Message from the Stop the War Coalition about their National Day of Action Tomorrow

Stop the War Coalition sent me this email this afternoon giving the details about the protests they’ve organised up and down the country as part of a day of action tomorrow, Saturday 25th June 2022.

‘International Day of Action – Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the International Day of Action for Peace in Ukraine. It also coincides with Armed Forces Day and the NATO Summit in Madrid where global leaders will discuss upping the alliance’s ante in response to Ukraine.

That means we must step up our campaign too. Tomorrow is the anti-war’s opportunity to get out onto the streets and say loud and clear No To War & No To NATO. 

The British government has taken one of the most aggressive and belligerent positions on the conflict. Britain is pouring arms into Ukraine and is training Ukrainian troops. Boris Johnson has twice flown to Kyiv to pour cold water on any prospect of peace negotiations. Our focus has to stay on shifting British government policy and opening up prospects for a negotiated end to the war. 

In London we are holding a protest tomorrow outside the Ministry of Defence. We will be there from 2:00-4:00 pm. Do join us.

We have a great line-up of speakers including: Mohammad Asif, Director of Afghan Human Rights Foundation; Alex Gordon, President of RMT; Lindsey German, Convenor StWC; Andrew Murray, Vice President StWC; Roger McKenzie, Liberation general secretary; Kate Hudson, CND general secretary; and musician Sean Taylor.

Join the Protest Tomorrow

And, it’s not just London… The anti- war movement is growing all over the UK. We have a record number of groups up and down the country organising on a local level, from Dorset to Manchester, Sheffield to Shrewsbury!

Get along down to your local event. Find the FULL list and details by clicking below. 

Protests Around the Country

We are asking all groups to report back on how it went. So please do send us pictures and a few sentences about your Day of Action by emailing us back so we can include yours in our roundup.

.Email us Back!‘

Their email also discusses a new pamphlet available from the Coalition against NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion. This helped to provoke Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, although that certainly doesn’t it excuse his invasion.

‘NATO; A WAR ALLIANCE – NEW PAMPHLET!

Get your pamphlet – newly updated for 2022 today.

The events of 2022 have put the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and its policies under the spotlight more than at any time in the post-Cold War period. The brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February forced many to reflect on the effect of NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion. Though it does not excuse Russia, there is no doubting that it has contributed to the current dangerous situation the world finds itself in.

Featuring contributions from Andrew Murray, Lindsey German, Kate Hudson, Chris Nineham, Carol Turner, Matt Willgress and Jenny Clegg.

Get your pamphlet Today!‘

Stop the War Coalition on Ukraine as a Proxy War between NATO and Russia

I had this email yesterday from the Stop the War Coalition analysing the West’s arming of Ukraine as turning it into a proxy war between NATO and Russia, and warning once again of the dangers of nuclear war.

‘When the war in Ukraine began our abject government made two points. One, to claim wrongly that the war had nothing to do with NATO expansion and two, to argue that while it would arm Ukraine and sanction Russia, there was no question of direct intervention.

Now, it’s a different story. With the supposedly secret trip to Kyiv by Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin at the weekend the war is clearly developing into a proxy war between Russia and NATO.

Read & Share Lindsey German’s Latest Article

Western weapons have flowed into Ukraine with the US government now having sent $3billion of weapons along with huge shipments from various NATO countries, including our own.

Those who urge the supply of weapons to end the war may do with the best intentions, but the effect is likely to be the opposite. It will prolong the war and increases all the dangers of further escalation.

Russia is the aggressor and should withdraw its troops. The war is between two sovereign if unequal states but is fast becoming a direct war between NATO and Russia. This is becoming clearer by the day and creates the most dangerous situation internationally since WW2.

Join Our International Day of Action on May 7th

With the urgency of the situation in mind it is vital that our local groups, activists and supporters do all they can to join the International Day of Action against the war on 7th May.

We’re asking you to organise events including stalls, protests and demonstrations to ensure our call for peace is high profile, that we are engaging with the public and building a new layer of supporters around us.

Just contact us with details of your action and we’ll support it by sending materials and promoting the event. We looking forward to covering the country with anti-war activity!

Add Your Day of Action Event‘

Online Events and In-Person Rallies This Saturday to Stop the War in Ukraine

I also got this email yesterday from the Stop the War Coalition stating that they will be holding a series of events on Saturday against the war in Ukraine. These include an on-line rally as well as physical meetings and protests by local groups up and down the country, if these can be arranged. The email runs

‘This Saturday – International Online Rally:
Ceasefire in Ukraine & Negotiated Settlement Now

RSVP Here

The atrocities that have been reported in Bucha and other cities this week highlight the urgent need for peace in Ukraine. As the conflict rages on, we, the peace-loving people of the world, must raise our voices to demand a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement.

On Saturday, we’ll hear from some of the sharpest politicians, analysts and organisers around the world about how they view this conflict and what we can do to create a global movement to bring it to an end.

Speakers include: Vijay Prashad, Noam Chomsky, Clare Daly MEP, Lindsey German, Yanis Varoufakis, Tariq Ali, Reiner Braun, Anuradha Chenoy, Kate Hudson, Medea Benjamin and a Ukrainian anti-war speaker.

RSVP Here

#PeaceForUkraine Day of Action – In-Person Events

As part of Saturday’s Day of Action we are also asking all local groups and organisers to call protests, vigils, demonstrations, stalls or petitioning sessions in their local area.

