Stop the War

"If you try to have a war with Iran... you will create a mass movement against war in this country of the sort that you haven’t seen in more than a decade"

Murad Qureshi is standing to be a Labour candidate for the London Assembly. He sent Counterfire his campaign statement and we are happy to share his reasons for standing.

A statement from Stop the War raises the alarm on the escalating threat of war with Iran over the seizures of tankers

No new Tory Prime Minister, protest the Tory party conference, revolt in Sudan, does modern monetary theory work, stop the drive to war with Iran, the British state and what Engels said about revolution in this month's Counterfire freesheet

The British Navy's seizing of an Iranian oil tanker shows Britain following Trump, trading in diplomacy for the threat of military confrontation, argues Lindsey German

If there is war, Britain will be part of it, writes Chris Nineham

The US empire is on the march again and the anti-war movement must respond in kind and without delay, demands Chris Nineham

Despite platitudes from both sides of the Atlantic, we cannot ignore the very real risk of another disastrous conflict in the Middle East, writes Chris Nineham

Trump, John Bolton and Mike Pompeo have created a situation with Iran that is risking a new war in the Middle East, argues Chris Nineham

Thousands of protesters marched through London on Saturday showing that solidarity with Palestine in Britain hasn't gone anywhere, reports Shabbir Lakha

The Stop the War Coalition supported Lowkey's recent tour around the country, this is a video of National Officer Shabbir Lakha speaking at the London concert

The Royal Navy's bizarre #nukes4jesus thanksgiving service was met with the disgust it deserves, reports Thomas Gibbs

Soldiers shooting at a picture of Corbyn reveals the effect of the rhetoric portraying Corbyn as a security threat and terrorist sympathiser, writes Chris Nineham

Speaking at the Stand up to Racism march in London, Chris Nineham says we need a campaign that takes on Islamophobia and the politicians and media that fuel it

Islamophobia has been fuelled by the 'War on Terror' - Stop the War Coalition's statement on the terrorist attack in New Zealand

An obituary written at the time of Tony Benn's passing by John Rees on a life well lived

By allowing the arms trade into schools, colleges and universities, we are teaching children that innovation for the sake of destruction is acceptable and desirable, argues Lucy Nichols

Gavin Williamson's latest speech with jingoistic rhetoric and calling for more military spending shows just how out of touch with reality he is, argues Lindsey German

A leading anti-war activist and UK resident of 29 years speaks about the machinations of the Home Office and the campaign to reinstate his indefinite leave to remain

Ten years on since the massacre of Operation Cast Lead, conditions in Gaza are worse than ever, argues Shabbir Lakha

Anti-war campaigners should exploit the cracks in neoconservative foreign policy as the priorities of US imperialism clash with the republican voter base, argues Lindsey German

Despite the disastrous results of post-9/11 wars, Trump continues to lead a belligerent administration that we must resist at home, argues Chris Nineham

A packed out public meeting organised by Stop the War demanded an end to Britain's complicity in the war on Yemen, reports Chris Nineham

A new offensive in the Saudi war on Yemen will ratchet up the humanitarian crisis. We must build a huge campaign to end arms sales, writes Chris Nineham

The establishment makes a big display of remembering fallen WW1 soldiers while justifying today's wars. We should remember those who fought hard to stop war, argues Lindsey German

The government's intransigence on Saudi arms sales is leading to catastrophe in Yemen writes Chris Nineham

The Taliban is advancing again, met by escalation from Trump and NATO. Amidst the devastation, our leaders still can't recognise defeat, writes Stop the War's Chris Nineham

Conference shows strong support among Labour members for the Palestinian cause, reports Terina Hine

Build the mass movements against war. Kevin Courtney's speech from the Stop the War Coalition national conference

As the west continues to arm Saudi Arabia, Yemen bears the brunt, argues Julie Al-Hinai

An obituary for the iconic Algerian singer who stood up against war and racism

Far from being an ‘isolationist’, Donald Trump has increased bombings, sanctions and war, argues Lindsey German

The MoD is attempting to rebrand life in the military in order to recruit vulnerable young people, argues Jago Corry

From blustering buffoon to Trumpish racist, Johnson’s recasting himself for a new wave of reactionary and anti-working class politics, writes Lindsey German 

In the second part of tales from the sticks, Jim Scott explains the birth and growth of a movement in rural Wales over the last 5 years

Libyans are still paying the price with their lives for the 2011 Nato intervention. A stark reminder of why we urgently need an antiwar government argues Eleftheria Kousta

