working for peace since 1934 number 69 Spring 2015 ISSN 1350-3006 w e n e h t peace matters WORKING FOR PEACE WITHOUT VIOLENCE
MAY 15 INTERNATIONAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ‘DAY Remember the dead COs of World War One support our work ISSN 1350 – 3006 Peace Pledge Union help build a culture Peaceworks 1 Peace Passage London N7 0BT of nonviolence Phone: 020 7424 9444 Email [email protected] Web site: www.ppu.org.uk Peace Matters is published by the Peace Pledge Union. I/we would like to join the PPU www.peacematters.org.uk Annual subscription : Material published in Peace Matters does individual £21.00 not necessarily reflect PPU policy. two at the same address £28.00 Editor: Jan Melichar. low income £10.00 With help from: Annie Bebington Or subscribe to Peace Matters and Peace Works only Typeset and design: PPU Annual subscription: £6.00 Printing: Lithosphere I/we enclose £ cheque bankers order The Peace Pledge Union is the oldest or debit my card non-sectarian pacifist organisation in no Britain. Through the War Resisters’ Inter - national it links with similar groups expiry date throughout the world. It is one of the security no __ | __ | __ original sponsors of Campaign Against Arms Trade, a member of Liberty and a co Name operating organisation of Landmine Address Action For information about the Peace Pledge Union contact: Annie, PPU 1 Peace Pas - sage London N7 0BT . or www.ppu.org.uk ONLINE www/ppu.org.uk/join Next Council meeting May 26
To: The Manager: Bank Address
Your account number4 Please pay on / /2015 and on the same day each MONTH / YEAR (delete as appropriate) To: The Co-operative Bank plc, 62 Southampton Row London WC1B 4AR 08-90-61 Peace Pledge Union Main Account no 50504527 the sum of £ ______amount in words______Signature ______date ______www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 3 COMMENT
any thanks to all of you who have helped to make 2014 the join us on Myear when we distributed a record 100,000 white poppies. Saturday 6 June This put a strain on our office and we know that some of you were 11.30 disappointed that we could not get more poppies to you in time. We AGM and Conference have made sure that this does not happen this year but it is as well MILITARISM AND EDUCATION London to order in good time. The increase in distribution of white poppies is gratifying but after all the Peace Pledge Union is not a florist and I doubt that you wear the white poppy as a fashion accessory. The white poppy has now spread to Canada, New Zealand, Australia and is making inroads amongst war without end the ‘Flanders' poppies in Belgium. In its remembering remembrance popularity we notice a danger of it being assimilated into that Jan Melichar mélange of all-purpose ‘peace’ symbols signifying not very much. We strive to ensure that its radical anti war message of 'no to any war' remains firmly embedded in the symbolic meaning of our white poppy. Is that how you see it? It would be good to hear from you. Write to us . Remembrance 2014, the first Remembrance Day of the WW1 centenary was unsurprisingly steeped in WW1 references. The pop - ular so called sea of poppies at the Tower of London could also be called a blood red tide of poppies . The Tower originally built to sup - press a conquered population, and home to many other cruelties since, graphically symbolised the source of the blood letting. It is from military installations that the forces that cause blood to flow emanate. The cascade of red poppies from the orifices of the battle - ment wall is a deeply symbolic (albeit probably unintended) illus - tration of this. Despite the popularity of the display it had to be dismantled just after Remembrance Day as several hundred arms The popular sea of poppies or manufacturers and sundry military and political attendants were blood red tide depending on your having their annual dinner in the Tower. point of view at the Tower of Vladimir Putin's mouthpiece the "Autonomous Nonprofit London - originally built to sup - Organization" RT (formally Russia Today television channel) made press a conquered population great play of this quoting CAAT's press release: "It is disturbing that and home to many other cruelties just weeks later it (the Tower of London)can play host to the very since, graphically symbolised the arms companies, which profit from perpetuating war and conflict source of the blood letting.
