Pacifists are being elbowed out of British politics just when we need them most | Andy Beckett

Being anti-war doesn’t mean being pro-Putin. Yet the peace movement has been demonised in the wake of the Ukraine crisis

It’s a strange time to be a pacifist in Britain. Everywhere there are calls for an end to the war in Ukraine: from politicians to Premier League footballers to hand-painted pleas for peace in people’s front windows. The illegitimacy and brutality of the Russian invasion make it very easy to condemn.

Yet at the same time, some of Britain’s most longstanding peace activists are being attacked and threatened. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has accused the Stop the War coalition, which has opposed conflicts for more than 20 years, of being “at best … naive” and “at worst … showing solidarity with the aggressor”.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist

Continue reading...