Britain sending more troops to Afghanistan shows the end of the war isn't in sight and lays bare what the 'special relationship' is all about argues Lindsey German

Looking back at the quarter of a million strong demonstration against Trump, Daniel Jakopovich argues that it was a mass display of people power

There is no justification for the obscene levels of military spending across the world says Lindsey German

Fighting for our NHS, Ireland's abortion rights victory, Grenfell one year on, Dump Trump and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 026, June 2018

Theresa May's support for Trump is a faultline we must fully exploit, argues Jonathan Maunders

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in over 40 towns and cities across the country to voice their opposition to Theresa May's bombing of Syria

Politicians and commentators supporting more military action in Syria say inaction has consequences, but the West haven't been inactive in Syria argues Shabbir Lakha

A primed anti-war movement finds the new warmongers much the same as the old warmongers, writes Lindsey German

John Rees on the immediate conclusions we can draw from the US led airstrike on Syria

As Theresa May prepares to back Trump in escalating military intervention in Syria, Stop the War published the following letter in response

Statement from Stop the War Coalition following the attacks on Douma in Syria

Trump's new National Security advisor will see his appointment as an opportunity to test his military prowess, argues Lindsey German

The media have used the Skripal affair as a stick to beat the left and the anti-war movement, argues Chris Nineham

With the US state department looking increasingly aggressive, the anti-war movement must fight on many fronts, argues Lindsey German

Statement from organisations opposing the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the UK and urging people to join the demonstration tomorrow

After years on the back foot, Labour has shown that ideas of worker-led ownership are back in play

Lindsey German looks back at the day in 2003 that millions took to the streets to protest the Iraq war

After yet another disastrous intervention into UK politics over the NHS protest John Rees asks what will be the effect of the Trump visit?

Shabbir Lakha reflects on the twentieth century imperial imposition that continues to blight global justice

Jeremy Corbyn’s roots in the global anti-war movement offer an unprecedented opportunity to marginalise the warmongers, asserts Chris Nineham     

With Trump in the White House boasting about his nuclear button, the world is on knife-edge and events in Hawaii serve as a warning to us all argues Tom Unterrainer

As the British state's new aircraft carrier, worth billions of pounds, springs a leak, Lindsey German takes a look at the war games being played

Prejudice against Muslims is high across Europe, but in Britain there are grounds for optimism thanks to a mass movement against Islamophobia

The government’s attempts at justification for its conduct in the Middle East are becoming more and more desperate, argues Chris Nineham

Mohammed bin Salman is no moderniser. Time to end the corrupt relationship with the House of Saud, argues Kevin Ovenden

Jeremy Corbyn's rise has put anti-war politics centre stage. We now have a chance to do things completely differently, argues Chris Nineham 

How did the establishment get it so wrong? Alistair Cartwright talks to Chris Nineham about his new myth-busting book

The US approach to North Korea cannot be understood without considering its wider goals in the region

With calls for a freeze on testing and manoeuvres on all sides falling on deaf ears, tensions are reaching a dangerous level, writes Lindsey German

The urgent priority must be to de-escalate and pursue a negotiated solution to the crisis

Does anyone really believe Saudi Arabia respects international law? Today's High Court ruling fails to deliver truth argues Chris Nineham

The atmosphere of Islamophobia in which attacks on Muslims are becoming all too familiar has been whipped up throughout the 'War on Terror'.

We urgently need a serious discussion of the causes of terrorism, not populist rhetoric

Corbyn is wrongly labelled a pacifist by the Tories and the media, but his opposition to unnecessary war without end is in stark contrast to Theresa May's endless warmongering

Jeremy Corbyn's wide-ranging speech on the threat of global war is a lesson to us all

Theresa May‘s plans to start airstrikes against Assad are another reason to vote her out

Issued 22 March 2017

If anyone had doubts about the direction of Trump’s Middle East policy, the last few days should have cleared them up

How should the left approach the disaster of the war in Syria? We republish some suggestions by David Bush

Tatchell's obsession with self-publicity has now led him to attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and the anti-war movement

Donald Trump's foreign policy intentions are unclear, however, what is, is that we should step up anti-war efforts, argues Chris Nineham

From its inception to the present, Nato has been intent on pursuing a policy of aggression. Jonathan Maunders explains 

As many push for escalation in Syria, Chris Nineham takes a look at why this is a bad idea

Connecting terrorism with Islam, as Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie did, is not intellectually respectable - no matter what Ipso says

More aerial bombardment of civilians will not help to bring about peace and stability in Iraq

We must renew our efforts, build the anti-war movement and support Corbyn, argues Mick Wattam

What's behind the hysteria over protesting outside the Russian Embassy? Alex Snowdon considers the motives of Stop the War's critics. 

