Think Global is Global Justice Now’s activist newsletter, published three times a year, with monthly email supplements (Think Global Extra)
Editing: Daisy Pearson, Guy Taylor and James O’Nions
Cover photo: Activists at a demo outside parliament calling for a wealth tax on the super-rich.
Trump’s tariffs have set fire to the global economy
Nick Dearden, director
Many think Trump’s actions are just another hare-brained scheme carried out with maximum aggression. But there is a logic to some of it, even if the erratic manner in which the tariffs have been levied may seem like chaos.
Trump believes in tariffs. He thinks they’re good in themselves because they mean he can extend his first term tax cuts for the very rich – the biggest in American history. He also wants to use them to bully foreign countries into making economic concessions, helping shift the global economy further in the interests of America’s elites, in particular undermining China’s economic power.
China has beaten the US at its own game; refusing to be a permanent provider of cheap manufactured goods for American consumers, it has become a competitor in technologies which once gave the US supreme control. The world economy is currently governed by a rules-based order heavily weighted in the interests of US corporations and finance. But Trump thinks that’s not going to be enough in the coming era of competition between the world’s great powers. Instead, he’s opting for pure bullying.
But this isn’t just about China. Trump is also keen to bully every other country in the world, foes and allies alike, into paying the US some tribute. A 400-page government document lists dozens of gripes, from clean energy policies and anti-deforestation regulations to public health regulations and food standards, all of which make the life of American corporations a bit more difficult.
The UK government looks ready to give in – by signing a disastrous trade deal which gives Trump more control over our economy. This is the wrong approach: we must fight it. Rather than giving in, we need to work with international allies to stand up to Trump. In the process, we should begin remaking the world economy – after all, the global economy has driven staggering levels of inequality and environmental breakdown.
Standing up doesn’t mean simply matching Trump’s tariffs; we need policies which could both undermine the power of Trump’s oligarch friends and improve the fairness of our own economy. Refusing to abide by those trade rules which give US corporations their immense global power could help reduce the price of medicine, break the stranglehold of the big tech monopolies and stop American financiers treating our economy as a playground for speculation.
News from Global Justice Now
In the media
We’ve had some strong media coverage across our campaigns and beyond over the past few months. On Palestine, the Mirror and the National (Scotland) covered the letter our campaigner Tim helped to coordinate, where 60+ MPs and peers demanded a ban on imports from Israeli settlements. Tim also wrote an oped for the National on why the UK Government must impose sanctions on Israel.
On climate, our Dundee group had a strong article in the Courier about the council backing the Fossil Fuel Treaty following their brilliant campaigning work. Meanwhile comments by our head of Scottish campaigns Liz on Rosebank being ruled unlawful were picked up in the Daily Record and Common Dreams. Our campaigner Izzie’s analysis, which revealed BP and Shell’s combined total profits over a single year were double the amount the UK has pledged in international climate finance over five years, was picked up in the National, the Ecologist and the Environmental Journal.
Trump’s tariffs and the potential of a US-UK trade deal has dominated the media in recent months. Nick has been interviewed on BBC Radio 5, LBC, Times Radio (which received 160k+ views on YouTube) and James Meadway’s Macrodose podcast. Our media manager Anita also did a short interview on BBC Radio Scotland. Nick’s comments on Trump tariffs and a US trade deal have been picked up in the Big Issue, Commondreams and the Morning Star, and he also wrote op-eds for the Byline Times and Church Times on this.
Action checklist
Trade justice
COULD A WEALTH TAX WORK?
Our placard made it into the Daily Express on 9 April, in their discussion of the feasibility of a wealth tax.
Nick’s comments criticising the UK Government’s international aid cuts were picked up in The Guardian, Forbes (which also featured a short interview) and the Morning Star. And as part of the Stop Trump Coalition, Nick co-authoured an op-ed with Zoe Gardner for the Big Issue on why Trump’s second state visit must be cancelled.
