Europe

On International Women’s Day: It’s not enough for women to say: “That’s enough!”
Statement by WLOE members and friends, Bonn, Germany February 2006, concerning the “Women say NO to War” international petition drive.

France: Non aux Violences! The Women's Appeal

A contributor to the "European Feminist Forum brainstorm community" sent this message from women and women's groups in the suburbs of Paris, scene of the violent evenings of recent weeks. She adds that: "Other women have launched another movement that on the contrary supports the riots...So, as you see, not only feminists are divided!"

Women Appeal - No To Violence

" We are women, mothers, young women, sisters...we are nieces, aunts, cousins, friends, lovers or neighbours. We make up half the population. Half the sky. Half the world. But look hard at the photographs of the blazing suburbs...you will not see a single woman! Now, when an irresponsible and provocative Minister insults those close to us and our families, French people, immigrants, foreigners... Now when he claims "to clean out the districts in Karcher" or "get rid of the riff-raff"...

Now, when we weep over the death of two children, refugees in the obscure conditions deep within a transformer EDF... Now, when we weep and deplore the death of a man, beaten to death in Epinay because he wanted to take a photograph of a street lamp... Now, when cars, schools and police stations are ablaze...

WE APPEAL FOR THE VIOLENCE TO END BEFORE IT COMES TO A MORE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION
Because our children need vehicles to go to work or look for jobs. They need schools to give them essential knowledge. They need free prevention and care centres; they need to access immediate medical care. They need public transport to move about. They need firemen to save lives or put out fires. They need postmen to deliver the mail. The community needs public services.

WE APPEAL first to our children, to those we love: we demand they go home, and calm down! We demand this because we have brought them into the world. Because we have carried them and nourished them. Because without us they would not be here. They do not have the right to destroy the life we have given them. They make us ashamed by turning into the things they have been called. They are not a rabble. They are not rubbish to be cleaned away. They are human beings who have a right to respect, equality and dignity. Like every other citizen, they have rights, but they also have responsibilities.

WE APPEAL TO THE POLICE FORCE TO SCRUPULOUSLY OBSERVE THE RULES OF THE REPUBLIC.

WE SIMILARLY APPEAL to those who misrepresent us and ignore us, to those who have instituted 'big brother' politics with disastrous results, who only negotiate with churches and imams, who cut public subsidies and community police, who spread hatred and helplessness, and beat us every now and then, but never give us the means to live with dignity. Behind these politics, there is also a contempt for women, those who fight on in the neighbourhoods, who campaign with insufficient means and support, for ways to counter violence: teams of women in solidarity, standing tall! WE DEMAND a real emergency strategy for the suburbs which provides a real social policy for everyone, a policy of prevention and support for families from infancy, a high stakes schools policy, a real policy for social cohesion and an end to the ghettos.

WE WILL BE IN THE BURNING DISTRICTS, AND WE WILL DEMONSTRATE WITH THOSE CLOSE TO US, SILENTLY AND PEACEFULLY.
WE SEND THIS APPEAL TO ALL WOMEN.

THERE MUST BE THOUSANDS OF US TO INTERVENE AND PUT AN END TO VIOLENCE.

Friday, 4 November 2005

First signers: AFRICA 93 (an African women's group in the French "departements" number 93, Seine Saint Denis; UFAL Saint-Denis; UFAL Ile de France.
Since this appeal was launched there have been many more signers... see in the original French: http://reseaudesbahuts.lautre.net/article.php3?id_article=156


Bush in Germany, February 2005. On the occasion of President Bush's visit in Germany, Maria Mies, sociologist and activist addressed members of the peace movement. Here, our English translation: Mr. Bush, you are not welcome!

Resistance against military bases: England

Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp(aign) "Since summer 2002 AWPC has become concerned that the British government is taking measures to put in place the facilities to build a new generation of nuclear weapons. For more information, or to subscribe to our "next generation" (tng) email alerts - with details of action you can take to oppose such developments - please use this link." See also: Block the Builders: "Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston is where the UK makes its nuclear weapons, our weapons of mass destruction, the weapons that are immoral, illegal and contravene the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Building work has recently begun on a massive programme of new developments at Aldermaston - join the campaign to stop them..."

