The Why Violence? Campaign for Violence
Reduction website is now online at http://www.whyviolence.com - “Our vision is that everybody in Ireland should live without fear of
emotional or physical violence.” Why Violence? Week, from International Day
of Peace, on 21st September, to International day of Nonviolence, on 2nd
October, has a listing of events which will be taking place including a film
screening, exhibitions, a conference, etc. Contact by emailing: info@whyviolence.com or the postal
address is: Why Violence? The Campaign for Violence Reduction, c/o Quaker
House, Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. You can sign up to receive an
e-mail newsletter.
Violence in Irish Society conference
ICJSA, the Irish Commission for Justice and
Social Affairs (of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference) is organising a
conference on their report “Violence in Irish Society: Towards an Ecology of
Peace”, at Mater Dei Institute, Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3, on Friday 25th
September from 2.00 to 5.30 pm, with various prominent speakers. Contact Lorna
Pegley, e-mail lorna.pegley@iecon.ie and Tel: 01 505 3012. See also http://www.catholicbishops.ie/icjsa
VSI show ‘The day after peace’
Voluntary Service International will be
screening ‘The Day After Peace’ on Monday, 21st September in the Irish
Aid Volunteering Centre in Dublin. ‘The Day After Peace’ is a film made by
Jeremy Gilley. It charts a 10-year journey to establish an annual Peace Day on
the 21st of September. In this documentary Jeremy Gilley travels around the
world raising awareness of the official day of ceasefire and nonviolence. Even
after this ‘Peace Day’ is adopted by the UN, the struggle is not over. The
ceasefire is rarely adhered to, resulting in an outcry of cynicism. ‘The Day
after Peace’ is a moving testament to the power of an individual and the
perseverance of the human spirit. More details on the film from http://www.peaceoneday.org If interested
please contact VSI office - info@vsi.ie Tel: 01-8551011,
http://www.vsi.ie
War, NATO and the Lisbon Treaty
An international peace conference taking
place on Saturday 5th September from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm at the Park Inn,
Shannon Airport, Co Clare. Organised by PANA (Peace and Neutrality Alliance, http://www.pana.ie) and Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM, http://www.irishantiwar.org) Speakers
include Richard Boyd Barrett, Harry van Bommel, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Reiner Braun,
John Feffer, Joe Higgins MEP, Ed Horgan, George Katrabelias, Mary Lou McDonald,
Patricia McKenna, Tobias Pfluger, and Christophe Ventura. Fee is €25, unwaged
free. For more details see web addresses above or phone PANA on 01 2351512 or
IAWM on 01 8727912.
White poppies for a culture of peace
Once again as we come into autumn and the
‘remembrance season’, white poppies are available from the Peace Pledge Union –
“It is a symbol of grief for everyone who has been harmed by war but, more
importantly, it is a symbol of determination to work to abolish war.” Also
available are a variety of other resources, printed and electronic, to do with
remembrance and working against war. White poppies are £3.50 for 5 plus postage
and packing, £15 for 25. See http://www.whitepoppy.org or http://www.ppu.org.uk/sales for
ordering. PPU, 1 Peace Passage, London N7 0BT, Tel: (020) 74249444.
CAJ on tasers
The Committee on the Administration of
Justice (CAJ) produces a monthly newsletter, Just News. In the July/August
edition of the newsletter, we discuss our position on Taser weapons, stating
that we do not support the deployment of Taser in any circumstances. This
weapon has, however, already been deployed in Northern Ireland, and as such, we
suggest guidelines and advice which should be adhered to when using Taser
weaponry. CAJ was in Geneva when the British government was reviewed by the UN
Committee on its commitments under the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights; we report our findings and discuss our concern at the lack
of any NI officials present at the examination. Other items covered include
issues facing community policing, the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) and the
Single Equality Bill. Just News is available for free download from our website
– http://www.caj.org.uk CAJ is a
membership organisation; for full details on membership rates and how to get
involved, please contact: CAJ Ltd, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2BR, Tel:
(028) - 9096 1122, e-mail info@caj.org.uk
The legacy of Gandhi on International
Day of Nonviolence
This is a talk by Tony Kempster taking
place at the ISE/Irish School of Ecumenics, 683 Antrim Road
Belfast BT15 4EG at
6pm on Thursday 1st October. Contact ISE or INNATE, the co-sponsors, for
details. Tel: ISE (028) 9077 0087, e-mail reconsec@tcd.ie or INNATE contacts as on this newssheet.
