Bridport Peace and Justice Group page1

Bridport Peace and Justice Group	The Bridport Peace and Justice Group exists to campaign for the practices and values of peace and justice and against abuses of them.
Peaceful and just approaches to problems	We support peaceful and just approaches to problems - in international relations, domestic politics, and day-to-day life. Unnecessary and pre-emptive wars are the most blatant of all abuses of peace and justice, and our group actively opposes them, especially the continuing war in Iraq.
The invasion of Iraq was a disastrous mistake	We are a diverse group of West Dorset residents who came together before the Iraq War because we shared a concern that our Government’s determination to encourage and join a U.S. invasion of Iraq was a disastrous mistake. We continue to believe that the Iraq War is a disaster.
Many experiences and beliefs help resolve conflicts and injustice	We do not represent any one religious belief or political point of view. Instead, the wide variety of experiences and beliefs among our membership goes some way to reflect the diversity among people, both in West Dorset and in the wider world. We hope this helps us to better understand many of the reasons for conflicts and injustice, and how these could be resolved. We know there is no simple answer to many conflicts, but the simple creed of seeking peace and justice in any conflict opens up the possibilities for satisfactory and sustainable solutions.
Peace is impossible without justice	We are convinced that peace and justice are inextricably interlinked, to the extent that peace is impossible without justice. We believe that there is a growing awareness that, although the world’s problems are complex, the world possesses the resources to provide for all its peoples to live in peace and plenty, and the Peace and Justice Group has a shared vision of this possibility.
Independent but part of the wider movement against the Iraq War and similar wars	We are a part of the wider movement against the Iraq War, and similar wars, but we do not owe any allegiance to any leader or organisation. We recognize the unique qualities of this movement – its mobilisation of the largest assemblies of people these islands have ever seen, and the fact that this opposition arose before the war. We regret that this display did not prevent either the invasion of Iraq or British participation in it, but we hope that it helped prevent the widening of the war to other targets that ill-advised but powerful politicians urged.
Raise awareness in West Dorset	We aim to raise awareness in West Dorset about the state of affairs in Iraq and other war-zones and potential war-zones, and how these wars are neither in the long-term nor underlying interest of people in West Dorset.
Question the rush to embrace war	We question the reasons why some Western leaders have rushed to embrace war and occupation.
A resource and focus for West Dorset residents to oppose warmongering	We hope both to convince a significant part of West Dorset opinion of the virtues of policies of peace and justice, and to provide a resource and focus for West Dorset residents already convinced of the desirability of peace and justice and the need to oppose warmongering.
Welcome support	We welcome the support and interest of anyone in West Dorset.

Local contact::::::::: David Partridge 01308 420 556