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| War-weary Britain: "The Iraq war was where it all started for me" | War-weary Britain: "The Iraq war was where it all started for me" |
| (6 months later) | |
| When we asked our readers what led to them rejecting the UK’s role in wars abroad, one date came up over and over again: 15 February 2003. The million strong “Don’t attack Iraq” march seems to have been as much a pivotal moment in developing an anti-war consciousness as did the anti-Vietnam War marches of the 1960s. | When we asked our readers what led to them rejecting the UK’s role in wars abroad, one date came up over and over again: 15 February 2003. The million strong “Don’t attack Iraq” march seems to have been as much a pivotal moment in developing an anti-war consciousness as did the anti-Vietnam War marches of the 1960s. |
| On the 11th anniversary of the march, a selection of our readers explain how they came to reject Britain’s role in foreign conflicts. You can read further accounts on GuardianWitness. | On the 11th anniversary of the march, a selection of our readers explain how they came to reject Britain’s role in foreign conflicts. You can read further accounts on GuardianWitness. |
| “We need to learn how to communicate our case more effectively” | “We need to learn how to communicate our case more effectively” |
| I had long since ceased to be naïve about politics, but up until the Iraq War I had at least believed that this country could pass for a democracy in the sense that if the government did something really, really criminally stupid they would be held accountable and made to change course. The case of the Poll Tax was a fairly clear illustration of this. People hated this new form of local taxation so much that it inspired active, organised opposition across the land that ultimately helped to bring down the Prime Minister. After that the Tories realised they had no choice but to abandon the policy. | I had long since ceased to be naïve about politics, but up until the Iraq War I had at least believed that this country could pass for a democracy in the sense that if the government did something really, really criminally stupid they would be held accountable and made to change course. The case of the Poll Tax was a fairly clear illustration of this. People hated this new form of local taxation so much that it inspired active, organised opposition across the land that ultimately helped to bring down the Prime Minister. After that the Tories realised they had no choice but to abandon the policy. |
| So when over a million of us marched against a war with Iraq on a cold, drizzly Saturday eleven years ago, we weren’t doing it to say, ‘we know you’re going to war anyway, but we just wanted to let you know that we don’t like the idea.’ No, we marched in the genuine expectation that those in charge would see that the level of opposition to this war was so great that they’d have to find another way of dealing with the problem of Saddam’s supposed stockpile of WMDs – like, for instance, giving Hans Blix the time he was clearly asking for. (Let us never forget that there was a very clear, practical alternative to this war.) If the expectations we had on the demo seem terribly naïve now, they were nonetheless widely felt at the time. Take a look at archived news reports of the march if you don’t believe me. | So when over a million of us marched against a war with Iraq on a cold, drizzly Saturday eleven years ago, we weren’t doing it to say, ‘we know you’re going to war anyway, but we just wanted to let you know that we don’t like the idea.’ No, we marched in the genuine expectation that those in charge would see that the level of opposition to this war was so great that they’d have to find another way of dealing with the problem of Saddam’s supposed stockpile of WMDs – like, for instance, giving Hans Blix the time he was clearly asking for. (Let us never forget that there was a very clear, practical alternative to this war.) If the expectations we had on the demo seem terribly naïve now, they were nonetheless widely felt at the time. Take a look at archived news reports of the march if you don’t believe me. |
| Yet if anything, the war turned out to be even worse than we feared back then. Not just illegal, unnecessary and counter-productive as a strategy against terrorism; but also unplanned, a bloodbath beyond our worst imaginings, and so clearly based on a pack of lies. And Blair still got away with it! If democracy is supposed to be about accountability, what does that say about the state of democracy in this country? Speaking personally – although I suspect for many – I have found it hard to avoid the deeply disturbing conclusion that we do not live in a democracy. For this reason then, being anti-war played a major role in pushing me further to the Left and towards a more radical analysis of politics. As might be expected, more recent developments, like the expenses scandal, the recession, austerity etc., have hardly endeared me to the powers that be. | Yet if anything, the war turned out to be even worse than we feared back then. Not just illegal, unnecessary and counter-productive as a strategy against terrorism; but also unplanned, a bloodbath beyond our worst imaginings, and so clearly based on a pack of lies. And Blair still got away with it! If democracy is supposed to be about accountability, what does that say about the state of democracy in this country? Speaking personally – although I suspect for many – I have found it hard to avoid the deeply disturbing conclusion that we do not live in a democracy. For this reason then, being anti-war played a major role in pushing me further to the Left and towards a more radical analysis of politics. As might be expected, more recent developments, like the expenses scandal, the recession, austerity etc., have hardly endeared me to the powers that be. |
