Stop the War Coalition The Stop the War Coalition ( StWC ) ( informally just Stop the War ) is a United Kingdom group established on 21 September 2001 to campaign against what it believes are unjust wars . The coalition has opposed the wars that are part of the so - called " War on Terror " of the Western nations . It has campaigned against the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War . The demonstration against the latter on 15 February 2003 , which it organised in association with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament ( CND ) and the Muslim Association of Britain ( MAB ) , is claimed to be the largest public demonstration in British history . Formation . The impetus to form the Stop the War Coalition came following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States . The Coalition was launched at a public meeting of over 2 , 000 people at Friends House in London , which was chaired by Lindsey German , then active in the Socialist Workers Party . German argued that the action in Afghanistan , then threatened unless the Taliban government extradited Osama bin Laden , would lead to that country ' s " destruction " , and " possibly a wider conflagration in the Indian subcontinent , Iran and the Middle East . " Other speakers at the meeting included Jeremy Corbyn ( Labour Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Islington North ) , and Bruce Kent ( of CND ) . German became Convenor of the Coalition and a meeting on 28 October settled the Coalition ' s official aims . This meeting also elected a Steering Committee which consisted of a spectrum of left - wingers including representatives of " Labour Left Briefing " and the Communist Party of Britain . The Communist Party of Great Britain ( Provisional Central Committee ) and Alliance for Workers ' Liberty failed to get elected , although both became members of the Coalition and participated in its activities . Officers . The decision was taken in September by the Coalition to create a single President and a number of Vice - Presidents and Officers , all of whom would be elected , with their collective roles primarily revolving around publicising and appearing at events on behalf of the group , as opposed to administering it on a day - to - day basis . Key messages . The ' war ' in the name of the group refers to the various wars that were claimed to be part of the ongoing War on Terrorism . Once plans for the invasion of Iraq were under way , the slogan ' Not in my name ' was widely used . At their initial meeting the Coalition also adopted the slogan ' Against the racist backlash ' , asserting that a war against Afghanistan would be perceived as an attack on Islam and that Muslims , or those perceived as Muslim , would apparently face racist attacks in Britain if the government joined the war ( even though Islam is a religious , rather than ethnic , identity ) . The Coalition worked closely with the Muslim Association of Britain in organising its demonstrations . It also has the slogan ' Defend civil liberties ' and campaigns against restrictions , such as detention without trial , which were introduced by the Labour government . Demonstrations . The largest demonstration organised by the Coalition was against the imminent invasion of Iraq on 15 February 2003 , claimed to be the largest demonstration in Britain with estimates of attendance ranging between 750 , 000 and 2 , 000 , 000 people . Speakers included Tony Benn , Jesse Jackson , Charles Kennedy , Ken Livingstone , and Harold Pinter . As the military build - up continued , StWC urged its local groups and supporters to organise actions on the day the invasion of Iraq began . As this date was - for obvious reasons - unknown in advance , it was dubbed " Day X " . This would eventually fall on 20 March 2003 . Despite having very little time to put plans into action , events took place up and down the country : in London there was a large protest in Parliament Square ; in Nottingham traffic outside an army recruitment centre was blocked for a while ; and large numbers of school students walked out of lessons . Following the beginning of the war and the events of Day X , the Coalition organised another national demonstration on the next Saturday , 22 March . While the turnout for this march did not match the demonstration of 15 February - Stop the War claimed up to 500 , 000 , whilst fellow organisers CND claimed between 200 , 000 – 300 , 000 - it was noted that this was the largest anti - war demonstration held during wartime and had been organised with but a week ' s notice . Action after the war . The Coalition held a series of protests during November 2003 climaxing in a march on the 20th protesting against what it claimed is the aggressive foreign policy of U . S . President George W . Bush , and against the continued U . S . detention of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay , which protesters claim is an illegal infringement of human rights and the Geneva conventions . A march past parliament was organised climaxing in a rally in Trafalgar Square . A papier - mâché statue of Bush was toppled in an action reminiscent of the much televised pulling down of a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad by American soldiers . Speakers included MP George Galloway ( then member of Labour Party now expelled who joined Respect ) , Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond and Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic . The coalition estimates that 300 , 000 people were present at the demonstration , but this figure is disputed by the police estimate which put it as low as 100 , 000 people . On 19 March 2005 , StWC organised a large demonstration in Westminster with supporters marching from Hyde Park to Parliament Square via the US embassy . The supporters were calling for the invading troops to move out of Iraq , for the US to not attack Iran and Syria , for the UK government to halt reductions in the civil liberties of UK citizens including the right to protest and a free trial ( which they allege would result from the recent Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 and Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 ) , and for a reduction in racism in the UK . The date was chosen as the it was the international day of anti - war demonstrations , as called by the Assembly of the Social Movements at the 2004 