NEWS
1. Strasbourg rally: Victory will be of Öcalan’s children
2. Turkmen fighter: We are defending Afrin together
3. Turkey Carried Out Gas Attack in Afrin: YPG Kurds, Syrian Gov’t
4. Turkey hits Kurds with toxic gas, 6 civilians injured – reports
5. Turkey sentences journalists to life in jail over coup attempt
6. Turkey denies release request from former head of pro-Kurdish party: party official
7. Afrin-Related Detention Tally: 474 on Social Media, 192 on the Street
8. Freedom for Ocalan Committee: Ocalan must be free
9. Police Operation Against “End War” Declaration in Hatay
10. Over 1,000 Kurds march in protest from Lausanne to Geneva
11. Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party replaces jailed chief
12. Afrin Day 24: Turkey warns of total breakdown in US relations
13. Turkey launches investigation into new pro-Kurdish leader
14. Afrin: Five kilometers on five fronts in four weeks
15. ‘No problem’ if Damascus fights Turkey: Syria Kurds
16. Soccer: Turkey bans German-Kurdish player for life over ‘ideological propaganda’
17. Kurdish women occupy Tory HQ as UK-armed ally slaughters more children [TWEETS]
18. Never Again, and Other Empty Promises
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. KRG delegation arrives in Afrin as Turkey offensive softens Kurdish split
2. The world’s most progressive democracy is being born. Don’t let it get strangled
3. Belgium’s supreme court reversal may open prosecutions of suspected PKK members
4. Turkey: International Observers Denied Access to Demirtas’ Trial As Arrests and Detentions
5. Utopia disrupted: Turkey’s assault on Kurdish-held Afrin
6. Meet America’s Syrian Allies Who Helped Defeat ISIS
7. When bully boys dictate the West’s agenda, Turkey invades Syria with impunity
8. Kurdish-speaking anarchist forum (KAF): call for solidarity against the war
9. Turkey’s attack on Afrin
10. Kurdish Women Fighters: A Path Out of Patriarchy?
11. ROJAVA: ROAD TO KURDISH MOTHERLAND
STATEMENTS
1. Statement to mark the 19th Anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan’s abduction.
2. On the 19th anniversary of his abduction we demand: Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan. International Initiative
DOCUMENTS
1. THE ATTACKS ON AFRIN TARGET WOMEN’S LIBERATION AND DEMOCRATIC
2. War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, in Flagrant Violation of the Rules of International Law
ALTERNATIVES
3. Defend the People of Afrin Platform Letter Delivered to New Scotland Yard on 14 February 2018
EVENTS
1. SOLIDARITY WITH JAILED KURDISH MAYORS AND COUNCILLORS! DEFEND LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY
2. BOOK LAUNCH: WHAT’S WRONG WITH RIGHTS? SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, LAW AND LIBERAL IMAGINATIONS
————————————————————————————
NEWS
1. Strasbourg rally: Victory will be of Öcalan’s children
18 February/ANF News
In Strasbourg, tens of thousands of people demonstrated for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and against the Turkish military invasion of Afrin.
https://anfenglish.com/news/strasbourg-rally-victory-will-be-of-Oecalan-s-children-24996
2. Turkmen fighter: We are defending Afrin together
19 February/ANF News
Arabs, Turkmens, Ezidis and Alevis are on the frontlines alongside the Kurds in the defense of Afrin. One of the Turkmen fighters, Kawa Welat says; “We built a life together with the Kurds, Arabs and other folks. Now we are defending it together.”
https://anfenglish.com/rojava/turkmen-fighter-we-are-defending-afrin-together-25007
3. Turkey Carried Out Gas Attack in Afrin: YPG Kurds, Syrian Gov’t
17 February/Telesur
Medical sources told Syrian state media and an opposition monitoring group that at least six people suffered choking after Turkish shelling of a village.
Syrian Kurdish forces said the Turkish military carried out a suspected gas attack that wounded six people in Syria’s Afrin region Friday.
