The Future War conference takes place on Saturday 12th November at Birkbeck University. On this page, you will find the conference programme with a detailed schedule, some reading on autonomous weapons and our speakers’ bios (button below).
Recordings will be added here after the conference. Please allow a few days for processing.
If you can make it to the conference, please register here.
In the meantime, check out the event’s trailer video made with Prof. Paul Rogers!
The Lakenheath protest was a success! ✊US nukes are not welcome back in Britain, and we'll keep fighting to prevent their return.
Thanks to all protestors, donors and supporters!
We’ve made a short video recap with some key moments of the protest, and shared some pictures below:
London CND member Annie Tunnicliffe gets a mention in the letters page of The Guardian, in response to a recent column by Zoe Williams about growing up in the shadow of the nuclear bomb. The piece mentions the historic Aldermaston marches and Annie is quick to point out that the organisation is not a thing of the past:
“The historical references to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Zoe Williams’ piece may lead readers to believe that it is something from the past. In fact, CND is still vigorously campaigning against nuclear weapons, as it has since its beginnings in the late 50s. There is a thriving membership, with groups across the country campaigning locally and nationally for nuclear disarmament.
CND has a website and is active on social media – and if your algorithms aren’t showing you that, maybe seek us out and join us.”
London Region CND's name has joined the Peace in Ukraine Coalition and supports the global day of action on Sunday 6th March under the slogans:
Stop the War in Ukraine.
Russian Troops Out.
No to NATO expansion.
As well as CND, the coalition includes: No to NATO Coalition, Pax Christi USA, CODEPINK, Peace Action USA, Stop the War Coalition, United for Peace and Justice, Veterans For Peace, and many more national, regional, and local organisations. You can see the list here and take a look at the Coalition's website.
Join CND in calling for an end to conflict in Ukraine to avert the threat of nuclear war:
“As the crisis in Ukraine escalates, the risk of nuclear war comes ever closer. President Biden pointed out last week that war between the US and Russia would be World War III, yet this possibility is closer than ever before. The entry of Russian forces into Ukraine makes diplomacy more urgent, not less. Yet British political leaders continue to denigrate diplomatic initiatives, even as the conflict intensifies.
“Rather than refusing to talk with the Russian leadership, the US administration must get to the negotiating table, to address all the fundamental issues in this conflict, including how to make the Minsk agreements work. Rather than further escalating the conflict and militarisation of the region, the US must recognise the risk of nuclear war and do everything possible to achieve a peaceful solution.
“The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement: ‘…condemns all military actions on the sides of Russia and Ukraine in the context of current conflict. We call the leadership of both states and military forces to step back and sit at the negotiation table. Peace in Ukraine and around the world can be achieved only in a nonviolent way. War is a crime against humanity. Therefore, we are determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all causes of war.’
“Russia and the United States together have almost 12,000 nuclear weapons—some of which are 3,000 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. Add to that the arsenals of NATO members France and the United Kingdom, not to mention around 150 nuclear bombs that the US sites in western Europe under the auspices of NATO.”
Join CND’s international rally, Saturday 26 February, No War in Ukraine, No to Nato
Get a free No Nuclear War poster here
Print you own window poster here
Carry on reading Kate Hudson’s blog here
Read Labour CND’s statement on Nato here
Bethan and Ellie from the Youth & Students section of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament explain the dangers posed by AUKUS, the new military pact between the UK, the US and Australia.
AUKUS is...
a new military pact between the United Kingdom, the United States & Australia
a dangerous escalation against China
providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines & weapons-grade uranium
#NoToAukus #NoNuclearProliferation #NoNewColdWar
Video edited by London CND.
London CND joined the global day of action for Climate Justice called by the COP26 Coalition. We assembled at the Bank of England by the CND stall and marched to Trafalgar Square. Blocs included: Reparations, Trade Union and Worker, Health Justice, Feminist and LGBTQ+, Biodiversity, Global Solidarity (including CND, Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign), Faith and Eco-socialist.
Julie, the London CND worker, brought a very visual placard explaining the disastrous link between Climate Change and nuclear weapons.
Need some #MondayMotivation?🔥
— COP26 Coalition (@COP26_Coalition) November 8, 2021
✊ On Saturday, over 100,000 people from across the climate justice movement took to the streets of Glasgow to say the era of injustice is over.
🌎 They were joined by 300 actions worldwide, with 100 demonstrations in the UK.#COP26GDA pic.twitter.com/o4jac1GmG1
The government is planning to make important changes to the law that will restrict the right to protest when lockdown restrictions ease.
CND and London CND oppose this new planned legislation, and joined the national #KillTheBill protest on May 1st in London. After gathering in Trafalgar Square from midday, we marched past Buckingham Palace then through Victoria, past the Department for Education and the Home Office, and finally across the river to Vauxhall Gardens.
The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill would give the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, powers to create laws to define ‘serious disruption’ to communities and organisations, on which police can then rely to impose conditions on protests. As the Netpol Kill The Bill Coalition statement explains:
The Bill intensifies police brutality against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and criminalises their way of life.
The Bill gives the police the power to criminalise protests for being “noisy”, disruptive or “annoying”.
The Bill uses ‘protecting’ women as a cover to expand police powers and increase custodial sentences. These measures are not sufficient to prevent violence, and are troubling considering police officers’ implication in cases of violence against women.
The Bill expands stop and search powers, which are already regularly used to harass and terrorise young black people.
The Bill will silence the calls for justice by families of those whose loved ones have died at the hands of the police.
The Bill makes those at the sharpest edge of state violence even more unsafe – including migrants, sex workers, Disabled people, and racialised communities.
But in a victory for protestors, the next stage of the bill has now been delayed until later in the year after huge opposition. This protest aimed to increase the pressure to scrap the bill altogether.
Our ability to campaign against nuclear weapons is only as strong as our democratic freedom to dissent and protest. We must continue to stand firm against the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill.
CND signed an open letter to the Home Secretary and Justice Secretary with other organisations highlighting our concerns, and you can express your opposition to the Bill by signing the Netpol petitition here:
Campaigners at CND and a host of other organisations have roundly condemned plans to hold a ‘thanksgiving’ service for Britain’s nuclear deterrent at Westminster Abbey.
The Royal Navy plans to host a National Service of Thanksgiving to mark 50 years of the Continuous at Sea Deterrent on the 3rd of May. New nuclear submarines are currently being constructed as part of a £205 billion Trident replacement scheme.
CND will hold protests at Westminster Abbey if the service goes ahead.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“It’s morally repugnant that a service of thanksgiving for Britain’s nuclear weapons system is due to be held at Westminster Abbey. This sends out a terrible message to the world about our country. It says that here in Britain we celebrate weapons – in a place of worship – that can kill millions of people.
“If the Defence Secretary doesn’t cancel this service, we call on the Church authorities to step in to stop it. CND will hold protests at Westminster Abbey on the day of the service if this celebration of nuclear weapons goes ahead.”
In July 2018, the General Synod passed a motion which states “nuclear weapons, through their indiscriminate and destructive potential, present a distinct category of weaponry that requires Christians to work tirelessly for their elimination across the world.”
Take action
Tell the Defence Secretary to cancel the Westminster Abbey celebration
If the thanksgiving service goes ahead, join our protest outside the Abbey on the day
Christian CND is also mobilising its supporters against the service. Please support their petition and other activities.
Code Pink USA have won another victory in their campaign for the US to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, with Representative and presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard committing her support.
In May 2018, President Trump pulled the US out of the deal, which provided that Iran's nuclear activities would be limited in exchange for reduced sanctions. The international community reacted to Trump’s announcement with serious concern.
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said of the decision: “Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal is a dangerous and irresponsible move, rightly condemned by the international community. The groundbreaking 2015 deal achieved its central aim: Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons programme. Only a president hellbent on making the world a more dangerous place would consider such a belligerent and counterproductive move. It will be seen as a step towards war and sends a threatening message to the world.”
For the past couple of weeks, Code Pink have been calling on the 2020 Presidential hopefuls to publicly support rejoining the deal as part of their campaign to reinstate it.
So far, Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Representative Julian Castro and candidates Wayne Messam, Marianne Williamson, and now Representative Tulsi Gabbard have all committed to re-entering the Iran Nuclear deal.
Code Pink also had another victory last month when the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution calling on the U.S. to re-enter the Iran Nuclear deal. This means that rejoining the agreement is the official policy of the Democratic Party.
Code Pink USA is a grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations. In January this year, we held a video interview with its co-founder Medea Benjamin, which was screened at our conference. You can watch the interview in full here.
