantastic overview of last year. She dun 'alf go on, in the most entertaining and humerous way. This video is a report from the Sounds Like Freedom event put on by our friends Philosophy Football. Keep them coming guys...

Organisation requires skill & vice versa...

Lenin as a Midfield General?

via Philosophy Football


"For those who desire not simply an aimless skipping from instance to instance, an integral central movement will take us forward towards a great goal." 
- Lenin

The Agrarian Question and 'The Critics of Marx' might not be the most obvious place to find the tactical masterplan to re-organise a midfield drifting into non-activity. An early proponent of route one, Lenin's team kept their eyes on one step forwards, not too many backwards, towards the other lot's six-yard box. 

Leninist football rejects the appeal of a talented but disorderly squad in favour of the centrality of class upfront. Never mind United, Philosophy Football's latest T- shirt features the one, only and original 'Red Army', preparing to conquer all opposition. 

Available from HERE

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Counterfire national members and supporters meeting: Confronting the crisis

07730 612105 Saturday December 3rd, 1-5pm, Marchmont Community Centre 62 Marchmont Street London WC1N 1AB Crisis in Europe - threats against Iran - the occupy movement - November 30 strikes and protests, This is the most challenging and exciting time for the movement in decades. Counterfire is holding this meeting to assess the situation post N30 and discuss next steps. The agenda will include: 1) The crisis and the movement 2) Taking Counterfire forward We need as many members and supporters from all parts of the country to participate to get a real picture of the state of the movement after N30 and to discuss what has worked and what hasn't for Counterfire locally. Come and join the discussion. If you book transport now you will save money. Phone Jo on 07730 612 105 or email jo@counterfire.org to register and for more info

Wall Street is War Street: the protests go global

STOP THE WAR COALITION

> 16 October 2011
> Email office@stopwar.org.uk
> Tel: 020 7801 2768
> Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
>
> IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
> 1) WALL STREET IS WAR STREET: THE PROTESTS GO GLOBAL
> 2) FILM, VIDEO AND PHOTOS OF THE ANTI-WAR ASSEMBLY
>
> *********************************
> 1) WALL STREET IS WAR STREET: THE PROTESTS GO GLOBAL
>
> The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests this weekend have spread
> worldwide taking in 1000 towns and cities in 80 countries. We
> could be witnessing the start of a global movement on a scale we
> haven't seen since tens of millions went on to the streets in
> 2003 to oppose the Iraq war.
>
> At the heart of the US Occupy Wall Street demands is the call to
> cut the war machine (SEE http://bit.ly/qDXOFP) which has consumed
> over a trillion dollars in the past ten years and is currently
> fighting wars in seven countries - Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,
> Libya, Somalia, Yemen and - the latest addition - Uganda, where
> Obama has just deployed US troops. (SEE http://bit.ly/r1e0yu)
>
> If the "war on terror" is included - the latest instalment of
> which is the ludicrous Iranian "plot", the war-addicted Barack
> Obama - holder of the Nobel Peace Prize - is currently waging
> eight wars. (SEE http://bit.ly/nEArmP)
>
> We need to make the cost of the UK war machine integral to the
> OWS movement here, which has begun so impressively this weekend
> with Occupy the London Stock Exchange.
>
> This year alone Britain is spending £9 billion on the wars in
> Afghanistan and Libya and on the maintenance of the Trident
> nuclear missile system. Recent Stop the War articles have shown
> how this money could be used to fund public services, rather than
> the government's current policy of decimating them. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/qxLqXO AND http://bit.ly/odNXt3)
>
> *********************************
> 2) FILM, VIDEO AND PHOTOS OF THE ANTI-WAR ASSEMBLY
>
> Stop the War has been flooded with positive comments about the
> Anti-War Assembly in Trafalgar Square on 8 October - more than
> we've had for any event for years. These are typical of the
> responses:
>
> "Great day! What a great feeling to be amongst so many people who
> feel so passionate about this issue. And what an outstanding list
> of speakers and performers!" - Sean Murphy.
>
> "Amazing day! I loved how everyone came together through
> creativity, through music, art and poetry...it was beautiful!" -
> Madeleine McCabe
>
> We have now posted a 45 minute TV film of the event, which
> captures the spirit and inspiration of the day, including the
> march to Downing Street at the end of the Assembly, led by
> 106-year-old Hetty Bower, which blockaded David Cameron's
> official residence. (SEE http://bit.ly/pYJ6Pb)
>
> Also on the Stop the War website are videos of the speeches by
> John Pilger, George Galloway, Brian Eno and many more. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/pC0CYW)
>
> We have begun creating picture galleries for the hundreds of
> photographs we have been sent of the event. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/pe08yk AND http://bit.ly/qJv6ZH). More to follow
> soon.
>
> Many thanks to all the speakers, filmmakers, actors, musicians
> and artists who made the Antiwar Assembly in Trafalgar Square on
> 8 October such a success.