Birusk Hasaka, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, told Reuters that Turkish bombardment hit a village in the northwest of the region, near the Turkish border. He said it caused six people to suffer breathing problems and other symptoms indicative of a gas attack.
https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Turkey-Carried-Out-Gas-Attack-in-Afrin-YPG-Kurds-Syrian-Govt-20180217-0001.html
4. Turkey hits Kurds with toxic gas, 6 civilians injured – reports
16 February/RT
Turkish forces engaged in Operation Olive Branch against Kurdish militias in the northwest of Syria have used gas, Syrian state media SANA reports. At least six civilians have been hospitalized.
https://www.rt.com/news/419060-turkey-afrin-kurds-toxic-gas/
5. Turkey sentences journalists to life in jail over coup attempt
16 February/The Guardian
A Turkish court has sentenced six defendants, including three prominent journalists, to life in prison over allegations of involvement in a 2016 coup attempt, drawing fierce condemnation from the UN and press freedom advocates.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/16/turkey-sentences-six-journalists-life-imprisonment-failed-coup
6. Turkey denies release request from former head of pro-Kurdish party: party official
16 February/Reuters
ANKARA (Reuters) – A Turkish court on Friday denied a request from the former head of the pro-Kurdish opposition to be released from jail while his terrorism trial continues, an official for Selahattin Demirtas’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-kurds/turkey-denies-release-request-from-former-head-of-pro-kurdish-party-party-official-idUSKCN1G01L5
7. Afrin-Related Detention Tally: 474 on Social Media, 192 on the Street
19 February/Bianet
The Ministry of the Interior Media and Public Relations Department has announced that 474 people who have made social media posts on the Olive Branch offensive have been detained.
http://bianet.org/english/law/194242-afrin-related-detention-tally-474-on-social-media-192-on-the-street
8. Freedom for Ocalan Committee: Ocalan must be free
15 February/ANF News
The committee held a press conference in Sulaymaniyah on the 19th anniversary of the international plot against Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan.
https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/freedom-for-ocalan-committee-ocalan-must-be-free-24947
9. Police Operation Against “End War” Declaration in Hatay
19 February/Bianet
Multiple people’s places of residence, including that of Human Rights Association (İHD) Branch Head Mithat Can, were raided in Hatay. Can, aged 73, was detained and taken to Hatay Security Directorate’s Anti-Terror Department.
http://bianet.org/english/human-rights/194263-police-operation-against-end-war-declaration-in-hatay
10. Over 1,000 Kurds march in protest from Lausanne to Geneva
12 February/Swiss info
Around 1,200 Kurds began a protest march in Lausanne on Monday against the Turkish bombing of Afrine, a Kurdish enclave in Syria. The group will walk in several stages to Geneva, where they plan a demonstration in front of the UN Palais des Nations.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/syria-bombings_over-1-000-kurds-march-in-protest-from-lausanne-to-geneva–/43894568
11. Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party replaces jailed chief
11 February/France 24
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has kicked off a congress on Sunday to elect two new leaders, one of whom will replace its charismatic jailed co-chief Selahattin Demirtas, ahead of elections in 2019.
http://www.france24.com/en/20180211-turkeys-selahattin-demirtas-pro-kurdish-party-replace-jailed-chief
12. Afrin Day 24: Turkey warns of total breakdown in US relations
12 February/Ahval News
Hundreds of soldiers of the Turkish military and Free Syrian Army (FSA) have died since Turkey began an offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria three weeks ago, Al-Masdar News (AMN) said. The total death toll is approaching 200, data from Syrian opposition-leaning war monitoring groups showed, according to the media group, known to be close to the Syrian government.
