Let us intensify our fights against the war in Europe and the social war by the governments against their own people, against the genocide of the Palestinian people, against the attacks on democratic freedoms

On May 4, 2024, we launched a joint appeal in Paris: ‘Biden, Scholz, Macron, Sunak, Meloni… We say NO to your wars! You are responsible for massacres and wars.’

This appeal, which is the basis for the work of our conference today, was signed by several hundred trade unionists, politicians and activists in 21 European countries.

‘Governments are participating in the destruction of the Palestinian people by organising the supply of arms… to Israel.’ (Appeal, 4 May) While the US government continues to approve the delivery of billions of dollars in weapons to Netanyahu, German Chancellor Scholz is now announcing that Germany will double its arms exports to Israel, assuring: ‘We have supplied weapons, and we will supply weapons. The country of Israel can always rely on that.’

We are convinced that “the mobilisation of the people will prevent the murderous escalation in which the governments want to involve us and will be able to stop the arms deliveries.” (Appeal, 4 May)

Despite the almost complete silence of the labour movement, the protests and mobilisations in defence of the Palestinian people and their rights are spreading.

In London, the powerful mass demonstrations for a ceasefire in Gaza/West Bank, Lebanon and for an arms embargo against Israel continue.

In France, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators take to the streets again and again for a ceasefire in Palestine.

In Germany, a large majority of the population is in favour of stopping financial and military aid and for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and Gaza.

‘The governments now want to involve us even more in the war in Ukraine by sending troops and plunging us into a conflict between nuclear powers’ (from the May 4 appeal). Arms deliveries continue while thousands of young Ukrainians and Russians die. Under orders from US President Biden, Scholz has agreed to the deployment of medium-range missiles in Germany that can be equipped with nuclear warheads and have a range that extends to Moscow. They are preparing the war against Russia today.

They pass on the costs of their wars by making a general attack on all the social achievements of their own peoples. To silence all resistance and to intimidate the peoples, they massively attack fundamental rights: the right to freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration. War against other peoples always becomes a war against one’s own people.

Nevertheless, all over the continent, numerous organisations and activists are taking part in demonstrations and taking initiatives against ‘their’ wars. In order to consolidate these processes and to strengthen our alliance across borders, we organised the European Conference in Berlin on 2 November.

Activists and organisations from Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Macedonia took part in the work of the conference.

We reaffirm our demands. We say no to the policies of our governments:

• Stop the genocide of the Palestinian people!
• Stop the expansion of Israel’s war of destruction to Lebanon and Syria!
• In Palestine as in Ukraine: Immediate ceasefire!
• Stop the arms deliveries!
• No to any military intervention by NATO troops in Ukraine!
• We stand by the young Ukrainians and Russians who can no longer bear the war.
• We defend fundamental democratic rights and freedoms: freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration.

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