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Dear Friends,

Looking back over the months since I last wrote, I'm realising it has been quite action-packed, without much time for reflection, but sometimes this is where life and work leads you!  Writing a letter is a great way of taking half a step back from the email inbox and to-do list, so I'm very grateful for that.  It was a privilege to travel to Cape Town in South Africa for three weeks in July, to attend the War Resisters' International (WRI) international conference, where the printed version of the 'Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns' I have been editing was released. There have also been several actions at Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment, and we've been getting on with the final preparations for the 'Wool Against Weapons' event on the 9th August.

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Trident Ploughshares Press Release
 
22 September 2014
 
This morning, four days after the historic referendum Trident Ploughshares [1] and Faslane Peace Camp [2] have partially blocked the north gate to Faslane Naval Base, homeport of the UK Trident nuclear weapons system, sending a strong message that the overwhelming desire of Scotland to be rid of nuclear weapons must be honoured.

Position paper originating at the women’s workshop at the Counter Summit “No new Wars - No to NATO”

Newport, 1 September, 2014

As women of the No to War, No to NATO international action network we join in wholehearted condemnation of NATO as an aggressive, expansionist, nuclear armed military alliance. Its creation fostered decades of Cold War, its continued existence has perpetuated armed conflicts and wars, and its intention is clearly to assure long-term worldwide control by the USA and its allies in the interests of global corporate capital.

One of the most effective ways to prepare for war is to prepare the minds and bodies of young people to take part in it.

War Resisters' International's Countering the Militarisation of Youth project has launched antimili-youth.net - a great resource for anyone who wants to find out more about how young people are taught to regard armed violence, and the military and its values, as positive and uncontroversial. It is the first international site giving an overview of these issues.

It allows groups and individuals to easily upload their own information on the strategies used in different contexts to militarise young people, as well as reports on their work to disrupt these processes.

City Hall,

Cape Town, South Africa Videos and photos from the conference Report Plenaries Report Theme Groups Conference Reader Calendar of events Practical Information about the conference Conference programme Info on related Events Exhibitions during the conference Resources: prepare for the conference

NO to continued war in Iraq!

War Resisters League resists all war-making and militarism, regardless of US Congressional approval. The crisis unfolding in Iraq will not be solved by military action and air strikes. It will not be solved by arming forces in Iraq with “Hellfire” missiles nor by neoliberal development policies. It will not be solved by forces that reduce the humanity in Iraq to sectarian factions or powerless victims caught between geopolitical conflicts. It will not be solved by congratulating ourselves for predicting the outcome of sanctions, invasion, and occupation nor by simply historicizing this devastating moment.

The last fortnight has seen growing protests against the companies arming the Israeli military, in particular the company Elbit Systems. “This is part of a growing direct action campaign against corporations that are profiteering from making machineries of death”, said the Melbourne Palestine Action Group, who occupied their factory in Melbourne. In Britain, the London Palestine Action Group occupied Elbit's factory in Birmingham. In the US groups stopped the Israeli ship Zim Haifa from unloading goods at the Oakland port.  WRI has signed up to the European Network Against Arms Trade statement calling upon the European Union to end its military support for Israel. Have a look at Sahar Vardi's article on resisting militarism within Israel here and WRI's statement on the assault on Gaza.

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War Resisters' International supports nonviolent resisters in Palestine and Israel. We are in solidarity with conscientious objectors and those who refuse to participate in the Israeli army. Conscription is active in Israel for women and men, for Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Druze. As well as conscripting full-time recruits, reservists are also enlisted after their mandatory military service has ended. Many reservists have been drafted in 'Operation Protective Edge', the Israeli military assault on Gaza.

If you are subject to compulsory military service in Israel, and do not want to go, contact New Profile.

What you can do to support war resisters in Palestine and Israel Disseminate the statement 'We are Israeli reservists. We refuse to serve.' (published 23 July 2014) Send an email protesting the imprisonment of three conscientious objectors in Israel here Sign up to receive WRI's CO-Alerts. You will receive an email when conscientious objectors around the world are imprisoned or punished. You will be able to send an email to protest their persecution to the governments / authorities responsible  Read and distribute statement from WRI's Assembly WRI statement on the present Israeli assault on Gaza. Read the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) statement, which WRI has signed: European Union must end its military support for Israel

A seven-mile pink scarf knitted by over 5,000 people from around Britain and beyond has been unfurled between the Atomic Weapons Establishments (AWE) at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire. The knitters are calling on Parliament not to renew the Trident nuclear weapons system when the decision comes up in 2016.

Hiroshima Remembrance Day , August 6 2014, 11 am. The blockade at the Lutzerather Gate of the Büchel nuclear base was cleared at about 6.30 am this morning to allow vehicles entry to the nuclear weapons base. Of the 12 activists blockading the gate, one could not be immediately removed because he had locked himself to the gate with a bike lock around his neck. The police had to lift him and open the gate with him still attached. After attempts to break the lock, the police were forced to cut the gate itself in order to remove the protester. He and two other activists without ID were arrested and taken to Cochen police station, one of them is under-age. All the other blockaders were let go after their personal details were recorded.