Militarism is ramping up across Europe, but so is the resistance and it’s converging in London on 20 June, reports Cici Washburn

Thousands of workers, trade unionists, students and activists from across Britain and Europe will be coming together at Central Hall, Westminster for the International Conference Against War on 20 June. This will be the biggest meeting of trade unionists not organised by the TUC in many years. Get your ticket now, before it’s too late and spread the word amongst fellow activists, friends, workers, campaign groups and so forth.

Over 1,100 signatures from 23 countries have backed the conference. In Britain, at the time of writing, eleven national unions (including Unison, UCU, RMT, Aslef, NEU, PCS), over 100 union branches and trades councils, dozens of peace organisations, solidarity campaigns and other organisations are supporting the conference. Struggles against rearmament, war and austerity have been taking place across Europe and hundreds of activists will be heading to London for 20 June.

In Germany, a Volkswagen factory has been turned into an arms factory; Germany is set to double arms spending over the next five years. Conscription is coming in full force there with men aged between 17 and 45 having to apply to the military if they want to leave the country for more than three months. Huge student protests with tens of thousands have taken place across Germany in 130 towns and cities, and German student protesters will be speaking at the conference.

An organiser of the protests, Felix Kreklow Rojas said at a recent Stop the War mobilising meeting that the reason people should attend the conference is because

‘what we are experiencing in Germany is not an isolated development, similar trends can be seen across Europe; rising military budgets, growing tensions and a political climate that normalises war. This is why we need to build lasting connections across borders and exchange strategies, support each other in moments of pressure and coordinate actions.’

Klaus Zwickel, former president of IG Metall and of the European Automotive Workers’ Association said,

‘As a trade unionist, as a metalworker, as a former chairman of the European Motor Workers’ Union, I support the International Conference Against War in London, which grew out of the anti-war conference in Paris … It is necessary and of the utmost urgency that trade unions in every country, across Europe, and indeed internationally, unite against rearmament, militarisation, and preparations for war.’

In France, military stock levels are set to rise by 400%, conscription is being introduced and teachers have been protesting against the military coming to schools and giving children unloaded weapons. The French teachers union FNEC FP-FO is backing the conference and many teachers from France will be attending.

A teaching assistant in France who is attending the conference said, ‘A new “Voluntary military service” is being introduced and pushed onto students who don’t get the courses they have chosen.’ There have been a series of mobilising meetings for the conference across France and young people organised successful gigs in Nantes to raise money so people can get to London.

Conscription is also on the agenda in Britain, with the announcement in December of a military gap year. School and university students say they are increasingly seeing a military presence at their places of study and some talk about how defence jobs are strongly encouraged as a way forward in the context of AI replacing jobs and rising youth unemployment.

And inflation is set to soar; even if war in the Middle East ended now, we would still have, at the very minimum, more than half a year of a serious spike in inflation. This comes as most workers are yet again getting below-inflation pay rises and more than a quarter of children in Britain are living in poverty. Generals and government ministers regularly tell us on the radio that we will pay for war, it will come from welfare budgets, as they say it has to come from somewhere, and they mean our public services too.

Europe’s and the US’s drive to war will affect the livelihoods of every worker and every student in this country. Defence spending has seen a 50% increase in the last six years, with the government determined to make further increases which we will pay for.

The International Conference is a crucial next step to the passing of the ‘Wages not Weapons’ motion at the TUC last year. Trade-union branches are sending delegations from up and down the country. Tickets are selling fast, book yours now and get more branches, campaigns and Palestine solidarity and community groups on board.

Four thousand people attended the first international conference in October last year in Paris, thousands of us will be in London on 20 June and another conference has been called in Madrid. It is crucial we have a strong, coordinated international anti-war movement for the battles ahead. Be there on 20 June.

• Buy your ticket now
• Pass the model motion at your trade union branch
• Donate to the crowdfunder to help cover conference costs

From this month’s Counterfire freesheet