Bertold Brecht
4 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 COMMENT
today. It is crassly insensitive and in extremely bad taste that this historic monument would do this so soon after provid - ing such a high-profile focal point for Remembrance Day.” Of course it suits the Russian propaganda machine to smear one of the world's most lucrative industries but what of CAAT's statement? We may be at one in its criticism of the arms trade (indeed the PPU was one of its founding organ - isations) but what about the whole red poppy industry and its role in reinforcing support and acceptance of the mili - tary. The congruence of 888,000 red poppies and a hun - dred arms manufacturers is not so strange. The arms manu - facturers and the British Legion are, after all, a partnership. Nostalgia and propaganda apart, the dominant narrative during remembrance and much of the WW1 centenary so far has been that the war was terrible but men heroically The ‘title of the Legion’s Learning Pack gave their all for freedom and their king and country, it was 2014/15 is: For Them, For Now, For sad that so many were killed and injured and it must never Ever. The title together with the cover picture helps us to decode the mean - happen again. Those too are the messages carefully wrapped ing. From ‘them’ the WW1 casualties in cellophane and left with wreaths of red poppies in ceme - to ‘for ever’ the modern day soldiers silhouetted under a hot desert sun teries across France and Belgium by British school children, reveal the Legion’s view not only of the many on state paid visits accompanied by a serving soldier in past (a necessary war) but future (there will always be wars). Is this fatalistic uniform. vision of a future of endless wars and a Of course the war was terrible and very sad for many and miserable view of human inability to solve problems nonviolently how we surely it should not happen again but what are these much see ourselves? trumpeted lessons that have been learned? And why do wars Want to help develop a response? keep ‘happening’? What does this narrative tell us and the Contact us at [email protected] younger generation that the government and the British Legion are so anxious to reach? The causes of the war, when mentioned, are usually placed at a distance far removed from mere human intervention. Causes of any particular war may be complex but some core matters can be glimpsed every - where. For example, do a media search for anything vaguely related to Remembrance during the remembrance period, such as the Guardian website and you will invariably get a big top of the page banner added for the army or the reserves. Remembrance Day and Armistice Day before have www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 5 NEWS
alway been a good time for military recruitment. CONFLICT Remembrance Day, unless contained within it is a view of TIME a better future, will remain no more than annual theatre for PHOTOGRAPHY the vast majority, a fundraising and recruiting opportunity There are always questions about for others. The British Legion calls itself the ‘custodian’ of representation of the world around us. Questions which we the viewer remembrance; if this means remembering the human cost of probably do not ask ourselves often Britain’s wars well and good but when this morphs into a enough while viewing a photo - justification of war then we should seriously question its place graph even in a gallery. The photog - in public life. The title of the Legion’s Learning Pack 2014/15 rapher may have one thing in mind is: For Them, For Now, For Ever. The title together with the but what the viewer may be 'see - cover picture helps us to decode the meaning. From ‘them’ the ing' is something altogether differ - WW1 casualties to ‘for ever’ the modern day soldiers silhou - ent. Conflict, Time, Photography at etted under a hot desert sun reveal the Legion’s view not only Tate Modern should be of interest of the past (a necessary war) but future (there will always be to those of us concerned about war wars). Is this fatalistic vision of a future of endless wars and a and its representation especially in miserable view of human inability to solve problems nonvio - the WW1 centenary years. The pho - lently how we see ourselves? Is this the lesson we want to tographs in this exhibition are impart to our children? Intractable as some conflicts may seem grouped according to how long they are not beyond our ability to handle them without mass after a conflict or event they were taken. War has passed on, we look at some of its traces on the land - scape. In one room are photographs of destroyed cities taken shortly after the end of WW1, many printed at the time in what became popular tourist guides - an early example of today's Dark Tourism or Thanatourism for the academically minded. When they were published they were regarded as an example of German barbarism. On the oppo - murder or drone assassinations. These fat slick Legion packs site wall was is a series of (it's hard with DVDs are sent to all British schools free of charge as ‘part not to say 'beautiful' photographs) of the Legion's commitment to promoting Remembrance to destroyed building in Afghanistan younger people’. The pack like much of the Legion’s mate - by Simon Norfolk. The sharpness rial has embedded within it a fatalistic view of a future in and clarity of the images, the light - ing, the framing speak of high art. which war will always have a place. Were it not for the subject I would Victory Balls that Dick Sheppard found so offensive took be pleased to have any of those pic - 6 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 COMMENT
