Der letzte Teil von Dave Webbs Rede auf der Veranstaltung der Linksfraktion im Bundestag „1914-2014 – Damals wie heute: Nein zum Krieg!“ aus Anlass des 100. Jahrestags von Karl Liebknechts Nein zu den Kriegskrediten:

[…] Increasing political opposition to the war, combined with the introduction of conscription, acted as the trigger for the unification and consolidation of the anti-war movement in first world war Britain. There is a message there for us today … let me return to the point I made at the start – the war should not have happened.

Our movement – the socialist movement – should have remained true to its principles, and united with the pacifist movements, and should have prevented the slaughter of a generation. But let us now look forward, and attempt to apply those today. In Britain we have retained the unity of the anti-war movement – the triple alliance of pacifists, the left and the Muslim communities – forged in the immense popular struggles against the war on Iraq. We have seen how that movement ultimately succeeded in preventing our government going to war on Syria in 2013. That was a great victory. But we have also seen our government win support for attacks on Iraq in recent months – an action which we oppose, which will only serve to make the situation worse. Our continued work against war is more necessary than ever.

But peace needs movements … and we will need to find ways of working together with others to create that movement. It is clear that people are looking for alternatives and we must be there to provide the anti-militarism, anti-war view. I recently heard for example of the Friedenswinter in Germany which looks interesting and we will need to be there to help build a movement that has the rejection of war at its core.

Finally, dear friends, it remains for me to say that international cooperation is vital to every endeavour for peace. These are not problems that can be solved at a national level – they are problems facing humanity as a whole and will only be resolved by working together at the international level. We value our cooperation with the peace movement in Germany – against war, against NATO and against nuclear weapons – and we recommit today to continue our common work.

SO, I send greeting and warm wishes from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and in Britain and from comrades around the country.

In the words of Bertolt Brecht, writing for Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht on their deaths in 1919, ‘Auf, auf zum Kampf, zum Kampf’ -‘ let’s unite and fight today for peace!