We are excited about the feedback we received so far regarding a meeting on “Europe at War” organized within the Transnational Social Strike Platform. Therefore, we want to present you a more detailed overview:
The idea arose from observing numerous moments of resistance against war and militarisation, growing alliances, strikes and rebellious actions. Our transnational meeting in Cologne (Germany) is intended to be the first in a series of regular gatherings. With these meetings on “Europe at War”, we want to create a space that brings together the scattered instances of refusal, to give them more power and organisational capacity. A space that allows us to share different perspectives, discuss, make connections, and develop an analysis that will enable us to draw conclusions for our practice. We think long-term, transnationally, and do not want to take any shortcuts. We are writing this to align expectations, generate enthusiasm, and prevent disappointment.
Therefore, for this first meeting we want to propose the following rather broad approach that helps us recognize specific issues and questions we want to elaborate on in the future:
- 1) Analysing the dynamics of war
- Militarisation affects society as a whole and all our struggles against exploitation, patriarchy, racism and for a better life for everyone. Drawing on our diverse experiences and perspectives, we want to paint a collective picture of the current situation we find ourselves in.
- How do you experience the current militarisation in Europe?
- What are the effects – on workers’, migrants’, women’s, lgbtqia+,… lives? Through what kind of mechanisms are they integrated in the formation of the militaristic ideology and transformation of production and social reproduction according to the logic of war??
- Where do you see contradictions, fractions, glitches of these developments?
- What are the consequences for our organisations, initiatives, movements? How does the emerging war regime and transnational disorder change the conditions of our struggles – and will in the coming future?
- 2) Opposing the dynamics of war
- The impact of the war on all our struggles requires us to evaluate, debate and renew our strategies and tactics to overcome the weaknesses and fragmentation of our initiatives in the last years – without attempting to homogenise them. Our strength lies in the plurality of our approaches.
- In which ways do we have to rethink our strategies in light of current developments?
- With whom should we fight together?
- What are the main difficulties and challenges that you are facing in fostering political discussions and mobilizing against the war and its logic?
- In response to imperialist expansion and the widespread fear of war that follows, rearmament and militarisation are presented as unavoidable. What alternative responses can we envision?
- Where do you see sparks of movements, inspiration, the dawn of political change that we should focus on?
- What are the obstacles that a transnational organization against war faces, in light of the growing nationalism and of the campist tendencies also within social movements?
It is not only an invitation to all anti-militarists who do not want to engage in an ubiquitous campism, but also to all those who feel the effects of militarisation in their struggles and face new obstacles as well as opportunities. It is an invitation to women and feminists who are fighting back against increasing patriarchal violence, migrants, refugees and anti-racists who are encountering ever higher borders, climate activists whose voices are no longer being heard, teachers and students who are striking against conscription, health workers who are told to prepare for war… – to you and everyone else!
We will meet on Saturday, 28 February 2026, at the ‘Bürger*innenzentrum Alte Feuerwache’ (Alte Feuerwache Community Centre), Melchiorstr. 3, 50670 Cologne.
If you would like to participate, please register at this link: https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/ZCjHpDAfHd269sJyZZKmHLgfMK1fby7jXpdSxXxjjoU/
Free accommodation and meals will be provided on Saturday – donations are welcome. If you need assistance with your travel expenses, please note this when registering.
We look forward to seeing you!
Here you find our first invitation to participate
Here you find an update on latest change in the World War Scenario we live in