https://ahvalnews.com/us-turkey/afrin-day-24-turkey-warns-total-breakdown-us-relations
13. Turkey launches investigation into new pro-Kurdish leader
12 February/Reuters
A Turkish prosecutor launched a terrorism investigation into the new co-leader of the pro-Kurdish opposition on Monday, a day after she was elected, accusing her of speaking against Turkey’s offensive in Syria.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-kurds-investigation/turkey-launches-investigation-into-new-pro-kurdish-leader-idUSKBN1FW1AB
14. Afrin: Five kilometers on five fronts in four weeks
17 February/ANF News
The Turkish state wanted to conquer the northern Syrian canton of Afrin within three days with the “Operation Olive Branch”. After four weeks, the invasion operation remains stuck in the border area.
https://anfenglish.com/rojava/afrin-five-kilometers-on-five-fronts-in-four-weeks-24975
15. ‘No problem’ if Damascus fights Turkey: Syria Kurds
12 February/Daily Star Lebanon
Syria’s Kurds said Monday they have “no problem” if the regime in Damascus intervenes on their side to help push back an assault by Turkey in the Afrin region. Ankara has been waging an offensive against Syria’s Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia in the frontier region since Jan. 20.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2018/Feb-12/437813-no-problem-if-damascus-fights-turkey-syria-kurds.ashx
16. Soccer: Turkey bans German-Kurdish player for life over ‘ideological propaganda’
30 January/Reuters
A German-Kurdish player previously convicted of support for Kurdish separatists in Turkey has been banned for life, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Tuesday. Deniz Naki, 28, was banned from all competitive games for three years and six months and charged 273,000 liras ($72,000) for “separatist and ideological propaganda”, the TFF said. Procedurally, any suspension longer than three years in Turkey constitutes a life ban, meaning Naki will not be able to play soccer in the country again.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-turkey-security/soccer-turkey-bans-german-kurdish-player-for-life-over-ideological-propaganda-idUSKBN1FJ1SO
17. Kurdish women occupy Tory HQ as UK-armed ally slaughters more children [TWEETS]
17 February/The Canary
A group of Kurdish women occupied Conservative Party headquarters in London to protest against the British government’s supply of arms to NATO-member Turkey. Since 19 January Ankara has aerial bombed the mainly Kurdish populated province of Afrin (northern Syria) with many civilans, including children, killed or injured in the onslaught.
https://www.thecanary.co/global/2018/01/30/kurdish-women-occupy-tory-hq-uk-armed-ally-slaughters-children-tweets/
18. Never Again, and Other Empty Promises
19 February/Washington Kurdish Institute
The international community has a remarkable ability to empathize with victims of tragedies. “Never Again” has become a calling card since the Second World War, an echo of an empty promise invoked every time another set of victims is produced. The world pats itself on the back as it comes together in a moment of collective horror at human cruelty. We sigh in unity, wipe our tears away, and declare that this will never be allowed to happen again. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
http://dckurd.org/2018/02/08/never-again-and-other-empty-promises/
OPINION, COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS
1. KRG delegation arrives in Afrin as Turkey offensive softens Kurdish split
18 February/Al Monitor
Kurdish disunity is cited as one of the main reasons the world’s largest people without a country, as the Kurds are often described, still don’t have one. The Iraqi Kurds’ failed referendum on independence in September, which saw one group cooperate with Baghdad against the other, was the most recent and damning example of how a lust for power can trump the collective Kurdish good. So when a delegation of Iraqi Kurds from rival political parties arrived in the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin to show solidarity with their cousins facing a Turkish siege, a groundswell of euphoria erupted.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/02/kurdish-disunity-nation.html#ixzz57PbOz3Ci
2. The world’s most progressive democracy is being born. Don’t let it get strangled
12 February/CNN
We are only three weeks into the invasion of Afrin in Northern Syria by Turkey and their quislings in the Free Syrian Army, a dangerous turn for the Syrian civil war, and yet it no longer features on our front pages and television news.