tures on my wall. Through the gloss place on Armistice Day in the early 1920s were after some it is not easy to reach what the cen - protest moved to another day. Dick Sheppard arranged an tury of war in that country has alternative event which later became the Legion’s Festival of meant as the ruined buildings turn to 'romantic' ruins. The barbarians are not easy to spot here; perhaps they are too many and various. Norfolk has been recording post war scenes for many years, scenes incomprehensible to most without a caption but haunting once located in space and time. A black and white photograph of a telegraph pole in an empty landscape signify - ing the cutting edge technology of its day that helped to mastermind the Armenien genocide can easily take one on an imaginative journey in a way that high gloss colour images seem to interdict. Perhaps its Remembrance in the Albert Hall. This annual show of mili - a problem for those coming from a black and white age. tary prowess with sing songs has for years been supported by Amid today's WW1 razzmatazz BAE Systems. BAE Systems is the UK's biggest arms company the exhibition is mercifully free from and has been a long-standing, active Legion supporter, though celebrating the empire and military these days it keeps a low profile. Last year they sponsored the comments are absent. On the con - annual Poppy Ball, a white tie dinner. Some offices and arms trary quotations from Vonnegut on factories also hosted their own local events. the wall outside the show’s entrance and a copy of Slaughterhouse 5 dis - played in the first room while Last years British Legion Young Professionals' almost at the end a large photo - Poppy Rocks was sponsored by Lockheed Martin, graph of conscientious objectors in the world's biggest arms company. Lockheed Dyce Quarry 1916 objecting to mili - tary service perhaps indicate the Martin also manufactures the Trident missile. moving spirit here. Each of Britain’s missile submarines is capable of carrying 16 missiles. Each of these missiles can kill far in excess of the 888,000 dead represented by the red poppies at the Tower of London. www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 7 EDUCATION
Soldiers on the Battlefields Peter Glasgow
Pacifists didn't want soldiers on emonies? The Peace Pledge the battlefields of the First Union (PPU) would very much World War between 1914 and support the idea of pupils visit - 1918 and they certainly don't ing cemeteries and the scenes of want them accompanying chil - mass slaughter if the aim was to dren to the same places between bring home to pupils the fact the years 2014 and 2018. that war is a crime and that Unfortunately the problem is everything in our power should that, as part of the Govern - be done to avoid conflicts in the ment's programme that sees two future whilst remembering that students and one teacher from wars are futile and wasteful of every state funded secondary human life and potential. Some school in England visiting the teachers do of course share such battlefields on the Western views and are interested in pro - Front between 2014 and viding a more balanced 2019,each coach ferrying approach. It is also to the credit teachers and pupils to the of the organisers of the Institute killing grounds contains at least of Education, Continuing Pro - one serving British soldier. fessional Development events The aims of these trips that they have given space to include: the PPU to enable a pacifist to enable students to develop a narrative on WW1 to be shared personal connection to the First World War through interacting with teachers. with the battlefield sites, participat - Some teachers, however, do ing in remembrance ceremonies, not have fully formed objective recording, reflecting and sharing their own experiences perspectives about World War 1 What is missing is the posing and many accept the not uncommon view that the of the question WHY? Why for Like the ever present soldier on state instance should students British and Commonwealth sponsored school tours the Cross of (note the use of the word Com - Sacrifice broods over the gravestones develop a personal connection and visitors in British military ceme - to the First World War, interact monwealth as opposed to teries. Empire) soldiers were killed and A perpetual and deliberate reminder with the battlefield sites and of the intimacy between church and participate in remembrance cer - sacrificed in order that Britain the military. 8 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 EDUCATION
Remembrance is being used as an implicit validation for current and future involvement in conflicts as tools of foreign and domestic policy.
