Portuguese version of public meeting leaflet

A version of the public meeting flyer is now available for Portuguese-speaking communities. You can download it by clicking here.

Many thanks to Jacinto for the translation

Somali version of public meeting leaflet

A version of the public meeting flyer is now available for Somali-speaking communities. You can download it by clicking here.

Many thanks to Mustafa for the translation

French version of public meeting leaflet

A version of the public meeting flyer is now available for French-speaking communities. You can download it by clicking here.

Many thanks to Naima for the translation.

Spanish version of public meeting leaflet

A version of the public meeting flyer is now available for Spanish-speaking communities. You can download it by clicking here

Many thanks to Jessica for the translation.

Police Announce Exclusion Zone Around Arms Fair

Interesting article in today's Guardian about the Public Protection Route Closure, an exclusion zone that is likely to come into force on September 11, two days before the start of the DSEi arms fair at the ExCel Centre.

The article says that the exclusion zone "is likely to encompass the dockside around ExCeL, the footbridge across Royal Victoria Dock and routes to the centre from the local train station."

As parts of our borough are closed to lawful protest, it has never been more important that the debate about staging the arms fair in Newham - and questioning why such events take place at all - is opened out as widely as possible.

It is too late to stop the arms fair this year, but it will be back in 2007 unless more people join in applying pressure now.

Date Set for Newham Public Meeting Against the ExCel Arms Fair

Newham Opposition to War and Racism is organising a public meeting on Monday 5 September against the world's largest arms fair that will be held in Newham in September.

Who Supplies the Weapons ?
for bombing Iraq and Afghanistan • fuelling civil wars that force people into exile • repression • torture • maiming civilians

Where? St Francis of Assisi RC Church, Grove Cresent Rd (off The Grove, turning by Jewsons), Stratford E15 (see map below)

When? Monday 5 September from 7pm-9pm

Invited Speakers? From Campaign Against the Arms Trade, East London Against the Arms Fair, Disarm DSEi, refugee community groups and Newham Monitoring Project

Leaflet: Download here

The horrifying attacks on London in July have led to an growing backlash against Muslims living in Britain, with enormous pressure to accept ‘collective responsibility’ for the actions of a few extremists. But the Blair government, which refuses to acknowledge any link between the attacks on Londoners and the terrifying slaughter of its war in Iraq, is willing to encourage and support the armourers of state terror to operate freely in our borough.

DSEi (Defence Systems and Equipment International) is the world’s biggest weapons fair, selling everything from battleships and attack helicopters to cluster bombs and machine guns. This year it runs from 13-16 September at the ExCeL Centre in Custom House. Representatives from countries including Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the US, Colombia, China and Russia will be buying and selling weapons, products and services used for repression and terror, in a borough where refugees from all over the world live in exile from armed conflicts that kill around 35 people every hour. Arms sales increase the likelihood of fighting and prolong conflicts once they begin and sales of small arms, the weapons that produce actual mass destruction, kill more than 500,000 people every year.

About NOWAR

Newham Opposition to War and Racism (NOWAR) is a loose network of independent anti-war activists, many of whom are actively involved in Newham Monitoring Project. It was set up in September 2001 in response to the racist backlash against Muslims following the attacks on the US and to campaign against the fledgling 'war on terror'.

NOWAR's first packed public meeting was on 11 October 2001 at the Trinity Centre in East Ham and was followed a month later by a public rally at UEL against the bombing of Afghanistan.

NOWAR can be contacted at PO Box 273, London E7 8NS or by e-mail at info@nowar.org.uk