http://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/12/opinions/worlds-most-progressive-democracy-born-dont-let-turkey-strange-it-opinion-gupta/index.html
3. Belgium’s supreme court reversal may open prosecutions of suspected PKK members
14 February/Middle East Eye
Belgium’s supreme court has overturned an unprecedented ruling by an appeal court that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is a party to an armed conflict rather than a terrorist organisation. The judgment on Tuesday by the Court of Cassation, which is Belgium’s highest court, is likely to be welcomed by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had strongly criticised the appeal court in September when it threw out the prosecution case against 33 Kurds living in Belgium and two Kurdish-language TV stations based in Belgium.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/belgiums-supreme-court-overturns-ruling-paving-way-pkk-prosecutions-2037950953
4. Turkey: International Observers Denied Access to Demirtas’ Trial As Arrests and Detentions Continue
16 February/International Law Bureau
Myself and the other international observers were in a sombre mood as we boarded the bus that would take us to the Sincan prison court so we could watch the trial of Selahattin Demirtas. This was due to developments in Turkey over the past few days and most of us expected that, despite assurances given to us last December, we would not be granted admission to the trial.
http://www.internationallawbureau.com/index.php/turkey-international-observers-denied-access-to-demirtas-trial-as-arrests-and-detentions-continue/
5. Utopia disrupted: Turkey’s assault on Kurdish-held Afrin
29 February/New Internationalist
On 20 January, the Turkish state and pro-Turkish Free Syrian Army (FSA) troops launched a cross-border military operation on the majority Kurdish region of Afrin in north western Syria. This invasion into another country is a blatant violation of international law and happens with little scrutiny even as the international community watches. Moreover, this declaration of war constitutes an atrocity against the same people that have formed the first line in the fight against ISIS fascism, while building a democratic, secular, gender-egalitarian shelter for all communities amid war.
https://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2018/01/29/turkey-assault-afrin
6. Meet America’s Syrian Allies Who Helped Defeat ISIS
17 February/The new York Times
The large section of northeastern Syria once occupied by the Islamic State is now a rare safe area in the war-ravaged country, thanks to an American-backed coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The coalition’s fighters, who with American help drove the Islamic State from the region, are Arabs and Kurds, men and women, young and old. Many are veterans of multiple battles and have been wounded, but returned to the fight again and again. Here are a few of them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/world/middleeast/syria-kurds-islamic-state-manbij.html
7. When bully boys dictate the West’s agenda, Turkey invades Syria with impunity
31 January/Open Democracy
On 19 January, Kurdish people and their supporters stood outside the Turkish embassy in London denouncing Turkey as a fascist state because it had begun cross-border shelling of Afrin, a predominantly Kurdish area, in Northern Syria. An invasion was imminent. Sure enough, as expected, a day later on 20 January, Turkey invaded. In London since then there have been demonstrations outside Downing Street, the Russian embassy, a march from the BBC to Trafalgar Square and a group of Kurdish women even occupied the Conservative Party HQ on 29 January to protest against the sale of arms to Turkey.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/rahila-gupta/when-bully-boys-dictate-west-s-agenda-turkey-invades-syria-with-impu
8. Kurdish-speaking anarchist forum (KAF): call for solidarity against the war
31 January/A-Infos
No to war, No to dictators and States, No to corporations, No to religions, No to nationalism! —- Dear Anarchist Comrades wherever you are, —- We, anarchists stress that we are against war, against military attacks and militias. We are strongly against killing civilians and launching attacks against villages, towns and cities killing innocent people discriminating and destroying their places. —- We believe neither any states nor any groups have the right to attack anybody else on the grounds of religion, nationality, land disputes and others. We believe whatever the justification is for attacking and launching wars are simply against freedom and humanity. —- Our attitude and position against the current war that the State of Turkey has launched on Afrin, the rest of Rojava and its citizens is not because we are Kurdish or Kurdish-speaking. We are against all wars as a matter of principle in all corners of the world.