could be free. Much emphasis situations and allegedly pupils as is placed on pupils researching young as 11years old can then the lives of local men so that get a realistic feel for what men they can personalise remem - experienced on the Western brance and provide some Front during WW1. At this meaning when con - point the question arises fronted by row upon exactly how can a soldier in the row of soldiers' graves. modern British army manage The very nature of the to replicate experiences of First carefully tended graves World War soldiers, closely fol - with their residual lowed by the question why do xenophobic trappings pupils need to know what were do promote the glo - those experiences? rification of that The PPU views with alarm mass slaughter, yet the increasing militarisation of providing an indi - education in the UK exempli - vidual local con - fied by the expansion of the p o h s text is perhaps a Combined Cadet Corps into u p
p more easily state schools, the celebration in / k u
. digestible way a growing number of schools of g r o
. for young peo - Red, White and Blue Day, u p
p ple today to be accepting of the Camo Day, Armed Forces Day, . w
w carnage of World War1. Uniform to Work Day, w Refusing to Kill , the PPU’s Worryingly remembrance is Remembrance events and popular publication about con - being used as an implicit vali - National Heroes Day. Serving scientious objection and soldiers have an agenda that human rights in the First world dation for current and future war has been republished, involvement in conflicts as tools promotes militaristic values and updated and now includes of foreign and domestic policy. ethos and it is extremely worry - two new chapters about This is brought into sharp focus ing that many teachers implic - women supporters and by the involvement of serving itly buy into a notion that the activists at the time. This publi - soldiers when pupils are study - British army is a force for good cation will be of interest to ing World War1. The "official" in the modern world with serv - anyone wanting to better reason for this involvement is ice discipline also something understand this chapter of the struggle against war. that real and live commentary that schools and pupils should £10.00 plus £3.00 p&p can be provided on what it is be welcoming. Soldiers accom - ONLINE www/ppu.org.uk like to be a soldier in combat panying pupils to cemeteries www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 9 EDUCATION
and battlefields is another part of the increasing normalisation of militarism in education which is part of the British armed forces insidious schools' recruitment strategy. It is within this context and that of pupils increasingly being expected to show their unqualified support for the armed forces that the PPU opposes military involvement in Unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, Battlefield Tours. and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals pose extraordinary and unde - niable threats to the continued existence of humanity, and world lead - If you also wish to make your ers have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to pro - opposition felt to the involve - tect citizens from potential catastrophe. These failures of political ment of serving soldiers in the leadership endanger every person on Earth. Despite some modestly Battlefield Tours join us at our positive developments in the climate change arena, current efforts are forthcoming conference or entirely insufficient to prevent a catastrophic warming of Earth. Mean - conatct Peter at while, the United States and Russia have embarked on massive pro - [email protected] grams to modernize their nuclear triads—thereby undermining exist - ing nuclear weapons treaties. "The clock ticks now at just three min - utes to midnight because international leaders are failing to perform their most important duty—ensuring and preserving the health and vitality of human civilization.” http://thebulletin.org/timeline MILITARISM in EDUCATION D
Sam Walton and Emma Sangster E S O L
PPU conference C N E 2.00pm M R
Saturday 6 June O F
follows G N I K
PPU AGM O O
11.30 B London 10 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
what am I doing to stop war?
Ben Copsey reflects on the value of talking about the resistance to war by WW1 conscientious objectors amid the clamour to com - memorate, ‘remember and commercialise the 1914-1918 conflict.
