LFF speaks to Stop the War's Lindsey German on the US killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Anti-war campaigners have issued a stark warning over the US’ extra-judicial killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani – arguing we are at risk of a major war with global ramifications.
Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War (StW) coalition told Left Foot Forward that the movement behind the Iraq War protests in 2003 are planning a demonstration on Saturday against military conflict with Iran – and are considering a major national march in the next couple of weeks.
“[The killing] is an act of international terrorism – it is completely dangerous and will provoke reaction from Iran and Iraq too. We’ve already seen citizens in Iraq urged to leave, [Israel’s PM] Netanyahu returning back. Any escalation will involve a wide number of powers, including Russia, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.” German said she was ‘absolutely certain’ Iran will retaliate – potentially including US targets in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
The StW convener told LFF the conflict was ‘becoming global’. “You don’t want to look at the worst case, but you can see it potentially escalating very badly. There are still US troops in Iraq, other spots around the Middle East.”
“We’ve said for years that if this [situation in the Middle East] isn’t resolved it will come to war.”
Lindsey German accepted that the UK – who might normally support joint action with the US – are ‘extremely nervous’ at the situation knowing the risk of escalation, but added: “In the end they will come in behind the Americans – which will put the UK in danger, including British lives and troops at some point in the future. We have to learn the lessons from the last interventions.”
Asked to outline a resolution to the growing conflict, German called for a complete US withdrawal from the Middle East. “They may have no choice but to leave.” However, the US is stepping up its number of troops in the Middle East.
Iran’s military is ranked as the 14th most powerful in the world, with around 900,000 potential troops at its disposal.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP said:
“The US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani is an extremely serious and dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East with global significance.
“The UK government should urge restraint on the part of both Iran and the US, and stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the United States.
“All countries in the region and beyond should seek to ratchet down the tensions to avoid deepening conflict, which can only bring further misery to the region, 17 years on from the disastrous invasion of Iraq.”
Green MP Caroline Lucas said: “The assassination of General Soleimani is a hugely provocative act in a massively volatile region.”
Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.
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17 Responses to “As the US attacks Iran, are we at risk of a Third World War?”
Dave Roberts
In Stop the War and Respect Lindsey German dropped support for Gay and women’s rights to get support from Islamic extremists. She is disgusting.
Alice Aforethought
“Lindsey German dropped support for Gay and women’s rights to get support from Islamic extremists”
It’s that leftist top trumps again. She hates the west more than she hates heterosexuals, so she prefers Islamofascist support over LGBT. There’s no actual morality at work here, it’s all about who she hates most.
Michael McManus
In 1990 I lodged two Iraqi students who had been forced out of their university hall after the Kuwait invasion. Later I worked with GW1 Arab survivors of Iraqi and Palestinian atrocities, mass rapes requiring Islamic permission for mass abortions. It never occurred to any of us that the citizens of the region would do anything other than welcome liberation from tyrants and willingly embrace democracy. We really were completely ignorant of sectarian hatred between Shia and Sunni, and of the other groups. The point Nick makes above is down to that: whatever we do or not do is insignificant beside Islam’s historic hatreds. Even in the UK Muslims are more likely to be assaulted and murdered by their own faith than by anyone else. (The same applies in Israel as Maysaloun Hamoud’s film (In Between) showed. Naturally, she got a fatwa and death threats, proving her point).
Things are different in Iran, or Persia as exiles call it. They don’t give a damn for Islam there and have to be forced to conform. They have an earlier and intelligent religion with a morality that can be respected. There’s just a chance the regime will see it’s vulnerability and hold off. Trump has shown courage at last, listened to his military, and wiped the reputation for cowardice and appeasement that Obama’s BS left behind.
War, properly conducted, is the only way to peace as our defeat of fascism in Europe and Argentina, and the liberation of Kuwait showed. Trump should not wait for retaliation but press on and eliminate hezbollah and the RG entirely while getting weapons to Iranian dissidents if he can.
Joe
Well done Donald Trump.
Islamofascism is the biggest threat to the world today.
Tom Sacold
I find it rather odd that we have various Labour MPs and others on the left coming out in support of a regime that denies ordinary human rights to women and executes gay people !!!