An international mass meeting against war and genocide took place on Sunday in Paris. Four thousand people, including delegations from nineteen countries, filled out the Dome de Paris. The arena was a sea of Palestine flags and flags of socialist and anti-war organisations.
The scale of the meeting was a breakthrough for the international movement against genocide in Gaza and the rearmament of Europe. The atmosphere was electric and the meeting was opened and closed by spontaneous singing of the Internationale.
The meeting comes at a time of the continuing barbarity of Israel’s attempt to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people and escalating war in Ukraine. It also follows mass anti-war demonstrations across the continent and general strikes in Italy, Greece and France.
It was clear throughout the speeches of the various speakers who had also been part of the conference the previous day, that the movements in each country are looking to, taking inspiration from and trying to build on the movements, protests and tactics in each other’s countries.
Following the Italian general strike, unions in Spain have called a national walkout on 15 October. Activists from Germany, Denmark and Portugal spoke about how the national demonstrations in London have given inspiration and confidence to activists in their countries to organise their own mass demonstrations.
There was a great feeling of unity and solidarity, but also a sense of urgency. European governments have been central to facilitating Israel’s genocide, in prolonging the war in Ukraine, and in spending hundreds of billions more on weapons. All while ramping up authoritarianism and paving the way for the rise of the far right.
The meeting demanded ‘not a penny, not a weapon, not a human life for war.’ The slogan of welfare not warfare was taken up by a number of representatives of unions and campaigns. The meeting committed to setting up a body to help coordinate actions across the continent and beyond, and for a follow-up conference in London on 20 June 2026.
John Rees, speaking for Stop the War, called on the international movement to recreate a 15 February 2003 moment, where tens of millions of people marched for the entirety of the day from Australia to the US west coast against the Iraq War.
The mass rally in Paris was a big first step in coordinating the international anti-war and Palestine solidarity movements and building for a global day of action that can really shake the world.
Watch the speeches from the rally here
Source: Counterfire