Calls for further intervention show that the lessons of Libya and Iraq have not been learnt, writes Lindsey German

A no-fly zone in Syria would only escalate and inflame tensions, argues Chris Nineham

Footage from the Stop the War conference, including speeches from Jeremy Corbyn, Salma Yaqoob and Lindsey German

Saturday's Stop the War Coalition international conference was an important and timely gathering of anti-war activists

As aid convoys to Syria are suspended, Jonathan Maunders takes a look at where we are, and where we are going to 

The cessation of the Syrian conflict begins with the end of foreign intervention, argues Chris Nineham

A disastrous summer for the foreign policy establishment should be a golden opportunity for Labour, argues John Rees

The anti-war movement argued unequivocally against intervention in Libya, and the Foreign Affairs Committee proved it was right, argues Chris Nineham

The ceasefire in Syria is only temporary, and will not lead to lasting peace, argues Lindsey German

The world is now almost unrecognisably more agonised, unstable and dangerous, writes Chris Nineham

Opposing imperialism through the movement on the streets is imperative, argues Lindsey German

The state is still using pro-war rhetoric to cloud the truth behind the War on Terror, argues Lindsey German 

We now need action to finally achieve justice for Iraq, writes Lindsey German

Shabbir Lakha reports on the Convoy to Calais, which the French police shamefully turned back at the border

The government is taking us ever closer to war in Libya, says Chris Nineham

In response to claims of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, Stop the War condemns the double standards applied to those who oppose Israeli oppression

Stop the War is holding a public meeting on Libya to discuss how we can oppose another disastrous intervention

The media's reporting of the election of Malia Bouttia has ignored the woman and her policies

After imposing a 'unity' government in Libya, Western powers have signalled they are waiting for the call for more intervention, which could mean more war 

The great powers are using Syria as a battlefield to advance their own interests, argues Andrew Murray

David Cameron's attacks on Muslim women come within the context of rising Islamophobia across the world, writes Lindsey German

The anti-war position of the radical left inside the Labour Party needs to be consolidated in the coming months, writes Kevin Ovenden

The warmongers may have won the vote, but they are losing the argument. Not starting new wars might be sensible, says Lindsey German

Stop the War has been attacked by every part of the establishment recently, but the smears are blatant hypocrisy

Here are the Stop the War Coalition's views on some issues that are routinely misrepresented

Many of those complaining fear greater accountability and the wave of anti-war feeling evident from Corbyn's election as Labour leader

It is the anti-war demonstration on 12 December, not Hilary Benn's speech which is likely to prove historic

Last night saw a passionate demonstration against the government's plans to extend airstrikes, reports Callum Thomas

Now that the Labour right has a new champion, Corbyn needs our support more than ever, writes Alastair Stephens

Last night's Stop the War protest had an impact. Keep up the pressure on MPs before the vote tonight, writes Yasmin Dahnoun

Advocates for the bombing of Syria led us into disaster in Iraq and Libya. Their judgement should not be trusted, argues Chris Nineham

If Cameron's plan for the Middle East wasn't bad enough, his cynical use of the tragedy in Paris to make political gains shows his true colours

On Saturday, the British public showed strong opposition to airstrikes in Syria, reports Yasmin Dahnoun

David Cameron is asking MPs to vote to plunge Britain into a maelstrom of competing powers without any apparent co-ordination or plan

Not only is new money being pumped into the military – it is being targeted on strengthening UK ability to intervene internationally

Behind Cameron’s new push for war, lies a total failure to recognise the reasons for the growth of Isis, writes Lindsey German

The crisis in Labour illustrates a modern fact of life: the old political structures are unable to contain the new political forces at work, writes Brian Heron

Remove all Western military from the region and stop backing the most reactionary leaders; these should be first steps to solving the crisis, writes Chris Nineham

In the wake of the atrocities in the French capital, building an anti-war movement is more necessary than ever, writes Kevin Ovenden

The response of the West and other major powers has been for more war. The idea that bombing will end terrorism is refuted by the history of the last 14 years

The commemoration has morphed from being a call to end all wars, to one used by British politicians to support our wars in the Middle East, writes Lindsey German

