Stop the War newsletter

Newsletter – 14/02/25

As the Munich Security Conference gets underway Trump, and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have made clear their intension to rip up the Atlantic alliance and end the pretence that the US is committed to any ‘rules-based’ order.

European leaders find the US is no longer primarily focused on European security. Rather its focus is further east, to the Pacific region and China.

Although Trump presents himself as man of peace, and he may indeed bring an end to the Ukraine war, his actions in the Middle East have shown peace is not his real goal. What we are witnessing is a realignment of imperialism as we move from a unipolar to a multipolar world, and an America First desire to shift the cost of policing the world on to its allies – hence Trump’s demand the EU increase military spending to 5% of GDP.

Here in the UK we must resist our government’s appeasement of Trump and copycat tactics towards refugees and migrants, we must push back against increased defence spending and Europe’s desire to keep the Ukraine war going, and we must stand up to Trump’s plans for Gaza, and Starmer and Lammy’s unconscionable support for Israel, as the ceasefire hangs by a thread.

This is why tomorrow, Saturday 15 Feb, we march to the US embassy. 

Trump says the US will ‘take over’ Gaza to build the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. His ethnic cleansing plan is a crime against humanity. His comments this week have emboldened Netanyahu, and all indications are that the ceasefire will breakdown at any moment - Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to resume the bombing and US president Donald Trump declared ‘let all hell break loose’. 

Meanwhile Israel continues to terrorise Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, and this week conducted a raid on the Educational Bookshop in Jerusalem, attacking the cultural and intellectual hub of the Palestinian people. 

This is why we march on Saturday, coincidentally, as Lindsey German pointed out, ‘the 22nd anniversary of the biggest march in British history, over the Iraq war– and the signs are it too will be a very big protest.’  Let’s make it huge!

Get to London, assemble midday on Whitehall and march to the US embassy.

Speakers include Palestinian activist Iyad Burnat, Zarah Sultana MP, Michael Rosen, author, poet and presenter, journalist Owen Jones, Palestinian activist, Jeanine Hourani, Eddie Dempsey, RMT senior assistant general secretary, Jeremy Corbyn, MP, Hamza Stitan, Palestinian activist, Lindsey German, convenor at Stop the War coalition, Ben Jamal, director of Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, and the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zumlot.

#All2London15Feb. Click here for coach details.

Palestine – Defend the Right to Protest

Hundreds protested outside Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday as Chris Nineham and two other Palestine activists appeared before the court following their arrests at the Palestine protest on 18 January. MPs, actors and activists gave powerful speeches linking the need to protect our right to protest to the Palestine solidarity movement. Actor Juliet Stevenson told the crowd what she had witnessed on the day in question.

We were delighted that the judge saw fit to drop the bail conditions initially imposed on Chris Nineham, which prohibited his attending Palestine protests. But that is not enough. All charges must be dropped. As Lindsey German said, ‘The right to protest is under attack, and in particular the right to protest for justice and freedom.’  

Chris returns to court in July. In the meantime we must continue our campaign to defend the right to protest. We have a number of meetings taking place up and down the country. Please get along to an event in your area, and help support the campaign.

New StW Merchandise

This week’s anti-war briefing