The demonstration is called by Stop The War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
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Sunday 27 April 2025
Amid attacks on the working class, Starmer has consistently backed Israel’s genocide (Photo: Alisdare Hickson)
A mass mobilisation in Scotland on Saturday 10 May will demand, “Welfare not warfare.” The national demonstration, called by Stop The War and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, will take place in Glasgow.
Its demands include for Labour to stop arming Israel and to scrap Trident nuclear weapons.
Jade Eckhaus, Stop The War Scotland co-chair, told Socialist Worker, “The Starmer government is waging war on all of us.
Keir Starmer “has said Labour will spend £6 billion more each year on the military because he wants to suck up to Donald Trump”.
“But every penny spent on arms is money that is being taken away from our hospitals, schools, public services and the welfare state.
“That’s why we’re building an anti-war movement that makes the links. Starmer’s support for Israel’s genocide and never-ending war in Ukraine and the attacks on working class people are two sides of the same coin.”
She added, “The wars that are going on have been distastrous and spending more on arms will will make the world an even more dangerous place.”
The demonstration is supported by the RMT, PCS and UCU unions and Disabled People Against Cuts, We Demand Change and others.
Gordon Martin, the RMT transport union’s Scotland organiser, is one of the trade unionists backing the demonstration. He told Socialist Worker, “It’s vitally important that working class communities don’t face further devastation and I don’t say devastation lightly.
“The housing stock is dreadful, the community centres, libraries and other things that make a community have been ripped out.
“We simply cannot and should not tolerate any more.”
The Scottish first minister John Swinney has devolved powers over welfare spending—and will try to soften the blow while failing to put a challenge to austerity.
Gordon said, “We have multiple layers of governance in Scotland and all of them just pass on austerity.
“Sometimes we get the semi-skimmed cut rather than the full-fat cut—but a cut is a cut.”
Sections of the trade union movement argue that “defence” spending will boost jobs and line up behind the Labour government.
But billions of investment into the arms industry could go to public services and green jobs as part of a just transition.
And workers in those industries have skills that could be used to meet social needs without loss of pay or jobs.
Gordon added, “We’ve been listening to that argument for years that says let’s spend million or billions on war rather than on making a better society.
“Let’s spend it on hospitals, schools, housing and decent jobs for working class people.”
- Join the Welfare not warfare, Stop arming Israel, Scrap Trident national demonstration | Saturday, 10 May, 12noon. Assemble at Buchanan Street Steps, Glasgow.
- Join the Stop The War fringe meeting at the Scottish TUC union federation congress in Dundee | 12.30pm, Wednesday 30 April, Committee Room 1, Caird Hall