Britain is currently entering a new cycle of rearmament, expanding the reach of its nuclear capability, increasing military spending for NATO, and continuing to support Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Those opposing this escalation have been met with increasing repression, through the use of counter-terror legislation, draconian sentencing of protesters and the proscription of groups engaged in direct action.
In this context, this project revisit the peace movement’s material history, trying to better understand the diversity of tactics and intersecting movements which have shaped it. We hope that this projects acts as a resource and inspiration for those struggling for a demilitarised world today. For Peace! interweaves historical strands from the workers’ movement, Women’s Liberation, anti-colonial, socialist, and anarchist movements to address questions of non-violence, class, international solidarity, and the role of liberation struggles. There were four different component parts: a digital multimedia collection which is part of the Activist Media Project, two exhibitions at Glasgow Women’s Library and Four Corners Gallery, an online version of the exhibition and a publication.