Clare's livestream from #occupylsx on my Qik

[embed]http://qik.com/claresolomon[/embed]

Feel free to embed. Live link up from New York coming soon. 

#occupylsx livestream and liveblog

Liveblog HERE

Watch live streaming video from counterfire at livestream.com

Noam Chomsky: Join us in Trafalgar Square on 8 October

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
> 1) NOAM CHOMSKY: JOIN US IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
> 2) WHY UN COMPOSER PLAYS AT ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY
> 3) STOP THE WAR BRIEFING ON CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN
> 4) PLEASE KEEP DONATING
>
> ****************************************
> 1) NOAM CHOMSKY: JOIN US IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
>
> The Antiwar Mass Assembly on Saturday continues to attract high
> profile pledges, the latest from Noam Chomsky and others who have
> issued the following statement:
>
> After 10 years of war in Afghanistan, more than 100,000 Nato
> troops remain and tens of thousands have died. Government claims
> that the war is contributing to Britain's stability look
> increasingly hollow. Opinion polls suggest the majority of
> Britons want a speedy withdrawal of British troops, a view
> recently endorsed by the trade unions. Politicians have to get in
> step with public opinion and announce a date to bring troops
> home. We will be attending the mass anti-war assembly this
> Saturday 8 October in Trafalgar Square. We urge you to join us.
>
> * To see the full list of those attending, go to:
> http://bit.ly/pBlNMI
> * To see the provisional timetable for the day, go to:
> http://bit.ly/o10L6p
>
> This is clearly going to be a memorable day. It will end with a
> march to Downing Street, led by ex-soldiers and military
> families, to demand that the government bring the troops home
> from Afghanistan now.
>
> Please do all you can in the days remaining to spread the word
> and encourage as many people as possible to join us.
>
> ANTIWAR MASS ASSEMBLY
> 8 OCTOBER 12 NOON - 4PM
> TRAFALGAR SQUARE LONDON
> See http://bit.ly/o10L6p
>
> ****************************************
> 2) WHY UN COMPOSER PLAYS AT ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY
>
> The world-renowned composer Howard Blake, whose compositions
> range from the huge hit "I'm Walking in the Air", from the
> classic film The Snowman, to his composition titled "Charter for
> Peace" commissioned by the United Nations for the 50th
> anniversary of its founding, which was first performed in 1995
> before the Queen, prime minister John Major, and a host of
> dignitaries.
>
> Howard Blake was so outraged by the United Nations' resolutions
> in March this year -- when it gave the US and NATO cover for
> going to war with Libya -- that he has withdrawn the "Charter for
> Peace" from his catalogue, saying:
>
> "The UN resolutions taken over Libya leading up to its invasion
> on March 19th 2011 violated [its] principles and the work is
> withdrawn from the catalogue, since to say that the organisation
> carries out a 'charter for peace' is no longer anything but a
> mockery of its formerly professed beliefs." SEE
> http://bit.ly/nTKN6G
>
> It is for this reason that Howard Blake has offered to play his
> most famous composition "I'm Walking in the Air" at Saturday's
> Antiwar Assembly in Trafalgar Square. Stop the War very much
> welcomes his decision to join us.
>
> ****************************************
> 3) STOP THE WAR BRIEFING ON CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN
>
> Six percent of babies die at birth and 25 percent before their
> 5th birthday. Conflict and political violence force millions of
> children and their families to flee their homes.
>
> A child's basic right to life and development is seriously
> compromised by growing up in the context of war and occupation.
>
> Afghanistan has become the very worst place on earth to give
> birth to or raise a child.
>
> A new briefing, written for Stop the War by Lisa Davis, director
> of Rights International, with a conclusion by US author and
> activist David Swanson, is available on the Stop the War website.
>
> * For a summary of The Children of Afghanistan, go here:
> http://bit.ly/rdZdLZ
> * To download the full report, go here:
> http://tinyurl.com/5s69xhm
>
> ****************************************
> 4) PLEASE KEEP DONATING
>
> Many thanks to everyone who has donated to our financial appeal
> to cover the costs of the Antiwar Assembly on Saturday. Your
> contributions have helped enormously.
>
> However, we still need to raise more to ensure that we are not
> left with a debt after Saturday, which would hinder the future
> activities we are already planning.
>
> If you have not contributed, please consider giving a donation
> now. Details of the various methods for donating are here:
> http://bit.ly/n0eEh2
>
> If you would prefer to make your contribution by becoming a
> national member of Stop the War, you can do that here:
> http://bit.ly/k0tBVk
>
> ****************************************
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

Book launch: People Demand. Out now

'The People Demand: a short history of the Arab revolutions' - video trailer Posted: 25 Sep 2011 01:43 PM PDT 28 September: London book launch - details HERE 12 October: Newcastle book launch - details HERE Read an extract and buy the book HERE Trailer by Elly Badcock

