Peace groups oppose conscription
‘Conscription is now a threat held over young people in the UK.’
Britain Yearly Meeting has signed a petition calling on the UK government to rule out military conscription, or any form of compulsory national service involving the armed forces.
The petition, organised by a coalition of thirteen peace and faith organisations, comes amid growing debate about military recruitment and national service.
Campaigners say they are concerned that proposals once seen as ‘politically unthinkable’ are increasingly entering mainstream debate, with commentators and military figures regularly calling for the reintroduction of some form of conscription. The Conservatives have proposed a form of national service for young people, while the Labour Party are expanding a military ‘gap year’ scheme.
Emma Sangster, from ForcesWatch, said: ‘Conscription is now a threat held over young people in the UK. People talk patronisingly of national service being good for young people, as if it didn’t pose significant risks to their physical and mental health, and impose the moral burdens of warfare on them.’
She added: ‘We do not accept that militarised security will bring real human security. We do not accept that young people in this country should be drafted into its service through compulsory measures. It’s hard to believe that anyone would want that for their children and future generations.’
The campaigners are concerned that, across Europe, conscription appears to be on the rise. ‘Serbia is reintroducing military service, while Croatia has recently become the tenth European NATO state where conscription is in force. France is introducing a voluntary form of national service,’ said the Peace Pledge Union (PPU). ‘In Germany, a new law requires eighteen-year-olds to register with military authorities, with provisions allowing compulsory measures in future if deemed necessary. This has prompted widespread resistance, with 45,000 schoolchildren participating in recent walkouts and protests.’
The campaigners argue that any attempt to reintroduce conscription in the UK would represent a major attack on civil liberties and young people’s freedom.
The petition was launched on International Conscientious Objectors’ (CO) Day on 15 May, with events in Brighton, Edinburgh, Leicester, Manchester, Norwich, Oxford, Sheffield, Wokingham and elsewhere.
The petition was announced at the national ceremony in London, which featured testimonies from COs from Russia, Ukraine, the UK and other countries. Handed in to 10 Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence, the petition also calls on the government to assert and uphold the rights of COs.
