US musicians have been lending their support to the anti-war movement through an advert in the New York Times. Jay-Z, Nas, Missy Elliott, Dave Matthews, Brian Eno, REM, Sonic Youth, Natalie Imbruglia, Outkast and Lou Reed were among the artists who put their name to an open letter under the headline 'War On Iraq Is Wrong And We Know It'. The letter says: "Don't let Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld drown out the voices of reason - disarm Iraq with tough inspections."
The ad was organised by 'Musicians United to Win Without War', an organisation founded by former Talking Heads leader David Byrne and rap impresario Russell Simmons and described by its founders as "a loose coalition of contemporary musicians who feel that in the rush to war by the Bush administration the voices of reason and debate have been trampled and ignored".
Announcing the campaign Simmons told reporters: "Iraq's been contained for 12 years. Hundreds of thousands don't have to die. Stand up, demonstrate, and have your voice heard."