Peace Education in a World of Conflict: Reflections from Conscience’s public meeting

On Saturday 6th September, we hosted an online public meeting on "Peace Education in a World of Conflict".

Supporters, campaigners, and peace educators joined us to hear from a distinguished panel of speakers:

• Tom Unterrainer, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)

• Semih Sapmaz, Programme Worker on the Right to Refuse to Kill at War Resisters’ International

• Rachel Taylor, Executive Director of Every Casualty Counts

• Jonathan Maunders, Campaign Operations Manager at Conscience

Together, we explored how education can challenge militarism, highlight the human cost of conflict, and build a stronger movement for peace.

Tom Unterrainer: The urgency of peace education in an age of existential risk

Tom began by setting the scene with a stark reminder: humanity is now just 89 seconds to midnight on the Doomsday Clock — closer to global annihilation than at any point in history.

He spoke of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, which expands Britain’s nuclear arsenal and integrates even more closely with the United States’ nuclear weapons programme . Nuclear-capable F-35 jets, he warned, are now being stationed at RAF bases without public consent, placing the UK on what he described as a “war footing.”

But for Tom, the most worrying development is not only the money poured into militarism, but the way it seeps into daily life: from military bases embedded in communities, to the militarisation of language and culture, to racist demonstrations that fuel division.

His conclusion was clear: when the government mobilises society for war, we must mobilise society for peace, through protest, critical education, and grassroots resistance.

Semih Sapmaz: Conscientious objection as global resistance

Semih brought the discussion to the frontlines of conscience. He shared stories of conscientious objectors (COs) from around the world — young people refusing to serve in wars they cannot morally support.

• Itamar Greenberg, an Israeli teenager who spent nearly 200 days in prison for refusing to participate in the occupation of Gaza, described his refusal as “a moral choice, but also a political one” .

• Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal from Thailand highlighted how militarism shapes daily life, embedding obedience and fear not just in barracks but in classrooms and politics.

  

  
  

• Yona Roseman, currently imprisoned in Israel, reminded us that “we are all participants — as taxpayers, as citizens — willing or forced,” underlining how complicity in militarism extends far beyond the battlefield.

Semih emphasised that conscientious objection is not only an individual right, but a global act of nonviolent resistance.

From Turkey to South Korea, from dock workers in France to campaigners in Greece, acts of refusal ripple across borders, reminding us that conscience is stronger than war.

Rachel Taylor: Rehumanising the casualties of war

Rachel delivered a powerful talk on the psychology of war, drawing on research by Dr Lasana Harris of UCL . His work shows that when people see members of an “out-group” — such as homeless people or war victims — their brains often process them not as humans but as objects. This dehumanisation is what makes killing possible.

Military training and propaganda deliberately reinforce this process, turning people into “targets” or “compounds” rather than men, women, and children .

Rachel explained how her organisation, Every Casualty Counts, counters this by documenting victims of armed violence by name, recording their stories, and preserving their memory. This work rehumanises the dead, creating recognition and reconciliation within communities.

She also shared an upcoming project: a memorial document naming one casualty for every day of 2024, each with a personal story and photograph.

By shifting attention from anonymous statistics to individual lives, Rachel showed how rehumanisation is both an act of remembrance and a form of resistance.

Jonathan Maunders: Education, taxes, and the power of alternatives

Jonathan, speaking on behalf of Conscience, drew the threads together by asking: how do we shift public opinion to make peace politically possible?

He explained that around 7% of UK taxes currently go to military spending . That includes billions for weapons like the F-35 fighter jets, each costing the equivalent of 2,600 nurses’ salaries for a year.

Through initiatives like Peace Tax Tuesdays and a growing library of educational fact sheets, Conscience is helping the public imagine what alternatives could look like: redirecting taxes towards healthcare, climate action, and conflict prevention.

Jonathan reminded us that public attitudes shape public spending. While war is often presented as inevitable, education can open up space for alternatives — and for legislation recognising the right of conscientious objection to military taxation.

Highlights from the Q&A

The Q&A session was rich and engaging, with participants asking how to support war tax resisters, how to integrate peace education into schools, and how to remain engaged without being overwhelmed by constant news of conflict .

Rachel responded that allowing ourselves moments of detachment is not failure, but a survival strategy — and that rehumanisation works best when we connect with relatable, individual stories.

Monica Frisch, from Conscience’s Executive Committee, reminded attendees that while Conscience cannot directly encourage tax refusal, the organisation has decades of experience supporting those who choose that path, and connects with international networks doing the same.

The session closed with the launch of Conscience’s new Supporters’ Panel — an initiative inviting members to help guide the organisation’s next steps, ensuring our work grows in ways rooted in community, conscience, and peace.

Learn more about our Supporter's Panel

Why this matters

This meeting showed the breadth and depth of today’s peace movement: from exposing militarism in daily life, to defending the rights of conscientious objectors worldwide, to rehumanising the victims of war, to reshaping how taxes are spent in the UK.

For Conscience, the message is clear: peace education is not an abstract idea. It is a practical tool for challenging militarism, for empowering individuals, and for building a society where our taxes fund peace, not war.

As we look ahead — with new resources, new allies, and a growing supporter base — Conscience is committed to ensuring that the principle of conscientious objection, whether to military service or to military taxation, is recognised as central to building a more just and peaceful world.

If you’d like to learn more about our Education for Peace programme and resources, visit conscienceonline.org.uk/education-for-peace. To explore our booklets and publications, see conscienceonline.org.uk/booklets