The Stop the War Convention took place in London on November 17, 2024, the day before outgoing US president Joe Biden gave the all-clear for Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles in its conflict against Russia, an act which no doubt intensifies the conflict on a global scale.
The convention was organised by Stop the War Coalition, a stalwart in the fight against British Imperialism. Stop the War was responsible for the largest protests ever held in Britain in February of 2003, when up to two million people took to the streets of London in opposition to the Iraq war. Over the past year the Stop the War Coalition has been able to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people in local and national protests and demonstrations against Israel’s assault on Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
The convention brought together activists, journalists, artists and academics to discuss conflicts from the Middle East to Sudan. One conflict dominated the discussions: the Israeli genocide in Gaza which is being perpetrated with military and diplomatic support by Western governments led by the US and UK. The message from speaker after speaker was that, in the face of a relentless turbo-charged forever war scenario, the resistance of the Palestinian people is galvanising a global movement of solidarity and resistance.
The role of NATO was explored, with Andrew Murray, chair of Stop the War, stressing that NATO is not an alliance for peace. Its involvement in the neo-colonial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its pivoting to Asia and the Pacific, and the 2021 AUKUS Pact prove it. However, the BRICS summit showed that the US is becoming ever more isolated on the world stage.
Andrew Feinstein, who ran against Keir Starmer in the 2024 UK parliamentary elections pointed to the fact that the senior vice president of Lockheed Martin, the biggest arms manufacturer on the planet, chaired the Committee to Expand NATO. The close relationship between the US and the UK concerning military strategy and involvement in conflicts across the world was explored as in the case of RAF Akrotiri, the British Air Force Base in Cyprus, which the US and UK have been using as a staging post for spy planes flying over Gaza. The urgent issue of the US storing nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath come Spring 2025 was raised.
The increasingly oppressive tactics used by the British state to stifle criticism and protest were a running theme throughout the day. From attempts to suppress mass demonstrations and university protests, to the arrests of independent journalists covering the genocide in Gaza, it is obvious the UK is using opposition against the conflict to widen its assault on civil liberties. A student at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, Haya Adam, spoke of her experiences as part of the student protest movement that were organised on campuses across the UK over the past year. In July, the University of London, which comprises several campuses including SOAS, began a harsh crackdown on students taking part in the Palestine solidarity encampment. Several students have been suspended or expelled for their participation. Recently the University of London has obtained an interim court injunction that would criminalise any protest taking place in support of the BDS movement as well as those involved with the SOAS Liberated Zone for Gaza and the Democratise Education. The injunction requires that any protests planned on University of London campuses must seek prior administrative approval. But its impact is spreading beyond the student protestors. Birkbeck University, also a part of the University of London, tried to use the injunction to stop a demonstration by Unison cleaners but backed down.
On the media front, the targeting of independent journalists by UK police is increasingly troubling. Journalist Matt Kennard, formerly of Declassified UK, spoke to the convention about how this story has been ignored by the mainstream press. Over the past year, several journalists who have criticised Israel over the genocide in Gaza have become victims of raids and arrests under the United Kingdom’s Terrorism Act, which can carry a sentence of up to 15 years’ imprisonment. In October, the Electronic Intifada’s associate editor Asa Winstanley’s home in London was raided by police who cited Winstanley’s social media posts as coming under the suspicion of “encouragement of terrorism.” Winstanley was never charged with an offense, but his electronic devices were confiscated. In August of this year, independent journalist Richard Medhurst was arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act (2000) at London’s Heathrow Airport. He was questioned by police and was held for almost 24 hours. Police also confiscated all his electronic devices and equipment. Medhurst, who has reported extensively on the atrocities being committed by the Israeli forces in Gaza, was arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, accused of “expressing an opinion or a belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation”. Journalist and activist Sarah Wilkinson, who has been vocal in her criticism of Israel on her social media posts in support of the people of Gaza also had her home raided by counterterrorism police and her devices confiscated with police citing section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 as the reason for the raid. The National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists have issued a statement condemning “the rising use of counter-terrorism legislation against journalists as an intimidatory measure harmful to public interest journalism and press freedom.” The mainstream media has been virtually silent on this gross misuse of counter terrorism legislation.
The media blackout extends beyond a lack of coverage to the UK’s treatment of independent journalists. The mass demonstrations that have taken place in London and across the UK since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza over a year ago are a point in case. Kennard and others spoke of how the lack of attention in the mainstream media being given to the large demonstrations is meant to make people feel isolated when in reality they are the majority. The majority of people in the UK condemn what is happening in Gaza and want a ceasefire. The increased oppression of activists on all fronts is a strong signal that the State understands it has lost control of the narrative and that public opinion is strongly opposed to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The final speaker of the event to address the convention was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He recently co-authored the book Monstrous Anger of the Guns – How the Global Arms Trade is Ruining the World and What We Can Do About It alongside fellow speaker Andrew Feinstein. The book consists of a collection of essays by leading activists and campaigners that explore the profit-making business of perpetual wars and how it must be combated by a mass mobilisation of people standing up for human rights and a more just society – a sentiment echoed throughout the day. Governments will seek to outlaw protest and use the armed forces of the state to arrest protesters, they will use the courts to sentence activists and the media to spread their lies; however, the civil movements that are springing up in response to state repression, calling for peace and respect for human rights, continue to grow. Organisations like Stop the War continue to show us – We are many, they are few.
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