Cameron's plans to bomb Syria may have suffered a setback, but we still have to build the anti-war movement, argues Alastair Stephens

Stop the War Coalition has prepared a briefing on why safe havens and no-fly zones amount to military intervention, and must be opposed

Peter Brierley, who made headlines when he snubbed Tony Blair over his son's death, joins protest against Hilary Benn MP

The Tories need Labour's war faction to deliver a serious looking majority on bombing Syria writes Brian Heron

Palestinians, with their incredible courage and hope, will fight for their survival. Ellen Graubert reports from the demonstration on Saturday

The movement outside of Parliament is critical. This government can – and will – be defeated. But it will need all of us to work for it

The stakes are high, but with enough pressure from below, David Cameron's plan to bomb Syria can be defeated

Jeremy Corbyn’s victory is a threat because he stands against the establishment's warmongering and hypocrisy writes Lindsey German

John Rees comments to RT International on Jeremy Corbyn's victory

Right wing Labour MPs plan to give the Tories a majority for war - and inflict damaging defeat on Jeremy Corbyn, argues John Rees

The West's wars have played a central part in the refugee crisis, says Lindsey German

'Britain needs to break with the idea that proxy wars and western bombs, drones and tanks can solve the problems in the Middle East'

Claims of 'far left infiltration' are being used to justify the Labour machine's purge of new members but, as musician Brian Eno makes clear in this opinion piece, the purge goes a lot deeper

Jeremy Corbyn discusses the impact of the anti-war movement on British politics with Stop the War Coalition convenor Lindsey German

It's no surprise that David Cameron's five year plan to deal with Islamic extremism at home pins all the blame on the Muslim community

Stop the War statement demands the government publicly commits to an immediate end to British bombing of Syria

Look at what could be done with the £37 billion Britain spends annually on its military and foreign wars

Cameron plans to extend UK involvement in the wars raging in Iraq and Syria, while mounting an hysterical attack on British Muslims

Filmed at the People's Assembly protest in Parliament Square against George Osborne's Austerity Budget, 8 July

John Rees looks at the political calculation behind the Tories new attempt to get us into a bombing campaign in Syria

Stop the War Coalition has released the following statement in response to the Defence Secretary's call for air strikes on Syria

David Cameron describes the threat of terrorism in Britain as an ‘existential threat’. This is preposterous, and he knows it

A decade of invasion, occupation and bombing in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere has been the seed bed of Isis and other terrorist groups

Medea Benjamin talks to Counterfire about the prospects of American foreign policy, the anti-war sentiment in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement

Counterfire's new free sheet edition 002, June 2015

Western governments try to justify their failure to secure the Middle East militarily by blaming the Muslim community as a whole

We can all help to build Jeremy Corbyn's campaign, to see a strong alternative voice to war and austerity gets the hearing it deserves

Protest isn’t a spectator sport. It is an example of grassroots political organising that should strengthen and embolden those who turn out on the day argues Lindsey German

As the 20 June demo approaches, it’s worth remembering that mass marches have been crucial to all the most important struggles - Chris Nineham looks at ten of them

A great virtue of the film is how it shows the impact 15 February 2003 had on movements that followed and even now is shaping politics

Stop the War has organised an international anti-war conference 'Confronting a World at War' - a crucial chance to discuss how to respond to an increasingly aggressive regime

Stop the War Coalition presents seven reasons to join the 20 June national demonstration against austerity

The call is already being made for David Cameron's new government to 'restore Britain's global power' in its foreign policy

We must end a foreign policy that is causing mayhem and misery across vast swathes of the globe

John Rees on how Britain is a key backer and arms supplier to Saudia Arabia - a despotic regime which is attacking the poorest nation in the arab world

The Stop the War Coalition condemns the British government’s support for the Saudi-led attack on Yemen.  This war is a further destabilising act of aggression in the Middle East, which risks embroiling the region and its peoples in a still wider war.

