NATO SUMMIT 2014 PROTESTS IN WALES (August 30-5 September)

NATO SUMMIT 2014 PROTESTS IN WALES (August 30-5 September)

60 WORLD LEADERS MEETING AT CELTIC MANOR, NEWPORT

At this year's summit the US will be pressuring European governments to increase their already huge military budgets at a time when poverty and inequality are soaring. NATO expansion has contributed to a dangerous crisis in Ukraine threatening a regional war. The week of action will open on Saturday 30 August with a mass march through Newport. There will also possibly be an multi-faith vigil, details to be confirmed.To add your name or your organisation to the statement below please email

NO MORE WARS:

PROTEST THE NATO SUMMIT

No to NATO. No to War. No to Austerity.

Statement issued by No NATO Newport 03.02.2014

Wales could see its biggest protests in a generation as 60 world leaders meet at the Celtic Manor in Newport for the NATO summit on 4th -5th September to plan their war on the world. Previous summits in Chicago and Strasbourg saw thousands protest war, austerity and global inequality.

From August 30th people will flock to South Wales for international actions including a weekend march and Counter Summit, week-long peace camp, and protests on the summit’s opening day.

NATO is the nuclear-armed military alliance binding Europe to US foreign policy, a foreign policy post-Iraq increasingly unpopular around the world. It is also the military alliance currently occupying Afghanistan.

War is the enemy of the poor. The world’s 85 richest people have as much as poorest 3.5 billion. The annual sum needed to end world hunger is $30 billion while the US Military’s budget is $530 billion per year.

Money into war is money out of our communities. In the UK, 500,000 people had to resort to food banks last year. While public services are slashed, one day of war in Afghanistan could fund 100,000 nurses.

This autumn the powerful will make their voices heard at the NATO summit. We must make sure that the voice of the millions around the world who need peace and justice is also heard.

Supported by - Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), People's Assembly Against Austerity, Public & Commercial Services Union (PCS), Student Assembly Against Austerity, Black Triangle, Anti-Defamation Campaign in Defence of Disability Rights, Veterans for Peace UK, Child Victims of War, CND Cymru, Plaid Cymru Youth, Green Left, Wales Green Party, Rhondda Cynon Taf UNISON, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg/Welsh Language Society, Swansea Community Palestine Link, Swansea Action for Palestine, Swansea University People & Planet, Disarm Swansea University, Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, Aberystwyth Peace & Justice Network, Bro Emlyn for Peace & Justice, Bangor & Ynys Môn Peace & Justice, Plymouth Stop the War Coalition, Newcastle Stop the War Coalition, Newcastle Palestine Solidarity Campaign, North East People's Assembly, Food Not Bombs Wales, South Wales Anarchists, Socialist Resistance, Socialist Labour Party, Socialist Party Wales, Newport Against The Bedroom Tax, Newport People's Assembly, Wrexham People's Assembly, Cardiff People's Assembly, RCT People's Assembly, Cardiff Trades Council, Merthyr Trades Council, Newport Trades Council, Torfaen Trades Council, Cardiff Left Unity, Cymru Wales IWW, Yr Aflonyddwch Maw

