Bristol Anti war city? 31 Oct

bristol | protests | event notice Wednesday October 21, 2009 11:48 by Bristle knows - Stop the war/Palestine solidarity/decommissioners

From the slave trade to the Arms trade: The war at home

No to Economic conscription! Stop the War. dismantle the Arms Trade...How?

From the Arms Trade...

We are meeting at 2pm Opposite the Hippodrome.
It's Halloween, the 31st Oct the time of year when the dead visit the living.

We are meeting just before the start of the daily vigil, Lois is often there on her own these days. Neville Carey died this year, he like Lois was one of the mainstay of the vigil. Neville was in his nineties and made a massive contribution to the anti-war movement, he was a prolific writer and kept the people of Bristol educated on the real price of the war through his daily leafleting. I remember his matter of fact, down to earth comments on his leaflets like: "Bush and Blair, who are these people!?". He was a communist and when he was asked in hospital would he want to see a priest, his reply was simple,"I've never needed one of them before and I certainly don't need one now!". He died peacefully in his sleep.

It was the threat of war on Afghanistan that prompted the start of the peace vigil, it is now in its ninth year.

In the meantime we have seen the rape and pillage of Iraq, the continued devastation of Afghanistan and the horrific attack on Gaza.
The people of these countries have been attacked by science fiction weapons such as drones, we have entered a stage of warfare unprecedented by humanity, countries' infrastructures can be taken down in a matter of weeks.

And Bristol? Bristol continues its trade in death and genocide, It makes the bits and bobs of the missiles and engines that fuel the war. It has a prolific Arms industry, with all major arms industry having offices here in Bristol. (Bristol Business Park) All nestled conveniently next to the procurement centre of the MOD.
And the young people of Bristol, like in the rest of the country, face a future of no jobs, no education, no housing, no prospects, ripe for the picking. Will their only job choice be in the military? Or the Arms industry?

Bristol oils the war machine, and it oils it well.