Quakers in Britain have joined other faith and civil society groups calling on the Russian and Ukrainian governments to respect the rights of conscientious objectors.
#peace #propeace #antiwar #ConscientiousObjectors #ConscientiousObjection #pacifist #pacifists #pacifism
Dozens of #remembrance events involving white poppies took place around the UK on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday - the highest number in at least five years.
There were white poppy events in Bath, Bradford, Brighton, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Leamington Spa, Leeds, Oxford, Peterborough and many other places. In several towns and cities, such as Leicester, white poppies have become an established part of official remembrance events.
The National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony in London had the highest turnout in recent years, with around 200 people gathering in front of the memorial stone for #ConscientiousObjectors in Tavistock Square.
Those attending heard powerful speeches by Pat Gaffney from Pax Christi and Richard Kuper from Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Isabel Kelly read a deeply moving message of grief and hope from the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organisation of families who have lost loved ones to the ongoing conflict.
October 19, 2023 marks the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the War Resisters League. We have an active WRL 100th History Committee working on a number of projects and we invite your participation.
#war #pacifist #pacifism #antiwar #peace #ProPeace #HumanRights
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) described the plan as a threat to #civilian #democracy in the #UK.
The PPU pointed out that #troops have no authority to arrest #civilians under UK law. They said that no-one has any obligation to co-operate with the armed forces or obey instructions from them.
Their comments follow the news that the Ministry of Defence has offered #soldiers to support armed #police officers in the Metropolitan Police after a number of police officers withdraw from firearms roles.
The PPU described the proposal to deploy troops as a particularly alarming example of everyday #militarism. They added that the last 20 years have seen a rise in #military involvement in civilian life, through initiatives such as the introduction of Armed Forces Day, military covenants and sharply increased funding for cadet units while other youth services have been cut.
Symon Hill, Campaigns Manager of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), said:
“Most British people do not want Britain to be the sort of country in which soldiers stand around on street corners brandishing guns. Deploying troops to carry out police functions is a threat to Britain’s traditions of democracy and civil liberty.
“No-one should feel obliged to obey instructions given by troops on the streets. We have our rights because our ancestors campaigned for them. We must not give up our freedoms by allowing ourselves to be subjected to military authority.
“The armed forces and their leaders are rarely held to account – even less so than the police. Certain police officers’ fears of accountability must not be used as an excuse for the armed forces to grab more power over civilian life.”
#pacifist #pacifists #pacifism #antiwar #antimilitarist #antimilitary #peace #propeace #HumanRights
Ninety years ago in 1933, the first white #poppies were created by members of the Co-operative Women's Guild. Many of these women had lost family and friends in the First World War. They were concerned about the way #RemembranceDay was going - its growing #militarisation and its detachment from a meaningful message of #peace. The Guild's General Secretary, Eleanor Barton, called for a renewal of "that 'Never Again' spirit that was strong in 1918, but seems to grow weaker as years go on".
Then as now, the white poppy stood for three vital principles:
• #Remembrance must include all #victims of #war, not only British #military #casualties, but also those excluded from mainstream commemorations - #civilians, #refugees, people of other nationalities, people affected by #conflict around the world today.
• We need to challenge militarism - both the militarisation of remembrance, and the war and militarism that leads to so much suffering.
• We must look forwards and work actively towards peace, even as we remember the past.
Following the denial of political #asylum by the Lithuanian authorities for the #Belarusian #peacebuilder and #HumanRights defender Olga Karatch (Volha Karach), the international campaign #protection4olga has just been launched to demand #protection and asylum for the director of the organisation ‘Our House‘. She has been fighting for human rights in #Belarus for years, including the right to #ConscientiousObjection to #military service, and is therefore persecuted and faces capital punishment in her country of origin, where she has been labelled a ‘terrorist’ by the regime.
We are all shocked that the Security Service of Ukraine broke into the apartment of Yurii Sheliazhenko yesterday, August 3rd 2023, and conducted an illegal search and seizure operation, finding nothing criminal and taking his phone, his computer, as well as some documents of the #Ukrainian #Pacifist Movement. We strongly protest about the harassment of Yurii Sheliazhenko, who is summoned to interrogation on August 7th, 8th and 9th 2023.
We remind the Ukrainian government that #pacifism is not a crime in democratic states. We demand that the charge against Yurii Sheliazhenko is immediately dropped, and that #HumanRights are fully protected, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to #ConscientiousObjection to #military service, which is inherent in the right to #freedom of thought, #conscience and #religion, guaranteed, amongst others, under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which is non-derogable even in a time of public emergency, as stated in Article 4(2) of ICCPR.
Yurii Sheliazhenko is a well-known #ConscientiousObjector, pacifist, human rights defender and lawyer. We strongly condemn all actions of harassment and all attempts of intimidation against him and the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, as well as all cases of forced recruitment and even abduction of #conscripts to the involved armies, and all #persecutions of #ConscientiousObjectors, deserters and non-violent #anti-war protestors.
Stop The Arms Fair is a network of groups and individuals who have joined forces to put an end to DSEI and all UK arms fairs.
DSEI is one of the world’s biggest arms fairs. For one week every two years, in East London, arms companies display their weapons to buyers from around the world, including countries in conflict, authoritarian regimes and countries with serious human rights problems.
The UK government helps to organise this arms fair, invites these military buyers from around the world, and helps arms companies to make deals, at taxpayer expense.
This has to stop, and together we can stop it.
DSEI is planning to return in September 2023 and we are already working to stop it.
