PRESS RELEASE
The Mass Action Group [A]
Friday 27 October 2006
Contact: 0845 458 2564 or 07791 486484

HUNDREDS TO PROTEST AGAINST IRAQ OCCUPATION IN ILLEGAL
24-HOUR PEACE CAMP OPPOSITE PARLIAMENT
Convicted vegan chef Maya Evans to repeat name reading “offence”

12 noon, Sunday 29 October to 12 noon Monday 30 October 2006,
Parliament Square, London

Hundreds of people will be taking part in an “unauthorized” 24-hours peace camp in Parliament Square – risking arrest, a criminal conviction, and a fine of up to £1,000 [B] – to demand an immediate end to the UK/UK
military occupation of Iraq. Dozens of tents, decorated with anti-war artwork, will be erected in the Square, alongside scores of placards bearing the names and photographs of Iraqi civilians who have died as a result of US/UK military action in Iraq.

Among those taking part will be Maya Anne Evans (26) - who last year became the first person to be convicted of taking part in an “unauthorized” demonstration near Parliament [C] – author Milan Rai [D], and Iraqi poet
and artist Haifa Zangana [E]

The peace camp – part of weekend of nonviolent resistance to the occupation backed by CND, the London Federation of Green Parties and Stop the War – will mark the second anniversary of the devastating
November 2004 US/UK attack on Fallujah, in which hundreds of Iraqi civilians were killed [F].

Other events during the "No More Fallujahs" weekend include a book launch on Friday 27th October and a peace journey from Britain’s military nerve centre in Northwood on Saturday 28th October [G].

Maya Evans said: “The occupation has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, helped to push Iraq into a state of civil war, and is acting as a recruiting sergeant for extremists across the Muslim world, endangering both Iraqis
and ourselves. Moreover 78% of Iraqis believe the occupation is causing more conflict than it prevents. It’s time to end Britain’s participation in this disastrous and immoral occupation.”

TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH MAYA EVANS, MILAN RAI, HAIFA ZANGANA OR ONE OF THE ORGANISERS CONTACT 0845 458 2564 or 07791 486484.
For more info see www.rememberfallujah.org

SCHEDULE

The peace camp will start at 12 noon on Sunday 29 October with reading the names of Iraqis and British soldiers who have been killed in Iraq, until 1 pm. There will be workshops and other events for participants throughout
the afternoon.

On Monday 30 October, Maya Evans and Milan Rai will repeat the name reading ceremony, for which they were arrested last year [C], opposite Downing Street. Barring no police action, this event will last from 8.50am
to 12 noon. The peace camp will end at 12 noon on Monday.

ENDNOTES

[A] This event, "No More Fallujahs" has been organised by the Mass Action Group and is supported by over 50 peace groups including CND, Labour Against War, London Federation of Green Parties, Musicians Against Nuclear Arms, Stop the War, Voices UK. The Mass Action group were involved in organising the 2 April "Naming the Dead" mass act of civil disobedience in Parliament Square (the first mass act of civil disobedience against the occupation of Iraq to take place in the UK since the 2003
invasion - see http://tinyurl.com/orq9e).

[B] Under section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (April 2005) organising an “unauthorised” demonstration within 1km of Parliament is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment for up to 51 weeks and a £2500 fine. Participating in such a demonstration is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1000. For more info. see www.parliamentprotest.org.uk

[C] Maya Evans and Milan Rai were arrested in October 2005 for reading out the names of Iraqis and British soldiers who had died as a result of the war in Iraq, opposite the Cenotaph. In December 2005 Maya Evans was
convicted of participating in an “unauthorized” demonstration within 1km of Parliament. See: “MPs condemn arrest of woman who spoke out”, Daily Mail, 8 December 2005 (http://tinyurl.com/zoep7)

[D] Milan Rai is tha author of “Chomsky’s Politics” (Verso, 1995), “War Plan Iraq” (Pluto, 2002), “Regime Unchanged” (Pluto, 2003) and “7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War” (Pluto, 2006).

[E] A political prisoner under Saddam Hussein’s regime, Haifa Zangana is also a regular contributor to The Guardian.

[F] November 2004 saw the start of the second, and most devastating, offensive in Fallujah. Many hundreds of civilians were killed, four fifths of the city’s population left the city and half the city’s housing was severely
damaged or rendered uninhabitable. Hundreds of British troops were redeployed to support the attack on Fallujah, during the attack US forces committed numerous war crimes, including the imposition of a strict night-
time shoot-to-kill curfew (The Times, 12 November 2004, see http://tinyurl.com/8qh7n) and the bombing of a health clinic, killing 59 people (The Nation, 13 December 2004, see http://tinyurl.com/cfq6m)

[G] At 7.30pm on Friday 27 October, Maya Evans will be launching her new book “Naming the Dead – A Serious Crime” at Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX.

On Saturday 28 October, people will assemble at Northwood Military HQ in North London to commemorate the deaths of civilians in Fallujah by tying the names of the dead to the fence of the base. Northwood HQ is the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters from where 'operational command of UK forces assigned to multinational operations led by others' is exercised.
http://www.northwood.mod.uk/nwood/norindex.htm