Category Archives: Europe

Demonstration for Peace in Ukraine Held in Budapest

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from World Without War

In defense of Hungary’s peace, independence, sovereignty and self-determination, the Forum for Peace movement held a national unity demonstration on Wednesday in Budapest.

Left and right-wing parties and civil organizations independent of parties, putting aside their ideological and political differences, together declared that the Hungarian people do not want to make sacrifices for the power of the depraved Kiev clique that oppresses the people and uses its compatriots as cannon fodder, nor for those who want to keep it in power!


See below in right column for names of those in the photo

The peace of our country is threatened. Our Western allies, allied with domestic political and military circles, want to force us into a war on the side of Ukraine, against Russia. They blackmail us, interfere in our internal affairs, are considering a coup d’йtat, and want to replace the legitimate government with a puppet government. They want us to give up our pro-peace policy, send weapons and soldiers to Ukraine, and go to war with Russia again, this time together with NATO” – states the Community of Responsible and Creative Hungarians, the Association for the Rule of Law, the Workers’ Party, the Hungarian Anti-Fascist League, the Hungarian Community for Peace, the Let’s go Hungarian for a Better Future Association, the Confederacy 2000, the Conscience’88 Association, the Hungarian Agrarian Association and In a joint statement by the Economic People’s Party, the World Federation of Hungarians, the National Federation, the Foundation of Hungarians Beyond the Border and the Circle of Friends on the Way of our Heroes in their common Call.

Speakers at the peace demonstration on Nyugati Square assured the government of their support for peace efforts against the war policies of Washington and Brussels, but noted that they do not consider it consistent enough. They called on Viktor Orbбn’s government to decide whether to consider Russia an aggressor or whether to recognize the legitimacy of its security demands and pursue an active policy of neutrality for reconciliation with Russia.

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

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Endre Simo, president of the Hungarian Community for Peace, Miklos Patrubany, president of the World Federation of Hungarians, Gyula Thurmer, president of the Workers’ Party, Gyorgy Benza, president of the Foundation for Hungarians Across the Border, Eszter Forizs, representative of the Community of Responsible and Creative Hungarians, Istvan Balogh, president of the Law and Order Association, Marta Hartai, representative of the National Conquest 2000 Association, Tamas Hirschler, president of the Anti-Fascist League demanded the termination of the financial support provided to Ukraine and the reallocation of the funds intended for Kyiv to support the many millions of Hungarian people who were in a crisis of livelihood due to the unprecedented price increases. They stood up for the protection of the lives of Transcarpathian Hungarians and demanded that the government also stand up, and not finance the Zelenskiys for the sake of NATO.

We are not interested in confrontation, but in good relations with both East and West. Here, in the heart of Europe, on the path of historical wars, peaceful cooperation with the West, with which we conduct 80 percent of our trade, and with Russia, which satisfies 80 percent of our energy needs, is a vital issue for us. All our interests are linked to peace and progress! Let’s not let them take away our future and deny our right to survive!

We must protect our national sovereignty and self-determination as a feared treasure! Let’s demand peace for the Hungarians, East-West reconciliation, and mutual security for Europe” – stated in the joint statement, which was sent to Prime Minister Viktor Orbбn and the members of parliament.

The people of various backgrounds who participated in the demonstration applauded the fact that the members of the Peace Forum overcame their ideological and political differences for the common good of the country and its people, in defense of its peace and sovereignty.

The event began with the National Anthem and ended with the National Word Song. The representatives of the organizations stood next to each other and thanked the audience for standing up for the common national cause with applause.

Pictured in the photo above from July 26 in Budapest:


The Representatives of the Organisations cooperating in the Forum for Peace movement at the Demonstration of the Forum for Peace movement in Nyugati Square in defense of Hungary’s peace, independence, sovereignty and self-determination. From Left to Right: Tibor Bognar, vice president of the For a State of Law Association, Endre Simo, president of the Hungarian Community for Peace, Istvan Balogh, president of the For a State of Law Association, Klara Hars-Kovacs, president of On the Path of our Heroes Association’s representative, Miklos Patrubany, president of the World Union of Hungarians, Gyula Thurmer, president of the Workers’ Party, Eszter Forizs, representative of the Community of Responsible and Creative Hungarians and Mбrta Hartai, representative of the Conquest 2000 Association.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

Russia-Africa Summit Held Amid Worsening Global Security Situation

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Abayomi Azikiwe of the Pan-African News Wire as published by Transcend Media Service

Despite the tremendous pressure by the western imperialist governments placed upon the African Union (AU) member-states and the Russian Federation, the second Russia-Africa Summit was held on July 27-28 in St. Petersburg. Many of the African heads-of-state present came from the leading countries across the continent of 1.4 billion people.