ovember is always a busy hopefully leaving the audience Nmonth on the Objecting with an enduring question - to War project as national inter - “What am I doing to end war?” est in the First World War has It’s a tricky balance. Every - never been higher, and we’ve one wants a historical talk, been making sure the stories of something to listen to and learn Conscientious Objectors aren’t from, delivered in a comfortable lost in the clamour to com - environment with hopefully a memorate, “remember” and wine and cheese reception commercialise the 1914-1918 afterwards, but does anyone conflict. want to be preached to about We’ve travelled all over Lon - their responsibilities towards don, and beyond, delivering conflict in the modern world talks, workshops and Question and, depending on the venue a ppu Objecting to War project and the type of talk, is it even an appropriate place to loftily pontificate on pacifist theory? As we do more and more talks with the project I think we’re getting better at striking The Tribunal was the official paper of the No-Conscription Fellowship this balance. We do this in a and was written to inform the public about the Military Service Act couple of main ways. and the Conscientious Objectors who fell foul of it. The first is the easiest - we You can follow its publication with commentary month by month at talk about history. Conscien - http://goo.gl/xt0VBk tious Objection is an endlessly fascinating and emotive sub - and Answer sessions in libraries, ject, one based on the ideals and archives, museums, schools and aspirations of a diverse and universities, talking about Con - inspiring group of men acting scientious Objection but also in the hope of a better world www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 11 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION Conscientious Objection is not a dead subject, but one that is still relevant today.
one hundred years ago. Just talk - back to the PPU offices, with ing to people about Conscien - the CO Plaque. It’s a good place tious Objection, simply explain - to end a talk on, not because it’s ing some of the experiences particularly good to focus on COs had and their reasons for the dead - unlike other aspects refusing to kill proposes the of First World War heritage, I subject as something worth prefer to focus on the future, talking and thinking about. It embodied by the COs that sur - drags Conscientious Objection vived, but because of the tribute out of the shadows of history carved on it: “It is by the faith of where it’s been consigned - as the idealist that the ideal comes something cowardly, shameful true”. The audiences we talk to and wrong - and makes it a rel - are not pacifists, they might not evant topic, encouraging peo - be interested in peace at all. ple to think about what it They aren’t guaranteed to be entails, what it means and why sympathetic, so to stress that it happened. COs were working towards the The second is sometimes ideal of world peace can be a controversial, but always neces - powerful message. “Whatever sary - talking about the present. you think about Pacifism” I Conscientious Objection isn’t always say, “you can’t argue with just a historical fact, but a pres - that ideal - that’s what they ent day reality. Whether dis - were trying to achieve”. Hope - cussing the nations that still fully showcasing, if only briefly, today force their young men that ideal gets people to think and women into the Armed about it and even perhaps act Forces, or into National Service, towards it. or Conscientious Objection to These three points sound Military Taxation, we try to simple, but I think they’re key remind our audience that Con - to moving beyond a purely his - The consientious objector scientious Objection is not a torical talk into something that memorial plaque will feature in our forthcoming exhibition dead subject, but one that is still, contributes to the work we do which will launch on May shockingly, relevant today here at the PPU. Draw in an 15.See back page. The talks and lectures we engaging way on the experi - deliver always end on the same ences of the past, connect it to About the men who died point, conveniently coming the present and talk about the http://goo.gl/HvHJhW 12 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
plaque in a way that points the same. Avoid high-horse towards a better future. That’s preaching, make the story of not to say that there’s a rigid conscientious objection acces - formula, or that every talk is the sible and instead of dwelling on same. This month we’ve talked the past as a curiosity, make about local COs in Uxbridge, Objection important, relevant the nature of Edwardian Paci - and about hope for the future - fism in Cambridge and how a future that rests as much with COs felt in prison with school - the audience as with the peace children in Islington. In each movement. case though, the idea has been
question time Paul Breen
