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For an Hour a Week, Make the Massive Passive Opposition to this War Visible!
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Sunday January 20, 2008 19:53 by Ciaron O'Reilly - London Catholic Worker
We are calling on all folks who are opposed to the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq to make their opposition visible for an hour a week - solo or with friends.
To vigil is to stay awake. Our society slumbers as our warships, fighter aircraft, troops and bombers unleash death and destruction on the people of Iraq. The body bags of British, Australian and American troops come home without causing a ripple beyond the immediate families of the deceased.
We have chosen to vigil - stay awake. We have chosen to vigil locally for a couple of hours outside the Dalston Kingsland overground railway station in London. We kicked off last Thursday with six of us. We expect at various vigils, over the weeks and months to come, there might be more of us or less of us, there may be times when only one of us is present at the weekly vigil. We expect to be joined by others who would like to vigil regularly and folks passing through who join us as a one off.
We live in the Catholic Worker house www.londoncatholicworker.org with what would be regarded as a lot of traditional enemies - we've got Irish & English, Christian & Muslim, Shia & Sunni, Pommie & Aussie, Persian & Arab, Black & White, Goddist & athiest, even Totenham and Manchester United (presently drawn in the 4th. round of the F.A. Cup!). So even with a lot of historic reasons not to get on, it's pretty peaceful in our house. It's peaceful because there is a collective commitment to justice and resolving our conflicts (and there's plenty of 'em) nonviolently. As Pope Paul 6th. said "If you want peace work for justice!" and as the crowds chanted as L.A. burned "No Justice: No Peace!". There's a relationship between peace & justice as there is a relationship between violence & exploitation!
But if you're not interested in justice and would rather maintain and expand an empire of global exploitation - you better be preparing for war.
The wars escalate and expand, the piles of bodies mount. There isn't much support for these wars, but their ain't much visible opposition either. The massive opposition expressed in Feb 03 to the invasion of Iraq, merely proved that they don't need popular support to have wars these daze. The anti-war movement was hijacked by micro left political parties, mainstream opposition parties & NGO's which saw the war primarily as a great marketting opportunity for their organisations, squeezed the short term phenomenon for what it was worth and moved on to other ambulances to chase. They were never serious about directly engaging or resisting the war or serious about supporting those who were serious about nonviolently resisting the war.
The protests of 03 did not lead to the next logical step of mass nonviolent resistance. If 1% of those who had marched against the war had gone into nonviolent resistance in the spirit of Ghandi & King to the point of imprisonment and the other 99% who marched had been in proactive solidarity - eg. helped feed the peace prisoner's cat, helped paid the rent, dealt with the freaked out parents) then we would have had a movement and the western governments would have had a problem prosecuting these wars. What we've got now is not an active movement but a remnant, otherwise biannual groundhog days of demonstration, cattle drives marching up and down the empty streets of the world capitals.
We need to strengthen the resistance that continues and build an anti-war resistance movement from the bottom.
We need to .......
1. Make the massive passive opposition to the war visible - we invite you to make your own sign, joining with others or solo, vigil against the war outside a government building, military base, on the high street, on campus, outside a church or cathedral for one hour a week.
2. Be in procative solidarity with nonviolent anti-war resisters
whether they are
-dissident soldiers like
Sgt. Kevin Benderman http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/368/86/
-bereaved parents acting up against the war like Reg Keyes and Rose Gentle http://www.mfaw.org.uk/ ,
-radical Catholic priests like Louie Vitalie & Steve Kelly www.tortureontrial.org
-peacenik parents before the courts like Scott & Maria Albrecht http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85631 Jim & Bryan www.pinegap6.org
-old school Socialists & Republicans www.raytheon9.org
-militant grannies like Helen & Georgina http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85780
-rad Salvation Army kidz Sarah, Simon & Krystal http://samuelhill5.blogspot.com/
Write these folks a letter inside jail, or as they await trial, and ask them what kind of help they need?. The more solidarity they experience the easier their resistance will be! The courts and prisons can be an experience of isolation and defeat or solidarity and empowerment, a lot of it has got to do with the solidarity you offer.