| Radicalism though, should not mean disengagement. For myself, I chose to do a PhD on the anti-war movement and the media, partly because I believe that progressive (if not always perfect) social movements have a key role to play in reviving our democracy. We need to get involved, and – amongst other things – we need to learn how to communicate our case more effectively. | Radicalism though, should not mean disengagement. For myself, I chose to do a PhD on the anti-war movement and the media, partly because I believe that progressive (if not always perfect) social movements have a key role to play in reviving our democracy. We need to get involved, and – amongst other things – we need to learn how to communicate our case more effectively. |
| “His compassion drove him through extremely testing situations” | “His compassion drove him through extremely testing situations” |
| After stumbling on a discussion about Brian Haw in the early days of the Guardian’s Comment Is Free site, our reader went down to Parliament Square to meet him. It was the beginning of a long association. | After stumbling on a discussion about Brian Haw in the early days of the Guardian’s Comment Is Free site, our reader went down to Parliament Square to meet him. It was the beginning of a long association. |
| The forums back then were just starting. I myself was about to start a master’s degree the following year. There were very few stories on Iraq back then, although some Anglo-American groups were breaking sanctions. Prior to meeting Brian, I went on Question Time to ask about sanctions. However due to the format, the question was never raised. So in the summer of 2001, a thread appeared that a gentlemen had pitched up outside Parliament protesting against sanctions. One day after work I went down to Parliament Square and saw Brian with a small display. We discussed the fact we had both watched John Pilger and that the sanctions were having a dreadful effect on Iraq.As time passed, I started to see Brian more frequently and grew extremely fond of him. It was apparent he gave up his marriage in the process and it put a strain on his time with his children. One night, I decided to sleep on Parliament Square with him. At approximately 2AM two males passed by and shouted at Brian “We shouldn’t bomb Iraq, we should bomb you!”. By 6AM, I decided to go home after failing to sleep for more than five minutes. The combination of fumes from the buses and Big Ben ensured sleep was minimal. During this time I did print out an article from the Guardian forums where people had asked Brian questions. He wrote down his responses and I typed them at a later date. As time passed, I saw Brian nearly every Christmas, I got a plate of dinner to bring. It was the one time of year where he was not harassed and felt that being there with him gave him company, albeit briefly. I learned of Brian’s death from the BBC website and it took me several hours to come to terms with it. A letter I wrote was published by your good selves. Later that week, I went down to the Parliament and met some old supporters of Brian’s who I had not seen in years. One of them told me that Brian still had the same mobile phone that I had given him years ago. | The forums back then were just starting. I myself was about to start a master’s degree the following year. There were very few stories on Iraq back then, although some Anglo-American groups were breaking sanctions. Prior to meeting Brian, I went on Question Time to ask about sanctions. However due to the format, the question was never raised. So in the summer of 2001, a thread appeared that a gentlemen had pitched up outside Parliament protesting against sanctions. One day after work I went down to Parliament Square and saw Brian with a small display. We discussed the fact we had both watched John Pilger and that the sanctions were having a dreadful effect on Iraq.As time passed, I started to see Brian more frequently and grew extremely fond of him. It was apparent he gave up his marriage in the process and it put a strain on his time with his children. One night, I decided to sleep on Parliament Square with him. At approximately 2AM two males passed by and shouted at Brian “We shouldn’t bomb Iraq, we should bomb you!”. By 6AM, I decided to go home after failing to sleep for more than five minutes. The combination of fumes from the buses and Big Ben ensured sleep was minimal. During this time I did print out an article from the Guardian forums where people had asked Brian questions. He wrote down his responses and I typed them at a later date. As time passed, I saw Brian nearly every Christmas, I got a plate of dinner to bring. It was the one time of year where he was not harassed and felt that being there with him gave him company, albeit briefly. I learned of Brian’s death from the BBC website and it took me several hours to come to terms with it. A letter I wrote was published by your good selves. Later that week, I went down to the Parliament and met some old supporters of Brian’s who I had not seen in years. One of them told me that Brian still had the same mobile phone that I had given him years ago. |
| He was at times a very eccentric man. But in his heart, his compassion drove him through extremely testing situations, ranging from 78 Police Officers arresting him, to spending Christmas Day 2001 virtually alone. | He was at times a very eccentric man. But in his heart, his compassion drove him through extremely testing situations, ranging from 78 Police Officers arresting him, to spending Christmas Day 2001 virtually alone. |
| socialmuse | socialmuse |
| “I couldn’t fight my building feelings of injustice and hopelessness” | “I couldn’t fight my building feelings of injustice and hopelessness” |