We’ve got several events already set up but if you’d like us to add your event just email office@stopwar.org.uk

Find An Event Near You

Sign the Petition – #PeaceForUkraine

We’re calling on the government to stop talking up war in Ukraine and give its support to a negotiated peace by backing proposals now being discussed by President Zelensky and his Russian counterparts.

Add your name to our petition here…

Yes, I’ll sign the petition‘

I don’t think I’ll be going to any of the events, but I have signed the petition to support the proposals being discussed by President Zelensky and his Russian counterparts.

Forthcoming Protests from the Stop the War Coalition

I got this email today from the Stop the War Coalition giving details of their forthcoming protests against the wars in Ukraine and Yemen and on behalf of refugees against racism.

‘

Click Here to Register

The war in Ukraine is a disaster for the people of Ukraine, risks spreading conflict and will have far reaching consequences for the wider world.

Leading activists and experts are coming together for a teach-in on the war on Saturday 26 March in London’s Mary Ward Centre in Bloomsbury.

The teach-in will analyse the causes of the war, discuss some of the key controversies it has raised and examine its likely consequences.
There will be discussion of Ukraine’s history, NATO’s record, the question of self-determination, the threat of nuclear war, attacks on Russian culture and the issue of refugees.

Tickets for this in-person event are limited so register as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

Click Here to Register

Yemen Meeting

On Saturday 26th March from 5:00pm Stop the War is co-hosting with Liberation a very important online meeting on Yemen, on the anniversary of the starting of the war.

Speakers include; Jeremy Corbyn MP, Chris Hazzard MP, Shireen Al-Adeimi, Mahmood Al-Sagheer, Steve Bell, Kirsten Bayes, Roger McKenzie and Prof Madawi Al-Rasheed.

Register Now

March Against Racism- UN Anti-Racism Day

On Saturday 19 March we will be supporting UN Anti-Racism Day and joining the National March Against Racism.

The government’s abysmal record on welcoming refugees has been very publicly exposed in the last week, so join us to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian refugees and all those fleeing wars – be they from Ukraine, Afghanistan or Yemen, be they black or white, Christian or Muslim, we say Refugees are Welcome Here.

Click here for full info

Statement from Stop the War Coalition Against Russian Invasion and NATO and Government Warmongering

I got this statement yesterday from the Stop the War Coalition. It condemns the Russian invasion and calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops. But it also argues that NATO is an aggressive imperialistic organisation that itself has caused wars. It rejects economic sanctions against Russia as a form of warfare, and points out that the government expects to have increased funding for the armed forces while at the same time increasing repayments on student loans and cutting expenditure on the NHS. The statement reads as follows

‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine overnight is a massive escalation in the conflict there. Stop the War is calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops and for an immediate ceasefire. Our statement is here and our resolution for union branches/CLPs here.

The danger of war involving nuclear weapons is more real than previously and must be opposed. The real losers will be the ordinary people of Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of Europe.

We should, however, take no lessons in peacemaking from our own government and its allies. They have brought us decades of escalating wars, each of which has been a failure. They have encouraged a growing arms race internationally. And they have set on a path of Nato expansion which has brought the military alliance to the borders of Russia, in contravention of agreements made at the end of the Cold War.

Nato is not a defensive alliance but an aggressive one, centrally involved in wars in Afghanistan, Libya and Yugoslavia, and engaged in more and more ‘out of area operations’ including in the Indo-Pacific.

Our government wants to hide its domestic problems behind its belligerent statements, and we can be certain that this will continue, at the same time that it will provide unlimited money for war but increase student loan repayments and cut the NHS.

There is a surge or argument in favour of greater sanctions, including from those who purport to be anti war. But sanctions are not an alternative to war – they are economic warfare and therefore a prelude to war. We have seen this in Iraq where all they did was bring war closer, at the same time as bringing real suffering to the people of Iraq.

As an anti-war and peace movement, our first priority is to stop war. This conflict has not developed in the last few weeks alone, but reflects a society where war is being turned to increasingly to solve other problems. However, we are also aware that this is a different situation from previous wars where our government has been directly involved in military action, and we need to do as much as we can to explain and discuss the issues with those around us.

We are asking our members, supporters, groups and affiliates to do the following:

1. Make sure our statement and resolution are disseminated as widely as possible.
2.  Do everything to publicise and support our international meeting on Saturday 26th February and our in person rally on Wednesday 2nd March in Conway Hall, London.
3. Hold urgent meetings in all localities – in person where possible – calling for withdrawal of Russian troops, ceasefire now and against Nato expansion.
4. Attend the demos and actions in support of the NHS with placards linking cuts in public spending with money for war- you can download and print our new placard design from our website.
5. Prepare for a day of action (tba) where we hold protests and vigils against the war.

Please contact the office for materials and more information, and for speakers.

Due to the high volume of traffic we are currently experiencing, we apologise for any difficulties you may encounter whilst trying to access our website today; please keep refreshing or try again later.

Best wishes,

Lindsey German

Convenor’

I also noticed that the Depress was ranting about Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott against because they had both condemned NATO, and one of the other Tory rags had reported that Starmer was under pressure to discipline 14 other Labour MPs who’d done likewise.

Which means that Corbyn, Abbott and the other 14 are the only people talking sense in all this.