Build international youth walkout on 20 November

Socialist Students

Socialist Students – which organised walkouts of school, college and university students last September in protest against Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK – is one of twenty European youth and student organisations planning action.

The International Youth Strike has been launched by a coalition of anti-war youth and student organisations from ten European countries, including the UK. The coalition includes youth and student sections of political parties, national students’ unions, independent socialist youth organisations and anti-war campaign groups.

The ‘strike’ is being organised in response to what the coalition describes as a historic acceleration of militarisation across Europe. As governments commit hundreds of billions of euros to military spending, organisers argue that young people’s futures are being sacrificed to finance preparations for war.

Organisers have pointed to this summer’s European wildfires as burning evidence for why young people need to get organised and take action for their futures. 20 November was the date chosen for the International Youth Strike, as the final scheduled day of this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Turkey – a day that many young people will see as yet another ‘talking shop’ while governments gear up for war.

Socialist Students was one of the organisations present at an assembly held in Cologne in June, where the aim for an international youth strike on 20 November was initially agreed.

Socialist Students national secretary, Adam Gillman, said: “By building the international youth walkouts this autumn, we hope to be part of building an international youth movement for socialism, not the war and permanent crisis that capitalism means for young people’s futures. We have been inspired by the example of students fighting against the threat of conscription in Germany, and want to strengthen and spread the youth fightback to Britain.”

Socialist Students members will be out building for 20 November over the rest of this summer – putting up posters, giving out leaflets and calling public youth meetings in towns and cities across the UK – in preparation for the start of the new term in September.