April 2022
Freedom is a process, in the course of which you develop the habit of being insusceptible to becoming enslaved.
Alla Gutnikova
Facing 3 Years in Russian Prison for Asserting Her Right to Protest
All Out for June 18 in DC! UFPJ Briefing Call Wednesday, May 4
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The Poor People's Campaign (PPC) Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls on June 18, 2022, will be a generationally transformative gathering of poor and low wealth people, state leaders, faith communities, moral allies, unions and partner organizations building power by challenging the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the false moral narrative of religious nationalism. UFPJ is proud to be a PPC national organizing partner! Join PPC Co-chair Rev. Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back, PPC Director of Partnerships, on Wed. May 4 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET to be inspired and learn about "moral fusion" organizing aand how you can participate in June 18. Register here!
Thinking of Going to DC on June 18? Join a Call for More Info!
On June 18 the Poor People's Campaign will hold an Assembly and Moral March on Washington D.C. to unite people to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. This is an opportunity to strengthen the peace movement at a time when military spending is out of control. If you're an individual who is thinking about going to D.C. and you want more information, please join CODEPINK for a call on Tuesday, April 26 at 7:30pm ET / 4:30 pm PT. Register here. There will also be a coalition call on April 26 for organizations mobilizing for the march. Click here for more info.
The Imperative of Ending Russia's War on Ukraine
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy has released a second statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine: End the War, Stop the War Crimes. A key point is that the US "should do all within its power to help bring the war to a close rapidly in order to limit suffering; to eliminate risks that the conflict will widen and escalate, possibly to nuclear war; and to limit the negative global economic and food security repercussions." The statement also addresses violations of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of warfare and possible war crime trials; the illegality of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons; and the illegality of use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Read the statement here.
Second Global Day of Action for Peace in Ukraine -- Saturday, May 7
On March 6, CODEPINK, the Stop the War Coalition and dozens of other organizations held a Global Day of Action that saw 140 marches and rallies throughout the world. On April 9, there was an online rally for peace featuring speakers such as Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Tariq Ali, Clare Daley, Yanis Varoufakis and Kate Hudson, among others. Check out the video of the online rally here and join us for another Global Day of Action for Ukraine on May 7. We're planning a combination of a webinar and in-person rallies throughout the country. To register for the webinar, learn about an in-person rally near you, or to organize one yourself, Click Here.
Webinar: International & North American Launch of the 21st Century Common Security Report
In late April, on the 40th anniversary of the Palme Commission's Common Security report, which played a major role in ending the Cold War, The Olof Palme Foundation, the International Peace Bureau, and the International Trade Union Confederation will issue their 21st Century Common Security Report. Coming amidst the disastrous Ukraine War and break down of the Post-Cold War order, the many dangers of the climate emergency and inequalities, the report provides a critique and a roadmap for building common security, based on the reality that security cannot be achieved against a nation's rival, but only with it. On April 28th at 2PM EDT and 11AM PDT, a distinguished panel of speakers will discuss the report, which provides a critique and a roadmap for a common security future. For a list of speakers and to register, click here.
The Words of Alla Gutnikova, Tried in Russia for Asserting the Right to Protest
Alla Gutnikova is one of four Russian student journalists put on trial for "inciting minors to take part in illegal opposition protests."At her sentencing she said, "Don't be afraid to ask (yourself and others) what is good and what is bad. Don't be afraid to say that the king has no clothes. Do not be afraid to cry out, to burst into tears. Repeat (to yourself and others): 2+2=4. Black is black. White is white. I am a man, I am strong and brave. I am a strong and brave woman. We are strong and brave people. Freedom is a process, in the course of which you develop the habit of being insusceptible to becoming enslaved." -- and much more. Read her full statement here.