3. Begin to prepare for nonviolent resistance to the war....
simplify your lifestyle, free yourself up, join a group or form a community that will accompany you though nonviolent confrontation with the warmaking state, meet casualties of the war veterans and refugees hear their stories, meet other resisters who have been through the courts & prisons and hear their stories.
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Comments (12 of 12)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Dalston Kingsland Railway Station
Dalston Kingsland Railway Station
Dalston Kingsland Railway Station
...while the bodies pile up.
Exactly.
Different places have their different capacities to mobilise to resist - but staying awake among friends is the only place to start.
Last January 11th in Budapest, Amnesty International Hungary had a good orange suit protest in front of the US Embassy
{ photos here: http://lmv.hu/node/2170 }.
On one side of the 'prisoners cage' was Budapest's last and only still standing Soviet memorial to the soldiers who died fighting Nazism and on the other side was the US Embassy - both in 'Freedom Square.' It was inspiring to be with Hungarians and other nationalities trying to stay awake and remember Hungary's own Gulag past by protesting American Gulags in Cuba and reported to be recently in Poland and neighboring Romania.
Today in Hungary one increasingly reads in the media that Iraqi refugees are coming over the borders from Ukraine and Romania. If they can make it to Hungary they almost automatically get Refugee status from the Hungarian government. Most, however, are stopped on the Romanian and Ukrainian side - thus, relieving Hungary from doing its moral duty. Accordng to the UNHCR there are 1,200 Iraqis here already (Although this number may include Iraqis from 'past Iraq Wars').
There are 2,000,000+ Iraqis refugees outside Iraq's borders now - Fortress Europe (now Schengen Enhanced!) should consider itself lucky.
... .. . .. ...
Does anyone remember last August of a series of car bomb blasts that slaughtered hundreds of the Iraqi minority called The Yazidi?
I don't recall the exact number announced as dead that day - but it was high even for Iraqi standards. Well, the Pentagon just updated its count of the dead...
Reuters reports: 'The U.S. military said the final death toll in multiple truck bombings targeting Iraq's minority Yazidi sect in northern Iraq last August was 796.'
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ANW026756.htm
It is impossible to imagine the psychological/cultural damage that this attack - by who?! no one really knows - has done to this minority community. The Yazidi are not Sunni or Shia, neither christian nor muslim. Neither pro-USA nor pro-Iran or pro-Saudi Wahabbi. And are a minority within the Kurdish community. No strong allies to speak of and thier slaughter is today only noted by a 24 word news story in the West.
Stay awake and pay attention to the details - It is important.
Who are the Yazidi?
'In the Yazidi belief system, the world was created by a god, and the world is now in the care of a Heptad of seven Holy Beings, often known as Angels or heft sirr (the Seven Mysteries). Preeminent among these is Melek Taus (Tawûsê Melek in Kurdish), the Peacock Angel.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazidi
Budapest: Amnesty International in front of the US Embassy
It wd be helpful for opponents of the wars to show support with badges, stickers. & whatever demonstrates their opinions as often & as long as possible. May not be permissible at every1's workplace, but the rest of the time is their own to use.
Dear Ciaron,
At your suggestion a couple of years ago i
try to maintain an anti war vigil on Cowley Road, Oxford, on Mondays 12noon -1pm. My signs focus on Afghanistan and the sign which elicits the most positive response says
WAR DOES NOT WORK
IT KILLS THE INNOCENT
AND DESTROYS OUR EARTH
On the sign - that would "Louie Vitale" not "Louie Vitalie"
& not clear at this resolution, but also it should be "tortureontrial.org" - not "torturontrial.org" -
We on this side of the pond have always wondered about your spelling habits over there.
;-)
Prison addresses for Louie and three others still in prison for torture protest at Ft. Huachuca can be found via http://tortureontrial.org/support.html
now - off to vigil at Davis-Monthan AFB here in Tucson, where they train pilots in the A-10 Warthogs that fired most of the depleted uranium in Iraq and the Balkans - our signs -
Depleted Uranium - Used once, kills forever
Where in Iraq is the Depleted Uranium?
