‘Thousands’ to attend left’s “We Demand Change – Summit of Resistance” event this weekend

Corbyn’s PJP says London summit will discuss “how to turn the tide of despair and build a movement of hope”

PJP’s press release describes the event’s aims and says only a few tickets are left:

London, UK – 27/3/25 – The “We Demand Change: Summit of Resistance” conference, taking place on Saturday 29th March in London, will unite trade unionists, Palestine campaigners, climate activists, anti-racist organisers, and striking workers in a powerful show of solidarity and resistance. Featuring prominent speakers such as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, renowned economist and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis… Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement co-founder, Omar Barghouti, anti-apartheid campaigner Andrew Feinstein, economist Grace Blakeley, National Education Union General Secretary Daniel Kebede, Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Ben Jamal, Disabled People Against Cuts’ Ellen Clifford, La France Insoumise Deputy Jérôme Legavre, BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley, economist James Meadway, Stop the War convenor Lindsey German,  antiracist campaigner and Stand Up to Racism co-convenor Weyman Bennett. This landmark event will be a challenge to the Starmer’s government continuation of Tory austerity, endless war, climate breakdown and racist policies. Over 1,500 tickets have been sold since its launch.

In a time of unprecedented crises—from soaring inequality to the rise of the far right and Reform UK —the “We Demand Change” summit will serve as a vital space for building connections, sharing strategies, and mobilising for transformative action. The election of a Labour government should mean working people’s lives getting better. However, following Liz Kendall’s speech last week it’s clear that Labour plan to drive more vulnerable people into poverty and do nothing to undo the damage done by 14 years of austerity. They plan to make things worse while increasing spending on the military.
 
The UK is a highly unequal society where the richest are getting richer while more and more working class people live in poverty. In 2024, the wealth of UK billionaires climbed by £35m every day. Labour should be taxing the rich to fund uplifts working class living standards.

Starmer’s attacks on benefits, public services, pensions and pay drive working class communities further into poverty.  All of this is leading to despair in working class communities allowing Reform UK to present themselves as the saviours of the working class. We need to unite the inspiring movements across Britain including the movement for Palestine, the anti-racist movement, the movement against austerity and the trade union movement to create a movement of hope.

Event Highlights:

Plenary and rally sessions with speeches from Jeremy Corbyn, Owen Jones, Andrew Feinstein, Sarah Woolley, Daniel Kebede,  Grace Blakeley, and more addressing the interconnected struggles for economic justice, climate action, Palestinian liberation, anti-racism, and anti-austerity.
Panel discussions and Interactive workshops on topics such as Who are Reform UK and how we can stop them; Organising for Palestine in our communities and workplaces, Welfare not warfare: no more austerity, Election time: what next? and many more: www.wedemandchange.uk
Rhythms of Resistance – a music night featuring top DJs from across London and beyond is taking place after the event, supported by Peace & Justice Project’s Music For The Many and Love Music Hate Racism. Tickets can be bought via RA https://ra.co/events/2132145 

Jeremy Corbyn, former Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“Since coming to power, this Labour government has repeatedly broken their promises and have failed working people from the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance to the latest assault on disabled people. The government claims there is no money to lift people out of poverty, yet it finds billions for war and weapons. This isn’t about scarcity—it’s about priorities. The We Demand Change summit will be an opportunity for our movement to come together, discuss the issues, and plan a path forward, and I’m delighted to be part of this important conversation.”

Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister added:
“The Starmer government’s authoritarianism, its subservience to financiers & Reeves’ austerian logic, its complicity to Netanyahu’s genocide, is paving the ground for Farage & the Tories. Time to resist. Join us on Sat 29/3.”

Grace Blakeley, economist and author, said:
‘Looking at the problems our world faces, and the woeful inability of our political class to deal with them, is making a lot of people feel hopeless. But the only people who benefit from these feelings of hopelessness are powerful elites and the extreme right groups they sponsor. The only way to combat despair is to build connections among those fighting for a better world, so we can create a movement capable of holding the powerful to account. That’s why The Summit of Resistance is so important.’

Andrew Feinstein, anti-apartheid campaigner, commented:
“I am very excited about the Summit of Resistance which will be an opportunity for us to coalesce, unify and build on left responses to the madness of the moment.”

The “We Demand Change: Summit of Resistance” will also feature contributions from grassroots activists, striking workers, and representatives from movements fighting for Palestinian rights, climate justice, anti-racism, and workers’ empowerment.

Supporting campaigns: Peace & Justice Project, Stand Up to Racism, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Strike Map, Stop the War Coalition, People’s Assembly, Campaign Against Climate Change, Bakers Food and Allied Workers’ Union, Greener Jobs Alliance, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Keep Our NHS Public, Just Stop OIl and Fuel Poverty Action.

There are a few tickets still available now at https://wedemandchange.uk/ with discounts for unwaged attendees.

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