April 2024
In light of an ongoing slaughter of civilians in violation of human morality and international conventions and humanitarian law while governments take no action or actively support it, the risks of not acting are even greater.
John Reuwer
Abroard the Freedom Flotilla, April 2024
Freedom Flotilla Poised to Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Blocked -- For Now
The Freedom Flotilla was poised to set sail from Istanbul, Turkiye on April 26 to deliver 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the aim of nonviolently breaking Israel's unlawful siege. All the required paperwork had been submitted and the cargo loaded. However, organizers say Guinea-Bissau withdrew its flagged ships under pressure from Israel and the U.S., preventing the Flotilla from setting sail. Hundreds of international human rights observers from 40 countries were on board, with doctors, nurses, parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists, including Nelson Mandela's grandson. U.S. participants include Col. Ann Wright, Medea Benjamin, Lisa Fithian, Wynd Kauffman and John Reuwer. WATCH this 4-minute on-location report. WATCH this Nonviolence International webinar. Freedom Flotilla organizers vow they will not give up. STAY TUNED!
Veterans for Peace Calls Out Biden for Criminal Violations of Federal Law by Shipping Weapons to Israel
In an April 18 letter to President Biden and top members of his administration, Veterans For Peace cited existing federal law that gives the President "...no discretion whatsoever to allow any military assistance of any form to be delivered to Israel," based on that country's "serial violations of the Symington-Glenn Amendments, codified at 22 U.S.C. § 2799aa." The letter cites a lengthy list of credible reports that Israel has possessed nuclear weapons for decades. Because Israel has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), the Symington-Glenn Amendments to the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976, which allow no presidential discretion, goes into effect. Read Gerry Condon's article in Common Dreams.
Veterans Begin 600 Mile Walk for Peace & Planet, Justice & Democracy
Reviving the historic tradition of walking for peace, Veterans For Peace will kick off a 600-mile "Walk for Peace and Planet, Justice and Democracy," May 7, in Ogunquit, Maine, arriving in Washington, DC, in early July. The reasons for the walk are many: as walk organizer Tarak Kauff explained, "All of us on this planet are faced with frightening threats to life on Earth. Climate and environmental destruction, much of it caused by our military misadventures and the very real threat of nuclear war, prompted us to organize this walk. Since then, we've begun witnessing a genocide in real time in Gaza. We must focus on it and demand it end. Americans are spending hundreds of billions in genocide taxes that we need here at home for healthcare, education and environmental protection." Read more.
Emergency Online Forum with Israeli Conscientious Objector Yuval Dag -- Thursday, May 23
On March 20, 2023, Yuval Dag refused his military conscription and was sent by an Israeli military court to prison. After growing up with a nationalist identity, Yuval began to question his privilege and how it was maintained through the oppression of Palestinians. "Resistance begins, first of all, with self-reflection and understanding....with the understanding that enlisting in the army is a political choice, and its meaning is to support the military and political agenda, and to take part in it." Yuval spent two months in prison for his refusal to serve and today works with the Israeli Refusers Solidarity Network. Join an urgent and important conversation with Yuval, hosted by Ariel Gold of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Diana Oestrich of Red Letter Christians, Thursday, May 23, 10 AM PT/ 11 AM MT/ 12 NOON CT/ 1 PM ET. Register HERE.
Recording and Transcript: Against genocide: A conversation with Dr. Ofer Cassif, member of the Israeli Knesset
On March 22, the Metta Center for Nonviolence hosted a remarkable webinar featuring Dr. Ofer Cassif, a voice for peace and nonviolence within the Israeli parliament. Dr. Cassif has courageously stood for the mutual security of Israelis and Palestinians by opposing the violence of Israel toward the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and since Oct. 7 has spoken out against genocidal violence in Gaza as well as the violence of Hamas. For this, he was subject to a vote of impeachment from the Knesset on Feb. 19, which did not succeed. Dr. Cassif was interviewed by Stephanie Van Hook and Michael Nagler of the Metta Center, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of the Mahatma, and Mubarak Awad, who helped launch the First Intifada and is the founder and current president of Nonviolence International. Recording and transcript HERE.
The National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC) Grows to Include 60% of U.S. Union Members
Eight national unions, including the United Auto Workers and the American Postal Workers Union, along with 217 other labor organizations have called for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. Together they represent 60% of all union members in the U.S. who have joined together to proclaim that the rising escalation of war and arms sales does not serve the interests of workers anywhere. "Working people around the world want and deserve to live free from the effects of violence, war, and militarization," NLNC has proclaimed. Watch the NLNC's recent webinar "Building Bridges for Peace", which features labor leaders and members of Congress working for an immediate ceasefire. See a complete list of endorsing organizations and add additional endorsements to the growing network HERE.
