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The Mirror NOVEMBER 26, 2015 - by Dan Bloom
FRANKIE BOYLE TELLS DAVID CAMERON "DON'T BOMB SYRIA"
...As twenty-five thousand prepare to protest at Downing Street: The outspoken comic is one of twenty-three people who have signed a letter begging the PM to block air strikes - with Jeremy Corbyn opposing bombing too
Frankie Boyle has joined musicians, writers, union chiefs and politicians telling David Cameron not to bomb Syria as twenty-five thousand protesters prepare to march on Westminster. The outspoken comic is one of twenty-three people who signed a letter begging the Prime Minister to block air strikes tonight after he warned Britain is under 'armed attack'.
Others include former Roxy Music star Brian Eno, Green MP Caroline Lucas, writer John Pilger and comedian Jeremy Hardy.
Their missive to Number 10 condemns the 'rush to bomb' and says wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have caused 'large scale casualties, devastating destruction and huge flows of refugees'.
And it declares: "Far from tackling terrorism, the last fourteen years of war have seen massively increased Jihadi terrorist organisation around the world."
The letter was organised by the Stop the War Coalition, which is organising a mass march on Westminster against bombing ISIS in Syria.
Some twenty-five thousand people have already expressed their interest in the protest, which will take place outside Downing Street from 12pm to 2pm this Saturday.
Tonight Jeremy Corbyn, who is rumoured to be attending the march, wrote to Labour MPs saying he will not be able to back the PM's seven-point plan for military action.
His move threw the party into turmoil, with several MPs poised to vote against their own leader when the shadow cabinet decides Labour's official policy on Monday.
He wrote: "I do not believe that the PM today made a convincing case that extending UK bombing to Syria would meet that crucial test. Nor did it satisfactorily answer the questions raised by us and the Foreign Affairs Committee.
"In particular, the PM did not set out a coherent strategy, coordinated through the UN for the defeat of ISIS."
THE LETTER IN FULL
Dear Prime Minister,
The current rush to bomb Syria following the terrible events in Paris risks a dangerous escalation which will inflame the war there and increase bitterness against the West. The US has been bombing Isis for a year and admits that Isis is as strong as ever and has continued recruiting.
The experience of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya shows that Western military interventions lead to large scale casualties, devastating destruction and huge flows of refugees.
Far from tackling terrorism, the last fourteen years of war have seen massively increased Jihadi terrorist organisation around the world.
Rather than ignoring this recent history by joining the long list of countries that have bombed Syria in the last year, we urge the government to stop arming reactionary and aggressive regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar that sponsor terrorist groups and look for political solutions as the only viable way to end the conflict.
Mark Rylance, Brian Eno, Frankie Boyle, John Pilger, Francesca Martinez, Jeremy Hardy, Caroline Lucas MP, Arthur Smith, Miriam Margolyes, John Hilary, Michael Rosen, Mark Serwotka, Tariq Ali, Victoria Britain, Manuel Cortez, Christine Shawcroft, Professor Ray Bush, David Gentleman, Lindsey German, Kate Hudson, Andrew Murray, Logic (musician), Professor John Kinsella
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