http://ainfos.ca/en/ainfos36475.html
9. Turkey’s attack on Afrin
15 February/Revolutionary Communist Group
On 20 January 2018 Turkey launched an unprovoked attack on Afrin in northern Syria when 72 Turkish jets bombarded towns and villages. This was followed with a ground invasion by the Turkish army and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) auxiliaries. By 26 January over 50 civilians were reported killed by Turkish shelling and air strikes. However, the predominantly Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) mounted fierce resistance, inflicting casualties on the Turkish forces. Cigdem Dogu, of the Kurdistan Women’s Communities, warned that the war on Afrin would be Turkey’s Vietnam and end President Erdogan’s rule: ‘He has ordered his own death. It will be the will of the peoples who will fight and who will prevail, not his advanced technology.’
http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/middle-east/turkey/5095-ta150218
10. Kurdish Women Fighters: A Path Out of Patriarchy?
12 February/LSE Middle East Centre
Over the last three decades, tens of thousands of women have joined the ranks of the PKK and its affiliated organisations. What factors explain their violent mobilisation despite life-threatening risks? Building on a unique dataset of more than 9,000 militant bios and in-depth interviews with the families of militants, Güneş Murat Tezcür argues that gender inequality directly influences women’s decisions to take up arms, believing that doing so provides them with a path out of patriarchal gender relations. Recorded on 7 February 2018.
https://soundcloud.com/lsemiddleeastcentre/lse-tezcur?utm_source=LSE+Middle+East+Centre+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=2786500775-Masculinities+in+the+MENA&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_79ca332e34-2786500775-318659109
11. ROJAVA: ROAD TO KURDISH MOTHERLAND
17 February/The Pioneer
The long struggle of over 14.5 million Kurds for an independent homeland has reached a turning point as the ISIS ’ diabolical empire is on the verge of extinction in West Asia and “Rojava” or “the land where the sun sets”, an autonomous region in the Northern Turkey, is emerging as Kurds’ future country.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/oped/rojava-road-to-kurdish-motherland.html
STATEMENTS
1. Statement to mark the 19th Anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan’s abduction.
15 February/Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
The 15 February 2018 marks another year since Abdullah Ocalan lost his freedom. It is now 19 years since Turkey abducted and detained the Kurdish leader.
Over the intervening years Ocalan has become a living legend; his status and influence have grown considerably despite his imprisonment and isolation.
Physically he has been denied a voice and isolated, removed totally from all contact with the world and his people, refused even the briefest private communications with his closest family.
Turkey has sought to destroy the movement by destroying the man. Both these aims have failed utterly.
Ocalan’s influence has indeed grown year by year. The longer he is detained the greater his influence and strength. Despite Turkey’s attempts to have him silenced, he has given a voice to the Kurds, a voice which has grown ever louder.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/statement-to-mark-the-19th-anniversary-of-abdullah-ocalans-abduction/
2. On the 19th anniversary of his abduction we demand: Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan. International Initiative
15 February/Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
What is happening in Afrîn at the moment?