(Editor’s note: According to Transcend, “African Union member-states put forward their peace plan for ending the conflict in Ukraine and received a positive response from Moscow.” And according to Al Jazeera, Russian President Putin said that the African proposal could be the basis for peace in the Ukraine.


Frame from the officlal video of the Summit

Heads-of-state such as Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Adel-Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, Felipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Macky Sall of Senegal, Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville, among others, were present and intensely engaged in the proceedings. The Summit consisted of open plenary sessions along with one-on-one meetings between African leaders and President Vladimir Putin.

Media reports in the United States made much of the fact that 17 heads-of-state attended the Russia-Africa Summit compared to 43 at the previous meeting in 2019. However, there were 49 delegations which attended representing a majority of African governments on official ministerial levels as well as regional organizations such as the African Union (AU), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the New Development Bank (NDB), headed by former Brazil President Dilma Rousseff.

The Summit took place during an intensification of the military conflict in eastern and southern Ukraine as the United States and the European Union (EU) has pledged in excess of $100 billion to continue its efforts to maintain the dominant status of the imperialism throughout the globe. U.S. President Joe Biden has focused heavily on the foreign policy imperatives of weakening the Russian Federation through sanctions and the recruitment of Eastern European states into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In Africa, the impact of the Ukraine war is resulting in high rates of inflation triggered by the shortages in agricultural products. Rising prices and a deteriorating security crisis in several West African states has prompted military interventions in political life and the attempted realignment of domestic and foreign policy away from France and the U.S. towards Russia and China.

This is the first full meeting of the Russia-Africa Summit since the inaugural gathering in 2019. Over the last four years the world underwent a global pandemic whose magnitude has not been experienced for a century. The commencement of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 grew out of the reemergent Cold War initiated by Washington and Wall Street against Russia and the People’s Republic of China.

Over the last year-and-a-half since the beginning of the special military operation, the administration of President Joe Biden has sought to pressure AU member-states to support its position in Ukraine. U.S. Congressional figures drafted a bill designed to punish African states who maintain cordial political and economic relations with Moscow. The government in the Republic of South Africa led by the African National Congress (ANC) was accused by the U.S. ambassador of supplying arms to the Russian Federation to utilize in the Ukraine theater.

Russia has been subjected to widespread sanctions aimed at bringing about the collapse of its economy. During the Summit in St. Petersburg, Putin announced the cancellation of $23 billion in debt owed by African countries.

(Continued in right column)

Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

(Continued from left column)

Outcomes of the Russia-Africa Summit   

Consequently, the proceeding of the recent gathering provided an opportunity for both Russia and the AU to present their views on a myriad of issues impacting the international situation. Both the host, President Vladimir Putin and the AU delegates emphasized their interests in building closer relations in the cultural, economic and political spheres.

In a report on the Summit published by Tass news agency it says:

“The global importance of the second Russia-Africa Summit, held in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, continued to reverberate over the weekend. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held meetings with several counterparts from the continent. As well, St. Petersburg native Putin hosted four African leaders at his hometown’s annual Navy Day parade on July 30 along the Neva River, Vedomosti writes. Putin said at his final press conference on July 29 that, ‘in general, the African continent is friendly and positive towards Russia.’ A 74-point declaration was the principal document to come out of the summit, where the signatories spoke out in particular against ethnic and racial discrimination and announced plans to coordinate a range of joint political activities, including within the United Nations Security Council.”

Russia and its relationship with the African continent have been mutually cooperative since the era of the imperialist conquest when the country under the monarchy provided military assistance to Ethiopia during its war against Italy in the late 19th century. During the period of the Soviet Union, the official foreign policy position of Moscow was to aid the national liberation movements struggling for freedom and independence. The post-colonial years in Africa were marked by solidarity with the newly independent states through the granting of educational opportunities, trading projects along with military training.

A continuing pledge of security assistance was made clear during the Summit. In addition, scholarships for education will be enhanced for African students in Russia.

The Russian government acknowledged the legacy of colonialism, imperialism and neo-colonialism and pledged to stand in solidarity with the African people in their struggle for genuine independence and sovereignty.

