THE TERM “fifth column” originated in the Spanish Civil War, when one of the fascist generals declared that while they had four columns marching on Madrid, there was a fifth column within the city which would support them. It is used to describe people who undermine a government from within at the behest of an enemy power.

Quite disgracefully, it has been bandied about in the present crisis from MPs and journalists who want to attack the anti-war movement — anyone taking such a position must be in hock to another state (in this case Russia) and acting against a supposed “national interest.” They simply cannot comprehend that campaigners can oppose wars and the foreign policy of their own government while at the same time opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yet that is the position of the Stop the War Coalition. We condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The people of Ukraine and Russia — and elsewhere in Europe — are the ones who will suffer as a result. It will also lead to much greater instability, both military and economic, throughout Europe and more widely.