Peace campaigners were banned from the national Armed Forces Day event at the last minute this year while the celebration of tanks, helicopters and weapons built to kill went ahead. https://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/news/peace-campaigners-silenced-as-plug-pulled-on-armed-forces-day-stall

Great to have worked on this letter with @rethinkingsecurity.bsky.social We were joined by a wide range of signatories inc @christianaiduk.bsky.social @cclimateaction.bsky.social @aoav.bsky.social @ceobs.org @forceswatch.bsky.social @responsiblesci.bsky.social @caatuk.bsky.social @cnduk.bsky.social

Let's build a peaceful future! Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped create a space for peace alongside the Armed Forces Day Community Day in Aldershot last Sunday. @caatuk.bsky.social @peace-campaigns.quaker.org.uk @quaker.org.uk 👇Continues

Today the government has published the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan Starmer says UK defence spending will reach £80 billion a year by 2029, adding that the 3.5% he promised to Donald Trump by 2035 is still on target. Read more over on our Instagram: www.instagram.com/p/DaN-mwSCPP...

You might have seen this advert on buses in London... It's for Farnborough Airshow, a grotesque exhibition of weapons of war and genocide. This year, over 1,000 arms companies will exhibit including Elbit, BAE, and more genocide profiteers.

Peace organisations and local community members came together today for a Peace Vigil outside the national Armed Forces Day event in Farnborough being held this weekend. Learn more about our work challenging the militarisation of Armed Forces Day: www.forceswatch.net/activity/armed-forces-day

Is anti-militarism unpatriotic? This weekend, hundreds of Armed Forces Day events have taken place in towns and cities across the UK. We’re resharing this video, made by former ForcesWatch colleague and ex-soldier Joe Glenton, which takes a deeper look at the incentives behind these events.

This weekend, there will be many parades and community ‘fun days’ across Britain for Armed Forces Day. The occasion is also often marked in schools, while the government and parts of the media use it to promote increasingly militaristic messaging. Read our joint press release 👇

Our Armed Forces Day postcards will be given out this weekend! We've sent these postcards to community groups and individuals across the country who are concerned about the everyday militarism that accompanies Armed Forces Day each year. Continues👇

🚨1,500+ weapons companies are coming to Farnborough International next month for a horrific airshow and arms fair. This arms fair brings together weapons companies, arms dealers, and government officials to make deals for war and genocide.

A coalition of 13 peace organisations, including ForcesWatch, are calling on the Government to rule out any future introduction of conscription, mandatory national service, or compulsory registration in the UK. Sign the petition👉 you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no...

Your reminder that protest works! Last year in York, local residents successfully challenged plans for Armed Forces Day that would have included military vehicles and replica weapons presented as “family friendly” entertainment. Read more👇

This should be a very useful webinar. Thurs 9th July 6pm The NATO summit on 7th– 8th July is likely to be a crucial moment for UK and European security policy. Open discussion including Ian Davis of NATO Watch >>> rethinkingsecurity.org.uk/home/events/...

BREAKING: Palestine Action ban was lawful, court finds The Court of Appeals has ruled in favour of the Home Secretary in challenging the previous court ruling that the ban was unlawful. Palestine Action will remain a proscribed organisation.

Forces Watch has joined a growing coalition taking a shared stance against the Defence Universities Alliance (DUA), a new and concerning Ministry of Defence initiative. We have endorsed the official statement by Demilitarise Education: demilitariseeducation.com/what-we-do/b... Continues 👇

Following John Healey's resignation as Defence Secretary over the #DefenceInvestmentPlan, CND is calling for the government to take a new direction – away from the disastrous war drive and nuclear expansion currently underway 👇

When commentators' defence industry links go undisclosed, it becomes harder for the public to assess whose interests are being represented in discussions about war, security & military spending. Read more at @declassifieduk.org

Palantir is not a neutral company and it does not act in the public interest! Despite having the red carpet rolled out by our political leaders, opposition is growing in the UK: a parliamentary committee report has recommended ending Palantir’s NHS contract. Continues 👇

Drones, drones, drones... Drones are changing the battlefield forever - find out how and why in the latest article on The Broken Rifle blog, from Dutch organisation Stop Wapenhandel: wri-irg.org/en/story/202...

Reports suggest net-zero spending could be cut to fund another military spending boost. Military spending is never “free”. It comes at the expense of climate action, public services, diplomacy and peacebuilding. Security should mean protecting life, not war. #peacetaxtuesdays

ForcesWatch’s Emma Sangster spoke with @isaaqtomkins.bsky.social of The Guardian about the growth of an “economic draft” in the UK, as the military plans to partner with Jobcentres to recruit for the Army. Read more here: www.theguardian.com/society/2026... (1/3)

At the #FFPForum, Kurdish feminist activist Neshtman Khalaf speaks on the realities facing women in Rojava and across Syria, and why feminist foreign policy must deliver tangible change. 🎥 Watch her message. #FeministForeignPolicy #WomenPeaceSecurity #Syria #Rojava #WILPF #JinJiyanAzadi

www.theguardian.com/society/2026... Great to see @forceswatch.bsky.social quoted here. 'Conscription by poverty' won't help youth unemployment.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨 MPs call for government to kick Palantir out of the NHS https://goodlawproject.org/mps-call-for-government-to-kick-palantir-out-of-the-nhs/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=palantirnhs_post_25774&utm_medium=social_media&utm_content=03-06-2026

Should any university be ‘a powerhouse of defence and national security’? That’s what King’s College London and Cranfield University announced they would become last week as the two institutions plan to merge. (1/3)

👉NEW -- UK media fails to disclose defence industry ties of most military commentators by Amy Killingbeck & @iainoverton.bsky.social Former military officers are weighing in on wars and defence spending without public awareness of their commercial interests www.declassifieduk.org/uk-media-fai...

