Troops Out demilitarisation call
At its Annual General Meeting last weekend, the Troops Out Movement (TOM) agreed to prioritise its ``Demilitarise Ireland Campaign'', which is supported by Tony Benn MP.
Ian Juniper, newly elected TOM national chairperson, said:
``The British government's emphasis on decommissioning of IRA weapons is a smokescreen, obscuring the true nature of the most heavily armed state in Western Europe. The only answer to a just and lasting peace is total demilitarisation, which means that Britain must withdraw all of its troops and military paraphernalia from the north of Ireland.''
Mary Pearson, TOM national secretary, said:
``We have produced an information leaflet on the level of armaments in the north of Ireland. It details British Army fortifications, personnel and weapons; the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) as a heavily armed police force; the British Navy and RAF presence and the 134,000 licensed weapons in unionist hands. We have also produced two petition postcards to be sent to Tony Blair and local MPs. We hope people will use the leaflets and postcards to put pressure on the government to allow the Irish people to determine their own future''
Information leaflets and postcards can be obtained from: PO Box 1032, Birmingham B12 8BZ. Tel/Fax: 0121 643 7542.
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