Breakthrough conference as thousands gather in London against war

On Saturday 20th June 2026 London hosted a historic conference against war and militarism.

Text and video content from Stop The War Coalition

Three thousand packed in to Westminster Central Hall, over a thousand of whom came from at least 27 countries outside of the UK, including hundreds from France, over a hundred from Spain and at least fifty from Germany.

This was the second conference of a movement that was initiated at a huge conference at the Dôme de Paris last October.

Proceedings started with a trade union and activists’ assembly which discussed key issues and campaigns, including spiralling arms spending, the spread of conscription, Islamophobia, threats to Cuba and much more.

The main conference sessions were heard in two huge halls simultaneously because of the numbers.

In the Great Hall the first session opened with a celebration of the unprecedented Palestine movement in Britain and then proceeded with an international discussion about the spread of war across the globe.

Members of parliaments and trade union leaders were joined by anti-war and pro-Palestine activists from the USA to Iran and Bahrain, including Mustafa Barghouti from the Palestinian National Initiative. The conference was also addressed by Ukrainian and Russian activists.This was the second conference of a movement that was initiated at a huge conference at the Dôme de Paris last October.

Proceedings started with a trade union and activists’ assembly which discussed key issues and campaigns, including spiralling arms spending, the spread of conscription, Islamophobia, threats to Cuba and much more.

The main conference sessions were heard in two huge halls simultaneously because of the numbers.

In the Great Hall the first session opened with a celebration of the unprecedented Palestine movement in Britain and then proceeded with an international discussion about the spread of war across the globe.

Members of parliaments and trade union leaders were joined by anti-war and pro-Palestine activists from the USA to Iran and Bahrain, including Mustafa Barghouti from the Palestinian National Initiative. The conference was also addressed by Ukrainian and Russian activists.