The Turkish army together with jihadi mercenaries has invaded the North Syrian canton Afrin. Afrin was one of the few regions in Syria where there was no fighting. Now the Turkish army is massacring defenders and civilians in violation of international law and human rights. The European states are silently approving of the invasion.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/on-the-19th-anniversary-of-his-abduction-we-demand-freedom-for-abdullah-ocalan/
DOCUMENTS
1. THE ATTACKS ON AFRIN TARGET WOMEN’S LIBERATION AND DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVES
12 February/Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
On the night before January 20, 2018, the Turkish military and its jihadist allies jointly attacked the Afrin canton. The Turkish army calls this war of aggression “Operation Olive Branch” and claims to defend itself from attacks. International lawyers disagree and in fact, the opposite is the case. In 2017 alone [see attachment 2: chronology of Turkish attacks on Afrin 2017], the Turkish military attacked the area around the northwestern corner of Syria at least dozen times with artillery in order to provoke a war. In this sense, the beginning of the attacks on January 20 was not unexpected but rather planned long ahead of time.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2018/02/12/the-attacks-on-afrin-target-womens-liberation-and-democratic-alternatives/
2. War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, in Flagrant Violation of the Rules of International Law
The security requirements of public order are not inconsistent with the rules of international law, which governs the conduct of public and military operations. However, such laws cannot be invoked to justify security-related acts if human rights and the sovereignty of a state are violated, especially by neighbouring countries. Respect for the rules of international law during armed conflicts requires all states concerned to implement these laws to contribute to the cessation of unjustifiable hostilities.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2018/02/05/war-crimes-against-humanity-in-flagrant-violation-of-the-rules-of-international-law/
3. Defend the People of Afrin Platform Letter Delivered to New Scotland Yard on 14 February 2018
16 February//Peace in Kurdistan Campaign
It is an appalling injustice that the Kurdish community in the UK is being subjected to severe harassment under Terrorism legislation through night raids, port stops, questioning by MI5, and disproportionate and violent policing of demonstrations, despite the tireless campaigns that we have organised over the years against ISIS terrorism.
https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2018/02/16/defend-the-people-of-afrin-platform-letter-delivered-to-new-scotland-yard-on-14-february-2018/
EVENTS
1. SOLIDARITY WITH JAILED KURDISH MAYORS AND COUNCILLORS! DEFEND LOCAL DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY
More than 100 elected mayors have been imprisoned in the mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey. It’s part of an attack on the rights of local people, in a region of more than 6 million, to democratically control their local authorities: a right enshrined in the European Charter of Local Self-Government, to which Turkey is a signatory. This usurpation of democracy was not even approved by the Turkish Parliament. Instead President Erdogan used emergency powers to issue Decree No 674, amounting to a de-facto annulment of the 2014 local elections..
Monday 26th February, 18:00-21:00 hrs
Committee Room 2, City Hall, London SE1 2AA
http://www.kurdishprogress.org/solidarity_with_jailed_kurdish_mayors_and_councillors_defend_local_democracy_in_turkey?utm_campaign=event_26_feb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=kurdishprogress
2. BOOK LAUNCH: WHAT’S WRONG WITH RIGHTS? SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, LAW AND LIBERAL IMAGINATIONS
The Law and Theory Lab at Westminster Law School invites you to a lively discussion by an exciting and diverse panel of speakers from social movements, the legal profession and rights scholars to celebrate the launch of their new publication What’s Wrong With Rights? Social Movements, Law and Liberal Imaginations.
Date:27 February 2018
Time:6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location:128 Theobalds Rd, London WC1X 8TN
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-whats-wrong-with-rights-social-movements-law-and-liberal-imaginations-tickets-42652850825
Peace in Kurdistan
Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question
Email: estella24@tiscali.co.uk
www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com
Contacts Estella Schmid 020 7586 5892 & Melanie Gingell – Tel: 020 7272 7890
Fax: 020 7263 0596
Patrons: John Austin, Christine Blower, NUT International Secretary, Prof Bill Bowring, Julie Christie, Noam Chomsky, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Prof Mary Davis, Lord Dholakia, Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director, Jill Evans MEP, Lindsey German, Convenor STWC, Melanie Gingell, Rahila Gupta, Nick Hildyard, Dafydd Iwan, Former President Plaid Cymru, James Kelman, Bruce Kent, Jean Lambert MEP, Elfyn Llwyd, Aonghas MacNeacail, Scottish Gaelic poet, Mike Mansfield QC, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, GFTU, Dr. Jessica Ayesha Northey, International Coordinator, Green Party of England and Wales;; Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy, Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Kate Osamor MP, Margaret Owen OBE, Gareth Peirce, Maxine Peake, Lord Rea, Joe Ryan, Stephen Smellie, Steve Sweeney, Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Dr Tom Wakeford, Dr Derek Wall, Julie Ward MEP, Hywel Williams MP.