Feast of innocents action

Catholic Workers mark "Feast of Innocents" at police siege of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

For radical Christians, the Christmas narrative can only be understood in the context of the "Feast of Innocents" that follows on Dec. 28th. The feast day exposes imperial power and its collaboraters, in this case King Herod, striking back when sensing the imperial arrangement threatened. The children slain by Herod are echoed today by those killed in U.S. and British drone strikes, the thousands who have died in the recent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and those threatened by the continual preparations for nuclear and interventionary war. There are also stories of heroic nonviolent resistance contained within the narrative. The Maji break Herod's injunction and refuse to return to him with targeting intel for his search and destroy mission against the Christ child. Today that resistance is echoed in the lives of Bradley Manning imprisoned in the U.S. facing military court martial and Julian Assange presently encircled by British police in the Ecuadoran embassy in downtown London. Bradley and Julian are being pursued by modern day Herods who would rather we were kept in the dark in relation to the nature of their murderous deeds.

In other news.... our latest newsletter has just been uploaded.

Report from last week's vigil

Twenty anti-war and solidarity activists gathered outside the U.S. embassy in London on Tuesday in solidarity with Bradley Manning. Those gathered included veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, former anti-war prisoners, members of Veterans for Peace, Catholic Worker, London Guantanamo Campaign, Pay Day Mens Network. Nationalities of the solidarity activists included Australian, Canadian, Chilean, Colombian, English, Irish, Italian, Latvian and U.S.

As the group stood in silence and the rain confronitng the U.S. embassy the soundtrack of the www.collateralmurder.com footage was amplified.[ photos | Video 1 | Video 2 ]

Manning faces a week long pre-trial hearing at Ft. Meade Maryland USA, in which he will speak publicly for the first time since his arrests 2 1/2 years ago. Manning faces 22 charges accused of releasing footage and cables of U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere to WikiLeaks in 2010. He was exposed to long months of torture at Quantico marine base in the hopes he would crack and implicate Julian Assange. Manning has refused to speak to investigators.

Bradley Manning Vigil coming up Tuesday 27 November

Join us from 2pm, Tuesday 27 November at the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square

On the opening day of Bradley Manning's latest motion hearing, the LCW will join with Veterans for Peace to play the complete audio track (40mins) of Collateral Murder at the US Embassy.Placards will be brought but please feel free to make or bring your own.

Nearest tube Bond Street. For info call Ben on 07866 559 312.