Book and/or donate to 1st Oct Coalition of Resistance conference

Coalition of Resistance Against Cuts & Privatisation | 28 | September 5th Bookings are coming in fast now from across Britain and Europe. Next Saturday is set to be an exciting day! Make sure you have booked your place - click here to register An urgent appeal from the Coalition of Resistance Dear supporter, As you may already be aware, Coalition of Resistance has initiated an important European wide conference to help co-ordinate the resistance to austerity on a mass, global scale taking place on October 1st in London. The conference is costing in excess of £10,000 and we need to raise this money through our supporters. How you can help: 1) Book your place for the conference now. Click here to book online or send a cheque for £5 waged / £3 unwaged / £10 rep. from organisation to Europe Against Austerity, Coalition of Resistance, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX We wan't everyone to register in advance as ticket money will help towards the cost of the conference. 2) Donate to the Conference. Click here to make a donation online or send a cheque to Europe Against Austerity, Coalition of Resistance, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX Thank you for your continued support and see you on the 1st October, Andrew Burgin Secretary, Coaliton of Resistance EUROPE AGAINST AUSTERITY CONFERENCE Saturday 1st October, London Should Greece default? Has the euro got a future? Is there an alternative to cuts? Are we facing 'double dip' recession? As the European economic crisis worsens and ordinary people are made to pay, hear what the left parties and campaigns across Europe have to say. Take the opportunity to be part of the debate: join us to discuss alternatives and action for change. Speakers include: Jeremy Corbyn MP; Unite; NUJ; Pierre Laurent, Party of the European Left; Sevim Dagdelen MP Die Linke; Sinn Fein; Olivier Besancenot NPA; Annick Coupe Solidaires, France; Max Banc Attac Germany; Piero Bernocchi COBAS, Italy; Prof Costas Lapavitsas, SOAS; Marisa Matias MEP, Left Bloc, Portugal Registration: £5 waged / £3 unwaged / £10 delegates from organisations   More info from www.europeagainstausterity.org / coalitionofresistance@gmail.com / +44(0)7939 242229 Conference initiated by Coalition of Resistance. See here for a list of supporting organisations. Our mailing address is: Coalition of Resistance Coalition of Resistance, c/o Housman's Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road London, London N1 9DX Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 Coalition of Resistance All rights reserved.

TWEETS NOT WAR: LEARNING FROM THE ARAB SPRING

ANTI-WAR SPEAKOUT/TWEETOUT   
7:30PM UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION   
MALET STREET LONDON WC1E 7HY   
For more details, see: http://bit.ly/n9X9qz

Whether you attend the Antiwar SpeakOut/TweetOut in person in    
London, or you watch the live stream on the Stop the War website,   
this is an event not to be missed.

You will see poets, rappers and spoken word artists (see below)   
performing at a Twitter convention in which everyone can   
participate.

Don't worry if you are not a Twitter user yet. This will be an     
event in which you can learn how it works and why it has become   
such an important tool for activists and campaigners, not least   
as was shown in the Arab Spring uprisings. It is today enabling   
instant eyewitness reports of the brutal crackdown on the Yemen   
democracy movement.

Stop the War has taken the idea of a TweetOut from the Egyptian   
democracy movement, which used them to spread the word about   
their protests.

As well as enjoying the brilliant cast of spoken word artists    
performing for Stop the War, the aim will be to publicise as   
widely as possible in the Twittersphere the Antiwar Mass Assembly   
in Trafalgar Square on 8 October, marking the tenth anniversary   
of the war in Afghanistan.

If you're coming to the SpeakOt/TweetOut in person, come armed     
with your mobile! Or your laptop, if you want to be really   
ambitious (there will be a WiFi link).

If you're not a Twitter user yet, you will be able to text your   
messages which Stop the War will turn instantly into tweets for   
display on the Tweet Screen and publish directly to Twitter.

The performers in the SpeakOut include author Michael Rosen, who   
was until recently the Children's Poet Laureate, poets Michael     
Horowitz, Michael Powell and Sanasino Al-Yemen, rapper Jimmy   
Jitsu, and many more.

Twitter users at the event, and those following it on the live     
stream, are asked to use the hashtag #8oct (non Twitter users    
will learn what a hashtag is on the night!).

Tweeters will also be reacting to the spoken word artists,   
whether watching them in the audience or the live stream, and    
instantly communicating with their Twitter followers about the     
performances.

The aim is to make SpeakOut/TweetOut as interactive as possible   
and as much a collective event as we can. Join us in person if     
you live in London, or online if you don't.

ANTI-WAR SPEAKOUT/TWEETOUT   
7:30PM UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION   
MALET STREET LONDON WC1E 7HY   
For more details, see: http://bit.ly/n9X9qz