Annual General Meeting: Tuesday 8 July, 6:30pm
Our AGM is an opportunity for members to hear more about our work during the last year, ask questions and contribute to the discussion about the direction of our work. Please register in advance for this event by Thursday 3 July. You can register, find out more details, appoint a proxy and submit resolutions for consideration online at globaljustice.org.uk/agm-2025. For local groups, a notice is enclosed with this issue of Think Global.
Sign up for Nick’s Q&A on the US/UK trade deal
Invite your MP to attend our Colombia parliamentary event
Sign and share the petition against the US/UK trade deal
Climate justice
Push your council to back the FFT
Write to the trade secretary and tell him to stop funding the Mozambique gas project
Gaza
Write to your MP and share the sanctions on Israel briefing General
Order your materials in plenty of time for stalls for the summer
Climate justice
New endorsements for the Fossil Fuel Treaty
Following a bumper update for local endorsements in February’s Think Global, the Fossil Fuel Treaty scored another couple of wins in April. Students in Durham campaigned at their university to get the Students’ Union to endorse the treaty. The endorsement was passed with a unanimous vote. This win came following the same students’ successful campaign to get Durham City Council on board, and they hope to use it as a steppingstone for university-level endorsement of the treaty.
The Public and Commercial Services Union’s (PCS) branch within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero also voted in favour of a motion to support the Fossil Fuel Treaty in April. This sends a great message that workers and civil servants tasked with delivering the energy transition believe the treaty will help to get us where we need to be.
Both these wins, as well as all the others we’ve reported on this year, add to the noise and pressure around the treaty, making it harder and harder for the government to ignore. If you want to campaign in your local union branch or your students’ union for treaty endorsement, you can find everything you need on our website.
We also handed in our ‘no new oil and gas’ petition to the government last week, between us and our allies we reached one million signatures! Thank you to everyone who has signed and shared this petition.
Tzeporah Berman in Edinburgh and London – watch the recording
In April, we were delighted to have Tzeporah Berman, Canadian climate campaigner and founder of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, join us in Edinburgh and London to talk about the origins of the treaty and why she believes it’s a vital tool in the fight against climate change. Both events were well attended, and afterwards we strategised about how to win endorsements from remaining
Handing in one million petition signatures calling for ‘no new oil and gas’ to parliament with movement allies.
councils in the areas. A recording of Tzeporah’s talk in Edinburgh is available to watch on Global Justice Now Scotland’s YouTube channel.
Stop the UK funding a major gas project in Mozambique
We will shortly be releasing new research showing that the UK government is spending an estimated £17.5 billion on subsidies for fossil fuels every year. This number includes tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry and support for the public, so we can afford the exorbitantly expensive energy they produce.
We’ll need a just and fair transition from fossil fuels to phase out some of these subsidies in a way that alleviates, rather than exacerbating inequality. But all support for the industry should be immediately suspended. One simple thing that this government can do is cancel the near £1 billion in funding promised by the previous government to a controversial gas project in Mozambique. Soldiers paid by TotalEnergies, the project’s owner, to protect it have been accused of the sexual assault, torture and murder of people from surrounding communities.
The UK’s promised funding hasn’t been accessed yet. Getting it cancelled would be a major blow to this project and Total’s global business. So, if you can, please write to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and tell him to cancel this funding. To make this easy, you can use our online action at globaljustice.org.uk/mozambique.
SAVE THE DATE
Make Them Pay: 20-21 September
COP30 is set to be a major moment for global movements who will converge on Belém in Brazil this November. In the last issue we told you about our plans to build on Brazilian movements’ efforts and mobilise in the UK throughout the year. We want to help build a strong climate movement, one that is ready to face down domestic political threats and powerfully champion demands from the global south.
We’ve been working with a number of different groups, including the Climate Justice Coalition, on this and have agreed a main mobilisation date of 20-21 September in London. Please save this weekend in your calendars and we will share more information soon!
