Arrested for Naming the Dead

In Dec 2005 Maya Evans became the first person to be convicted of taking part in an “unauthorised” demonstration within 1km of Parliament under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. In April 2006 Milan Rai was convicted of “organising” the demonstration in question. The pair were arrested on 25 October 2005 for reading out the names of Iraqis and British service personnel who had died in Iraq, opposite Downing Street. The day before they had read out names outside outside Britain’s military nerve centre at Northwood.

These events were part of an international week of action to mark the 1st anniversary of the 29 October 2004 Lancet report on excess deaths in Iraq. The latter concluded that at least 100,000 such deaths had already occurred.

This October Maya and Milan will recreate their protests in Northwood and Whitehall.

On 2 April 2006 300 people took part in a 4-hour “unauthorised” anti-occupation demo in Parliament Square on the 2nd anniversary of the April 2004 US massacre in Fallujah. Although no permission was sought for holding the demo, the police took no action to prevent it. (pic: Molly Cooper)

"During the course of the roughly four hours we were at that small clinic, we saw perhaps a dozen wounded brought in. Among them was a young woman, 18 years old, shot in the head. She was seizing and foaming at the mouth when they brought her in; doctors did not expect her to survive the night" (Rahul Mahajan in Fallujah, April 2004).

As part of this November’s "Remember Fallujah" month of action, Voices UK will be hosting a speaking tour with US activist Rahul Mahajan, who spent time in Fallujah during the April 2004 uprisings. Rahul is also the author of Full Spectrum Dominance: US Power in Iraq and Beyond (Seven Stories, 2003) and sits on the Steering Committee of the US anti-war coalition United for Peace and Justice.

http://www.rahulmahajan.com/

Rahul is speaking on the following days:
18 Nov, Leicester: 7.30. Friday Secular Hall, 75, Humberstone opp. Sainsburys Org. by Leicester Campaign to Stop the War. chrisgoodwin29@yahoo.com or 0116 2219459

19 Nov, Norwich: 1-3 p.m. at the Methodist Church, Chapelfield Rd, Norwich (behind Bignold School). Alongside Doug Jewell (Liberty) and Fahim Ahmed (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities). Contact:
thepeaceforce@theatreofwar.org or 01986 892 723. See also ‘Film Screenings’, 19 Nov, below.

20 Nov, Kettering: 2:30 - 4:30pm, Quakers Meeting House, Northall Street, Kettering. Org. by Kettering Stop the War. ketteringstopwar@btopenworld.com or 07855 988 073

21 Nov, Bradford: 7- 8.30pm, Richmond Building, University of Bradford. Org. by Yorkshire CND, Bradford Stop the War and the University of Bradford Students’ Union. sarah@yorkshirecnd.org.uk or 01274 730 795.

22 Nov, Edinburgh: 7.00pm, The Roxy Art House (Formerly Lady Glenorchy's Church), Roxburgh Place, EH8 9EB. Org. by Word Power Books. Contact:books@word-power.co.uk or 0131 662 9112. See www.word-power.co.uk

23 Nov, Glasgow: 7pm, George Moore Building, Glasgow Caledonian University, 70 Cowcaddens Road, G4 0BA. Org. by Glasgow Troops Out. Info:troopsoutglasgow@yahoo.co.uk or 0141-334-8506.

24 Nov, Bristol: 7.30pm, The Malcolm X Centre, 141 City Road, BS2 8YH. With Eric Herring (see ‘Film Screenings’, 8 Nov below). Org. Bristol Stop the War. bristolstopwar@hotmail.com

25 Nov, London: see ‘Film Screenings’, 25 Nov below.

26 Nov, London: see ‘Other Events’, 26 Nov below.

27 Nov, Sherborne: 7.30pm, Methodist Hall, Cheap Street. Org. by Yeovil and Sherborne Stop the War. Contact 01935 873 028.

28 Nov, Brighton: 7.30pm, Brighthelm Centre, North Rd. Org. by the Hands Off Forum. www.watchingthewarmakers.org.uk.

Film screenings:

see right for film details

8 Nov, London: FALLUJAH, ONE YEAR ON: Special screenings of the films ‘Occupation Dreamland’ (award-winning documentary about marines in Fallujah) and ‘Testimonies from Fallujah’, followed by discussion with author and activist MILAN RAI ('Chomsky's Politics', 'War Plan Iraq', 'Regime Unchanged') who visited Fallujah on several occasions during the sanctions years.

