On 14 June, members of Socialist Students (England and Wales) attended a Youth and Student Anti-War Assembly in Cologne, Germany. Twelve organisations from eight countries across Europe took part, including socialist youth organisations, climate justice groups and anarchist student unions.
The initiative began in solidarity with youth campaigns against military conscription in Germany. As opposition to militarisation has grown across the continent, the discussion broadened into how young people and students can build a coordinated European movement against war, militarism and austerity.
Our invitation to the assembly reflected the work Socialist Students has carried out in Britain. We were able to draw on experiences from the student walkouts against Donald Trump’s visit last September, alongside local campaigns, to contribute to discussions on how youth can organise effectively.
The urgency of building an anti-war movement was clear throughout the meeting. Last year, the UK government spent £66 billion on defence, while pressure from the capitalist class continues to mount on the Labour government to increase military spending even further. Across Europe, governments are preparing for a new era of militarisation. The European Union has lifted debt restrictions for military expenditure while encouraging member states to impose austerity on working-class people to pay the bill.
Socialist Students argued that resistance to these policies is already beginning and that our task is to strengthen and develop this fightback. Young people face attacks on education, housing, and living standards, while the government tells us there is always money available for war. Therefore, we put forward the need to link the struggle against militarism to the struggle against capitalism at every level.
Socialist Students proposed the slogan ‘Fight for Our Futures, Not Their Wars’, which was adopted by the assembly. The slogan provides a common banner under which youth movements across Europe can unite while allowing organisations in different countries to connect the anti-war struggle to the issues facing students and young people locally.
To help the movement grow, the assembly agreed a federal structure. New organisations will be able to affiliate on the basis of agreement with the core principles set out in the assembly’s manifesto, which outlines the political aims and common positions shared by participating groups.
Youth strike
A written contribution from the German youth organisation Die Falken will be published, incorporating amendments discussed during the meeting, to form the basis of further debate and discussion among participating organisations. Working groups were also established to coordinate campaigning, communications and mobilisation work, with regular online meetings planned for the coming months.
Throughout the assembly, Socialist Students argued for the need for a clear programme against war and militarism. Opposition to war cannot be separated from opposition to the capitalist system. Therefore, we will continue to connect the struggle against militarisation to the workers’ movement and fight to build links between young people and workers across Europe.
We are entering a period of deep instability internationally. As governments continue to inflict austerity and enforce militarisation, cooperation between youth and student organisations across Europe represents an important step forward. The challenges we face are international, and the struggle against capitalism must be international too.
By the end of the assembly, all participating organisations agreed on the goal of building towards a Europe-wide youth strike on 20 November. This proposal will now be discussed within each affiliated organisation as preparations begin.