Key resources
Model trade union motion to endorse the FFT One page motion (September 2024)
Ending the Fossil Fuel Era: Campaigning on campus A5 guide (September 2024)
The Fossil Fuel Treaty: Tricky questions answered 12-page pdf (March 2024)
The Fossil Fuel Treaty Six-page briefing (January 2024)
Let’s clear the way… Two-sided A5 FFT leaflet (January 2024) (Also available in Welsh)
Fossil Fuel Treaty petition sheet (January 2024)
How to convince your council to endorse the FFT Four-page guide (January 2024)
+ Scottish-specific FFT materials
See globaljustice.org.uk/resources and order from activism@globaljustice.org.uk
Trade justice
Trump, tariffs and the US trade deal
It’s been a wild ride keeping up with Trump’s tariffs, with him instituting a 90-day pause on those above 10%, excepting China, just minutes before 200 people tuned into our emergency webinar! But the ones still in place and the potential return of so-called “reciprocal” tariffs still constitute a punitive plan to brutally reorganise the world economy, in the hope of boosting American power and the wealth of Trump’s oligarch allies. The impact will be devastating on global south economies from Cambodia to Madagascar to Bangladesh, many of whom have built export-dependent economies under a US-led free trade agenda.
At home, we have a government gunning for an emergency trade deal with Trump that gives away our data to the Big Tech behemoths and scraps our right to tax and regulate them properly. Keir Starmer has offered to cut the UK’s digital services tax and water down online safety laws, at the very same time he’s been celebrating them for protecting children, as the TV show Adolescence made headlines. And once again the US is pushing for the UK to ditch food standards which keep chlorine chicken and hormone-treated beef off our shelves.
Over 31,000 have already signed our petition against a trade deal with Trump. We’re facing a lot of uncertainty about what exact form this deal might take, and the possible timeline: recent reports indicated it could be just weeks.
The UK government could pursue a shorter form of agreement, a brief Memorandum of Understanding in which the US extracts concessions from the UK in exchange for relieving the tariffs, and in so doing avoid the already very limited scrutiny owed to international treaties. Or this could develop into a full free trade deal, bringing a wider array of issues into play, but extending the time we have to push for democratic oversight of negotiations and expose the threats a deal might pose.
Either way we’re planning to meet the challenge and will be working with old and new allies here and across the pond to build broad opposition to the deal. There are already rumblings from MPs: the Labour chairs of the foreign and trade committees have called for parliament to have a vote on any deal with the US.
What you can do
You can read up on the issues of the deal in our new longer campaign briefing on the risks of conceding to Big Tech’s wishlist, which can be found online at globaljustice.org.uk/big-tech. You can also meet your MP to talk about the deal, using our new MP briefing; a sample has been included in this mailing, and it’s also on our resources webpage.
Q&A with Nick Dearden
To help you feel fully informed about what a US trade deal might include ahead of meeting your MP, we’ve organised an informal Q&A with Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden online on Tuesday 6 May at 7.30pm.
First and foremost a trade deal with Trump is likely to include concessions on digital trade for the benefit of the big tech billionaires, and this is not something we have campaigned on much before. This meeting is an opportunity for you to ask questions about this, as well as everything else from food standards to our NHS that might be included in a trade deal, and to consider any tricky questions MPs might ask you.
Book your place and get the zoom link using the QR code or at globaljustice.org.uk/events.
Colombia campaign
As we updated on in the last Think Global Extra, we’re seeing a slight positive shift in the government’s attitude towards ISDS, claiming it “considers ISDS on a case-by-case basis” and won’t “pre-empt the outcome of any further negotiations.” While hardly the radical redirection we’re hoping to see, it certainly gives us a foot in the door to pressure the UK to consider renegotiating the Colombia deal.
