[E-rundbrief] Info 1001 - Sick of the warmakers

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 1001 - War Resisters' International: Sick and tired 
of the warmakers! A statement by War Resisters' International on the 
intervention in Libya.

Bad Ischl, 5.4.2011

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Sick and tired of the warmakers!

A statement by War Resisters' International on the intervention in Libya

War Resisters' International - an international network of more than 
80 antimilitarist groups in more than 40 countries - declares:

We are sick and tired of military interventions that shield behind 
false "humanitarian motives" - be that in Libya or elsewhere.

We are sick and tired of the logic of violence as a form of resolving 
social and political conflicts.

Yet once again we have to address these themes as if nothing has been 
learnt in the last hundred years.

We absolutely reject foreign military intervention in Libya, whatever 
the excuse.

We also reject the use of violence as a response to the multiple 
conflicts in Libya.

Above all, we reject the ethical and political lessons that the 
intervening governments offer, justifying bombing and death in a war 
against their erstwhile ally, Gaddafi.  The arms sold mainly by 
European countries are now an object for destruction by some of these 
same powers, while they send - or allow to be sent - more arms, this 
time to factions opposed to Gaddafi.  The fact that this hypocrisy is 
not new does not lessen our outrage each time it occurs.  They 
supported Mubarak and his forces in Egypt, and Ben Ali in Tunisia, as 
long as possible - only changing sides when it was no longer useful.

We reject too foreign military intervention in the processes of change 
begun in North Africa, unfinished processes that certainly will 
require more time so that the people can gain freedom and social 
justice. We hope that the fall of dictatorships can mean an end to the 
violations of the human, economic, social, and cultural rights of 
persons and peoples, especially the hateful gender violence and 
discrimination encouraged by the fallen regimes. The international 
role should not be to shape the future for these countries, but rather 
to offer support for the construction of a society that will respect 
the desires and rights of the people. What we are seeing in Libya, 
however, is that foreign military intervention is creating the base 
for long-term armed conflict, sharpening divisions while strengthening 
social militarisation and the use of violence.  In Libya what began as 
a popular unarmed struggle against dictatorship has now become a civil 
war which will culminate with international military intervention 
installing in power one military faction in the manner of the 
fraudulent "peace processes" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WRI actively struggles, today as yesterday, to obstruct militarism, to 
reject war and the causes of war.  The nonviolent actions that 
generated change in Tunisia and Egypt point the way, still unfinished 
but affirming the respect and life of persons and peoples. WRI 
continues to support this way, concretely by supporting Egyptian 
conscientious objector Maikel Nabil Sanad, detained for "insulting the 
army and obstructing public security" (for opinions written in his 
blog) by sending an international observer to his trial, and by 
publishing in Arabic WRI's Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns.

WRI Executive Committee,  April 2011

http://wri-irg.org/de/node/12632

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Wir arbeiten seiten den 70er Jahren mit WRI - Internationale 
Kriegsgegner - zusammen und unterstützen auch ihre Stellungnahme. 
Ergänzend dazu habe ich weitere Gefahren und Folgen - u.a. 
Umweltzerstörungen und langdauernde radioaktive Kontaminierungen - 
zusammengefasst und erläutert. Siehe E-Rundbrief Info 1000.

Matthias Reichl, 5.4.2011

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl,
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IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX

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Ausgezeichnet mit dem (österr.) "Journalismus-Preis von unten 2010"

Honoured by the (Austrian) "Journalism-Award from below 2010"