A Saudi-led coalition of ten states has launched a military campaign against one of the world's poorest nations. Muna Othman looks at the background

Chris Nineham reviews Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands by Richard Sakwa

Islamophobia has become an institutional norm - we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with Muslim communites and oppose military interventions and wars argues Chris Nineham

As Israel goes to the polls Elliot Murphy looks at the ongoing cost of last year's assault on Gaza

As anti-Muslim racism spreads and intensifies, here's ten reasons why we must stand up to Islamophobia and break the cycle of endless war

Pegida's attempt to launch an anti-muslim movement in the UK by holding a protest in Newcastle was massively outnumbered by a counter-mobilisation by Newcastle Unites. Alex Snowdon reflects on the lessons

A range of campaign groups, including organisations responsible for some major forthcoming demonstrations in London, have announced that they would not be paying for traffic management for their protests. This follows the recent announcement that the Metropolitan Police intend to withdraw from this role, which they have carried out in the past

John Rees reflects on the 'Jihadi John' story and the role of the secret services in the fight against terrorism

The anti-war movement's prediction that western interventions would set the Middle East on fire, have proved tragically true, but that will not stop politicians fanning the flames

Muslims are caught in a 'clash of civilisations' narrative in which they are seen as backward while Western civilisation is portrayed as the saviour

The convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, Lindsey German on what she would do if she was Prime Minister

By 2020 Britain's Afghan operation will have cost over £40 billion according to figures compiled by journalist Frank Ledwidge in his book Investment in Blood, yet it is widely regarded as a strategic disaster

The farce continues, as yet another delay means we still don't know if war criminals like Tony Blair will be incriminated by the Iraq war inquiry

Opposition to war, Islamophobia and attacks on civil liberties are all connected, says Lindsey German, and we have to campaign against all three

Not for the first time, the BBC's Panorama has been an outrider for the Islamophobia that is now so ingrained in the British establishment argues Chris Nineham

If you read the western media reporting on the Paris attack, says Lindsey German, it is as if the wars waged by the western powers in Muslim countries aren't happening

The latest attack will lead to a greater backlash and greater levels of Islamophobia. But it is not Muslims who are the problem but the foreign policies that have helped create terrorism

MPs from eight parties say it is absolutely unacceptable that an innocent man who has suffered many of forms of torture can continue to be held in Guantánamo Bay

We the undersigned oppose the plans by the British government to open a new military base in Bahrain, the first British base “east of Suez” since 1971. Rather than increasing military deployment in the Middle East we should be ending our disastrous interventions in the region.

Bahrain is a repressive, undemocratic regime that brutally crushed the movement for democracy in 2011. Britain should not be showing complicity with the actions of the Bahraini monarchy.

Lindsey German looks at twelve features of last year that will shape politics in the year ahead

Britain seems to have gone truce-mad. But this extraordinary moment in World War One is interpreted in very different ways. Nick Megoran explains why it matters

Captain Ska couldn't wait any longer for the Chilcot enquiry to be released, so he's published his own verdict

The parallels between the politics of the invasion of Iraq and the dismantling of the NHS could not be more blatant writes Iain Wilson

Far from weakening the Islamic State there is evidence that US led airstrikes are actually having the reverse effect argues Elliot Murphy

John Rees takes a look behind the propaganda at the facts about terrorism

Should Save the Children charity have given Tony Blair its Global Legacy Award? Chris Nineham debates with Matthew Doyle - a former advisor to Tony Blair - on Five Live

Lindsey German: Muslims in Britain could be forgiven for thinking that even when they do the right thing, it’s wrong

Lindsey German explains why she won't be intimidated by the mania which sees wearing a red poppy as a test of loyalty, a definition of Britishness

How could the litany of failure in Afghanistan possibly have been worth the deaths of hundreds of British and uncounted thousands of Afghan lives?

People buy the red poppy to support soldiers returning from war, but the best way to protect their interests is to stop sending them into these disastrous conflicts

The sectarian legacy of the US occupation means Obama's strategy of air strikes in support of the Iraqi military cannot defeat the Islamic State argues Ady Cousins

This latest phase of terrorism is a product of the west's disastrous foreign policies, endless wars and backing of barbaric regimes in the Middle East

John Rees of Stop the War Coalition says the Kurds could defeat IS if Turkey allowed the PKK fighters to cross the border with Syria and join the defence of Kobane

The governments of the US, Turkey, Britain, Israel and the rest of the alliance for Iraq War III are no real defenders of Kurdish rights

Turkish and Kurdish organisation Day-Mer have released the following statement condemning imperialist military intervention and calling for solidarity with the Kurdish people

Chris Nineham outlines why Parliament should reject Cameron's call for a third Iraq war

Letter to The Guardian from John McDonnell MP, Tariq Ali, Len McCluskey, Ken Loach, Brian Eno, Diane Abbott MP, Michael Rosen, Mohammed Kozbar, Kate Hudson, Caryl Churchill, George Galloway MP, Lindsey German, many more