Now that we have this opening, it’s vital that we push our advantage. If you haven’t already, we’re still keen for groups to be contacting and meeting with their MPs. Remember you can order materials from us to help you prepare for meetings with MPs, and spread the word about the urgent need to scrap this deal. Email activism@globaljustice.org.uk to order them.
Event in parliament
On 13 May we will be gathering MPs in parliament to hear about the impact of the UK-Colombia investment treaty on peace, human rights and climate action. They will hear speakers from academia, trade unions and a representative of the Colombian government on their desire to move away from corporate courts. Several Global Justice Now groups, such as Macclesfield and Shropshire, have already met and spoken with their MPs about the UK-Colombia deal, with the latter’s MP now agreeing to attend the event.
This event is a key opportunity to pressure the UK government, as the trade minister will be invited to respond. You can help by asking your MP to attend: we’ll be sending out a supporter action over email which you can also use to do so. Email us at activism@globaljustice.org.uk if you would like support in lobbying your MP on this issue.
Corporate Courts Bingo
Get a game of Corporate Courts Bingo going on your stalls this summer! Designed to help boost our campaign to get ISDS scrapped in the UK-Colombia trade deal, this simple game will be an engaging and attractive addition to your summer stall. It consists of a board with 12
fairly straightforward corporate courts-themed questions and 12 tiles with answers on them. You’ll need to make the tiles from a few recycled jar lids and stickers (supplied by us). If the punter gets four correct answers in a straight line, they’ll win a prize! Don’t forget to buy a few fairtrade chocs or a punnet of grapes or summer fruit beforehand.
Key resources
A trade deal with Trump: Why we need to reject the Big Tech wishlist Nine-page campaign briefing (NEW April 2025)
MP briefing (NEW April 2025)
Talking points: UK-Colombia investment treaty Two-page cheat sheet (NEW February 2025)
Standing up to corporate power with Colombia Eight-page booklet (Jan 2025)
Stand with Colombia against corporate power Two-page leaflet (Jan 2025)
Scrap the UK-Colombia investment treaty MP briefing (October 2024)
Resisting green colonialism for a just transition Trade and the scramble for critical minerals. Six-page briefing (May 2024).
Contact us to order these or view them at globaljustice.org.uk/resources
Gaza
Since Israel shattered the ceasefire agreement (which it had already breached multiple times) in March, its military forces have killed over one thousand Palestinians, launched a devastating attack on Gaza’s last remaining fully-functional hospital and announced plans to permanently seize huge parts of Gaza.
The horror is unrelenting and it seems clear that Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and its accelerating annexation of the West Bank won’t stop without significant external pressure. That’s why we’re calling for sanctions to urgently put pressure on Israel’s war economy and send a signal that it cannot continue to violate international law with impunity.
Campaigning for sanctions
Our new campaign brings together our existing campaigning against UK trade agreements with Israel, and the call to stop arming Israel into one clear call for sanctions. Palestinian civil society has long called for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions strategy against Israel’s occupation, and given our long history of trade campaigning, it makes sense for us to focus on the sanctions part of this. We’re working with other organisations on this (see the parliamentary briefing for details).
We’ve identified five areas in which the UK should apply sanctions on Israel. These measures would target parts of Israel’s economy that are directly involved in violations of international law or agreements, such as trade with Israel’s illegal settlements, and agreements that are premised on respect for human rights, like the existing UK-Israel deal.
Sanctions have worked before, including in the 1980s when countries targeted apartheid-era South Africa. There is a strong legal basis for these measures after the International Court of Justice has made clear all countries must act to deter genocide, and that they must ensure that their trade relations don’t aid or assist Israel’s occupation.
New materials
As part of the campaign, we’ve produced the following, which are enclosed with Think Global:
Sanctions leaflet. This lays out the basic case for sanctions and gives a link to our online petition.