The War Against Gaza, the War Against Dissent: UFPJ Gaza War Resources
As the merciless assault on Gaza and its people by the armed forces of Israel grinds on, opposition has spread to squares and campuses across the United States and elsewhere. Under pressure from their donors and from Congress, university officials are calling in the police to shut down protests that have been overwhelmingly peaceful. Columbia Law Professor David Posen notes that his university's decision to call in City police to arrest students "breaks with an informal settlement that had been in place for more than a half-century." It is a moment that calls for renewed scrutiny of the role our universities play in reproducing, and in moments of crisis actively defending, an unjust order. Find these and other references on the UFPJ Gaza War resource page.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Webinar - Nuclear Dangers: The Ukraine War, the Third Year, Wednesday, May 8
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will be holding a virtual event to discuss the third year of the Ukraine War and the nuclear dangers associated with this conflict on Wednesday, May 8 at 10 AM PT/ 11 AM MT/ 12 NOON CT/ 1 PM ET. The event will feature Professor Grigory Yavlinsky, a Russian economist and politician who ran for the Presidency of Russia three times. Yavlinsky will be joined by Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher of The Nation, and Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University. Cynthia Lazaroff, an expert on U.S.-Russian relations, will moderate. Join what promises to be an illuminating discussion on the current state and future prospects of this devastating war. Register HERE.
Virtual Forum Looking Ahead to Daniel Ellsberg Week -- Thursday, May 2
Join Defuse Nuclear War for a "Virtual Forum Looking Ahead to Daniel Ellsberg Week" on Thursday, May 2 at 5:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM MT / 7:30 PM CT / 8:30 PM ET. Featured speakers include Robert Ellsberg, professor and historian, Christian Appy, author and historian, Dr. Assal Rad, Pastor Michael McBride of the Quincy Institute, Defuse Nuclear War's Emma Claire Foley, RootsAction's Norman Solomon, and CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling. Register for the Forum HERE. In the runup to its second annual Daniel Ellsberg Week, from June 10-16, 2024, Defuse Nuclear War is planning a number of impactful events dedicated to public education and action. These events will underscore the significance of peacemaking, global diplomacy, and nuclear disarmament. Learn more and find out how you can get involved.
Webinar: The World's Tectonic Geopolitical Changes and Their Implications, May 22, 2024—12 NOON EDT/ 9:00 AM PDT
This webinar, presented by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security, will address the geopolitical changes transforming the international landscape. Understanding these forces is essential to ending and preventing wars, reversing the climate emergency, and bringing greater security and justice to all. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza war are only the most recent manifestation of a renewed era of confrontation among the world's most powerful states. The speakers will be Richard Falk, emeritus professor of international law at Princeton University, Anuradha Chenoy, former dean of the school of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Michael Klare, emeritus professor of the Five Colleges Peace and World Security Program. Register here.
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Poor People's Campaign Announces June 29 "Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly & Moral March on Washington, DC & to the Polls" in 2024 U.S. Elections
At a press conference held April 29 at the National Press Club, the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (PPC) publicly launched the June 29 "Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly & Moral March on Washington DC & to the Polls." Hosted by PPC Co-Chairs Bishop William J. Barber, II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, the event, broadcast on CSPAN, featured directly impacted workers who shared compelling personal testimonies, and representatives from an impressive list of partners including the National Council of Churches and AFL-CIO. The PPC is calling on candidates for public office to endorse a moral public policy agenda to expand democracy and end the crisis of poverty, which kills 295,000 people each year. The June 29 Assembly will kick off four months of outreach to 15 million poor and low-wage infrequent voters.
Honoring Dr. King's Full Legacy
On April 4, the 56th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, groups across the country gathered for participatory readings of his prophetic speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," delivered exactly one year before his death. 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 has picked up Dr. 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 that blames poor people for their own poverty, into one "moral fusion" campaign.
UFPJ Regional Gatherings: a place to share our work and find new ways to work together
In late 2022 United for Peace & Justice decided to organize regional gatherings. Our goal was to give people a place to share their work, talk about priorities, and find new opportunities to work together. Our model was the Poor People's Campaign's moral fusion organizing. In March 2023 we held a Zoom gathering for the Great Lakes region; about 50 people attended. That group held a second gathering in January 2024. On March 24, 2024, 60 people attended our Northeast regional gathering. You can find the recording HERE. Regional gatherings are an excellent way to maintain bottom-up leadership and to make plans together for shared efforts in your area. If you are interested in helping to organize a statewide or regional gathering in your area, contact our National Organizer George Friday at info.ufpj [at] gmail.com.
UFPJ Welcomes New Member Group, PEAC
United for Peace & Justice is pleased to welcome our newest member group, PEAC. PEAC stands for Peace, Education, Art, Communication. Through transformative educational projects, PEAC strives to reach the most marginalized youth and uses art and communication activities to help them explore and express. PEAC uses an intersectional lens to make sure their solutions are grounded in self-determination and decolonization. PEAC knows we must look at climate, peace and security, and inequity as one issue, for none can be solved in a silo. They are interdependent and require us to work collaboratively, in an intersectional way, to address them. Through workshops conducted with partners worldwide, PEAC broadens minds, opens hearts, builds self-esteem, and nurtures healthy relationships.
