Stop the War Newsletter - 21/03/25
Posted: 21st March 2025
Austerity for War
Starmer and his warmongering European allies seem to be doing what they can to jeopardise any potential peace deal for Ukraine. Starmer’s ‘coalition of the willing’, as NATO to Ukraine by the back door. Meanwhile Starmer is using the conflict as an excuse for a massive arms race and equally massive austerity drive.
Building up the ‘Russia threat’ has enabled Starmer to lead the way on Europe’s major programme of rearmament. Here he has slashed foreign aid and now suggests a savage £5bn worth of cuts to welfare, focussed on payments for the sick and disabled, to pay for it. This attack on the most vulnerable to fund war is indefensible. Some government departments are set to lose 7% of their budgets. ‘Security’ is being used as an excuse for a huge austerity drive.
Lindsey German asked this week ’What sort of government would cut the benefits of some of the poorest people in order to spend more on weapons and wars?’ We all know the answer – a callous Labour government.
It has never been more urgent to organise for #WelfareNotWarfare.
On 1 April we are holding a national Welfare not Warfare meeting and rally in London, 6.30pm at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, WC1H OXG. If you can, do get along – there’s a fabulous line-up of speakers including Jeremy Corbyn, Lindsey German, Faiza Shaheen, Francesca Martinez, Ben Jamal, Matt Kennard and Holly Turner.
If you can’t get to London, Stop the War groups around the country – Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Canterbury – have organised similar meetings. See our events page for details.
We also have a dedicated campaign webpage for more information about what groups and supporters can do. Please take a look and get involved – organise street stalls, get the petition into your college or place of work, encourage your TU to pass our Welfare not Warfare resolution.
Emergency Protest for Palestine Tomorrow
Israeli Embassy – Saturday 22 March – 12:30pm
Tomorrow’s (22 March) emergency protest for Palestine is taking place in response to Israel’s resumption of full-scale war on Gaza. In one night alone over 400 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, most of them were women and children. Yet our government continues its free trade talks with Israel and continues selling arms to the genocidal state.
This is why we must protest.
Earlier in the week, with just a few hours notice, thousands amassed on Whitehall in London, in central Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Edinburgh to protest Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza. Tomorrow we will come together at the Israeli embassy in solidarity with Palestine and to demand an end to the genocide.
Join us on Saturday – End the Genocide, Ceasefire Now!
The British state wants to clamp down on protest, it wants ‘to remove Palestine from the public eye, and chill people into doing nothing,’ said Lindsey German.
Not satisfied with charging two leaders of the Palestine movement, the Met Police have called other key figures in for questioning about their participation in the 18 January Palestine protest. Stephen Kapos, 87 year old Holocaust Survivor, appeared at Charring Cross Police Station earlier today as part of the state’s attempt to silence our movement. He was supported outside the station by hundreds of activists, determined to stand up for the right to protest. We will not be silenced.
Save the Dates
Stop the War Convenor, Lindsey German, will be speaking among an amazing line up at the We Demand Change conference on 29 March. Do book your tickets asap before they go!
Save the date – 7 June – and join our Welfare not Warfare anti-war bloc on the No More Austerity march.
This week’s anti-war briefing