Report Back From Afghanistan
Medea Benjamin, Sunita Viswanath and Kelly Campbell went to Afghanistan to learn about the impacts of the decision by the Biden administration, IMF and World Bank to freeze billions of dollars in assets that belong to the people of Afghanistan. Days before the delegation arrived, the Taliban announced new restrictions on girls' education. The most important thing we can do for Afghan women and girls right now is to call on the Biden Administration and key members of Congress to unfreeze the Afghan funds to pay teachers and healthcare workers. The Afghan people, especially the women, should not be denied access to education or life-saving care. Check out the campaign to Unfreeze Afghanistan and watch the report back hosted by Massachusetts Peace Action here.
Tell Congress We Need a Green Energy Transition Now!
War is definitely not green: in response to the war in Ukraine and U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil industry, President Biden has ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the U.S. strategic reserves and called for more drilling on federal lands. Now is not the time to double down on militarism and fossil fuels, but to transition to a green peaceful economy! Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Cori Bush, and Representative Jason Crow have introduced the Energy Security and Independence Act to reallocate a portion of our military dollars to transition to 100% renewable energy. Join CODEPINK in asking your Representative to co-sponsor this bill by clicking here.
The 2022 "Banking on Climate Chaos Report" is Now Available
This annual report, co-authored by Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club, and Urgewald, is the most comprehensive global analysis on fossil fuel banking. Examining commercial and investment bank financing for the fossil fuel industry, the report documents that the world's 60 largest banks poured $4.6 trillion into fossil fuels in the six years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, with $742 billion in fossil fuel financing in 2021 alone. Overall fossil fuel financing remains dominated by four U.S. banks -- JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America -- who together account for one quarter of all fossil fuel financing identified over the last six years. Read the full report. Findings underscore the need for banks to immediately implement policies that end their financing for fossil fuel expansion and begin to zero out their support. United for Peace & Justice has endorsed this report. We encourage other organizations to endorse and promote the report as well.
Golden Rule Peace Boat to Voyage around "Great Loop" as Ukraine War Raises Concern about Nuclear War
The historic anti-nuclear sailboat Golden Rule is being prepared for an epic voyage throughout the Midwestern, Southern and Eastern U.S. In September the 34-foot wooden ketch will be transported by truck-and-trailer from San Francisco Bay to Minneapolis, from where she'll sail down the Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast, around Florida and up the intercoastal waterway to the northeast, and back to the Midwest. "There is lots of excitement about the next phase of the storied history of the Golden Rule," said Helen Jaccard, who manages and crews the wooden sailboat. "This is a positive-energy communal effort -- just what we need at this time." View the sailing schedule of the Golden Rule's epic voyage around the Great Loop; consider volunteering as an organizer or crew. Read more.
Call for Peace, Not Military Threats on the Korean Peninsula
Later this month, the United States and South Korea are set to conduct combined military exercises, which mobilize considerable weapons, equipment, and U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula. As Reuters reports, "these military drills ... could for the first time in years include more weaponry and troops, and more aggressive messaging as tensions with North Korea rise."To jumpstart fruitful negotiations and reverse militarization on the Korean Peninsula, we must address the root cause of tensions and hostilities between the U.S. and North Korea -- the unresolved Korean War. Urge your Member of Congress to cosponsor H.R.3446, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, in order to support peace and reconciliation, not military confrontation and pressure. Sign here.
A Poor People's Campaign Pandemic Report: Mapping the Intersections of Poverty, Race and COVID-19
As the nation closes in on 1 million deaths from COVID-19, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network have released a report showing that the pandemic killed people in poor counties at a rate of up to five times more than those who live in wealthier counties. The unprecedented report, Mapping the Intersections of Poverty, Race and COVID-19, was released at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on April 4, the 54th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s prophetic speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,"at Riverside Church in 1967, when he drew the connections between poverty, racism and war, and his assassination one year later on April 4, 1968. Read more.
Don't Dump Radioactive Contaminated Water into the Ocean!