European Social Forum . Estimates of the number of marchers vary from 45 , 000 by the police to over 100 , 000 by StWC to 200 , 000 by some observers . The protest was significant as it was the first time that a march had passed the US embassy in London since the protests over the Vietnam War . Later in 2005 StWC sought to join the Make Poverty History coalition of groups campaigning around the 31st G8 summit , held in July of that year , for an end to poverty , but was prevented from doing so , by the MPH Coordinating Team , on the grounds that the issues of economic justice and development are separate from that of war . Nevertheless they independently organised for the MPH demo in Edinburgh on 2 July and in some areas campaigners from MPH and StWC worked together on a local level . They also managed to negotiate a stage in the park at the end of the march . It has been speculated that they were prevented from joining the MPH coalition because organisers wanted to avoid radical criticism of the Labour government . Fellow anti - war group CND was allowed to join . The 7 / 7 London bombings . Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings , StWC in association with CND and the Muslim Association of Britain held a vigil for the victims at the Peace Garden in Euston , London on 9 July 2005 and a further solidarity gathering at Russell Square , close to one of the Underground stations targeted , on 17 July 2005 . At the latter StWC national convener Lindsey German condemned the bombings but added that “ " The only way to end the bombings is to withdraw from Afghanistan , Iraq and Palestine . When we have justice around the world we will have peace as well . " ” . The StWC also supported vigils across the country . In late 2005 the StWC organised a demonstration on the 24th of September with the slogans " Stop the Bombings , Stop the War , Bring the Troops Home , Defend Civil Liberties " and " Defend the Muslim Community " . The protest was timed so as to coincide with the protests in Washington and to occur just before the start of the Labour Party Conference . On 10 December 2005 the StWC held an ' International Peace Conference ' attended by around 1 , 500 people . Speakers from across the world included Cindy Sheehan , the American mother whose son died in Iraq ; and Hassan Juma , president of the Iraqi Southern Oil Workers Union . At this conference a call was launched for an international demonstration on 18 March 2006 . The protest in London took place with coaches coming from across the country . Officers of many major British trade unions have been elected to the Coalition Steering Committee and they are also mostly affiliated to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament . On 23 September 2006 , a demonstration was held outside the venue for the Labour Party Conference in Manchester . Estimates of attendance varied from " around 20 , 000 " by the police , " up to 50 , 000 " from the Coalition , to " more than 50 , 000 " by the " Socialist Worker " . On 15 March 2008 another demonstration was held , marking the 5 - year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq ; although numbers did not match the original demonstrations , around 40 , 000 people marched from Trafalgar Square , across the Thames , and back around to Parliament Square , where banners were placed in sight of the House of Commons . London G - 20 Protest : 1 – 2 April 2009 . A march from the American embassy in Grosvenor Square to Trafalgar Square on 1 April 2009 brought together protesters from the Stop the War Coalition , Palestine Solidarity Campaign , The British Muslim Initiative , and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament . On 2 April 2009 , 200 people protested outside the ExCeL Centre where the G - 20 Summit was being held . Opposition to Armed Forces Day . The StWC accused the government of using the newly created Armed Forces Day on 27 June 2009 as a propaganda tool to promote its war in Afghanistan . School Students Against War . School Students Against War ( SSAW ) was established in 2003 as a youth offshoot of StWC . SSAW ' s primary principle is to engage with young people about the issue of war . Criticisms . Critics of the Coalition have alleged that SWP had too much control over the organisation , a claim that is no longer made since the SWP split in 2009 . The Coalition has been criticised for the inclusion of George Galloway in its ranks . It has also been criticised for its refusal to condemn attacks within Iraq , and refusal to condemn foreign insurgent fighters who have entered parts of the country . The commentator Nick Cohen in 2003 criticised the relationship of the StWC with organisations he considers reactionary such as the Muslim Association of Britain ( MAB ) . He accuses the coalition of ignoring the requests of secular trade unions and Kurds in Iraq . He also claims that there is a contradiction between the StWC ' s call for respect for human rights and its close links with organisations that openly call for the death penalty for homosexuality and apostasy . Since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011 , Stop the War has been criticized for its pro - Assad links and for claiming victory in influencing Ed Miliband in the 29 August 2013 vote in the House of Commons over potential military intervention . Diane Abbott claimed " 100s of Syrians are alive today because we stopped the military attack " , at a time when slaughter by conventional weapons continues unchecked . Many associated with Stop the War openly favour the Assad regime - Galloway ; Kamal Majid , a Stalinist , and a founding member of the Stalin Society ; Kate Hudson and Carol Turner . Stop the War gave a platform in May 2013 to a leading pro - Assad Syrian in London , Issa Chaer , at one of its public meetings . In popular culture . StWC is mentioned in the fictional 2004 publication by Sue Townsend : " Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction " . In the satirical story , the protagonist , Adrian Mole , writes to Tony Blair in an attempt to retrieve his bond , after canceling a holiday to Cyprus due to the Blair Government ' s controversial 45 minute claim from the 2002 September Dossier . Mole wrote to the Prime Minister after his travel adviser refused to return his bond , whom Mole suspected of attending a StWC march when phoning his office , rather than being " away from his desk " .