RAF bombs Yemen / Welfare Not Warfare demonstration May 10th / Hamilton by-election hustings May 14th
This week, whilst delegations from Scotland’s trades unions met in Dundee for the 128th Scottish Trades Union Congress, Britain launched airstrikes in Yemen at targets just outside the country’s capital city, Sana’a.
The UK military has been supporting similar operations by the US airforce in Yemen since the ruling Ansar Allah movement (commonly referred to as the Houthi rebels in the western press) re-started their restrictions of shipping in the red sea.
The Yemeni Armed Forces had banned Israeli-linked ships in Yemeni waters since late 2023 as a means of imposing economic sanctions on Israel for its genocide in Gaza. Yemeni maritime attacks stopped during the short ceasefire period in Gaza from January-March 2025.
Defence Secretary John Healey, displaying the typical sycophancy of an MoD boss, said that a key reason for the UK bombarding Yemen was to show support to the US: “The US continues to be the UK’s closest security ally. They’re stepping up in the Red Sea. We are alongside them.”
This is a stark reminder of the kinds of actions the MoD will take with its increased £billions in funding. The Yemen strikes are an indication of what “defence” really means to the warhawks in our political and military establishment.
It means wasting millions on expeditionary ventures abroad, usually to serve the foreign policy interests of the Unites States and Israel. Make no mistake – whatever nonsense Healey talks about “protecting” working people in Britain -these attacks on Yemen, as well as the 500+ surveillance flights the RAF has run over Gaza since 2023, are intended to serve and support Israel, a country perpetrating genocide in broad daylight and whose leaders are wanted for war crimes.
And all the while, the so-called Labour government imposes economic austerity at home, sweeping state support from underneath pensioners, the disabled and the impoverished children. “Defence” has absolutely nothing to do with it. It is moral and political depravity of the highest order.
That’s why increased defence spending at the cost of public investment at home must be opposed, no matter how much Healey and Starmer lie about the benefits of militarism to Britain’s economy.
We need a society built for peace and prosperity, not built for broadcasting death and destruction across the world.
That is the message of our national demonstration with Stop The War in Glasgow on Saturday 10th of May. We will be assembling at 12 noon at Buchanan Street Steps in the city centre and rallying against the waste, recklessness and depravity of Starmer & Healey’s militarism.
Scottish CND are also organising a by-election hustings at St. John’s Church in Hamilton, at 7pm on Wednesday the 14th of May. This is an opportunity for constituents of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse area to press the candidates on their stances. We are especially keen for our own members in the area to join us and help make the case against nuclear power, nuclear weapons and increased military spending to the candidates.
We warmly welcome members and followers to join us and make our voices heard to our aspiring political representatives. Creating political pressure by stigmatising the government’s rampant militarism is more urgent than ever.
With thanks as ever for your support,
Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament