National CND News

There is just over a month to go until the Against War International Conference takes place in central London on Saturday, 20 June. Organised by Stop the War Coalition and supported by CND, European peace organisations, trade unions and many more, it is a critical opportunity to organise and strengthen coordination against war, rising rearmament, and nuclear threats across Europe. 

Inspired by the highly successful peace summit that took place in Paris last October, this conference couldn’t come at a more crucial time. European governments are pushing a massive rearmament drive and using splits with Trump to justify so-called ‘nuclear sharing’ of French and British nuclear weapons. This will only increase the nuclear presence in Europe – as hundreds of US B61-12 nuclear bombs are now stationed at NATO bases across Europe and here in Britain.

As well as the increasing dangers from the ongoing Ukraine war, there is also the economic crisis. This is only set to worsen given the impact of the illegal war on Iran. In response, the European movement against war and nukes is growing. There have been huge demonstrations, protests and strike action taking place across the region, particularly in Italy and Germany. It is vital that we strengthen the links between these movements – as we are all facing the same challenges.

Attendees will be joined by a fantastic line up of speakers including Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian National Initiative; Jeremy Corbyn MP; Zarah Sultana MP; Jon Trickett MP; Richard Burgon MP; Peter Martens MP, Belgian Workers Party; Mothin Ali, Green Party Deputy Leader; Jasmine Adam, Muslim Association of Britain; José Nivoi, Genoa docker; Maryam Eslamdoust, TSSA General Secretary; Daniel Kebede, NEU General Secretary; Fran Heathcote, PCS General Secretary; Tariq Ali, writer and activist; Medea Benjamin, Code Pink; Ulrike Eifler, German trade unionist; Graziamaria Pistorino CGIL Union (Italy); Felix Kreklow Rojas, German School Striker.

• Saturday, 20 June
• Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH
• Doors open 12:00 noon, conference 13:00 – 17:00

See Stop the War’s website for more information on timetable, supporters, and speakers.

CND calls for renewal of New START Treaty outside US Embassy

On Thursday, CND and supporters were joined by Green Party Peer, Natalie Bennett to protest at the US Embassy in London. It was the second of two embassy actions calling on Russia and the US to reengage in nuclear arms control talks.

The protests were called following the expiry of the New START Treaty in February. The agreement, in place since 2010, was the final remaining arms control treaty between the US and Russia, and placed limits on the amount of strategic nuclear weapons both sides could deploy. Without a new treaty in place to further reduce the nuclear stockpiles of the two largest nuclear arsenals, we run the real risk of a new nuclear arms race. We’ve written to both the US and Russian ambassadors urging their countries to restart START and have lobbied Britain’s Foreign Secretary to use diplomatic pressure too.

Please share the video of Natalie Bennett at our protest here and here and see some photos from both protests here.