Updated trade sanctions briefing. We’re also sending you an updated briefing explaining how the government’s plans for a new trade deal with Israel stand to benefit parts of Israel’s economy that are involved in human rights abuses. This briefing also explains in a bit more detail our other sanctions-related asks.
A3 poster for stalls. A sample is included. Contact activism@globaljustice.org.uk for more
The poster and a printable petition sheet can be found online alongside the leaflet at globaljustice.org.uk/sanctions-stall
In addition, we’ve worked with War on Want and other allies on an MP briefing which responds to some of the government’s reasons for so far failing to act on these issues. This is available online at globaljustice.org.uk/MP-sanctions –please consider sending this to your MP.
Talk to Tim!
If you’d like to discuss this subject in more depth, including how sanctions relate to the wider BDS movement, our Palestine campaigner Tim is more than happy to visit groups in person. To invite him to speak at your meeting, or to organise a public event, contact him at tim.bierley@globaljustice.org.uk.
Key Gaza resources
Time for sanctions on Israel Two-page leaflet (NEW April 2025)
The case for sanctions on Israel’s economy Four-page briefing (NEW April 2025)
Sanctions petition sheet (NEW April 2024)
End UK complicity in Israel’s war crimes Four-page briefing (September 2024)
Stop arming Israel Two-page leaflet (2024)
Stop arming Israel petition sheet (2024)
Contact us to order these or view them at globaljustice.org.uk/resources
Save the date: Scottish gathering
Our gathering will take place on Saturday 14 June at Augustine United Church, Edinburgh. An opportunity to meet with other Scottish activists, hear the latest on our campaigns, and plan local action – this is the event to attend as a Scottish local group member, supporter or
Stop Trump
During Donald Trump’s last presidency we were involved in setting up the Stop Trump Coalition, which went on to organise a demo of a quarter of a million people against Trump’s first UK visit. After a hiatus, the Stop Trump Coalition is back. The coalition’s petition to cancel the state visit, launched in February, has garnered 115,000 signatures. Although Trump has now himself suggested that he will visit in September, this has not been confirmed. Whenever it happens, Stop Trump will organise the biggest possible demo.
An A-Z of Global Justice: Order now!
Production of the A-Z of Global Justice is well underway. We’re excited to bring you this beautifully designed primer on the issues, alternatives and history animating the global movement for social and ecological transformation.
Thanks to an incredible wave of enthusiasm, our initial kickstarter campaign reached its target, meaning publication can go ahead. But you can still preorder the book for £15 including delivery at globaljustice.org.uk/AZ. We expect to go to print around June.
The coalition will also be working with solidarity groups to oppose the colonial role the US is playing in the wars on both Gaza and Ukraine, and highlighting the way his government is reflecting and accelerating trends of concentrating corporate power under the slogan Stop Trump – Fight Oligarchy The second part of this slogan is appropriated from the hugely successful tour of rallies currently being undertaken by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in the US. The second Trump administration seems to be heading in a more openly fascistic direction, and we know such politics don’t stop at borders. Building a wider front against Trumpist politics will also help us to resist the US trade deal that we might otherwise be foisted upon us. Find out more at: stoptrump.org.uk
Local groups news
Global Justice Reading had an excellent meeting about ISDS and the UK-Colombia trade deal. They screened some videos, ‘Corporations sue the Colombian state for profit’ and ‘Colombia - the curse of coal’, and ran a quiz.
Global Justice Shropshire members met with Julia Buckley MP for Shrewsbury. She proved to be very supportive and stressed the government is seeking to follow ethical trade policies.
Global Justice Cambridge are booking in a meeting with Pippa Heylings MP (also the LibDem lead for Energy Security and Net Zero) very soon to encourage her to support a Fossil Fuel Treaty. They’re teaming up with student members of Doctors without Borders to show the Two Worlds films.
