From 15-18 October a series of meetings took place in Berlin, to discuss the continuation of work against NATO and the war in Afghanistan after Strasbourg. A special focus was on European and international co-operation.
The War Resisters League does a lot of work for peace—organizing demonstrations, publishing a quarterly magazine, developing resources and trainings on nonviolence… Most of this work is done from the comfort of a chair (although you can get a workout on the picket line).
Now, the War Resisters League is taking our message of peace and pacifism and hitting the road—literally. Patrick Sheehan-Gaumer and Frida Berrigan—members of WRL’s National Committee —WRL staff person Saul Silva and long-time WRL member Mike Levinson, are marathoning for peace.
I would like to invite you all to the UK in February next year. Trident Ploughshares is organising a big blockade of Aldermaston for Monday 15th February 2010 from 7am – all day - and we need European help.
On 28 August 2009 security forces of the Government of Sudan in Khartoum have kidnapped Darfuri Activist Abdelmageed Salih Abbakar Haroun. Salih's kidnapping occurred after being monitored via mobile phone after unknown calls suspected to be from the security apparatus. Also a colleague of Salih was kidnapped with him. Both of them were led to an unknown location and no one knows why they were kidnapped in the first place.
This issue of The Broken Rifle introduces the forthcoming War Resisters' International's International Conference, historically known as the WRI Triennial: “Nonviolent Livelihood Struggle and Global Militarism: Links & Strategies” that will take place in Ahmedabad, India between the 22 and 25 of January 2010. As Howard Clark says in the opening article “a WRI Triennial is more than a conference.
Today at 10:30am 60 musicians from the action group "Lebenslaute", packed with instruments and music stands, climbed the four meter high wall around the site of the planned final storage site in Gorleben and began a protest concert with mainly classical music.
The "bombodrom" is a 120 square kilometers big area in Germany, 80 km north of Berlin. This area was used by the Russian Air Force as bombing and shooting training area (therefore named with the Russian word "bombodrom".). The people in this area suffered for the noise and the poisoning of the environment for more than 30 years. After the unification of Germany. they had hoped that this will stop. But since 1992 the German government wanted to use this area for the German Air Force.
Trident Ploughshares activists working with Bikes Block Bombs, Scrap Cars-Scrap Trident, Aldermaston Women, and Eastern-region CND have blockaded 4 gates at AWE Aldermaston today. They are protesting at the building of new nuclear weapons facilities and the lack of democratic accountability.
The surprise blockades have caused massive road blockages and construction vehicles have been prevented from getting into Aldermaston.
Late last night the six peace activists currently inside the NATO bombing range in northern Sweden heard three strong explosions. The first was around 22:00, the second at 22:40 and the third at 22:42. All the peace activists are unhurt but shocked that NATO choose to bomb the area despite the presence of civilians in the firing range. Of the 2000 personnel involved in the exercise approximately 1000 are British, based aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. We have no information on the nationality of the planes which bombed the area last night.
NATO has threatened to continue a live-fire bombing exercise in Swedish Lapland despite the presence of six (6) peace activists in the bombing area. The activists, all members of the Swedish anti-militarist network Ofog, aim to disrupt the exercise and prevent NATO from practising for war.
The 2009 London Triathlon will have the presence of four committed triathletes for peace – Andy Neidhardt, Ed Neidhardt, Javier Gárate and Matt Neidhardt. They will be racing to support the work of War Resisters' International and have formed the War Resisters Triathlon Team, their target is to raise £ 2,000.
War Resisters' International
War Resisters' International was founded in 1921 under the name "Paco". It was and is based on the WRI declaration:
Four peace activists are inside the live-fire bombing range currently being used for a large NATO exercise in Swedish Lapland. Their aim is to draw attention to the preparations for war crimes currently under way under the name of exercise “Loyal Arrow” and to prevent NATO from bombing the area further.