Armed Forces Day is a propaganda tool for arms firms and the military – and the public are footing the bill
Joe Glenton in The Independent about the 10th year of Armed Forces Day, an annual day of 'family-fun' and celebration of militarism, with heavy costs to local councils and the involvement of some of the...
The death and inquest of Geoff Gray
The third re-inquest in relation to the four Deepcut deaths of young soldiers has returned a verdict of suicide despite lack of proof and illustrates again the imbalance of power between the institutions of the military and the individual.
The case for unionising the army
With the military's complaints system being called 'fundamentally dysfunctional' and its justice system 'second rate', we look at calls for expanding the rights of military personnel and allowing self-organisation through unionisation.
The British military: protecting the Sultan of Brunei
With the stationing of British troops in Brunei, the UK government has a powerful hand to play in challenging the new anti-LGBTQ+ law imposed by the Sultan.
Interrogating British armed forces recruiting in contemporary times
In this lecture Professor Paul Higate from the University of Bath looks at the ways in which ‘British values’ have helped to obscure the militarised character of the nation, which is evident in its long history of the use of military violence abroad.
Paul draws upon his service in the RAF to discuss the British Army’s recruitment campaign ‘This is Belonging’, the Home Office instigated ‘hostile environment’ and the racialised character of social policy more broadly. Read the lecture transcript.
A new film about recent militarism and the battle for the hearts and minds of young people in the UK. The film follows former soldiers and activists, now working for peace, and features the work of ForcesWatch and partner organisations. See here for screenings and how to organise one.
Demilitarise Education hyping up ForcesWatch and providing a great intro to our work.
An alternative for Armed Forces Day in Salisbury Over the weekend of 28-30 June, Salisbury will be hosting the national Armed Forces Day event. This will be a huge event with military displays and stalls mixed in with music and other funfair and festival activities. Salisbury Quakers will be responding with their own event from 1-4pm on Saturday 29 June at the Quaker Meeting House, 51 Wilton Road, offering refreshments. Everyone one is welcome.
get involved
Should the armed forces encourage young people to interact with weapons and military vehicles?
We explore why this is happening, is it right and how can it be challenged?
