Stop the War Coalition organised a protest at Brighton’s Clock Tower today (Sunday 6 March).
One of the organisers, Paddy O’Keefe, said that he was very concerned about the threat of a “nuclear holocaust.”
He said: “The bombing of the nuclear plant, it’s the first time a nuclear installation has been exposed to battlefield conditions and been bombed.
“It is interesting. Stop the War has been criticised. It is hypocritical of UK politicians to complain about the protests. Keir Starmer said we were either ‘naïve’ or ‘facilitating Putin’.”
Independent councillor Nikkie Brennan, who represents East Brighton ward on Brighton and Hove City Council, hosted the event.
She read out a statement from Stop the War Coalition saying that the war in Ukraine was a disaster for the people of Ukraine and said: “We demand the withdrawal of all Russian troops.”
Councillor Brennan said that the coalition also opposed NATO expansion and sanctions that would affect ordinary Russian people.
Jake Easby-Robinson, from the Peace and Environment Centre, spoke about the importance of community. He is a peace volunteer and he said: “Communities are torn apart and pitted against each other. We see each other and communicate with each other. When communities lose their role models, it is difficult to rebuild them. Communities have to have role models.”
He said that Ukrainians do not want to fight each other but there were factions from previous conflicts.
He said that there were millions of displaced people in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, etc, adding: “Our government is not doing enough for refugees.
“We need to rebuild democracy. It’s not just what’s on our TV screens and our phones. We need to understand the root causes of the conflict.”
Another of those at the demo, Ellen Graubart, spoke about the racist element in the disproportionate media coverage of the war in Ukraine.
She said: “These wars are being instigated and carried out by the imperialist agenda of the US and its little brother the UK to gain and retain control of natural resources and put in place puppet regimes around the world.
“The winners are the large corporations and the ‘military industrial complex’ and the losers are always the ordinary people who just want a decent life and safety for their families.
“There is a huge racist element to these wars and conflicts, as countries where brown and black people live don’t rate the coverage that a white country like Ukraine is getting.
“Note that brown and black workers and students trying to escape Ukraine are being stopped at the Polish border.