n Thursday night 12th arisen partly because of the wars OMarch the BBC hosted a in the Middle East over the past Question Time debate in Leeds, three decades, and further back. with a panel that included This discussion though, just as it Charles Kennedy, Liberal was gathering speed, was closed Democrat MP, and Ian Hislop, to facilitate a question on editor of Private Eye. In the Jeremy Clarkson – in much the course of the debate there was same way as news broadcasts discussion on the forthcoming often end with a light-hearted General Election, and some tale at the very end of the show. mention of the young women There’s nothing wrong with from London who recently that I suppose. If we only con - made headlines in their flight to centrated on the serious stuff we Syria to join ISIS/ISIL. During would probably go mad with the course of the latter discus - the world in the state that it is. sion, an interesting debate But maybe, now more than ever, began about the causes and rea - we need to ask the big bread sons for this situation, with and butter questions and not be some suggestion that it has distracted by circuses >p14 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 13 PERSPECTIVE
Signs and symbols. There was a lot of marching and tinkling of medals at the service for Afghanistan at St Paul's Cathedral on 13 March. Commentators noted that this was not a triumphalist event - even for British skill at turning disaster into victory, this was one failure too far. In 1982 Archbishop Robert Runcie denounced nationalism, condemned the global arms trade and characterised war as a sign of human failure in the post Falklands war ceremony at St Paul's. In 2009 following the gulf war Archbishop Rowan Williams merely noted the failure to foresee and measure the cost of the war. He also noted that it would be a long time before the rights and wrongs of the conflict would be resolved. This year Archbishop Justin Welby’s ser - mon centred on the faithfulness of the individuals who fought in Afghanistan and of the families who waited for them. The retreat of the anglican churche’s hierarchy from challenging war making in1982 is sadden - ing. From denouncing war in 1982, through wondering whether war is right or wrong to a parochial concern for the few british individuals that were killed which may have given comfort to the military and relatives but surely is an inadequate response to the invasion and its conse - quences now that Afghanistan is as ungovernable - over15000 civilians killed since British boots pounded its soil once again. A ‘drum head’ altar, as pictured above, was also seen on the steps of St Paul's cathe - dral in 1915 when the Bishop of London Arthur Winnington-Ingram used his authority to recruit men to fight in the war. There is no mention of this on the Cathedrals tourist oriented website. 14 www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 PERSPECTIVE We have entered a state or a stasis where war has been accepted as inevitable, and the questioning of this has become unpatriotic. involving celebrities and TV ISIS/ISIL on the other There has to be some - presenters. hand want to suck the west - thing more than that, some - Some would argue that ern world into a battle in the thing more than primal we are crashing headlong Middle East wherein the instinct driving them to take into a disaster shaped by western armies will be such drastic actions. We were American foreign policy defeated, and our countries told in the early 2000s that since the end of the Second conquered for all time in the the west was going to war in World War, and have gone aftermath. This for some Afghanistan and Iraq to stop down a certain road so far adherents could take the them coming here to attack that it is impossible to turn form of a Biblical apocalypse, us. Everything that has hap - back. whilst for others it is a global pened since then has made Particularly since the Sep - Muslim caliphate. this sound like a self-fulfilling tember 11th attacks in the Whichever form they prophecy, and shows lack of United States and then the want it to take, we are now awareness of Muslim beliefs war in Afghanistan we have possibly on the edge of what about what will happen in entered a state or a stasis will actually be a wholescale the event of a clash between where war has been accepted World War, rather than the Islam and non-believers. as inevitable, and the ques - two western-European and I was on the marches, in tioning of this has become Asian-Pacific dominated London, to stop the Iraq war unpatriotic. wars of the twentieth cen - in 2003. I thought at the On Friday 13th March the tury. time it was just a pretext for UK’s war effort was honoured Going back to Question going into Iran. That may in a service commemorating Time, one of the questions well have been the intention, the end of Britain’s involve - raised but unanswered is but the course of history has ment in Afghanistan. Many what we can do about this gotten out of control. Even young people lost their lives in situation. As a couple of the development of this conflict against a foe that speakers pointed out, the ISIS/ISIL seems like it was in comparison to ISIS/ISIL current narrative of radicali - part of a gameplan that went seems quite tame in its objec - sation is far too simple. These wrong. These were the rebels tives. I could be wrong but kids are surely not just leav - we started to arm in order to the Taliban’s aim was to take ing England’s shores all overthrow Bashar al-Assad. control of Afghanistan and dreamy eyed about the Everything the west seems to parts of Pakistan, whilst Al notion of living in a society have touched in the Middle Qaeda wanted to bring an that wants to revert back to East in the past twenty years end to western involvement the centuries where Islam appears to have gone horri - in Muslim countries. originated. bly wrong – catastrophically www.peacematters.org.uk spring 2015 15 PERSPECTIVE
