‘Welfare, not warfare’: European anti-war campaigners head to Cardiff

Nation.Cymru Staff

A group of European anti-war campaigners and trade union leaders are heading to Cardiff later this month after drawing packed crowds at public meetings in towns and cities across Britain.

The international delegation, touring under the banner “International Movement Against War – On Tour!”, is organised by the Stop the War Coalition.

Speakers have been bringing first-hand accounts of growing social unrest across Europe, as soaring living costs fuel anger and protests in country after country.

They will also report on the growing resistance to European governments’ plans to ramp up military spending to Cold War levels, with campaigners warning that ordinary families will be left to foot the bill through cuts to jobs, public services and social security.

French MP Jérôme Legarve, of La France Insoumise, said: “People and young people across Europe are mobilising and rising up against their governments and their policies. This is the anger and revolt of a generation who can no longer tolerate the destruction of its rights and its future.”

In France, demonstrations which began in secondary schools have spread to universities and workplaces, with a general strike called for November 5. Schools are short of teachers, buildings are crumbling and one student in four has to rely on food banks to eat, the MP said.

Legarve added: “These young people want to live. Their aspirations are shared by people across the country who can no longer bear the explosion in prices in a country where nearly 12 million people are now living in poverty. Young people want properly funded schools and universities. Workers want higher wages. But the government says there is no money.”

Yet, he pointed out, every political party apart from La France Insoumise and the Communist Party had voted to increase France’s military budget by €36 billion.

Imagine

The Cardiff event will put that contrast at the heart of a debate about what the new arms race means for local communities.

Adam Johannes from Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, said: “We have called a mass meeting at St German’s Church to discuss what the new arms race, supported by both the Westminster and Welsh Governments, means for Cardiff, with money being taken away from our communities to fund it.”

“What would Cardiff look like if the public money being spent on preparing for war was instead used to meet people’s needs? Imagine a city where everyone who wants a job can find secure, well-paid work building a greener future. Where there is affordable council housing for everyone who needs a home.”

“An NHS where people receive treatment when they need it, without waiting lists. Properly funded schools, libraries, youth centres, play centres, parks and public services. A future where young people can grow up free from the fear of poverty and climate breakdown.”

Organise

Activists, trade unionists and artists from France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Palestine will join Cardiff residents to share experiences of organising against militarism and discuss alternatives to a future dominated by military spending.

Legarve also criticised European governments over their response to the genocide in Gaza and allowing the US military to use their naval and air bases for its attacks on Iran. He warned that governments were preparing for confrontation with Russia, pointing to Germany’s now having the biggest conventional army in Europe and reintroducing conscription.

“Our governments want war but the people do not want war,” he said. “They do not want the militarisation of society or their children or young people to go and die in wars waged by the powerful for their own profits. The people are making their wishes clear right now by rising up against their governments. They want to have welfare, not warfare.”

The Cardiff meeting takes place at 7pm on Wednesday November 11 at St German’s Church, Adamsdown. Speakers include a French student leader, former Irish MEP Clare Daly, Stop the War’s Lindsey German, and trade unionists. The meeting will be chaired by award-winning Palestinian-Italian author Sabrin Hasbun.

Tickets are available here.