8.45pm, Institute for Contemporary Arts, The Mall, SW1Y 5AH. £6.50 / £5.50 Box office 0207 930 3647 (open daily 12 noon – 9.30pm). www.ica.org.uk. Org. by DocHouse

10 Nov, Hull: ‘A letter to the prime minister’, 7.30pm, Hull Screen, Albion St.

10 Nov, Wrexham: ‘Testimonies from Fallujah’ and ‘A letter to the Prime Minister.’ 7pm,Trinity Church, King St. Org. by the Wrexham Peace and Justice Forum. Free entry but a collection will be made for Child Victims of War.7pm Wrexham. wrexhamsaw@yahoo.com

11 Nov, Reading: 'Testimonies', 8-10pm, Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London St, RG1 4PS. 0118 967 1362

12 Nov, Enfield: ‘A letter to the Prime Minister.’ Free but donations for the film-maker welcome! Org, by Films in the Yurt. 7-9.30pm, The Yurt, 28 Abbotts Road, New Barnet, Herts EN5 5DP. Contact bspace@btconnect.com or 0208 441 8903. See also www.breathingspacearts.co.uk.

13 Nov, Manchester: Indymedia Film Night at The Dancehouse, Oxford Rd. free / donation - 7 pm door. Showing 'A letter to the Prime Minister : Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq' and 'Caught in the Crossfire' about the second seige of Falluja and its
aftermath by Mark Manning (18mins) An Iraqi Humanitarian Aid worker will speak about current situation in beseiged cities around Iraq including Fallujah. See here for more.

14 Nov, London: 'A letter to the Prime Minister', 7pm, London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate St, E1 1ES. Sugg. Donation £6/£3. Fundraiser for IOF teach-in on 26 Nov.

15 Nov, London: ‘Testimonies from Fallujah’ and ‘Fallujah: April 2004.’ 7pm, Inn on the Green, 3 Thorpe Close, W10 (nearest tube Ladbroke Grove). Organised by Filmmakers Against the War. Contact euandonaldson@onetel.com or 07779 294342.

19 Nov, Norwich: Screening of “Testimonies from Fallujah” with Rahul Mahajan (see Speaking Tour above). 7pm, United Reform Church, Prince’s Street. Org. by Norwich Stop the War. Tel. 01603 270 420.

24 Nov, Southend: 'Testimonies from Fallujah.' 7.30pm, Utopia Cafe (in the Royales in the street opposite BHS). Org. by Southend CND.irene.willis@tiscali.co.uk or 01268 682 820.

25 Nov, London: Special fund-raising screening of “Testimonies from Fallujah” with Rahul Mahajan. 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Rd, NW1. All proceeds split between Muslim Peacemaker Teams (currently working in Iraq) and the costs of bringing Iraqi speakers to the IOF teach-in on 26 Nov (see below)

26 November, London: 'A letter to the Prime Minister', The Hub, 5 Torrens Street, London EC1 ( 2 mins from Angel tube). Within Candid Arts . Four flights up. See www.the-hub.net for more info.

27 November, Cambridge: 'A letter to the Prime Minister'. Cambridge Picture House. See http://tinyurl.com/a9upv.

Other events in the month

DEATH TOLL VIGIL, 29 October, London
A vigil to mark the 1st anniversary of last year's Lancet report - which concluded that there had been at least 100,000 excess Iraqi deaths since the March 2003 invasion - during which a bell will be tolled 100 times, with each toll representing 1000 deaths. 1-2pm, Edith Cavell statue (nr. Trafalgar Square). Dress in black. Org. by Voices. To organise your own bell-ringing event see www.iraqmortality.org.

8 Nov, Southend: Vigil to mark the 1st anniversary of last November's assault on Fallujah. 1-3pm, in the High Street near the clock. Org. by Southend Women in Black. Contact 01702 305 303.

WORKSHOP at Shared Planet 2005, 13 November, Oxford
2 - 3.30pm. See http://peopleandplanet.org/sp2005/ ‘Ending the Occupation of Iraq.’ Facilitated by Voices UK. With screening of ‘Testimonies from Fallujah’ (technology permitting!).

