Why we're blockading Gordon Brown's Afghanistan conference

Gordon Brown's international conference on Afghanistan is part of a concerted effort to revive the brand Afghanistan as "the good war". It's a makeover aimed at turning the tide of public opinion, running so strongly against a war which is clearly futile and unwinnable. In reality the warmongers are gathering for a war council masquerading as a peace conference.

Gordon Brown's international conference in London on Thursday 28 January is intended to re-brand the war in Afghanistan, after the catastrophe of the past year, in which:

• Twice as many US, British and Nato forces were killed as in 2008;
• There was a sharp increase in civilian deaths;
• The Taliban and other forces resisting occupation controlled 30-50% of the country;
• There were repeated incidents of Afghan soldiers and police attacking the US and British troops who were training them;
• A farcically fraudulent presidential "election" ended with the perpetrator of the fraud, Hamid Karzai, remaining as president;
• The Afghan parliament rejected Karzai's proposed cabinet -- which Obama and Brown wanted to parade as "democracy" taking root -- because it was stuffed with corrupt war lords collecting their reward for supporting Karzai's regime;
• There were consistent majorities opposing the war in the US and NATO countries.

This is why in the last few weeks there has been a concerted attempt to re-brand the war -- a make-over aimed at reviving Afghanistan as "the good war".

So we're told there's a new strategy, which will aim to protect the civilian population, rather than attack "insurgents".

According to military commanders, the war is being won, with the Taliban defeated in Helmand.

Supposedly "moderate" Taliban fighters will be paid a monthly stipend to stay at home. There is to be fast track training of the Afghan army and police, to enable Obama and Brown to meet their "exit strategy", which aims to start withdrawing troops in July 2011.

The 28 NATO soldiers killed in the past two weeks, the Taliban attack on Kabul on 18 January, the demonstrations against recent US attacks which were killed many civilians -- these are a reflection of the reality Brown's conference won't face: the Afghan people do not want to be occupied by foreign powers.

This why the Stop the War has called for a blockade of Lancaster House, where the conference is being held, giving voice to the majority of people in US, Britain, Germany, France and most of the 43 countries in the "coalition", who do not want more war, but all foreign troops to be brought home.

Blockade Gordon Brown's War Conference
Thursday 28 January 8.30am
Lancaster House, Stable Yard, St James's
London SW1A 1BB