| I remember the shock of 9/11 but at the time I didn’t really understand what had happened or why. I was 17 and pretty clueless about politics. Then we went to war in Afganistan and I was so angry about what we were doing - watching the news every night I couldn’t fight my building feelings of injustice and helplessness. I felt that the motivation for going to war was no more than a desire for oil and control. They were not interested in getting evidence of WMDs or involvement in the 9/11 attacks. They were going to war regardless and were just trying to come up with justification for it. | I remember the shock of 9/11 but at the time I didn’t really understand what had happened or why. I was 17 and pretty clueless about politics. Then we went to war in Afganistan and I was so angry about what we were doing - watching the news every night I couldn’t fight my building feelings of injustice and helplessness. I felt that the motivation for going to war was no more than a desire for oil and control. They were not interested in getting evidence of WMDs or involvement in the 9/11 attacks. They were going to war regardless and were just trying to come up with justification for it. |
| I saw a poster for an anti-war demonstration in Nottingham where I live so I went along. I felt inspired and part of something. I went down to London on 15 Feb 2003 for the big protest march, and I finally felt like I was doing something, adding my voice to the rest to let the government know that I did not approve of going to war in Iraq. | I saw a poster for an anti-war demonstration in Nottingham where I live so I went along. I felt inspired and part of something. I went down to London on 15 Feb 2003 for the big protest march, and I finally felt like I was doing something, adding my voice to the rest to let the government know that I did not approve of going to war in Iraq. |
| Even though the government still went to war despite all those people protesting against it, I felt like it still made a small difference. The world was watching and they saw that we did not support the war. I joined a local Stop The War Coalition group and campaigned against the war however I could. I felt changed somehow, not that naive little girl from a small town anymore. Perhaps my politics would have developed the same way anyway, but I think the Iraq war had a big impact on my views. | Even though the government still went to war despite all those people protesting against it, I felt like it still made a small difference. The world was watching and they saw that we did not support the war. I joined a local Stop The War Coalition group and campaigned against the war however I could. I felt changed somehow, not that naive little girl from a small town anymore. Perhaps my politics would have developed the same way anyway, but I think the Iraq war had a big impact on my views. |
| I consider myself anti-war but I am not against ever having to go to war - for example I would have been in favour of going to war with Germany to stop Hitler. However I am against using WMDs and I am a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. | I consider myself anti-war but I am not against ever having to go to war - for example I would have been in favour of going to war with Germany to stop Hitler. However I am against using WMDs and I am a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. |
| Lisa Layfield | Lisa Layfield |
| No War | No War |
| The ‘Peace’ march in London in 2003, unlike the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations of the 60’s and early 70’s, was very peaceful. It brought together a broad section of the public here in the UK and around the world in a mass protest movement, which didn’t change the course of history but created a common cause to unite people. | |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | |
| By ID1460785 | |
| 31 January 2014, 13:16 | 31 January 2014, 13:16 |
| “The role of our leaders is to avoid circumstances where war is an option” | “The role of our leaders is to avoid circumstances where war is an option” |
| As a kid I was brought up on stories of derring-do, especially of the brave Brits fighting Nazi thugs to liberate the world. War seemed like something civilised nations had to do from time to time when despots over-reached themselves, and in which all citizens felt a duty to contribute. Then the Vietnam War happened and suddenly war took on a different complexion. Kids were dragged out of school to fight and die for a cause whose justification was debatable or worse. Civilians were treated with something approaching utter contempt as their homes and fields were bombed with Napalm, cluster bombs and Agent Orange. | As a kid I was brought up on stories of derring-do, especially of the brave Brits fighting Nazi thugs to liberate the world. War seemed like something civilised nations had to do from time to time when despots over-reached themselves, and in which all citizens felt a duty to contribute. Then the Vietnam War happened and suddenly war took on a different complexion. Kids were dragged out of school to fight and die for a cause whose justification was debatable or worse. Civilians were treated with something approaching utter contempt as their homes and fields were bombed with Napalm, cluster bombs and Agent Orange. |
