Arrow Evolution

Building New Networks

A Constructive and Cooperative Approach

Our focus as an anti-war movement must be on building a better movement for the future, a movement which will be stronger, more deeply-rooted, and better able to prevent future wars. We must avoid the temptation to engage in recrimination, but instead to focus on meeting the needs of the movement, and to construct the kind of framework we need to co-operate and resist effectively.

JUSTICE NOT VENGEANCE: A New Network

JNV (Justice Not Vengeance) is a new initiative, launched by two cofounders of ARROW (Active Resistance to the Roots of War), David Polden and Milan Rai. JNV wants to support a new network of groups both inside and outside the Stop the War coalition, which can complement the work of the coalition.

Our intention is to try to create a framework for groups to be able to communicate directly with each other, to help them share ideas, information and campaigning materials, and to foster democratic decision-making in developing local and national campaigning priorities.

Now is the time for the anti-war movement to consolidate, re-build and strengthen our groups. We need good, solid information. We need direct and forceful campaigns, and clear and usable campaign materials.

We shook them to the core

On 12 March 2003 just a few days before the war was due to begin, 'Mr Hoon's department (the Ministry of Defence) was frantically preparing contingency plans to "disconnect" British troops entirely from the military Invasion of Iraq, demoting their role to subsequent phases of the campaign and peacekeeping.... "Wobbly Tuesday" was the lowest point of the crisis for Mr Blair.' (Sunday Telegraph, 16 Mar., p. 18)

We were powerful enough to shake the Government to the core, and to drive them into frantic contingency planning to desert the US at the last moment. We were powerful enough to affect the targeting of sites in Iraq— that narrowing of the range of civilian infrastructure targets saved lives during the war and in its aftermath. (See Anti-War Briefing 42 Partial VIctories.)

The Government wants us to forget how nearly we won, and how weak they proved to be.

A New Network to take The Movement Forward

The purpose of JNV is to empower activists. We aim to:

• distribute the new anti-war book Regime Unchanged by Milan Rai
• continue to provide hard-hitting, readable, Anti-War Briefings
• enable local anti-war groups to share ideas, information and campaigning materials directly, and to give them a forum to democratically debate and decide on strategy and tactics
• develop the Pledge of Resistance into a powerful movement

Open Meetings

We will hold regular monthly open planning meetings in Central London the first Thursday of every month, starting 7 August.

Please check our website for venues.

Membership / Affiliation

Membership and affiliation will be open to all individuals and groups who support our 7 Points—there will be no fixed membership or affiliation fee. Membership or affiliation will entitle you to regular briefings and campaign alerts. Please use the membership form which is on our website.

7 Core Principles for anti-war groups

1. We condemn the terrorist atrocities committed on 11 September 2001.
2. We also condemn the idea of taking revenge for these deaths by military retaliation against Afghanistan, Iraq and/or other countries
3. We believe that the proper reaction to the 11 September atrocities is to proceed on the basic of international law, following the UN Charter, and working through the extradition law, to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice.
4. We believe that the right response to the problem of proliferation is to èsarm all countnes of all weapons of mass destruction, applying the same non-proliferation rules and inspection systems to all the countries of the world
5. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim communities in Britain, and demand an end to antiMuslim attacks and prejudice.
6. We reject the eroion of civil liberties in the name of 'anti-terrorism', whether in Britain or elsewhere. We cannot defend freedom by destroying it.
7. As a network, we are committed to campaigning solely by nonviolent means.

New Anti-War Book

Regime Unchanged: Why The War Was Wrong by Milan Ral

To be published by Pluto this autumn. Discounted copies will be available to activists from JNV for £8.50 post-free for orders received before 20 August. Please see the website.

Anti-war briefings can be downloaded from the JNV WEBSITE www.j-n-v.org PLEASE SUPPORT JNV (Justice Not Vengeance: sponsored by ARROW) 0845 458 9571 We are making as many briefings as we can. Please help with printing/distribution by sending cheques to

'ARROW Publications',
29 Gensing Rd.,
St Leonards on Sea,
E Sussex
TN3B OHE

Pledge of Resistance

Please sign the Pledge online at www.j-n-v.org

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