Menwith Hill

Menwith Hill, Yorkshire

It looks like giant golf balls on an expanse of north English moor, but the military base at Menwith Hill is "the most secret US base in Britain. It's unaccountable, unlawful and undemocratic. It's integral to US plans to fight in and through space. It's the world's largest spy base and it's getting bigger..."

"The Menwith Hill spy base near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. Run by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States, it is one of a global network of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) bases, which monitors the world's communications and relays information to NSA HQ at Fort Meade in Maryland, USA. The NSA was set up by Presidential decree in 1952 without any debate in the US Congress. Until a few years ago, the existence of the NSA was a secret and its charter and any mention of its duties are still classified. The American people know very little about it - and they know even less about Menwith Hill."
http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/mhs/

" Echelon is perhaps the most powerful intelligence gathering organization in the world. Several credible reports suggest that this global electronic communications surveillance system presents an extreme threat to the privacy of people all over the world. According to these reports, ECHELON attempts to capture staggering volumes of satellite, microwave, cellular and fiber-optic traffic, including communications to and from North America. This vast quantity of voice and data communications are then processed through sophisticated filtering technologies. This massive surveillance system apparently operates with little oversight. Moreover, the agencies that purportedly run ECHELON have provided few details as to the legal guidelines for the project. Because of this, there is no way of knowing if ECHELON is being used illegally to spy on private citizens. This site is designed to encourage public discussion of this potential threat to civil liberties, and to urge the governments of the world to protect our rights."
http://www.echelonwatch.org

Menwith Hillwomen's peace camp (photo: Anne Lee)


Women's camps "WoMenwith Hill"

"In 1993 Helen John (from Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp) helped establish a monthly weekend peace camp outside Menwith Hill, on the NW corner ('Windy Corner') of the base, near the Main Gate [ 64 ]. A spectacular silver moonbow on the night of 30 January 1994 inspired the name 'Moonbow Corner' for a second campsite on the more visible SE corner of the base alongside the major A59 road. In May 1994 a ten day "Amazon Festival" was attended by over 100 women - despite the rain there were many excursions onto the base. On the last day the sun shone and 6 women stayed on to set up the full-time "Womenwith Hill" peace camp..."

For the history of peace camps at Mentwith Hill:
http://www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/mhs/index.htm

Examples of women's action for peace:

1996: Sellafield, UK

The campaign of the Women's Peace Camp in Sellafield is to break the nuclear-military chain, and to stop violence against women and against the earth. The women's camp outside the Sellafield Visitors Centre on the last weekend of every second month. With its colorful banners, information displays and placards, the camp is a visible symbol for workers, visitors and the local people. They also take non-violent direct action: they peacefully trespass on the site many times, distributing leaflets in offices, sometimes committing damage. They also blockade and stop workers entering the plant, thus impeding site operations. They also hold vigils to remember those who have died and suffered as a result of radioactive emissions.
http://www.antenna.nl/wise/460/camp.html

Links und Actions:

Menwith Hill base, Yorkshire, Britain

Non-violent blockade and demonstration, Friday, March 19th, 2004


for information: http://www.blockthebase.org.uk/

Bombs Are Good Business, for Some: NATO´s war machinery is built on its plunder of the rest of the world, the environment and women.

"The logic of war is simple, " writes German peace activist Ellen Diederich, "it is good for the economy -- or at least some economies." She looks at the meanings and effects of war and asks us to " Imagine thousands of engineers educated to work for conversion of the arms industry into civil production, oriented towards the needs of human beings and their environments."

This article, written after the NATO bombing of Serbia, first appeared in the May 1999 issue of "WEDO NEWS & VIEWS." It won the "Dawn-Prize" from the U.S.-based Women's International News Gathering Service", (WINGS) for the hottest report of the year.

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