Media Release 6 August 2010
Speak Out against the Afghan War at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville
Concerned veterans will be conducting a public Speak Out against the Afghan War at the gates of the Lavarack Barracks, Townsville home of the 3rd and 11th Army Brigades,
from 12 noon Friday 13 August 2010
The Speak Out will be hosted by Stand Fast, the national association of veterans opposing Australia's engagement in the US led wars on Iraq and Afghan. It will be supported by Peace by Peace, a North Queensland based peace activist group, and other local anti war activists .
"Open mike, the Speak Out will be an opportunity for citizens generally, but service and ex-service people in particular, to speak and hear the truth about the Afghan War," said SpeakOut organiser Graeme Dunstan of Peacebus.com.
"We veterans reckon the best thing we can do for Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan is to bring them home," said Stand Fast founder and veteran of the Timor War, Hamish Chitts.
"Immediate and unconditional withdrawal is what we demand."
"We are appalled by the feigned grief by our politicians and their bullshit talk of 'noble sacrifice' and 'staying till the job's done' every time a soldier comes home in a box."
"And we are the jack of the lies that have come from the mouths of Howard, Rudd and now Gillard and Abbott."
"As the recent Wikileak of Pentagon papers shows, the US military and the US government have lied consistently about the conduct and progress of the Afghan war and successive Australian governments have repeated those lies to the Australian people like ventriloquist's dummies. "
"The bitter truth is that for all their killing power, there is no win to be had for the US military and their collaborators in Afghanistan. Just like Vietnam, there never was and never will be."
"'Stand Fast! Desist and resist' is what we veterans have to say to this generation of soldiers."
"End the wars! End the lies! End the US alliance!"
Media call: 12.30 pm Friday 13 August.
Further information
Hamish Chitts, Stand Fast, 0401 586 923
Graeme Dunstan, Peacebus.com 0407 951 688
Margaret Pestorius, Peace by Peace, 0403 214 422
Closing session at the bell in the Silver Wattle garden, 26 April 2010.
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