Council

WRI Council meeting & ofog/WRI seminar, and action camp in Luleå, Sweden, 19-29 July 2011

WRI/ofog Seminar and WRI Council meeting in Luleå, Sweden

This year's WRI Council meeting will take place from 19-21 July 2011 in Luleå, in the very north of Sweden. The Council meeting itself is part of a seminar and action camp under the title "War Starts Here", organised by WRI's new Swedish affiliate ofog. The camp and seminar will begin on 22 July, and last until 29 July.

This is a newsletter for the international peacecamp “War starts here” in Luleå, Sweden the 22nd to 29th of july 2011.

Content

1. Military tank painted pink
2. Show your support
3. Join the resistance
4. Register to aid preparations and planning
5. The mobilisation continues

Luleå, Sweden, July 22-29, 2011

International seminar: July 23rd - 24th

Day of Action: July 26th

WRI Council Meeting: July 19-21, 2011

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efy2_eiVKCE width:360 height:278]

This is our second eCouncil, and it is of course an experiment. As so many of us are now used to Facebook or Twitter, not to mention email lists, I think we should manage to make this a lively and enjoyable forum for discussion. An eCouncil is not a substitute for physically being together. Nevertheless it has some advantages, not just saving money. The principal advantage is that more people can take part, something that is vital to WRI. If there is anyone whose participation you are missing, please encourage them to register to take part.

Mark the dates: the WRI Council meeting 2011 will take place during the time of the action camp at the camp itself in Luleå in the north of Sweden. At present, the dates penciled in for the Council are 19-21 July 2011, followed by a seminar organised by/with ofog, and then training and action...

More information on the WRI Council meeting, and also on the seminar, will be available closer to the time. But please keep the dates free...

Please contact the WRI office for more information:
War Resisters' International
5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX, Britain

1. Abraham Gebreyesus Mehreteab, Eritrea/Germany

Nominated by Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft/Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen
Email: abrahamgebr@hotmail.com

My name is Abraham Gebreyesus Mehreteab. I was born in Eritrea on the 9th of February 1971. I studied law in Asmara for my first degree and masters programme in The Netherlands for my LLM on International Law and the Law of International Organizations. Since 2002, I am living in Frankfurt Germany as a political refugee.

Speech by Isabelle Geuskens, Program Manager IFOR-WPP

Thank you for inviting me to speak here this morning!

My remarks here today
are from the perspective of peace movement that holds active
nonviolence as its core value since 1919, the International
Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR).  They are largely based on
the experiences of one of its programs, the Women Peacemakers
Program.

Boro Kitanoski – Peace Action, Macedonia

“Proclamation to the Serbian friends

SERBIAN
MAN. Your Serbian virtue must be loyalty. Be loyal in the Orthodox
Church to the God of your Holy Ancestors. Be in the St. Sava’s
patriotism loyal to your Fatherland. Be in household responsibility
loyal to your family. Without God, without a Fatherland, without a
family, You are nobody and nothing.

The example of Russia

Olga Miryasova

The reference. There are two types of military service in Russia – professional army and obligatory military service. About 1,1 millions soldiers and officers serve in Russian army, about 30% of men in Russia pass through obligatory military service during their life. Until 1.01.2007 the call-up period was 2 years. Now it’s 1,5 years and it will be 1 year from 1.01.2008. Call-up age in Russia is from 18 to 27 years old.

WRI New Profile International Seminar
Neve Shalom August 2007

Facilitators: Hanna Aviram and Ruth Hiller (New Profile)

Number of Participants – 16 (10 Israeli, 6 Internationals from USA, Australia, Switzerland, Holland and So. Africa) Two of the participants were males. Ages ranged between 17.5 and 70+.

Andreas
Speck, War Resisters' International

Introduction I

I want to start with an
autobiographical note. When I was about 13 or 14 – and the army
still a long way ahead – I was quite fascinated with technology, as
many young boys are. I even remember during one holiday going to a
Navy open day, looking at the different Navy ships, helicopters,
etc...