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Reuters. 15 March 2003. Pop stars say no to Iraq war at London concert. LONDON -- Some of the biggest names in pop voiced their anti-war protests at a concert in London on Saturday, though some acknowledged that war in Iraq looked imminent despite their efforts. The musicians, some wearing T-shirts with slogans such as "Don't attack Iraq" and "I'm hiding weapons of mass destruction," spoke out through their songs as well as in periodic blunt and colourful outbursts. Artists including Paul Weller, Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch, Beth Orton and Ronan Keating, performed at the small Shepherd's Bush Empire against the backdrop of a big television screen emblazoned with "One Big No." The music was interspersed with anti-war speeches by MP George Galloway and film director Ken Loach as well as poetry from Benjamin Zephaniah. Elton John and Yoko Ono were among those who sent video messages of support against a war. "I believe it will be like a Bali in every city in Iraq. Iraqi blood is not worth less than the blood of other people," said Galloway, referring to a bomb that killed more than 200 people on the Indonesian island in October. The artists' message seemed to have a powerful influence on the 2,000-strong sell-out crowd, said concert-goers. "The atmosphere was pretty subdued -- but then it was an anti-war concert," said one fan after the four-hour gig. Over the past few months a number of celebrities have taken a public stand against war, including an anti-war performance by R&B singer Ms Dynamite at the Brit music awards ceremony, where acceptance speeches were also peppered with anti-war statements. "If you've been on MTV half a dozen times then it seems your opinion matters slightly more than everybody else's -- it's a mad situation," said Faithless's Maxi Jazz, who performed an acoustic set at the concert. "But if that is the situation, I might as well use it to wake people up to the idea that there is no case for war whatsoever." The throng spilling out of the building at the end of the concert believed it had been a success, even if they thought a war was still inevitable. "We were all here for one reason," said one fan. "I do not know if we can stop it but saying something against it helps." The musicians performed for free and proceeds went to the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProletarianNews http://www.utopia2000.org --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bdn7KI.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html ==^================================================================
