Statement on Ukraine
1. We unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and join with others in the Labour movement in demanding an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian and all foreign troops from Ukraine.
2. We deplore the extreme violence being inflicted on the Ukrainian people and the bombing of cities by the Russian military.
3. Any targeting of civilians, whether that be in their homes in or public buildings, is a war crime and should be condemned unreservedly.
4. We note, with alarm, the danger of escalation of this war into other parts of the world and even the catastrophic danger of a nuclear conflict.
5. We oppose the notion that being anti-war, questioning the role of NATO, its expansion or Western interests in Ukraine entails being pro-Putin or an apologist for Russian aggression. Socialists have nothing in common with the regimes in Russia, Ukraine, or those in the NATO countries
6. Equally, we do not believe that closing down serious discussion of the history of the conflict aids the peace effort and we defend the right to free speech, protest, and debate in relation to the war.
7. We particularly note Keir Starmer’s attempt to bully anti-war Labour MPs, in what is clearly an attempt to discredit anti-war arguments in the Labour Party more widely.
8. We are aware that as part of that campaign of delegitimisation, former leader Jeremy Corbyn has been smeared as a Putin sympathiser, when nothing could be further from the truth.
9. We note too that the Ukrainian regime has inflicted violence on the people of the Donbas region (which has traditionally been pro-Russian) and that these conflicts are complex in the extreme, with no side being blameless. We believe the people of the Donbass region themselves should be able to decide, for example by a fair and free referendum, if they want to remain part of Ukraine or become autonomous.
10. We condemn far-right elements on both sides of the war and make clear our opposition to them. Their extreme nationalism does not offer any answers to the crisis the people of Ukraine or Russia face.
11. We stand in solidarity with Russian anti-war activists, who have bravely stood against Russia’s military aggression in many cities, under the threat of police violence and arrest.
12. Workers in both Ukraine and Russia have nothing to gain from this war. We support initiatives to build solidarity between the peoples of the two nations, across borders.
13. We welcome Ukrainian refugees into the UK and believe that visa restrictions and other barriers to their safe passage should be removed.
14. We do not believe that working people and our communities should pay the price for this war. After years of austerity, pandemic, and war, it’s time for the oligarchs of all nations to pay.
15. We reiterate our long-standing internationalism and anti-war activism, in the struggle for working class unity in Ukraine, Russia and across the world.
16. We oppose a no-fly zone and any intervention by NATO.
17. We continue to call for the disbandment of NATO.
18. We oppose Russophobia and the demand that all Russians are duty bound to speak out against the war.
19. We oppose the efforts to militarise employment law and ban socialist organisations in Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with those Ukrainians fighting these decisions.
20. Without diminishing our support for the defence of Ukraine and the rights of refugees from the war, we point out the racism which distinguishes between Ukrainians and others fleeing the war and refugees from other wars around the world, and raise the demand that action be taken against ALL countries committing war crimes, in particular Saudi Arabia and Israel.
What you can do:
1. Support Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’s work to deliver emergency in Ukraine: https://msf.org.uk/issues/ukraine-war-and-refugee-crisis
2. Find out how Ukrainian trade unions are providing support to families who desperately need assistance & support their efforts (via the ITUC): https://petitions.ituc-csi.org/support-ukraine
3. Information about the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme here: https://www.gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine A charity organisation, RESET has launched a new website to register and match sponsors in the UK with people from Ukraine: https://www.homesforukraine.org.uk/
LRC NEC March 22 2022
