Stop Trump’s war with Iran

By New Worker correspondent

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Whitehall on Saturday to protest against the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general killed in a targeted US drone attack in Baghdad last week. Left-wing Labour frontbenchers John McDonnell and Richard Burgon joined the Stop the War protesters demonstrating over the deadly attack that the Iranians have sworn to avenge in the very near future. McDonnell warned that the killing would “set the Middle East and the globe alight yet again”, and urged protesters to take direct action “on the streets in demonstrations and actions”.

“The march to war with Iran has begun, with the British government playing Trump's tune – it's time for all those opposed to another slaughter in the Middle East to organise a mass anti-war movement,” says Shabbir Lakha in Tribune this week.

The Stop the War campaign official said: “Socialists in the Labour Party must ensure that foreign policy is a litmus test for any contender for the leadership and that there is no room for a return to the days of Blairism, when the party was a voice for Western imperialism.

“But wider than that, the anti-war movement needs to urgently organise resistance to war with Iran. The situation is extremely critical and Stop the War has called a protest outside Downing Street at 2pm today to mobilise the opposition to war with Iran and send a clear indication to Boris Johnson that we will not tolerate British support for US aggression in the Middle East.

“Stop the War played a key role in the anti-Trump protests of 2018 and 2019, ensuring that the anti-war message was front and centre. The wide layer of activists and movements that came together to stand up to Trump then must now get active in the campaign to stop his wars.”