Fw: Delegate returns from US peace walk with S11 family members

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

 Da: Stop the War Coalition [mailto:office@stopwar.org.uk]
 Inviato: mercoledì 16 gennaio 2002 10.55
 A: office@stopwar.org.uk
 Oggetto: Delegate returns from US peace walk with S11 family members


 Dear Friends,

 This message was sent to us a couple of days ago, and we felt it may be of
 interest to you.  The sender, Matt Barr, may be willing to speak at
meetings
 (his email address is below).

 In solidarity,

Ben Neal
 Stop the War Coalition


 -----Original Message-----
 From: Matt Barr [mailto:mattbarr9@hotmail.com]
 Sent: 12 January 2002 03:45
 To: office@stopwar.org.uk
 Subject: Delegate returns from US peace walk with S11 family members


 Dear Friends

 As a member of Chichester Stop the War Coalition I have recently returned
 from the United States where I participated in a walk for 'Healing and
 Peace' with family members of the vicitims of September 11th who are
calling
 for an end to the war in Afghanistan and the prevention of the war on
terror
 migrating further into other countries.

 Prior to the beginning of the military action in Afghanistan these family
 members had issued statements calling for peaceful non-voilent solutions to
 the atrocities of September 11th that took the lives of their loved ones.
 Their testomies can be summerised as 'Our Grief is Not a Cry For War' and
it
 was this banner that we walked behind from Washington DC to New York City.

 These family members, who I befriended while in America, showed great
 strenght and determination in issuing these statements at a period when the
 America media wasn't interested in solutions other than those of military
 might. These people stood up for what they believed in and while I was in
 America their message was incredably well recieved, tens of thousands of
 people responded in appause and agreement to this message and this
movement.
 It is therefore my intention to communicate their message as I expericence
 it to further sow the seeds of hope and forgiveness that they where
 spreading and continue to spread. There is a strong and ever increasing
 peaceful resisitance to the war on terror in America and it is my feeling
 that such a message needs to be further communicated along with the
 testomies of the family members of victims of Sept.11th. I am therefore
 offering to come and speak at any oppertunity that might arise so that
 people can hear the side of the story the American and British press are
 failing to portray, that of the victims who want peace. If at any time you
 feel as though it might be beneficial for me to speak at a meeting or event
 then please feel able and free to contact me.

 A number of family members of victims are leaving today on a delegation to
 Afghanistan to participate in a victims to victims exchange, visiting and
 spending time with those who have lost loved ones as a result of the war in
 Afghanistan, one of the participants was on the walk.

 I was the only non American to participate on the walk in it's entirety so
 therefore feel obliged to communicate this message further, it's a message
 of great hope and a message I feel should be heard world wide.

 Additional testomies and coverage of the walk can be found at www.vitw.org

 Subseqent to being in America I participated in a continuing delegation to
 Iraq which served as both a sanctions breaking delegation and a peace
 mission to bring back the stories of those already affected by US/UK
bombing
 and those at risk from further bombings in the extention on the war on
 terror.

 If any military actions is about to occur in Iraq then I shall return there
 in solidarity with the people of Iraq and to witness the attacts and there
 effects to provide a 'real' perspective of the effects of the warfare on
 ordinary people.

 Again, please feel free to contact me, I feel as though the experience I
had
 meeting and living with the family members were ones of great postivity and
 hope.

 In peace

 Matt Barr