Global Justice Bradford screened the film ‘Home’ and led a discussion on working to stop climate change and having hope. They continue their weekly vigil outside West Yorkshire Pension Fund offices (now also a networking event). A weekly rally has started in Bradford’s City Square around a garden dedicated to Bradford Climate City of Culture. Group members also joined faith-based activists on a protest at Teledyne Technologies who make components for the IDF’s F-35 fighters.
Global Justice Macclesfield, together with other environmental groups, met their MP to raise concerns about the UK/Columbia trade deal; he was keen to join other MPs in writing to the Trade Secretary. The FFT motion was put to the Council at their December meeting but then referred to a Committee.
Global Justice Leicester ran a stall at a conference on personal responses to Climate Change aimed at the Asian community in East Leicester. The group also took part in a lobby of Leicester MPs on Warm Homes.
Global Justice South East London took a trip to the Soho Theatre in early April to see the play Kyoto. It sparked some excellent discussions.
Global Justice Now goes to Aberystwyth!
Our organiser Daisy Pearson travelled to Aberystwyth in April to talk about ending the fossil fuel era alongside Paul Allen from Centre for Alternative Technology. A healthy turn out of 35 people, including the deputy leader of the council, gave a boost to an already growing campaign in the local area to get Ceredigion County Council to endorse the treaty.
Top: Tzeporah Berman speaking to activists in London about the Fossil Fuel Treaty; bottom: Global Justice Shropshire meeting Julia Buckley MP.
Youth
In February, we brought Global Justice Youth’s national gathering We Rise to Sussex Uni in Brighton. It was a fantastic day – over 100 young people took part from across the country and the programme featured an excellent range of speakers: Seema Syeda from Another Europe is Possible, migrant justice organiser Zoe Gardner, Sian Berry MP, and Filipina climate activist and Fridays For Future spokesperson Mitzi Tan to name a few. As well as helping existing members reconnect, the gathering introduced new faces to the network and built fresh energy. At the event we also elected Global Justice Youth’s first National Committee and soon after held the committee’s first meeting, exploring ways in which it will function to support the network. Thanks to the event there is now a Brighton Global Justice Youth group. They’ve already organised a stall on campus to spread the word and started gathering signatures for a petition calling on Sussex university to endorse the FFT.
London Global Justice Youth have been creating a banner for a stunt about the UK trade deal with Colombia and a number of them also attended the Gaza MP lobbying day in parliament in March. Canterbury Global Justice Youth have been campaigning on corporate courts as well as the FFT. The group started up in February this year and so far they’ve run two workshops, one on each issue, with about half a dozen people each time. As well as continuing its campaign on the FFT, Manchester Global Justice Youth organised a panel discussion at the university on the intersection of mass violence and climate change and held a film screening of Utama at local cinema Cultplex. Both events were well attended.
Stirling Global Justice Youth, in collaboration with other groups in the Forth Valley, organised a public ‘chalking’ day in Stirling, where they shared messages on the pavements, and leaflets outlining local actions people can take in
solidarity with Palestine. They have continued efforts to gain institutional support for the Fossil Fuel Treaty, making more progress with the local council. They also held a fundraiser to ensure the continuation of the free breakfast program they organise for fellow students once a week on campus!
Thanks to the work of Eco-Durham, a youth group that’s part of our network, both the City of Durham and Durham Uni SU have endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty.
From top to bottom: Sian Berry speaking at We Rise in Brighton in February; youth activists attending We Rise; London youth activists meeting Jeremy Corbyn at the Gaza lobby day in parliament in March.
Co-directors: Paul Atenya, Jackson Gondo, Laura Castro, Hanan Abdalla, Christine Boateng, Tazeen Bari Producer: Cat Villiers
Soren Kloch
Frances Freeman
Andre Niekerk
Interviewees: Bill Muriuki Karush; Sibongile Tshabalala; George Poe Williams, Tarun Gidwani, Patricia Neves and Ana Paula Ano Bom; Halima Leghari and Zarina Siddique; Zackie Achmat