On April 13, 2021, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) decided to dump approximately 1.3 million tons of radioactive contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant site into the ocean. Violating the promise made to fishermen and ignoring the opposition of municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture, the Japanese government and TEPCO plan to start dumping the contaminated water into the ocean by spring next year. The dumping of contaminated water into the ocean is an outrageous act to evade responsibility for the Fukushima nuclear accident and steer the country toward a policy of promoting nuclear power. The sea belongs to the people of the whole world. Support Japanese anti-nuclear and labor groups by signing their petition. Sign here.
Ukraine War Resources
Two months on, the Russian government's war on Ukraine continues, with no end in sight. You can find regularly updated resources on the war at the United For Peace & Justice Ukraine resource page. Noteworthy statements, commentary and other resource lists include a resource page from the Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative at Harvard University, with an emphasis on humanitarian impacts and law, a perspective from Van Gosse and Bill Fletcher, Jr., two founding members of UFPJ, Whose Side Are We On? The War in Ukraine and the Crisis of the Left, and the Statement of The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement Against Perpetuation of War.
Killing Civilians is a Crime
CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies have written an article outlining the irony of the Biden administration and corporate media when it comes to war crimes. "Americans are rightfully horrified when they see civilians killed by Russian bombardment in Ukraine, but they are generally not quite so horrified, and more likely to accept official justifications, when they hear that civilians are killed by U.S. forces or American weapons in Iraq, Syria, Yemen or Gaza. The Western corporate media play a key role in this, by showing us corpses in Ukraine and the wailing of their loved ones, but shielding us from equally disturbing images of people killed by U.S. or allied forces,"they write. Read the article here.
Tell the Biden Administration to Condition Aid to Israel
Join CODEPINK in asking the Biden administration to protect Palestinian rights and condition any aid to Israel on an immediate settlement freeze, lifting of the siege on Gaza, and securing equal rights for all people in the Holy Land. Since the holidays of Ramadan, Passover and Easter converged, Israeli occupation forces raided the Al Aqsa Mosque, shooting tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian Muslim worshipers. Hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested, many of whom are being held without charges or trial. Since April 2 when Ramadan began, at least 14 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured by Israeli forces who have been conducting middle-of-the-night raids and firing live ammunition at protesters. Sign the petition here.
Acting on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Full Legacy; All Roads Lead to June 18, Washington, DC!
On April 4, many groups organized public readings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s seminal speech, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,"delivered on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his tragic assassination. In the speech, King declared: "When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered." The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up King's unfinished work weaving the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, environmental devastation, militarism and the war economy and a distorted moral narrative of Christian nationalism, into one "moral fusion" campaign. Read more.
Webinar: "NWC Reset: Frameworks for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free-World"- recording now available
This April 20 webinar, hosted by the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, examined ideas and proposals in a new working paper, "Abolition 2000 NWC Reset: Frameworks for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World,"which has been submitted to the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), taking place at the United Nations in New York from Aug. 1 - 26, 2022. The paper and webinar explore the legal, technical, and institutional measures and frameworks to facilitate the global prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. Click here for the speakers list and background information. Click to watch Session 1 (Asia Pacific and early risers in Europe/Africa); Passcode: *ru.R8D= Click to watch Session 2 (Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East); Passcode: dAByhw9.
The Power of the Pen
UFPJ was among more than 350 U.S., South Korean, and international civil society groups that signed onto a statement, released April 5, calling for suspending U.S.-South Korean military exercises and decreasing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It concludes: "We want peace talks, not war drills and military confrontation. In particular, we urge the Biden administration to resolve the root cause of the conflict between the United States and North Korea -- the unresolved Korean War." UFPJ was also proud to be among 68 national organizations signing a letter welcoming news that Yemen's warring parties have agreed to a two-month nationwide truce, and urging member of Congress to cosponsor Representatives Jayapal and DeFazio's forthcoming War Powers Resolution to end U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led coalition's war on Yemen. The letter was sent to every member of Congress on April 20 and was covered in Forbes in an article by Quincy Institute's Bill Hartung. Read more.
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