Testimony by African leaders were recorded in a Tass news report saying that:

“Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera underscored that Russia’s support helped save democracy in his country. ‘Fearing no geopolitical problems, Russia provides aid to our country, our armed forces and security agencies in their fight against terrorist organizations,’ he said. Mali was able to reinforce its armed forces and ensure its security thanks to Russia’s aid, said Interim President Assimi Goita. ‘Mali has a military partnership with Russia, and we thank it for support and friendship. […] The Malian Armed Forces are currently on the offensive; we have significantly reduced the number of [terrorist] attacks on [our] military bases, we were able to ensure security in many places,’ he noted.”

AU Leaders Emphasize Peace Plan

An underlying theme throughout the concluding phase of the Summit was the quest for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. The withdrawal of Russia from the Black Sea Grain Deal was based on the failure of the imperialist states to lift their sanctions against Moscow.

The actual volume of grain produced and exported by Russia far exceeds that of Ukraine. Putin offered to supply grain to several African states free of charge in an effort to meet the current challenge of burgeoning food insecurity.

Tass summarized the discussions on the African Peace Initiative for Ukraine as follows:

“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that ‘negotiations and dialogue, as well as commitment to the UN Charter are necessary for a peaceful and fair resolution of conflicts.’

‘The African initiative deserves the greatest attention, and it should not be underestimated,’ President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso said, calling to ‘end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This conflict affected the entire world in a negative way, African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said. ‘Of course, we are concerned over the grain supply issue,’ he said, adding that it is ‘necessary to immediately and promptly resolve the problem of food shipments to countries in need.’”
Putin reiterated to the African delegations that Russia has been willing to hold constructive negotiations with Ukraine. However, Moscow has been met with refusals by Kiev which is operating at the behest of Washington and the NATO states.

Overall, the Summit further revealed the escalating conflict between the proponents of western imperialist domination and those advocating for a multipolar world system. This ideological and material conflict could very well be resolved in a protracted global conflagration which would portend much for the long-term stability and sustainable development of the majority of peoples and nations of the globe.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe,

France: Les Résistantes 2023 – meetings of local and global struggles

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Les Resistantes

From August 3 to 6, 2023, the Larzac plateau will host the first edition of the Resistance – Meetings of local and global struggles! More than 570 local struggles are identified today on the Reporterre map, and this Meeting by and for struggles will be an opportunity to honor them and bring together this vast movement that is growing across France.


La carte de resistantes dans le sud de France
(Click on image to enlarge)

From local to global, many associations, unions and collectives also work on related, social, environmental, societal subjects, and would benefit a lot from meeting and helping each other more.

Concretely, these 4 days will be an opportunity to invite new people to join our struggles, to prepare perspectives for mobilization together, to train, to celebrate our victories, to see how to help each other and to strengthen the coalitions of struggles. geographic or thematic that pop up everywhere. Concerts, workshops, assemblies, meetings, training, screenings-debates, shows, children’s area, nature walks, participatory radio and many other things will be on the agenda!

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(Click here for the original article in French

Question for this article:

Local resistance actions: can they save sustainable development?

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The main objectives of the event:

-> Bring together the militant sphere that revolves around struggles without necessarily getting very involved, and encouraging them to do so through clear and numerous means.

-> Make visible and publicize the movement of local struggles across France, its scale and its strength, with a view to recruitment and credibility.

-> Bring together networks of struggles that do not speak to each other or speak too little, isolated local struggles or global organizations that fight on related issues, which would thus see that their case is far from being the only one and that they can find outside support.

-> Accelerate the dynamics of inter-struggle cooperation: the Meetings will make it possible to provide logistical, communication, organizational and financial capacities and skills so that the coalitions of struggles can structure mutual aid, planning and recruitment.

-> Put the struggles, the next deadlines and the next major global battles on the agenda of the media and many allies for the start of the 2023 school year.

-> Structure a long-term network of volunteers capable of supporting struggles and their networks over the long term across France.

-> Make a joyful time that celebrates our past victories and that allows us to prefigure dozens to come!

contact@lesresistantes2023.fr

(Thank you to Emmanuelle Dufossez for sending this to CPNN.)

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Russian War Opponents: The Diaspora

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An webinar report made available by Nonviolence International

David Cortright’s Notes of Webinar on Russian war opponents Nonviolence International webinar, June 26, 2023

On June 26, Nonviolent International convened a webinar to provide a space for Russians who have fled the war to speak out about the situation of war resisters and evaders today.

Moderated skillfully by American University Professor Barbara Wien, the program featured a report by NVI Ukraine Director Andre Kameshikov, who recently traveled to several of the countries to which Russian war evaders and conscientious objectors have fled.

Kameshikov has worked as a civil peacebuilding activist in conflict zones throughout the ex-USSR, including as the founder of Nonviolence International–CIS, a civil society organization operating in post-Soviet states for 22 years. Andre works from Kyiv with the local civil society sector to support peace and democratic development in Ukraine. He is now focusing on supporting the anti-war diaspora and movement in Russia.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled the war to neighboring countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. The Russian diaspora consists of three categories: those who were temporarily abroad when the invasion started and did not return, activists in Russia who fled as repression intensified after the invasion, and a large group that left the country at the time of the September 2022 military draft mobilization announcement when hundreds of thousands fled. A conservative estimate of those who fled after the war would be 700,000.

In his travels through the Russian diaspora community, Kameshikov did not meet anyone supportive of Russia’s decision to wage war in Ukraine. Those he met who favor peace said they would like to do something to bring the war to an end.

The first Russian speaker in the webinar was Konstantin Samoilov. He studied in the United States years ago and then returned to Russia to create his own company in thermal electric power production. Now the company he helped to build for 20 years and the entire industry no longer exists. After the war started, he fled to Uzbekistan. His children and family are with him now in Tashkent.

He decided he had to do something to oppose the war. “I consider myself a patriot,” Samoilov said. In working for peace “I found a sense of purpose.”

He is host of the Inside Russia YouTube channel and the creator of the Tashkent International Breakfast Club where Russians and Ukrainians meet to heal and make amends.

There are tens of thousands of fellow Russians in Uzbekistan, Samoilov estimates. He is trying to create a sense of community among them. He has an online digital network of 225,000.

(Continued in right column)

Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

(Continued from left column)

He and his colleagues are reaching out to Ukrainians. The goal is to have Russians and Ukrainians sitting together to speak out against the war. They want to stop Russian aggression in Ukraine, to promote future transformation of Russia, to help Ukraine, and to create online and offline international communities where repentance, healing, and forgiveness takes place.

Also speaking was Evgeni Lyaman, a 25-year old civil activist from Moscow, now living in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is the founder of Emigration for Action and is a former media literacy trainer, organizer and editor. Some of his colleagues from the organization are still in Russia. He and others left after the February 2022 invasion.

His group is providing medicines for Ukrainian refugees. So far they have helped some 7000 Ukrainian refugees.

He and his colleagues also helped the many Russians who fled to Georgia after the September 2022 mobilization. A massive wave of people flooded the roadways and caused a major backup
at the tunnel on the border between Georgia and Russia.

“We are working to build a large coalition of Russian groups that oppose the war,” he said. In July they will announce the creation of a new initiative of 150 Russian groups around the world. “The world will hear the voice of anti-war Russians.”

Nikita Rakhimov is a psychologist-psychotherapist with eight years of practice. He fled Russia in September, 2022, at the time of the mobilization and is living now in Kazakhstan. He said he and other Russians there are trying to define their identity. “We are not immigrants. We are not refugees,” he said. “What are we?” He said that they are unable to plan for the future. “We can’t imagine a scenario for the end of the war. We want to return to Russia, but we don’t know how or whether that will be possible.”

Rakhimov said that many of the Russians in Kazakhstan have problems of work, finances, and families that are still back in Russia. They are safe now in Kazakhstan, he said, but their status is not secure. Many are trying to find another country to enter. The problem is that they have no travel documents. It was possible to enter Kazakhstan with a Russian internal passport (Armenia, Belarus and Uzbekistan also accept these internal passports), but few Russians have international travel passports.

Alexei Prokhorenko also spoke. He said he is a Reserve Lieutenant in the army but did not support the war. He described the atmosphere of fear in Russia after the invasion began. “I posted anti-war stickers in the subways and on buildings, but I was afraid of being arrested.” When the September 2022 mobilization occurred, he saw government authorities grabbing people randomly off the streets, and he decided to leave. “I fled to Istanbul and then got a humanitarian visa to enter Poland.”

He said that the diaspora community in Warsaw is small and not very active. “The Russian community here is atomized,” he said. There is a great deal of apathy and fear.

He also said there is “a problem with the perception of Russians here and in the West.” There is a great deal of animosity towards all Russians. “We need people to discern between Russians who support the war and those who oppose it.”

As Kameshikov said at the end of the webinar, “tens of millions of Russians oppose the war. We need to set up communications networks among them in order to share critical perspectives on the war with the people of Russia.” We also need to communicate with the rest of the world to urge support for Russian war resisters and evaders.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

UK: Peace Education Network offers free lessons on Oppenheimer’s legacy as new film released

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Quakers in Britain

To mark the release of the new Oppenheimer film, Quakers in Britain and the Peace Education Network (PEN*) have released lessons examining the legacy of early atomic scientists.

The two lessons will support secondary school teachers, most of who believe students should learn the humanitarian consequences of using nuclear weapons according to a recent survey.


Video: Was Oppenheimer Right?

The film follows the rise and fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer who organized the building and testing of the world’s first atomic bomb in Los Alamos in July 1945.

Shortly after, nuclear weapons were used by the USA to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing around 200,000.

Many survivors faced leukemia, or other terrible side effects from the radiation, and the world was left battling the proliferation of weapons which could destroy all life.

More than 90 per cent of teachers do not agree that nuclear disarmament education is too political to be taught, the survey from the Nuclear Education Trust found.

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the best way to teach peace to children?

(Article continued from left column)

The lessons from Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) combine science and citizenship and ask secondary school students what atomic scientists in the first half of the 20th century wanted to happen.

As the Doomsday Clock sits at 90 seconds to midnight, or “a time of unprecedented danger”, students are asked to evaluate the choices these scientists made.

The free lessons are part of Teach Peace Secondary, a pack compiled and designed by Quakers in Britain on behalf of PEN. Fifty-plus lessons will be released in full in the autumn.

Linked to English, Welsh and Scottish curricula, the Atomic Scientists lesson explores the knowledge, skills and values of peacebuilding.

Through the lives of Oppenheimer and his contemporaries, the first lesson examines the great strides they were making, from how atoms were structured to whether the atom could be split.

Learners can then examine the legacy of the Manhattan Project and the arms race which followed with SGR’s Nuclear Weapons, a beginner’s guide to the threats.

They will look at what the use of a nuclear weapon would mean and the issues it raises for scientists and society in the 21st century.

SGR promotes ethical science, design, and technology, and PEN, of which it’s a member, brings together people and organizations committed to building a culture of peace and nonviolence.

Teachers will be able to continue the learning journey, using resources from CND Peace Education, War Child, Quakers and others.

Find the two lessons here.

* For a list of the 40 member organizations of PEN, the Peace Education Network, click here.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

The Gloria Fuertes School of Andorra demonstrates the “transformative power of education” at the UNESCO National Meeting of Schools

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from La Comarca (republished by permission – translation by CPNN)

(See also The Unesco Schools Meeting in Andorra to strengthen the culture of peace).

“In these times, with frequent hate speech and violence, I only hope that the essence of what was built 41 years ago with this school lives forever and stays with you.” This is how Lola Oriol, director of the Gloria Fuertes Public School of Special Education in Andorra, concluded the XXXIV National Meeting of UNESCO Schools, which was hosted this year by the center. She received the applause of the 130 participating teachers from all over the world, before which The Friends of Andorra Folklore filled the room with music to conclude an event that “has been a success” and that, above all, has shown “the transformative power of education.”


The UNESCO National Meeting of Schools is organized every year in an educational center in Spain. Last year it was held in Zumaia (Guipuzkoa) and it had not been in Andorra for 28 years. At that time, in 1995, the Gloria Fuertes hosted the eighth UNESCO Schools Meeting, leaving an “indelible memory” for the most veteran people in the network, a feeling that will also be repeated after this year’s meeting. “Being able to carry out this meeting has been the dream of my life,” said Oriol.

(This article is continued in the column on the right.)

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

The events of the meeting began on Monday and lasted until this Thursday (July 3-6) with conferences, different working group sessions and a round table with experts on the territory’s heritage. In these three days, there was also no shortage of important symbols for Andorra and the rest of the towns in the region, such as the drums and bass drums on the route or visits to “must-see” places such as the Centro Pastor and the Iberian settlement ‘El Cabo’ in the mining town . Representatives of UNESCO Schools from different parts of Spain, and other more distant places such as Angola, Portugal, Poland, Argentina or Cuba were able to discover them. And all this without neglecting the opportunity to taste products from Teruel and enjoy a night of live music and tapas through the streets of the town organized by the Andorra-Sierra de Arcos and Bajo Martín Business Association under the name ‘La noche del Gloria’.

