Norwich Green Party Press Contact:
Adrian Ramsay
01603
503607
media@norwichgreenparty.org
Green Party Euro-MP Jean Lambert
is visiting Norwich to speak in an anti-war rally at UEA. The rally is at 6pm
on Friday 7th February in Lecture Theatre 2.
Jean Lambert, Green Euro-MP, said: "No-one is denying that Saddam is a brutal tyrant who fails to respect the human rights of Iraqis. But it is the Iraqi people who will pay the price of military action with their lives. The cost of the war is unjustifiable - the money set to be spent would be enough to guarantee the water supply in the world's poorest countries or go a long way to relieving the debt of developing nations.
"I hope that many people from Norwich will join me at the Stop the War Coalition's national demonstration in central London on 15th February to keep up the pressure on Blair to back down from this illegal, immoral and counter-productive military misadventure."
Fellow Green MEP Caroline Lucas is currently heading
a European Parliament-sponsored peace delegation to Iraq, just days after the
Brussels Parliament voted to oppose military action.
Adrian Ramsay, postgraduate
student at UEA and prospective Green Party candidate for Henderson ward, added:
"The Green Party believes that a war on Iraq would be counter productive.
There is no guarantee of toppling the Iraqi regime - only that a large number
of civilians would be killed or injured and that the risk of larger scale conflict
would be heightened.
More effective action would be for the Government to end
sanctions on Iraq, which have for a decade had a crippling effect on the country's
civilians, and to stop the sale of arms abroad.
"This rally will show the strength of feeling against the war at UEA, which is reflected in the city and in the country as a whole. I look forward to a peaceful mass demonstration on 15th February which will send a strong message to Tony Blair that this war is unnecessary and dangerous."
NOTES
1. The other speakers at the rally are David Seddon (Professor of Development Studies), Bishir Faris (Iraqi economist) and Father John Shannon (Catholic Priest). This rally is open to the UEA and Norwich public and the media and will call upon people to attend the anti-war demonstration in London on 15th February.
2. Jean Lambert MEP will also be launching the Green Party's petition in support of the Friends of the Earth campaign to make Norfolk GM-Free. There is a photo opportunity with Green Party Councillors and members from Norwich at County Hall, Martineau Lane at 5:15pm on Friday 7th February.
3. Photos of Jean Lambert and Adrian Ramsay are available on request from media@norwichgreenparty.org
Norwich Green Party Press Contact: Adrian Ramsay: (01603) 503607; media@norwichgreenparty.org
Green Party City Councillor for Henderson Ward: Steve Land: (01603) 505207 / 212969; steve.land@norwichgreenparty.org
Office of Green Euro-MP Jean Lambert: 020 7407 6269; jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk
*END OF NEWS RELEASE*