Fund peace not war

Why is this important?

A bomb targeting a girls school. Over 100 children were murdered. In the name of security. [1]

This is not a dystopian future. It’s happening right now in Iran with the United States in the driver's seat.

Under Trump, “security” first meant violence at home - armed agents deployed into cities and brutally murdering protesters, including a nurse and a prize-winning poet. [2] And now it’s violence across the globe. [3] 

This is how authoritarianism creeps in. Not all at once. But step by step. Always justified in the name of security.

In Europe, if fear is allowed to drive political decisions, we could face the same outcome.Across the EU, leaders have openly been talking about war, and conscription. Military budgets are rising fast. and today, only one of them has condemned the attacks on Iran. [4]

We are told military expansion will make us safer. But history tells us something else. And all of this is happening while people struggle to afford housing, our healthcare remains underfunded, and the cost-of-living crisis deepens.

If we do not want authoritarianism to take root in Europe, we must not give in to fear.
We must not accept militarisation as the answer to the crisis.

More than a decade ago, millions of people across Europe refused to stay silent as leaders marched toward war. Now it’s our turn.  Let’s build the biggest pro-peace and democracy movement in a generation. Add your name to join people across Europe demanding protection for people not money for more weapons. 

References: