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This week is the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth (14-20 November). There are many actions and events, organised by groups from different countries, happening this week. Please see the list below.

The week is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of, and challenge, the ways young people are militarised, and to give voice to alternatives.

Tamar Alon, Atalya Ben Abba and Tamar Ze'evi are facing imprisonment for refusing to serve the Israeli occupation. Support them by joining us on December 1st for an international day of action.

Vigils will take place outside arms manufacturing facilities and other locations calling on governments to stop arming the Israeli occupation rather than profiting from it.

As long as Europe trades with the Israeli weapon industry - the occupation will continue. As long as the US continue to arm Israel and buy its weapons - young Israelis will continue to be imprisoned for refusing to aim these weapons toward civilians.

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THEY REFUSE to gas civilians, will the US refuse to buy Israeli teargas?
THEY REFUSE to shoot civilians, will EAST ASIA refuse to buy Israel guns?
THEY REFUSE to bomb Gaza, will we call OUR COUNTRIES to refuse to trade drones with Israel?

THEY REFUSE to serve the occupation, WE refuse to profit from it.
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WRI has just held it's annual Council meeting - this year it was held online, and included several public 'webinars', with activists from across the network describing our work. All four webinars were recorded and are available to rewatch.

International responses to Syria (https://vimeo.com/187466355) New worlds in old shells - an introduction to constructive programme (https://vimeo.com/187989283) Stopping the cycle of violence in Turkey (https://vimeo.com/188381517)

Countering the militarisation of youth: examples of resistance (https://vimeo.com/188382465)

At our eCouncil meeting this month, we were really glad to welcome four new organisations as Associate Organisations of War Resisters' International. They are:

Campaign Against Arms Trade (Britain), working to end the international arms trade and to promote progressive demilitarisation in arms-producing countries.

NESEHNUTÍ (Czech Republic): a social and ecological non-governmental organization, that works principally on the basis that ecological and social problems have shared causes and consequences which must be resolved. All our activities aim to show that social change based on respect for people, animals and nature is possible, and, most importantly must be led from below. Therefore, we support people who are interested and engaged in what is happening around them and who consider responsibility for life on our planet as an integral part of their own freedom. We work independently of party and economic interests, using strictly non-violent means.

Şiddetsizlik egitim ve arastirma dernegi (Nonviolence Education and Research Centre, Turkey): 'To achieve our dream of a nonviolent world we organize trainings, produce knowledge and share our resources. In doing so, our methods are non-hierarchical, participatory and based on solidarity and consensus. In this context, we aim to develop creative nonviolent campaigning tools and policy-making instruments, to share these instruments and to empower everyone struggling for a nonviolent world. Because we believe that a world without discrimination and oppression, where social justice exists and conflicts are solved in nonviolent ways, is possible.

VD AMOK (the Netherlands) -  a Dutch anti-militarist and conscientious objectors organization, non-governmental and non-profit, that works closely together with peace movements and peace organizations to create a peaceful, fair and stable world.

Three organisations already affiliated to WRI as Associate Organisations were also admitted as Sections of WRI. They are Alternatives to Violence Project, Nigeria; the Organization for Nonviolence and Development (South Sudan) and Žene u crnom (Women in Black Serbia).

We look forward to working more with all of these organisations towards a world without war!

In Spring 2016 War Resisters' International launched a new campaign focusing on the escalating cycle of violence in Turkey. As part of this campaign, initiated in response to demands from WRI activists in Turkey, we have launched a petition addressing the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the European Union. The appeal was calling on the EU not to lose sight of the situation in Turkey, and to take action on the escalating violence in the country.

WRI produces The Broken Rifle magazine three times a year. Recent themes have included: Antimilitarism and climate change; Stopping the war business; The militarisation of borders; Conscientious objection: today and tomorrow, and Queer and antimilitarism.

We're always looking for ideas for subjects to focus on. Feel free to send your ideas to info@wri-irg.org

Read our latest issue below, and sign up to receive the next issue here.

 

 

We're making plans to build a new website called 'The Nonviolent Resistance Manual'. The new website will host all the content in the Handbook – with lots of new stories and content – to make it more accessible to even more people. The Nonviolent Resistance Manual will be available in several languages, allow users to contribute their own stories, and include new content about constructive forms of social change, like radical housing cooperatives, occupied factories, land reform movements, and community gardens. We're running a crowdfunder to help us raise the funds we need to make this a reality – we're aiming to raise £1,000 in a month.

Every year, WRI holds a council meeting – sometimes this is in person, but this year will be held online over two weeks of internet forums, conference calls and webinars. As well as more formal decision-making related to WRI, it is an opportunity to discuss politics, campaigns, and issues that are important to us. In 2014 we held a series of meetings via conference calls and as 'webinars' (web-based seminars) on different topics, and we are inviting contributions for ideas of similar events for this years meeting. Email info@wri-irg.org with the subject "E-council planning" if there is something you would like to contribute.

Statement from War Resisters' International's affiliate in Turkey, Vicdani Ret Derneği (the conscientious objection association)

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Military coups have brought along human rights violations in every location they have taken place. In every place where the army has taken control by force, the violence has been further institutionalized and the societies who witness the coups have been stuck in spirals of violence. The process we have been living since July 15 night is making us experience a variety of this spiral of violence. On one side military coup scenarios are being put into practice by “Peace at Home Council”, on the other side AKP government’s so called “democratic moves” are on the agenda.