Vote to bomb Syria: first reactions from peace groups

Peace campaigners across the UK have expressed their grave concern over last night's vote in the House of Commons to extend air strikes to ISIS targets in Syria. The vote was 397 for and 223 votes against taking action in Syria.

Quakers in Britain opposed the vote. Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain said: "Bombing is no solution. Quakers work faithfully for peace, not war, respecting the value of all human life and we deplore a decision which will lead to lives being lost.

"Quakers call for a creative nonviolent response, respecting the humanity of all in the region. Bombing and continued arms sales only fuel the war and lead more people into the hands of extremists. Invest in peace, not war."

Andrew Murray and Lindsey German from Stop the War Campaign said: "The Stop the War Coalition believes that the decision taken by MPs tonight is profoundly mistaken and dangerous. The prime minister made no good case for war, and his abuse of those who differ as "terrorist sympathisers"gives a measure of his small-mindedness. There is no good case for British airstrikes in a war which is already seeing the two major military powers, the US and Russia, bombing Syria. A new war will not increase the prospects of peace in Syria, nor will the British people be safer from terrorism. And the record of two years'bombing of IS in Iraq shows that it will not be dislodged by a great-power air war.

We are pleased that a large majority of Labour MPs voted with their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to oppose this Tory war. However, we feel the speeches and votes of pro-war Labour MPs shows how little they understand the lessons of Iraq and other previous wars. Like the Bourbons they have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. None of the wars launched by the UK and US from Afghanistan in 2001, through Iraq in 2003 to Libya in 2011, has yet ended. Millions still suffer from those decisions -today's vote will add millions more.

Stop the War condemns the whining complaints from those MPs who apparently do not like being lobbied.If an MP is not robust enough to withstand emails and tweets, they should really not be voting for bombing other people -those who wish to be alone with their consciences would do better to consider a life of religious contemplation.

Stop the War will continue to hold to democratic account all those MPs who vote for war.

We commend Jeremy Corbyn for his leading opposition to war. Stop the War will continue to support him in every way that we can. Public opinion is
already turning against this latest war, and we feel that more and more people will see what a mistake it is in the weeks and months to come."