Wales could see its biggest protests in a generation as 60 world leaders meet at the Celtic Manor in Newport for the Nato summit on 4-5 September to plan their war on the world

Demonstrate Sat 30 August, Newport

Protests 30 August – 5 September

Counter-Conference Sun 31 August – Mon 1 September Newport & Cardiff

Visit Stop the War site for more information on the counter-conference and transport to the protest

Previous summits in Chicago and Strasbourg saw thousands protest war, austerity and global inequality. From 30 August people will flock to South Wales for international actions including a weekend march and Counter Summit, week-long peace camp, and protests on the summit’s opening day. Nato expansion has created a dangerous crisis in Ukraine which threatens a regional war.

Nato’s nuclear armed alliance binds Europe to US foreign policy, a foreign policy post-Iraq increasingly unpopular around the world. It is also the military alliance currently occupying Afghanistan.

War is the enemy of the poor. At this year’s summit the US will be pressuring Western powers to increase their already huge military budgets at a time when poverty and inequality are soaring.The world’s 85 richest people have as much as poorest 3.5 billion. Money into war is money out of our communities.

In the UK, 500,000 people had to resort to food banks last year. None of the cuts would be necessary if the sums Britain spends on its military and armaments were invested in social need instead of the war machine.

This autumn the powerful will make their voices heard at the Nato summit. We must make sure that the voice of the millions around the world who need peace and justice is also heard.