VIGIL to mark the 1st anniversary of the November 2004 assault on Fallujah, 14 November, Wrexham
From 5pm, Plas Coch Roundabout, Mold Rd. Please bring banners, placards and nightlights. Org. by the Wrexham Peace and Justice Forum. 0845 330 4505 or wrexhamsaw@yahoo.com

25 November, Enfield: Eyewitness - An Iraqi Humanitarian Aid Worker’s Story.
Evening with an Iraqi humanitarian aid worker and speaker who is currently touring the UK, co-founder of a humanitarian relief organisation made up of a group of Iraqis and Americans who work primarily with children and women currently at risk in Iraq, including the besieged city of Falluja. No charge, but donations for her relief work are welcome. 7:30pm – 9:30pm, The Yurt, 28 Abbotts Road, New Barnet, Herts EN5 5DP. 0208 441
8903.www.breathingspacearts.co.uk

“VOICES FROM OCCUPIED IRAQ” TEACH-IN, 26 November, London
10am - 5pm, University of London Union, Malet Street, London WC1. £7 / £3. Speakers include: Gilbert Achcar; Hassan Juma’a (General Union of Oil Employees, Basra); Ismaeel Dawood (human rights activist, Baghdad); and Rahul Mahajan (US activist in Fallujah during the April 2004 siege).www.iraqoccupationfocus.org.uk

‘Testimonies from Fallujah’~
Director: Hamodi Jasim, 2004, 28 mins
One of the most violent acts of the current occupation of Iraq was the almost complete
destruction of the city of Falluja in last November's siege and assault by US forces.
There were no Western news crews inside the city, even Al-Jazeera had left. This film
comprises video testimonies from inside the besieged city, along with footage of injuries
and civilians under fire. It provides a concise introduction to the historical roots of
resistance to the occupying forces in the city and it conveys a real sense of what such attacks can do to a community.

DVD’s of the film, playable on computer or compatible (NTSC Region 1) format, can be ordered from Voices for non-profit screenings, price £10 incl. p&p. Copies should be available from mid-October.

Occupation: Dreamland
(Official selection, Human Rights Watch International Festival 2005) Directors: Garrett Scott, Ian Olds, USA, 2005
An unflinchingly candid portrait of a squad of American soldiers deployed in the doomed Iraq city of Falluja during the winter of 2004. A collective study of the soldiers unfolds as they patrol an environment of low-intensity conflict creeping steadily towards catastrophe. Through the squad's activities "Occupation: Dreamland" provides a vital glimpse into the last days of Falluja.

A letter to the prime minister
Director, Julia Guest. Duration 71 minutes.
Offering a singular take on the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, 'A Letter to the Prime Minister' follows Jo Wilding on her remarkable journey of the last few years, in solidarity with the people of Iraq.

Narrated as a letter to Tony Blair and using original diary extracts, from her challenging of the legality of the devastating economic sanctions imposed on the country, through to her activities in Baghdad before and during the 2003 Invasion, the film traces the non-violent resistance to US/UK policy in the region.

Wilding serves as witness to the destruction of the lives of ordinary people during the bombing campaign and their subsequent neglect by Occupation forces and the interim authorities but she also acts, forming the Boomchucka Circus to work with school children and refugees.

In April 2004, that help extended to travelling into Falluja, when even Al Jazeera had pulled out, to stand alongside the civilians trapped and targeted by US forces.

Exclusive footage from the besieged city of Falluja creates a moving picture of the terrible impact UK & US foreign policy has had on ordinary Iraqi people, while the film itself stands as a powerful act of remembrance and questions an unjust and damaging Occupation.

See here for more

Fallujah: April 2004
A film by Japanese independent journalist Toshikuni Doi
Fallujah has become a symbol of the resistance movement against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In April 2004, the U.S. forces invaded Fallujah with several thousand soldiers. Why did Fallujah become a base of the resistance against the occupation? How did the U.S. forces attack? Who fought against them? And what damages and injuries did people suffer? Ten days after the siege of Falluja was lifted, Toshikuni Doi, a Japanese independent journalist, went into Fallujah. His documentary investigates the causes of, the conditions during, and damages from the siege. The documentary is primarily in Arabic, with English subtitles. DVD, 55 minutes.

Caught in the Crossfire - The Untold Story of Falluja
A film by Mark Manning and Conception Media
Caught in the Crossfire was shot from November 2004 to April 2005 inside the city of Falluja, Iraq. The film details the conditions experienced by the civilians of Falluja as they endured the violent clashes and consequences of Operation Phantom Fury and became refugees outside the eyes and care of the international community.
Proceeds for the the sale of this film go directly to aid the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of combat areas inside Iraq. See here for more.