Monday 4 September 2023 - Friday 15 September 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0iKA9Y5xSA
#propeace #pivottopeace
#holdleaderstoaccount #holdrepresentativestoaccount
#antiglobalization
#warisnottheanswer #imperialismisnottheanswer #downwithimperialism
#keeptheamericanpeopleoutofpolitics #americanisolationism #americaninsularity #americanignorance #humansuffering #hegemony #puppetgovernment #hubris #whenyoudontholdleaderstoaccount #endlesswar #mccarthyism #neomccarthyism #unipolarworld #PNAC
#vietnam #iraq #afghanistan
#alessonunlearned #lessonsunlearned
#libya #syria
#ukraine #taiwan
#beyondappearances #peoplearegood
bonus, to add more context:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hodx6cwNzU
#projectbluebeam #fakealieninvasion
shows the continued lack of respect for truth, for you, for reality.
they want a common enemy, a flase flag event, to terrorise everybody united against a common enemy? if they keep doing these sort of things, they'll make themselves that. a small part of me satirically quips "carry on", as if wanting them to shoot themselves in the foot in that ultimate way. a much larger part of me thinks, we've no need for this. we can transcend their bullcrap, obsolete their paradigm, their philosophy, their poisonous paternalism.
The U.S. Department of Defense- military forces and DOD agencies- is the largest single energy consumer in the United States and the world’s largest institutional greenhouse gas emitter.
-Peace Action
#military #antimilitary #environment #environmentalism #environmentalist #green #antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifism
500 conscientious objectors “competed to volunteer” to be “human guinea pigs” for “dangerous and life-threatening medical experiments seeking cures for malaria, infections hepatitis, atypical pneumonia and typhus."
#WWII #history #war #antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifism #ConscientiousObjection #ConscientiousObjectors #science #medicine #famine #starvation
### "...All peaceful persons should withdraw their support from the army, and require that all who wish to make war do so at their own cost and risk; that neither pay nor pensions are to be provided for those who choose to make man-killing a trade"
-Voltairine De Cleyre, 1909 essay "Anarchism and American Traditions"
#war #antiwar #military #anti-military #peace #propeace #anarchy #anarchism #pacifism #pacifist
Dear friends,
I’m writing to you about our ongoing Object War Campaign (in support of deserters and conscientious objectors from #Russia, #Belarus and #Ukraine) and to ask for your support.
War Resisters’ International, together with Connection e.V., the International Fellowship of Reconciliation and the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection launched #ObjectWarCampaign on 21st September. Since then, we've been calling out to everyone to join this global effort to ensure the protection of conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
So far we have collected almost 7,000 signatures. Thanks to everyone who has joined our campaign.We accelerate our efforts to get more signatures before the end of this year and we need your support!
If you have not signed our petition yet, you can sign it here. We would also appreciate if you help us spread the word, share the campaign within your networks and post on social media with the hashtag #StandWithObjectors and #ObjectWarCampaign.
...
The petition is available on the WeMove.eu website in German, English, French, Italian and Greek.#ObjectWarCampaign highlights the importance of opening borders to those who oppose the war at great personal risk in their countries, and calls on everyone to support those who refuse to fight and kill.
The campaign is being supported by many organisations and groups. You can see a list of them here.
Every recruit can be a conscientious objector, every soldier a deserter. Let’s support those who refuse to kill and end war together!
#ObjectWarCampaign#StandWithObjectors
Merve Arkun
Right to Refuse to Kill Programme Intern
#war #antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifism #HumanRights #ConscientiousObjectors #ConscientiousObjection
This Thursday, 1st December, is Prisoners for Peace Day, a day to show solidarity with those activists who have been imprisoned for their work for peace and conscientious objectors imprisoned for their refusal to take up arms.
This year, we want to highlight the situation of many people in Russia and Ukraine that are imprisoned or facing imprisonment for resisting the current war in Ukraine.
You can find the list of Prisoners for Peace here.
#antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifism #HumanRights #ConscientiousObjectors #ConscientiousObjection
More detail on what happened:
...in Israel, four conscientious objectors, Shahar Schwartz (18-year-old), Einat Gerlitz (19), Evyatar Moshe Rubin (19), and Nave Shabtay Levin (18), were imprisoned again for their refusal to serve in the #military. The four objectors jointly declared their refusal to join the #Israeli #army in September, stating their refusal to take part in the Israeli #occupation of the #WestBank and #Gaza Strip. With their last #imprisonment, each of them will stay 45 days more in prison.
1st December is #Prisoners for #Peace Day. For over 60 years, War Resisters' International have, on this day, made known the names and stories of those imprisoned because of their actions for peace. Many are #ConscientiousObjectors, in gaol for refusing to join the #military. Others have taken #nonviolent actions to disrupt preparation for #war.
This day is a chance for you to demonstrate your #support for those individuals and their movements, by #writing to those whose #freedom has been taken away from them because of their work for peace.
Please mark your calendars! December 1, 2022.
Around the world, people are in prison for their conscientious objection to taking part or war or their nonviolent peace activism. This is a good day to campaign for their release and to send them letters of support.
Prisoners of Peace Day is organised by War Resisters' International, of which the Peace Pledge Union is the British section.
For more information, and to see a list of known Prisoners for Peace, please see https://wri-irg.org/en/taxonomy/term/2.
#antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifism #HumanRights #ConscientiousObjection
Yesterday the Peace Pledge Union held its annual National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony - to honor ALL victims of war, both civilians and military from all parts of the world.
You can watch the inspiring video here:
#antiwar #peace #propeace #pacifist #pacifists #pacifism #remembrance
Appeal to European Parliament and Parliamentary Assembly of Council of #Europe
In a joint appeal to members of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a broad civil society alliance from 20 countries has called on the #European #governments to grant protection and asylum to #Russian and #Belarusian as well as #Ukrainian #ConscientiousObjectors and deserters. They need immediate #protection and #asylum.
#antiwar #propeace #peace #ConscientiousObjection #HumanRights