Iraq Asks, U.S. Won't Tell ?!
Please help Iraq clean up DU
Thanks for the call to action, Ciaron. As you know, I support a diversity of peaceful forms of protest and resistance to the war.
The only thing I don't understand is your use of the word "passive". I understand this word to mean the opposite of "active". Here are a few definitions:
ADJECTIVE:
1. Receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return ... See synonyms at inactive.
2. Accepting or submitting without objection or resistance; submissive: a passive acceptance of one's fate.
3. Existing, conducted, or experienced without active or concerted effort:
...
9. Psychology Relating to or characteristic of an inactive or submissive role in a relationship, especially a sexual relationship.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/98/P0099800.html
This last definition has given rise to the colloquial expression, "getting screwed". It all suggests submission, quiescence, failure to resist exploitation, abuse and even violence, etc.
If I were a _passive_ supporter of the peace movement, I might say, "Good on you, sport!" and then spend the afternoon goofing off with a beer in front of the TV. But clearly, you are callng for more than that. So I don't see any place for this word "passive" in the context.
Wishing you the best of luck with all active, non-violent resistance to the war,
Coilín.
"The only thing I don't understand is your use of the word "passive". I understand this word to mean the opposite of "active".
Present opposition to the war is massive. It is an opinion that is rarely made visible, it remains a passive opinion. One small step is to make it visible for an hour a week. It is not an attempt to persuade the state, which doesn't care about our opinion. It's an attempt to awaken a movement that is presently passive, disengaged, asleep.
Remember Ahern's cynical and comfortable "thanks for supporting my anti-war government" response after 100,000+ marched in Dublin in Feb 03.
Remember Ahern and Cowen squirming like two schoolboys in the headmaster's office as Haas fumes following the Pitstop Ploughshares action.
This is the differences between protest and resistance.
The orders are in from London - the authoritarian & moderate left & NGO's (if they think there is any mileage left in it for them) are about to lead us on yet another groundhog day, cattle drive through the empty streets of Dublin. This is supposed to salve our consciences, & retain their franchise on being the legitimate voice of anti-war dissent in the meainstream media, for the next 6 months of war on Iraq and Afghanistan.
So the proposal I have put forward here is to move form passive opinion to active expression of that opinion, proactive solidarity with those actively resisting the war and consideration & preparation to move into resistance as this very long war continues. The proposal is based on community building and solidarity as abasis for further resistance. This is one of the reasons the LCW has decided to make its vigil local rather than head downtown to MOD etc
That is the context.
Military Recruiter Bloodbath: Direct Action video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lU8FmBVoyA
(3 mins)
On the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a group of
local activists staged a dramatic protest outside the Armed Forces
Recruiting Center in the neighborhood of Roslindale, Massachusetts. At
noon, the Boston Direct Action Project dumped five gallons of fake
blood and took up positions on the doorstep. The activists portrayed a
dead Iraqi woman, her grieving husband, a dead U.S. soldier and his
grieving wife. The blood flowed forty feet into the parking lot,
attracting scores of local residents. The community was supportive,
and many onlookers stopped to talk to members of the Project, who
handed out informational flyers with suggested alternatives to
military service.
The Australian Labor Government has announced the mid-year withdrawl from Iraq
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080220/ts_nm/iraq_australia_dc
Last Easter we started a weekly 2 hour vigil outside Enoggera Army Barracks. Enoggera is the second largest barracks in Australia. It was used extensively theorugh WW1-WW2-Vietnam. Troops presently deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan from Enoggera.
The weekly vigil is coming up to it's first anniversary. A recent development is a counter protest by soldier's wives. Sr. Kay, an Australian Jospehite nun and a regular vigiler, reflects....
"There were three women with "nice" placards:
"Honk to support our troops"
"Support our troops"
"We respect Aussie soldiers"
Their t-shirts read:
"I (heart=love) my soldier"
They first stood diagonally opposite and then moved to the garage. Both spots I termed 'mutual admiration" positions. Instead of 'what will I wear today' I thought which poster shall I hold. I took my cue from the other women and chose "Veterans against the war in Iraq & Afghanistan www.ivaw.org ". I did engage. It was strangely heartening to see others expressing their democratic right but saddening to see defence force personnel once again the fodder of competitiveness and oneupmanship played by women.