Among the objectives pursued by this meeting are: to promote cooperation, the exchange of knowledge and collaborative associations between similar schools throughout the Spanish territory; highlight the four pillars of education – learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together; and act as a laboratory of ideas to stimulate innovative and creative pedagogies to put global concepts into practice in the school.

The three intense days of activity served to set the work objectives to achieve the next course from the Gloria Fuertes School. «Everything will be closely linked to the prevention of bullying and abuse. In addition, we will also work on sustainability issues, something in which we have been immersed for five years now through the ‘Desplastify’ project, with which we seek to raise awareness about the use of plastic in our lives”, explained Oriol.

These objectives will also add value to the heritage of the territory, another of the themes that was present on more than one occasion during the meeting and which could also include the role that Gloria Fuertes fulfills for hundreds of families.

Next year the meeting will be in Aguilar del Campoo (Palencia), although the Andorra special education school will keep its doors open “forever” to all those who made this edition possible this year. «We carry out many events, but I think this has been the most important. For me, it has been the culmination of my life. It has become clear that our school, the Gloria Fuertes, radiates light and people have been able to capture it. I can’t do anything other than say thank you,” its director concluded emotionally.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe, Uncategorized

France: FSU course on building peace, fighting without violence: a revolutionary idea!

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An announcement from Syndicat National Unitaire des Instituteurs – 35

Every year the trade union federation, FSU Bretagne, organizes a large federal training course at regional level. This year we are returning to the two-day colloquium formula as for the 2019 internship on Food in Guitté.

Our course will be held at the youth hostel in St Malo (35) on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 October. The theme of these two days will focus on peace and the need to develop a culture of peace and non-violence, in conjunction with the activists of the Mouvement de la Paix Bretagne.

In addition to the theme of educating young people for peace, which is dear to us, we will give a large place to the issue of multilateralism and social and climate justice in international relations. Our work will also focus on the issue of violence in social and political relations in our societies. This second part of the internship is of particular urgency in our current situation marked by the government’s repression of social movements in the name of “republican order”, their fight against “ecoterrorism”, and their plans to force youth to be obedient.

(article continued in right column)

(click here for the original French version)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

(article continued from left column)

The program for these two days is not yet completely fixed and the FSU is currently continuing contacts with the prospective speakers. The following have already given, among others, their agreement to participate in these two days:

– David Adams of the Seville Statement on Violence and Unesco Culture of Peace,

– Bertrand Badie, specialists in international relations, professor emeritus at Sciences -Po Paris and CERI,

– Alain Bergerat, historian, author of the History of France through songs, Jacques Fath, author of Putin, NATO and war,

– Amélie Hart-Hutasse, teacher, head of the history-geography group at SNES which follows the ‘Universal National Service’ file,

– Venance Journé, physicist, representative of the Climate Action Network at the ESEC, author of Weapons of Terror Ridding the world of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons,

– Frédéric Mathieu, parliamentarian, member of the commission of Defense at the National Assembly,

– Sebastian Roché, director of research at the CNRS, specialist in relations between the police and the population, author of De la police en democratie,

– Laura Lema Silva, specialist in social movements in Colombia, head of studies at the Institute for Peace and associate member of the LCE laboratory of Lyon-2,

– Nathalie Tehio lawyer, member of the national office of the LDH and of the Paris Observatory of public freedoms, author of a report on the BRAV-M units.. .

You can register now online by following this link: https://framaforms.org/construire-la-paix-lutter-sans-violence-une-idee-revolutionnaire-1681734847 or by means of the registration form below. Registration confirmations with the precise program and organizational arrangements for these two days will be sent to registrants at the end of September.

Don’t wait to register and to submit your request for leave of absence to your school (strict deadline of 1 month, i.e. a deadline for submission on Friday 09/15/2023).

Register early and spread the word – the course is open to FSU union members and non-union members alike.

The registration form can be sent by post to the address indicated or sent by email to aetj.le-bourg@wanadoo.fr Online registration can also be done via the website https://bretagne.fsu.fr

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Global Women for Peace United Against NATO

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

A Declaration for Peace from Women against NATO

As NATO prepares for its upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11th and 12th, the peace movement is organizing internationally. We are organising protests – and as well as saying No to NATO, we are saying Yes to peace, presenting alternatives to war, and a new vision of security.

