International Conscientious Objectors’ Day 2026: The right to refuse to kill

On 15 May, campaigners, peace organisations and supporters gathered in Tavistock Square, London, to mark International Conscientious Objectors’ Day.

The annual ceremony remembers those, past and present, who have refused to take part in war. Around the world, people continue to face imprisonment, exile, punishment and social pressure for refusing military service. The day is a moment to stand in solidarity with them, and to remember those throughout history who resisted conscription and defended the right to refuse to kill.

This year’s event was hosted by John Cooper of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and held beside the Conscientious Objectors’ memorial stone in Tavistock Square. The memorial is dedicated:

“To all those who have established and are maintaining the right to refuse to kill.”

Those words still matter. They are not just a historical tribute. They are a reminder that the right to act according to conscience was not given freely. It was won by people who were often mocked, imprisoned, punished or treated as traitors for refusing to take part in killing.

The ceremony included speakers from ForcesWatch and Veterans for Peace Britain, testimonies from conscientious objectors, the reading of COs’ names, the laying of white flowers at the memorial and a minute’s silence. Songs were performed by Sue Gilmurray and the Raised Voices choir, including The Ones Who Said No and We Refuse.

It was a quiet ceremony, but not a passive one. Each name read aloud, and each flower placed by the stone, carried the same message: conscience matters, and refusal can be an act of courage.

That message feels especially important now. Across public debate, war and preparation for war are increasingly presented as unavoidable. Military spending is treated as common sense. We are increasingly told that insecurity requires more weapons, more recruitment and greater readiness for conflict. International Conscientious Objectors’ Day offers another tradition: the tradition of saying no.

This year, that tradition also has an urgent practical focus. Conscience has joined other peace and faith organisations in supporting a new petition calling on the UK Government to rule out military conscription, mandatory national service or compulsory registration, and to uphold the rights of conscientious objectors. The petition comes amid growing debate about military recruitment and national service as military spending rises and forms of conscription return to public discussion in parts of Europe. It is a reminder that the right to refuse to kill cannot be taken for granted.

Please sign and share the petition: No military conscription.

For Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War, this tradition is central to our campaign. We believe that those who have a conscientious objection to war should not be forced to fund war through their taxes. Just as people have fought for the right to refuse military service, we continue to campaign for the legal right to have the military part of our taxes redirected towards peacebuilding.

This is not about avoiding responsibility. It is about taking responsibility seriously. It is about asking what our taxes are used for, what kind of security we are building, and whether public money should be spent preparing for war or preventing it.

On International Conscientious Objectors’ Day 2026, we remembered those who refused before us. We stood with those refusing today. And we renewed our call for a society where conscience is respected, and where taxes are used to build peace, not prepare for war.