In case you missed it, the webinar hosted by Scientists for Global Responsibility, “Militarism and the politics of education” took place last week. (1/3)

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: CONDEMNING THE DEFENCE UNIVERSITIES ALLIANCE from Demilitarise Education 'Our universities must remain spaces where critical inquiry, ethical responsibility and the pursuit of justice can flourish free from military influence and political coercion.' ded1.co/what-we-do/b...

The debate around military conscription in the UK is rising. Forcing young people into service deprives them of choices and would be a colossal waste of funds during a cost of living crisis. Add your name to tell the government to rule it out! you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no...

MPs and charities warn against further reductions in overseas aid budget as government steps up military investment. Bond's Gideon Rabinowitz said any move to reduce spending would be “dishonest, morally indefensible, and a betrayal of Labour values”. www.ft.com/content/c98a...

Cambridge’s Judge Business School is seeking a deal with Saudi Arabia’s MoD The deal includes providing “leadership development” and “innovation management,” despite ongoing concerns over human rights, academic freedom, and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in conflicts in Yemen and Iran. (1/3)

Starmer seems to be using the promise of an increase in defence spending to bolster his chances of remaining PM, in the face of threats to his leadership. Last week he bowed to pressure from the military lobby and senior figures in and around the government, and promised £18b over 4 years. (1/3)

On International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, Quakers in Europe launched a new report sharing powerful stories from people who have refused to fight, often at great personal cost. Read Voices of Peace here: www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve... @warresistersint.bsky.social @quaker.org.uk (1/3)

We are deeply concerned by growing discussion around the possible return of military conscription or compulsory national service in the UK. Conscription would remove choice from young people at a critical stage of their lives and place them into military service against their will.

Workers at Google DeepMind in the UK are pushing to unionise amid growing concerns over the company’s expanding AI ties with the Israeli and US militaries and the ethical use of its technology. (1/4)

“Conscription is now a threat held over young people in the UK.” At the National Ceremony for Conscientious Objectors’ Day this afternoon in London, ForcesWatch’s Emma Sangster spoke about the growing risk of military conscription in the UK. (1/3)

Today is International Conscientious Objectors’ Day 🕊️ We stand in solidarity with conscientious objectors, past and present, and reaffirm a simple principle: the right to refuse war must be protected. @anglicanpacifists.bsky.social @taxesforpeace.bsky.social @forpeacemaker.bsky.social

🕊️ Today, 15th May, is International Conscientious Objectors’ Day. We stop to remember those who have bravely refused to fight, past and present. #CODay #ConscientiousObjectors

Germany’s military has reportedly ruled out awarding Palantir a contract for an AI battlefield data cloud, citing security concerns over private industry access to national databases. The decision reflects Europe’s growing push for sovereign AI systems independent of US tech firms. (1/3)

Join us for the National Conscientious Objectors’ Day Ceremony in London 🕊️ Now more than ever, we must stand with COs, who are often the last line of defence against the normalisation of war and militarism. co-day.org

The Normalisation of Attacks on Education The Safe Schools Declaration of 2015, sets out clear commitments for states: 🏫 Schools must not be used by armed actors. 📖 Students, teachers & staff must never be targeted. ✏️ Educational spaces & the right to education must be protected. (1/3)

BREAKING Mixed verdicts in the retrial of the first six Filton 24 defendants 🧵

This week saw the release of new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (@sipri.org), showing that global military expenditure has risen to $2,887 billion in 2025 — the 11th consecutive year of increases in military spending. (1/3) @demilitarizeday.bsky.social

A great film on the recent peace camp at RAF Lakenheath. A very successful week of protest against the return of US nuclear weapons to Britain and the role of US bases in the illegal attacks on Iran. Make sure to follow @lakenheathalliance.bsky.social for more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5pv...

🎥 Join us LIVE on Tuesday at 6.30pm across Facebook, YouTube and X as we discuss the cost of war, with economist Dr Carolina Alves. We'll be uncovering the human cost of the illegal war on Iran and UK participation with editor Phil Miller, @john-mcevoy.bsky.social and co-director Laura Pidcock.

Palantir has contracts with multiple UK government bodies including the NHS, we should all be worried. When systems used in public services are linked to technologies deployed in defence and surveillance, it raises questions about where the boundaries between health, security & warfare sit.

Labour is pressing ahead with a national digital ID card system, despite widespread opposition around privacy concerns, how much personal data would be collected in one place & how those who don’t - or can’t - live their lives through smartphones will be excluded. (1/3)

“No to conscription and war preparations! The rich want war – the youth want a future!” Across Germany, student-led school strikes against the return of conscription are facing growing pressure from a media landscape largely aligned with government militarisation. (1/2) @warresistersint.bsky.social

In 2025, the world spent $2.9 trillion on the military, according to @sipriorg We urge governments to undertake major reductions to their military expenditure and redirect those funds to social and environmental sectors, tackling the global challenges of our time, and funding human security.

An investigation by BBC Africa Eye and the World of Secrets podcast reveals the long-term harm linked to British military presence in Kenya, including the children abandoned by their military fathers, families pushed into poverty, and lives shaped by identity loss. (1/4)