| It was then I realised that war, in our time, must be the very last thing a civilised nation considers and the role of our leaders is to avoid circumstances where war is an option. I blame Thatcher for the Falklands War for allowing the Junta to think they could get away with it, but nobody else seemed to. She should have been thrown out, not for fighting the Falklands War but for not preventing it. Similarly Blair is, for me, a war criminal and when I marched with a million people against the Iraqi adventure, I can reflect that - whilst we did not prevail - those beliefs I acquired as a kid back in the 1960s had finally become mainstream in the UK. | It was then I realised that war, in our time, must be the very last thing a civilised nation considers and the role of our leaders is to avoid circumstances where war is an option. I blame Thatcher for the Falklands War for allowing the Junta to think they could get away with it, but nobody else seemed to. She should have been thrown out, not for fighting the Falklands War but for not preventing it. Similarly Blair is, for me, a war criminal and when I marched with a million people against the Iraqi adventure, I can reflect that - whilst we did not prevail - those beliefs I acquired as a kid back in the 1960s had finally become mainstream in the UK. |
| Listen to Tony Benn | Listen to Tony Benn |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | |
| By acerman2 | |
| 26 January 2014, 7:51 | 26 January 2014, 7:51 |
| “The Iraq war was where it all started for me” | “The Iraq war was where it all started for me” |
| Until the Iraq war, I would probably have called myself a ‘working class conservative’. I was raised by working class Tories who believed that Britain could do no wrong in the world and by older relatives who loved to reminisce about the Second World War. My childhood ambition was to be a soldier and after I left University in 2001, I applied to join the Marines. My application was rejected on account of me having asthma and so I took some time off to go travelling. I started an application to be an Army Officer in late 2003 i.e AFTER the Iraq war. | Until the Iraq war, I would probably have called myself a ‘working class conservative’. I was raised by working class Tories who believed that Britain could do no wrong in the world and by older relatives who loved to reminisce about the Second World War. My childhood ambition was to be a soldier and after I left University in 2001, I applied to join the Marines. My application was rejected on account of me having asthma and so I took some time off to go travelling. I started an application to be an Army Officer in late 2003 i.e AFTER the Iraq war. |
| I had supported the war because I believed that it was a good thing to get rid of Saddam Hussein. I also viewed those who opposed the war as the ‘self-hating, tree hugging hippies’ of Daily Mail fame. In 2004, I went on an Infantry Officer’s Familiarisation Course at the Infantry HQ in Warminster. It was great fun, running around assault courses and firing rifles on the electronic range but it was when we met Young Officers in the Mess on the last evening that some doubts began to appear in my mind. | I had supported the war because I believed that it was a good thing to get rid of Saddam Hussein. I also viewed those who opposed the war as the ‘self-hating, tree hugging hippies’ of Daily Mail fame. In 2004, I went on an Infantry Officer’s Familiarisation Course at the Infantry HQ in Warminster. It was great fun, running around assault courses and firing rifles on the electronic range but it was when we met Young Officers in the Mess on the last evening that some doubts began to appear in my mind. |
| The officers were fresh from Iraq and some of them looked very stressed and tired. They told us that, ‘'it wasn’t going very well out there’' and, in the words of one platoon commander, that, ‘'we lost 50% casualties in the first fortnight’'. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. This was not what I had been hearing on the TV news. When I mentioned this, they looked at me with pity and said, ‘well, what did you think it would say?’' | The officers were fresh from Iraq and some of them looked very stressed and tired. They told us that, ‘'it wasn’t going very well out there’' and, in the words of one platoon commander, that, ‘'we lost 50% casualties in the first fortnight’'. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. This was not what I had been hearing on the TV news. When I mentioned this, they looked at me with pity and said, ‘well, what did you think it would say?’' |
| The journey home was one of deep introspection and I resolved to find out more about what was going on and to read more widely than I might have previously. It wasn’t difficult to find alternative versions of what was happening in Iraq but actually, it was the reporting of the journalist John Pilger on the Vietnam war which made me understand how nations can be hoodwinked into supporting wars which had been planned long in advance. | The journey home was one of deep introspection and I resolved to find out more about what was going on and to read more widely than I might have previously. It wasn’t difficult to find alternative versions of what was happening in Iraq but actually, it was the reporting of the journalist John Pilger on the Vietnam war which made me understand how nations can be hoodwinked into supporting wars which had been planned long in advance. |
| I terminated my Army application (which was on hold due to a health concern) but that was only the start of my awakening. After tracing back the corporate interests behind the Iraq war, I came to reject my working class Toryism and set off on more travels around the world, volunteering in South East Asia and South America. | I terminated my Army application (which was on hold due to a health concern) but that was only the start of my awakening. After tracing back the corporate interests behind the Iraq war, I came to reject my working class Toryism and set off on more travels around the world, volunteering in South East Asia and South America. |
| By 2006, I was one of the Daily Mail’s ‘'self-hating, tree hugging lefties’' and I have been politically active ever since. | By 2006, I was one of the Daily Mail’s ‘'self-hating, tree hugging lefties’' and I have been politically active ever since. |
| PhilipDuval | PhilipDuval |