Did you know that Kansas City MO is at the center of the 21st Century New Nuclear Arms Race?
If your answer is NO, it's not surprising, neither do the vast majority of people living in and around Kansas City. Most area residents don't realize that a massive nuclear bomb parts manufacturing plant is in their midst, and will be doubling in size over the next few years. It is a hidden fact, and that's just the way the Kansas City National Security Campus, run by Honeywell, wants it. Over many years, PeaceWorks Kansas City has been working to increase the level of awareness around the nuclear bomb parts plant. On April 15, the Midwest Catholic Workers, along with PeaceWorks and other local groups, held an early morning resistance during the plant's worker shift change. Read about this recent, highly effective, resistance in the following article. Read more about the Kansas City plant here.
Catholic Worker Anti-Nuclear Resistance in Kansas City MO
The Midwest Catholic Workers held their annual retreat in Kansas City MO April 12-15, 2024, co-hosted by Kansas City's Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House & Jerusalem Farm. Joined by local peace groups and concerned citizens, the retreat was a time of fellowship, discernment, and planning a nonviolent resistance action on Monday, April 15 at Kansas City's nuclear bomb parts plant with the official, ambiguous name of National Security Campus. Nuclear weapons have the ability to destroy all life on earth - that's some crazy notion of national security! This plant is scheduled to double in size over the next few years. About 50 activists held signs in the early morning hours as hundreds of employees arrived at work -- there were 10 arrests. Read PeaceWorks KC article for the full details of the day's events, with photos.
24 Hour Peace Wave: No to Militarization -- Yes to Cooperation -- 2024
International Peace Bureau and World BEYOND War will hold the third-annual 24-hour Peacewave on June 22-23, 2024. This will be a 24-hour-long Zoom featuring live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world, moving around the globe with the sun. This Peace Wave will happen during the RIMPAC war rehearsals in the Pacific and just prior to protests of NATO's meeting in Washington in July. The Peace Wave supports work for global peace and opposes military buildup including alliances like NATO, its partnerships around the globe, and related alliances such as AUKUS. The peace wave will visit dozens of locations around the globe and include rallies, concerts, production of artworks, blood drives, installation of peace poles, dances, speeches, and public demonstrations of all variety. Sign up to get the Zoom info and watch!
Conference on Nuclear Weapons and International Law - The Renewed Imperative in Light of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
A transcript is now available, along with a video recording, for this November 8, 2023 conference sponsored by the New York State Bar Association and co-sponsored by Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) and other groups. The conference featured speakers with a wide range of experience in government, the military, NGOs, and academia. Topics included risks associated with use of nuclear arms; application of international humanitarian law (IHL) to nuclear weapons; the law of threat; and strategies for change. Speakers included LCNP's Charles Moxley, on IHL; LCNP's John Burroughs, on threat; and UFPJ's Jackie Cabasso and Denise Duffield of Back from the Brink, on strategies for change.
There Always Seems to Be Enough Money for War: UFPJ Ukraine Resources
In the 28th month of its war of aggression, the military of the Russian Federation has taken advantage of shortages of air defense munitions to launch intensive attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, and particularly on its energy systems. Despite sanctions imposed by Western governments, the Russian Federation shows no signs of running out of money for war. Ukraine, however, will soon receive a fresh infusion of aid from the U.S., giving it a renewed ability to fight on. The impasse in the fighting has revived discussion of negotiations, including the debate over whether negotiators might have been close to a peace deal in the first months of the war, and what prevented the political leadership of the warring countries from reaching agreement at that time. Find these and other resources on the UFPJ Ukraine resources page.
Webinar recording and resources: Environmental Justice and Nuclear Harms
The University of New Mexico, with the San Francisco Bay Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and other organizations, is hosting a series of webinars linking Global Nuclear and Environmental Threats Critical to Climate Change and Human Health. On April 3 they convened a panel on Environmental Justice and Nuclear Harms, including Tina Cordova, who described the negative health effects suffered by the people of New Mexico as a result of being exposed to radiation from the Trinity bomb, Marylia Kelley, on the environmental and health consequences of nuclear weapons development at a National Laboratory, and Jackie Cabasso, on "Nuclear Threats and Climate Chaos: Keep it in the Ground; Honor Treaty Obligations; Nuclear Power is Not the Solution." The video recording is available HERE. Additional resources, including speakers' biographies are HERE.
The Power of the Pen
This month UFPJ joined 24 other organizations in a Joint Statement: Civil Society Groups Call On U.S. Government to Block Unconditioned Military Assistance to Israel. The Statement, issued on April 26, begins: "We, the undersigned organizations, are dismayed that Congress, in an emergency supplemental bill, appropriated an unprecedented $14.1 billion in military assistance to Israel without attaching any human rights and civilian protection conditions, despite the overwhelming evidence of the Israeli government's violations of international and U.S. law over the past six month.... We urge Congress to exercise its oversight authority and withhold any lethal military aid that can be used to commit violations of international humanitarian and human rights law." The Joint Statement was initiated by the Middle East Democracy Center. Read more.
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