I might have honked for them too like I'd honk for fire fighters, ambulance drivers, SES crews and others who are there to serve, protect
and rescue when legitimately needed. Iraq is not a legitimate arena for our participation in violence towards citizens including children. I was told that the troops are doing good things over there like building
houses. I was reminded of Vietnam where we now strive towards
reconstruction and commerce but I wonder do we regret bombing the fertility out of the ground with napalm. The women, loving wives of
absent soldiers, agreed to have their photographs taken. I will post
them later. It was an amicable engagement unlike some of the strafing we get from passing motorists. I engaged with three other passers by. One soul said we will always have wars. Sigh. A cyclist called me a fool and I replied "for what? Iraqi children?" A motorist said" I'd hide my face too if ..." and I think he was referring to the poster not my visage, so I thanked him for the tip, lowered the poster and heightened my chin.
Our weekly anti-war vigil at Dalston Kingsland rolls on, from a pool of 6 commited folks we usally average 3-5 particpants. Last week we had two Iranian refugees join us. Both these guys don't like the government back home much, but they love their country and don't want to see it bombed! The previous week we had been joined by a young Canadian woman from the Menonite Centre. After a quick apprenticeship she started her own weekly Wednesday anti-war vigil in Highgate!
Also this past week we got word form a couple in Dublin who are keen to start a weekly anti-war vigil and also a woman in Brisbane, Australia, who is going to do a solo effort.
Over the weekend, I visited Oxford and stayed with Sr. Susan Clarkson who vigils Mondays on the Cowley Rd. about 30 metres from her home at the Oxford Catholic Worker where she & others offer hospitality to refugees who have fled Iran & Congo. Susan also participates in a Friday vigil with a broader group in downtown Oxford near the militray recruitment centre.
Before heading to Oxford I attended a meeting of high school students against military recruitment....good young energetic bunch. While in Oxford I caught up with ploughshares veteran Chris Cole (subject of a mid-'90's play by Dublin artist Donal O'Kelly), he had disabled £2million worth of BAe equipment heading to East Timor and the north of Ireland. I also caught up with ploughshares vet Stephen Hancock who once disarmed a U.S. F1 11 at the Upper Heyford Base. Steve, and his codefendant, wore Mickey Mouse ears beliveing that U.S. troops wouldn't shoot on the silouhette of a cultural icon (it worked!).
Myself and the students involved in our school Amnesty/Social Action group will be beginning a weekly vigil in town (Woodford, Co. Galway) during lunch break every Wednesday, starting next week.
Presently we have about 20 members, all who have said they are willing to give up their lunch break. Hopefully some other students and members of staff might join us.
Mark.
Kay ,Damien and i were talking today at the vigil outside
and thought that at least one of us will do it every Friday with others who are available?
It was a good vigil -stronger of course as our
placards were about Pine Gap and Hands off Iraqi Oil !
A lot of the responses were more discreet , waves, nods and smiles.
Traffic was heavy and we gave a lot of people food for new thought.
We did a bit of " brain-storming" -Damien reckoned the vigil is
the only place to get different ideas -and i think that is true.
Our ideas sort of grow when we put them together and of course
the " feel" of the vigil itself does lend one to think deeply on the
issues current.
Even our vigil site is symbolic now!
Carole wrote to Defence Minister asking for room at Enoggera Barracks for our meeting and got a response today from Michaels Healy Assistant Secretary Property services Dept of Defence. Part of which read
".....Gallipoli Barracks exists to support the development of Defence capability. Currently, the operational tempo at Enoggera is very high in support of troop deployments and training. Space is extremely limited, and first priority for the allocation of accommodation of any kind must be to Army and its soldiers.
For these reasons and for the foreseeable future, Defence cannot provide office space at Enoggera for non-Defence use.
I regret I am unable e to be of assistance to you on this occasion."