Initial Signatories include - in a personal capacity - Rt Rev. Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales; Jeremy Corbyn MP, Chair, Stop the War Coalition; John McDonnell MP, Chair, Labour Representation Committee; Jill Evans MEP, Plaid; Bethan jenkins AM, Plaid; Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM, Plaid; Simon Thomas AM, Plaid; Pippa Bartolotti, Leader, Wales Green Party, Dr Derek Wall, International Co-ordinator, Green Party of England & Wales, Jack Mcglen, Equalities & Diversity Coordinator, Green Party of England & Wales, Andrew Murray, Unite the Union, Chief of Staff, Paul Mackney, Former General Secretary, UCU, Co-Chair, Greece Solidarity Campaign, Mark Campbell, UCU National Executive Committee, Marianne Owens, PCS National Executive Committee, Darren Williams, PCS Acting Wales Secretary, John Davidson, PCS Scotland Committee, R&C Assistant Group Secretary, National Editorial Board , Steve Ryan, PCS Wales Committee, Belinda Robertson, Robertson, Unite Wales, Regional Women's and Equalities Officer, Joanne Galazka, Unite Wales, Unite Community Co-ordinator, Ramon Corria, Secretary, Cardiff Trades Council, Roy Davis, President, Caerphilly Trades Council, Richard Morse, Secretary, Torfaen Trades Council, Terry Evans, Secretary, Policy Development & Campaign Committee, Cymru Wales UNISON, Ian Thomas, UNISON, Senior Steward, Cardiff and Vale Health Branch, Martin Chapman, UNISON, Senior Steward, City and County of Swansea Branch, Comrade Jamie Von Insole, NUJ, South Wales, Alan Milne, Wirral West Constituency Labour Party, Cllr Sue Lent, Deputy Leader, Cardiff Council, Cllr Darren Williams, Cardiff, Labour; Cllr Dilwar Ali, Cardiff, Labour; Cllr Jonathan Evans, Cardiff, Labour; Cllr David Groves, Cardiff, Labour; Cllr Daniel De'Ath, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Iona Gordan, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Garry Hunt, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Chris Davis, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Siobhan Corria, Cardiff Labour, Cllr Mary McGarry, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Cecilia Love, Cardiff Labour, Cllr Susan Elsmore, Cardiff, Labour, Cllr Ray Davies, Vice-Chair CND Cymru, Caerphilly, Labour, Cllr Peter Foley, Bridgend, Independent, Emma Hughes, Co-editor, Red Pepper, Asa Winstanley, Journalist, Associate Editor, Electronic Intifada, Emily Trahair, Editor, Planet - The Welsh Internationalist, Andy Worthington, Journalist & Author of "The Guantanamo Files" & "The Battle of the Beanfield", Jonathan Neale, Author & Climate Activist, Johnny Void, Blogger, Jonny Jones, RS21 Website Editor, former Deputy Editor, International Socialism Journal (2009-13), Tom Fowler, Website Editor, Radical Wales, Kelvin Mason, Peace News, Dr Lina Dencik, Lecturer, Cardiff School of Journalism; Professor Christopher Norris, Philosopher and Literary Critic, Mab Jones, Comic Poet, Stevie Krayer, Writer, Lindsey German, National Convenor, Stop the War Coalition, Dr Kate Hudson, General Secretary, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Chris Nineham, Vice-Chair, Stop the War Coalition, Prof Dave Webb – Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Betty Hunter, Honourary President, Palestine Solidarity Campaign; Roger Cole, Chair, Peace & Neutrality Alliance, Ireland, Joe Lombardo, Co-coordinator, United National Anti-war Coalition (UNAC), USA, Joanne Baker, Coordinator, Child Victims of War, Rob Griffiths, General Secretary, Communist Party of Britain, Hanef Bhamjee OBE, Secretary, Action for Southern Africa/Formerly Wales Anti-Apartheid Movement,Dr Carol Norris MBE, Jill Gough, National Secretary, CND Cymru, Robin Gwyndaf, Is-Lywydd Cymdeithas y Cymod yng Nghymru / Vice-President of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales; Jane Harries, Cydlynydd Cymdeithas y Cymod a Chrynwraig / Coordinator of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales & Quaker; Dr John Cox, Vice-Chair, CND Cymru, Ben Griffin, Ex-SAS, Veterans for Peace; Chris Cole, Drone Campaign Network/Drone Wars UK; Adam Johannes, Secretary, Cardiff Stop the War Coalition; Ross Saunders, Secretary, Cardiff Against The Cuts; Phil Steele, Bangor & Ynys Môn Peace & Justice; Lotte Reimer, Aberystwyth Peace and Justice Network; Wendy Lewis, Cor Cochion/Cardiff's Red Choir; Paolo Fiora, FFCHS, Freedom From Covert Harassment surveillance; John McArdle, Black Triangle, Dee Murphy, Swansea Community Palestine Link, Uma Sims, Secretary, Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Harry Rogers, Bro Emlyn for Peace & Justice, Hayley Kemp, Plymouth Stop the War Coalition; Roger Nettleship, South Tyneside Stop the War Coalition; Stuart Evans, Treasurer, Welsh National Rights Movement/Mudiad Hawliau Cenedlaethol Cymru; Alan Thornett, Socialist Resistance; Peter Davies, Cymru IWW; Simon Hales, Derbyshire Green Party member, Peter Edwards, Cardiff SWP, GMB member, Len Arthur, Left Unity Wales, UCU member, Rob Abrams, Disarm Swansea University, Liz Screen, Socialist Labour Party Wales; Jan Underwood, UCU member, Bangor; Rev. Rufus Maychild, Iseum of Pandora; Dr Tomasz Pierscionek, Academic Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Editor, London Progressive Journal, North East Regional Council Executive, BMA; Aaron Kiely, NUS Black Officer; Fiona Edwards, Secretary, Student Broad Left; Sam Dathi, Organiser, Student Assembly Against Austerity/National Officer, Stop the War Coalition; Tom Costerton, Organiser, Student Assembly Against Austerity; Ally Rooms, SOAS Stop the War; Marienna Pope-Weidemann, Counterfire; Clare Birkett, SOAS Counterfire; Ruairidh Paton, SOAS Counterfire; Glenn Page, National Chair, Plaid Cymru Youth; Aled Morgan Hughes, National Secretary, Plaid Cymru Youth ; Daniel Roberts, Director of Policy and Campaigns, Plaid Cymru Youth; Cerith Dafydd Rhys Jones, Director of Press and Communications, Plaid Cymru Youth; Peter Gillibrand, Chair, Carmarthenshire Plaid Cymru Youth, Local Plaid Cymru Youth chair for Carmarthenshire; Sebastian Power, , Former Co-Spokesperson, Federation of Young European Greens, Green Party International Committee, Young Greens of England and Wales Committee