In March, many women got together online, from across the world, to present an action plan: to ensure women’s mobilization on this crucial issue. We call ourselves Global Women for Peace United Against NATO and we have produced a Declaration for Peace, outlining our message of peace, justice, solidarity, and common security.


As part of the international protests, we are organizing a programme of events in Brussels, home of the NATO headquarters. This will take place from July 6th to 9th; there will be meetings, debates, seminars, and street actions – and much of it will be available online as well as in person. Find the programme here.

Please join us however you can – and help us expand participation, especially from those living in NATO states, or in NATO ‘partner’ countries. The events are women-led but we welcome all who are against NATO to participate.

The Declaration, together with the names and affiliations of the first signatories can be found on this page. Click here to find the Declaration translated into many languages. More are being added all the time.

(Article continued in right column)

Questions related to this article:

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

Can NATO be abolished?

(Article continued from left column)

The Declaration and list of signatories will be sent to the NATO headquarters, NATO members and partners, and their parliaments, together with the EU Commission and members of the European Parliament. We will make sure our voices are heard – our voices for peace and justice.

Will you join us?

Will you sign now?

Let’s build this movement for peace together!

LIST OF SIGNATORIES FROM 37 COUNTRIES

CONTACTS

Women for Peace Finland:

Ulla Klotzer: ullaklotzer[at]yahoo.com
Lea Launokari: lea.launokari[at]nettilinja.fi

WILPF USA:

George Friday: geo4realdem[at]gmail.com
Nancy Price: nancytprice39[at]gmail.com 

CND UK:

Kate Hudson: kate.hudson[at]cnduk.org

VREDE vzw BELGIUM:

Emmelien Lievens: emmelien[at]vrede.be (especially for media and press)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

France: For an Emergency Plan to Overcome the Crisis

… DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY …

A declaration of the Groupe parlementaire La France insoumise -NUPES & La France insoumise (translation by CPNN)

The death of young Nahel on the morning of June 27 in Nanterre triggered a wave of emotion and anger in the country. It has also acted as a spark, triggering a revolt in many cities across the country, which urgently demands a political response.

Faced with this situation, the government has locked itself into an escalation of verbal security that only serves to worsen the situation. They shirk their own responsibility and target rebellious France to hide their incompetence and inability to act. At the same time, they give up looking for a way out of the crisis, and they abandon the victims of damage to public property, housing and businesses essential to daily life.

We advocate no strategy of violence, but we demand that the causes of the situation be addressed because the problems are not new. For working-class neighborhoods, racism, police violence or discrimination in access to employment or housing are the daily lot of the inhabitants. The destruction of public services, social protections and associative solidarity, due to neoliberal austerity policies, has been going on for decades. For there to be harmony, strong actions are needed on the part of the government which, today as yesterday, are absent. Since the revolts of 2005, there has been no response.

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(click here for the original French version)

Question for this article:

Where are police being trained in culture of peace?

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Restoring trust is all the more difficult since the government has distinguished itself in recent years by its inability to deal with popular demands by any means other than contempt and ignorance, whether during the mobilization of yellow vests or against retirement at 64. They make it seem like no change is possible within the current framework. Therefore what is required is a complete break and exceptional responses.

For this, we request a debate in the National Assembly under Article 50-1 of the Constitution in order to propose an emergency plan including:

* The immediate repeal of the “license to kill” provisions of the Cazeneuve law of 2017, responsible for the explosion of deaths when the subject refuses to comply

* The creation of a “Truth and Justice” commission to establish all responsibilities concerning police violence that has resulted in the death or mutilation of citizens

* The immediate expatriation of any case of police violence, the complete reform of the IGPN and the creation of an independent investigation service.

* State support for repairs to shops, housing and public places that have damaged in recent days

* An in-depth reform of the national police to rebuild a better trained republican police and to get rid of all forms of racism, including in particular the dissolution of the BAC, the restoration of the code of ethics of 1986, the strengthening of training, the introduction of genuine community policing and the end of lethal immobilization techniques. We must close the period started by Sarkozy in 2002 that treats young people from working-class neighborhoods as an enemy from within.

