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ANTI-WAR protesters assembled outside Downing Street at the weekend to call on MPs to “do the right thing” in voting against air strikes on Islamic State (Isis) in Syria.
Actor Mark Rylance, musician Brian Eno, former Respect MP George Galloway and Labour MP Diane Abbott joined thousands of demonstrators urging the Commons to reject war when a vote is held.
Demonstrators held placards saying: “Don’t bomb Syria” and “don’t add fuel to the fire.”
The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) organised the traffic-stopping event after Tory Prime Minister David Cameron said he would call a vote on the RAF air strikes as soon as this week.
But Downing Street has said it’s not “putting a timetable on a vote” after Mr Cameron faced tricky questions over his plans from Labour leader and StWC vice-president Jeremy Corbyn and even senior Tory MPs.
Launching air strikes in Syria would “make all [Isis’s] dreams come true,” said Mr Eno.
Bombing Syria would trigger “angry and determined” militants to cause more death and destruction, and would “recruit more desperate young men” to Isis, Mr Rylance told the crowd.
He added: “We need to look more deeply at the causes rather than just blow the place to smithereens.”
Film-maker Ken Loach, comedian Frankie Boyle, Green MP Caroline Lucas, Mr Rylance and Mr Eno were some signatories of an open letter handed to Downing Street, arguing against Britain launching military action in Syria.
It says: “Far from tackling terrorism, the last fourteen years of war have seen massively increased jihadi terrorist organisation around the world.”
Mr Cameron had reportedly been contacting Labour MPs to persuade them to vote for the air strikes, shadow international development secretary Ms Abbott told the crowd.
She also said she was not convinced by the PM’s justifications for air strikes and used war-ravaged countries Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq as examples as to why Britain should not get involved again.
Ms Abbott added: “I believe and I hope under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Labour MPs in Parliament will do the right thing.”
Meanwhile, smaller anti-war protests were being staged at 20 locations across the country, including Bristol, Coventry, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Swansea and Norwich.
