Campaigners say 'bombing is not the answer'

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group say 'bombing is not the answer'

Members of Rochdale Unison, Rochdale Green Party, the Littleborough branch of Rochdale Labour Party and Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group met outside Rochdale Town Hall on Saturday morning (28 November 2015) to urge Rochdale's MPs to reject the Conservative government's call for members of parliament to approve airstrikes against Syria.

The peace campaigners observed a minute's silence to remember the deaths of the tens of thousands killed in the war in Syria and the hundreds killed in recent atrocities in Beirut, in the Sinai and in Paris.

They unanimously endorsed the statement by Momentum Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton, published on Friday (27 November 2015), calling on Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk to oppose David Cameron's call for airstrikes when the question is debated in parliament.

Many of the group then travelled to central Manchester to join the Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition's rally and march against the bombing of Syria; one of many held throughout the country on Saturday.

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the group, said: "‘The grim atrocities carried out by the so-called Islamic State (IS)/Daesh have rightly shocked and repulsed the world, but heaping further atrocities onto the people of Syria cannot be the answer. Airstrikes inevitably result in the deaths of civilians; innocent children, women and men who have played no part in the actions of IS. Further bombing would not fix the problem, but bombing would expose us all to an even greater danger from terrorist attacks.

"The situation does not need more pointless retaliatory violence and yet more deaths. What is urgently needed is both humanitarian assistance for refugees, and agreements between key nations to ensure that the supply of weapons and money to IS is halted, that its oil is not bought and that its bank accounts are closed. This would be far more effective than a further fanning of the flames of violence.

"Our MPs need to act on the lessons of Iraq and Libya. Another disastrous and ill-conceived bombing campaign would only make the situation worse."