* A global action program against discrimination including in particular the creation of a Commissioner for Equality, specialized centers within the courts of appeal and the implementation of the identity check receipt to fight against the face control

* A public investment plan in poor neighborhoods for the restoration of public services, housing, public schools, access to health and culture, financing of associations and social centers

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, HUMAN RIGHTS, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Two analyses of the Paris Climate Summit

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Reuters

A statement from Greenpeace

Analysis by Reuters

A Paris summit to discuss reforming the world’s financial system scored some notable wins that should tee up greater action before climate talks later this year, though some participants were disappointed with progress to address poorer states’ debt.

The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact saw French President Macron host around 40 leaders, many from the Global South, to debate changes to multilateral finance institutions in the face of climate change and other development challenges.

Much of the discussion centred on the key requests of developing nations, framed through the “Bridgetown Initiative” led by Barbados leader Mia Mottley, and her adviser Avinash Persaud said he was pleased with the outcome of the talks.

“It’s a roadmap for genuine change,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of the talks. “What’s emerged here is a real … understanding of the scale and pace of what is required.”

Among the highlights were confirmation that the richer world will likely hit a long-overdue target of providing $100 billion annually in climate finance to poorer countries, a long-delayed debt deal for Zambia, and a package to boost Senegal’s renewable energy capacity.

The World Bank and others also said they would start adding clauses to lending terms that allow vulnerable states to suspend debt repayments when natural disaster strikes.

Yet it was the wording of the final statement from attendees and subtle changes in the tone of discussions behind the scenes that gave hope to Persaud that even greater change was coming.

Specifically, for the first time, the document acknowledged the potential need for richer countries to provide fresh money to multilateral development institutions like the World Bank. This came alongside a plan to draw on more of their current assets, to the tune of $200 billion over 10 years.

Another first was in the explicit target for multilateral development banks to leverage “at least” $100 billion a year in private sector capital when they lend.

(article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Sustainable Development Summits of States, What are the results?

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A reference was also made to finding “new avenues for international taxation”, as well as other Bridgetown Initiative requests including offering investors foreign exchange guarantees.

“That was widely discussed here and (there’s) lots of support behind an initiative that’s happening outside of Paris, at the International Maritime Organisation in a couple weeks time, on a levy on shipping emissions,” Persaud added.

Still, the summit was not without its critics.

“Unfortunately, the Paris Summit has not provided the breakthrough needed to find the funding for our planet’s survival,” Teresa Anderson, Global Lead on Climate Justice for ActionAid International, said, pointing to new funding pledges being loans or temporary debt relief instead of grants.

All eyes now turn to more traditional events later in the year, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings, a G20 meeting in September and the COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

Persaud said his focus would be on making sure the plan to scale up multilateral development bank lending was in place by the time of annual meetings in October, and that pilot work began on reducing the cost of capital for developing countries.

The summit, held against a backdrop of criticism that the world is moving far too slowly to address climate change, was a success in that it delivered a roadmap requiring specific actions by specific dates, some observers said.

“They’ve got a clear timetable of what they want to see happen and it’s that timeline that puts the pressure on and means that it’s harder to just kick things into the long grass,” said Sonia Dunlop from think tank E3G.

Analysis by Greenpeace:

 President Macron’s Summit for a New Global Financing Pact ends with very limited progress to make polluters pay for the escalating costs of the climate crisis. Governments failed to commit to concrete and ambitious action to make the fossil fuel industry pay.  

Tracy Carty, Climate Politics Expert at Greenpeace International, said:

“The Summit ended with mild recognition of the need for new taxes to pay for climate action and identified a role for the G20 and COP28 to take them forward.  Taxing big polluters should be top of the agenda for these global moments, but rich country governments don’t have to wait to act – they already can and must introduce taxes on big polluters, above all the fossil fuel industry, to pay for loss and damage now.

“Silence on the fossil fuel industry paying for the mess they have caused was deafening at this Summit. Fossil fuel companies are racking up obscene profits, while millions in low-income countries pay the price as drought, floods, sea level rise and other climate catastrophes wreak havoc.” 

Pierre Terras, Head of Climate and Energy campaigns at Greenpeace France, said:

“President Macron’s promotion of fossil gas as an energy of transition during this Summit was totally irresponsible and resonates with his poor record of domestic climate in-action. Unsurprisingly, he also has fallen short in recognising the need to tax the fossil fuel companies to pay for the damage they have caused. Both nationally and globally, the French president seems stuck on protecting the wealthiest and the polluters.”

Europe, global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,