25.07.2007

Welsh solidarity

Steve Cooke on the latest news from the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign

The last week has seen prominent figures in Welsh local government declaring their support for the Hands off the People of Iran campaign. These include Plaid Cymru councillors Darren Price (group leader, Swansea city and borough council), Meirion Hughes (Conwy county borough council), Michael Williams (Pembrokeshire county council), Gwyneth Thomas and Alan Speake (Carmarthenshire county council), Allan Pritchard (group deputy leader, Caerphilly county borough council) and his elected member colleagues John Evans, Colin Mann and Lindsay Whittle.

Also in Caerphilly, backing has come from Ray Davies, a Labour councillor and vice-chair of CND Cymru.

Green politicians have continued to sign up to Hopi, including the Green Party of England and Wales' chair and Rushcliffe borough councillor Richard Mallender and London borough of Lewisham councillors Mike Keogh and Sue Luxton. Among the other Green activists who have become signatories in the last week are Manchester branch chair Brian Candeland, Herefordshire branch secretary Anne Adams, Reading branch secretary Rob White and the party's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender group chair, Nigel Tart.

Hopi's already impressive list of academic supporters has been further strengthened by the addition of political scientist professor Stephen R Shalom (William Paterson University, New Jersey), philosopher professor Hartry Field (New York University) and geographer professor Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield).

Writer Ryta Lyndley and journalist Andy Worthington, author of forthcoming book The Guantánamo files, have also endorsed the campaign this week, as has the Socialist Alliance.

The campaign demands, to which all the above have signed up, are:

l No to imperialist war

l No to the theocratic regime

l The immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US-UK troops from the Gulf region

l Opposition to Israeli expansionism and aggression

l Support to all working class and progressive struggles in Iran against poverty and repression

l Support for socialism, democracy and workers' control in Iran

l For a nuclear-free Middle East in a nuclear-free world.

The full founding statement can be found on Hopi's website at www.hopoi.org.

If you would like to add your name to the list of supporters, you can access the sign-up via the website or by emailing your name, position/affiliation and contact details to office@hopoi.info.