Stop the War coalition Newsletter 30.1.26
Posted: 31st January 2026
Newsletter 30/01/26
National march for Palestine
Tomorrow – Saturday 31 January
Tomorrow join the march for Palestine. The genocide is ongoing.
Satellite images raise fears that Israel is preparing for the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, while in the West Bank settlers are on the rampage, often supported by the Israeli military. According to the UN the intensity of the violence in the West Bank has reached unprecedented levels.
Meanwhile the humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza with Israeli restrictions on aid and the worsening winter weather. Hospitals are on the brink of collapse and there’s an absence of suitable shelter. Entire neighbourhoods remain vulnerable to Israeli bombardment regardless of the ‘ceasefire’. There are reports of helicopter and tank fire in residential areas. Since the ceasefire was announced almost 500 Palestinians have been killed.
We must stay on the streets. Show the world Palestine is not forgotten and demand our government stops arming Israel.
Please do everything you can to be there tomorrow and let’s make the demonstration as big as possible.
Trump – the Greatest Threat to World Peace
We utterly condemn Trump’s latest threats of illegal military aggression against Iran. It is clear he is seeking regime change through brutal attacks and economic coercion. Any military assault on Iran could trigger an absolutely catastrophic war across the Middle East.
The US has deployed a massive military force to the region and Britain has sent Typhoon jets to Al Udeid base in Qatar. These threats to Iran must be stopped. We all remember the horror of the US-led illegal war on Iraq.
StW and CND call on the British government to rule out any military involvement in an attack on Iran.
If the US goes ahead with illegal military aggression, we urge all our supporters to join an emergency protest at Downing Street. If this happens, we will make a further announcement on the timing of the protest.
As the US poses the greatest threat to world peace we call on the government to remove all US military personnel from Britain and close all US bases.
We are urging all our groups to hold petitioning sessions in town centres, at transport hubs, train stations and at universities. You can download and print the petition here.
International Conference Against War
As the world is on the brink of war the conference on June 20 against militarism and the drive to war has been injected with greater urgency. Tickets have now been released. We expect large delegations from our Euoropean partners, so get your tickets now before they go.
The conference call was launched this week in English, French, Italian, and German with the support of leading trade unionists and politicians across Europe. Here in the UK the NEU, RMT and PCS nationally are on board along with a host of local and regional branches. Make sure your unions branch is too - download the trade union model resolution here.
Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham, charged for peacefully protesting genocide on 18 January last year, are facing trial in February. Alex Kenny and Sophie Bolt go on trial soon after. As leaders of the Palestine Coalition their cases have significant reverberations for the Palestine movement as well as for the right to protest more generally.
Their trial takes place while the government’s new legislation to further restrict pro-Palestine demonstrations – and others – is going through Parliament.
We’re holding a public meeting on Thursday 12 February, 7pm at SOAS in Central London to discuss the implications of the attacks on the Palestine movement and the right to protest. Speakers include actor Juliet Stevenson, Yanis Varoufakis, Chris Nineham, Ben Jamal and Katy Watts from Liberty.
We must stand with Chris and Ben. We will be protesting outside the court on the first morning of the trial and urge all who can to join us.
Monday 23 February
9am
Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Marylebone Road, London NW1 5BR
Watch Chris explain why everyone who supports the Palestinian cause and believes in defending the right to protest should be at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 23 February.
StW local meetings and annual conference
Stop the War is organising a series of meetings around the country on Trump’s wars. Keep an eye on our events page for details.
We also have our national conference on 14 March which will decide how StW responds to these alarming global events. If you would like to be a part of the decision making process you will need to join StW as a member by tomorrow, 31 January. Consider taking advantage of our special January offer here. It has never been more urgent to become involved.
Non-members may attend the conference (although they cannot vote), so register now to hear the discussion and analysis by key members of the anti-war movement, including Jeremy Corbyn MP and our convenor Lindsey German.
Saturday 14 March
11:00 – 17:00
Hamilton House, London, WC1H 9BD
This week’s anti-war briefing