wrong even. It is barely two something more sinister at gested that war was a natural decades since Ehud Barak hand? There are so many condition – there would and Yasser Arafat appeared to questions and so few answers. always be war. have sealed agreement on Maybe we’re not interested Maybe in his grief that’s steps to a peaceful resolution in answers, or maybe our the only way to stay sane, but of the Israel-Palestine dis - narrative isn’t all that more isn’t it time that somebody pute. Today that seems not complex than the simple started asking the question of from another century, but good and evil fables peddled why war is inevitable? Even another world. by ISIS/ISIL. the men who died in the So what’s the point of But I just wonder are we First World War believed that raising these issues, of asking going to keep stumbling they were fighting a war to more questions than through this fog of media end all wars. Isn’t it a contra - answers? Though I am writ - nonsense about the lives of diction then to remember ing this I am not even sure celebrities and the other cir - the sacrifice of these people what we can do next, those cuses they intoxicate us with, and not aspire to the same of us who want to see an end such as worrying whether or values as they aspired to? to war. We seem to have been not Charles Kennedy was Where have those values led blindly into a situation of drunk on TV? gone? Have they got lost endless war for the next And are we going to see somewhere on the road to twenty to thirty years. Even more and more services over Damascus that could bring some of the most extreme the coming years for more us all to ruin? Islamists have a vision for young people whose lives But to end on a positive how this state of affairs have been sacrificed in far- note, I hope that a year from should end. Their idea is to flung corners of the world? now there’s no more ISIS or put an end to all wars by On Thursday night, before ISIL, and places such as Syria having one united Muslim Question Time, I also and Iraq have found the peace world. That may be frighten - watched an interview with they deserve in these cradles of ing and idealistic but at least the father of one of the civilisation. Maybe that makes we can see there is an end young soldiers commemo - me as drunk and open to game. rated in the Afghan war serv - ridicule as a certain politician What is ‘our’ end game? ice. Through all his sadness on TV, but isn’t that better than Who is deciding the rules of he said the sacrifice was being sober and walking the game? Is it the arms worth it, though he barely blindly from one international industry and corporations seemed to know what his disaster to another, without who benefit from chaos and son had actually been fight - ever asking why? endless war? Is there even ing for, and then he sug - INTERNATIONAL CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS DAY 15 MAY
At the moment, the PPU offices are a busy whirl of paper and plywood as all the final elements of our Conscientious Objector exhibition Refusing to Kill are coming together. From artwork, letters and pictures to text, newspapers and videos we are busy assembling, designing and writing what will be one of the high points of the PPU’s Objecting to War project.
Our new exhibition tells the story of Conscientious Objection in the first world war at a critical time in the history of pacifism. For the first time the strength and courage of pacifist conviction was tested under law, and the first concrete expressions of what it means to be opposed to war were formed. Through history, biographies and some incredible and important artefacts it tells the story of who the Conscientious Objectors and the women who supported them were and explains what it meant to be against what became the First World War.
While our exhibition describes the how, what, why and when of Conscientious Objec - tion, it is not simply a historical view. We have made sure that the issues raised and questions asked by COs are at the forefront of our work. From the pre-war pacifists and protests through Tribunals, prisons and work camps through to the modern day the exhibition asks: What are you going to do about War today?
Friday May 15 2015 12.00 Tavistock Sq Ceremony at CO Stone remembering women against war
Friday May 15 2015 3.00 PPU office. Launch and Press preview of the PPU’s new exhibition Refusing to Kill.
Saturday 16 May 2015 11.00 - 4 PPU office. Open Day to view exhibition, and discuss projects and meet fel - low members and supporters.
Friday 29 May 2015 Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Lane London N17 8NU. Opening of public PPU exhi - bition on conscientious objection.