MII Annual Conference: A Time to
Mediate: Applications in Practice
The 2009 MII/Mediators’ Institute of
Ireland Annual Conference will take place in St Helens Radisson Hotel,
Stillorgan, Dublin on 14th and 15th November. Its theme, ‘A Time to Mediate:
Applications in Practice’ will be reflected throughout a series of workshops
presented by national and international experts. Those providing input in one
way or another include Peter Adler, Kaye Ronayne, Mary Condell, Eimear Hayden,
Julie McAuliffe, Delma Sweeney, Colm Nagle, Joe Kelly, David Richbell, Treasa
Kenny, Anna Doyle. Sue Corbett, Laurie Randall, Niamh Cunningham and Paddy
O’Connor. The early bird rate is €260 for members and €325 for non-members. See http://www.themii.ie or contact The Mediators' Institute of Ireland, Montana House, Whitechurch, Dublin 16, Tel: 01 - 284 7121, e-mail info@themii.ie
Pathways towards (re)balancing our
sustainability…
‘Pathways towards (re)balancing our
sustainability equation” is an Open Space event
organised by the 7th Generation Project and Corrymeela from Friday 9th Sunday
11th October at the Corrymeela Centre, Ballycastle. “Irrespective of the decisions
made in Copenhagen……transformational change grows from the bottom up…..Everyone
has a part to play.” Cost £99 standard accommodation, £89 budget, limited
number of bursaries. Contact Matt at Corrymeela Ballycastle for bookings and
info; e-mail openevents@corrymeela.org and Tel: (028) 20761726 or 079 68362152.
Tools for Solidarity in Belfast – which
collects, refurbishes and ships out old and unwanted hand tools and sewing
machines to skilled tradespeople in Africa, is having a celebration of 25 years
work in the period from Thursday 24th September 2009 to Saturday 26th
September. The festivities will include a Pub Quiz on the Thursday evening, a
Workshop Open Day and a Big Benefit Gig on the Friday, and on Saturday a
Scavenger Hunt. Contact TFS e-mail tools.belfast@virgin.net or Tel: (028) 90747473 ,or write or visit Tools for Solidarity, Unit 1B1,
Edenderry Industrial Estate, 326 Crumlin Rd, Belfast BT14 7EE. Open Mon - Fri,
9.30am to 5pm and 1st Sunday afternoon of every month. You can also visit the
TFS blog at http://toolsforsolidarity.wordpress.com
Brian Kennedy for Peace Day, Belfast
The Peace Day Campaign presents a concert
with Brian Kennedy, plus support, to raise awareness of the UN International
Day of Peace, on Monday 21st September at 8pm in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. Tickets £22.50. See http://www.peacedaycampaign.com
Electing a GNU
In all the recent talk of a Government of
National Unity (GNU) few have suggested how such a cabinet might be (s)elected,
either now, or more likely (if at all), after a new Dáil has been chosen in a
general election. The de Borda Institute is sponsoring a consensus experiment
in electing a government of national unity (GNU) using the matrix vote at 18.30
on Wednesday, 7th October, until 21.00, in the offices of TASC, 13-17 Dawson
Street Dublin 2, Tel: 01 - 616 9050. Contact pemerson@deborda.org Tel: (028) 90711795.
See www.deborda.org for programme; those inputting including Prof Elizabeth
Meehan, Peter Emerson, Phil Kearney, John Baker, Harry Magee, and Nuala Ahern.
World March for Peace and Nonviolence
The World March for Peace and Non-violence
project was started by World Without Wars and Violence, an initiative of the
Humanist movement. The march will leave Wellington, New Zealand, this October
the 2nd and arrives in Punta de Vacas, Argentina, on the 2nd January, 2010. It
stands for the eradication of nuclear weapons, withdrawal from occupied
territories, the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons,
a signing of non-aggression treaties, and enunciation by governments of war as
a way to resolve conflicts. The actual World March doesn't come as far as
Ireland, nor the UK or Iceland but the idea is that all the other countries
develop their own peace and non-violence activities and also to unite the
existing ones. The World March is open to any organisations, individuals,
groups or projects to join the symbolic march, and develop new initiatives, or
join in with the existing ones. Please endorse the World March via e-mail or
online at http://www.worldmarchireland.com also see the calendar of coming events to join in. Please see the list of
endorsements and initiatives from all around the world at http://www.theworldmarch.org Contact
number: 085-1261287 (Krisztina Dragoman). E-mail: worldmarchie@gmail.com
Kilkenny event; On Tuesday 22nd September
at 8.30 pm at Billy Byrne’s Pub, Upper John Street, Kilkenny there will be a
film screening of “Soldiers of Peace”, a film from Australian director Tim
Wise; stories from 14 countries around the world, narrated by Michael Douglas,
tickets cost €8.
Dóchas urges cutting the cuts
Dóchas, the Irish association of
development NGOs, is running a campaign against the aid cuts by the Irish
Government (21.8%) and urging people to take action today by contacting their
TDs so there are no further cuts and the government honours its commitment to
meet 0.7% GNI (Gross National Income) by 2012. See http://www.dochas.ie/index.htm and
their online newssheet ‘Wednesday News’. Dóchas, 12 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.
DDCI campaigning for a just debt policy
Debt and Development Coalition Ireland
(DDCI) has a Clean Up Global Finance campaign asking people to call on their
TDs for a new Irish debt policy which supports:
-Greatly expanded debt cancellation, free from
conditions, for all Southern countries that need it
-Recognition by Ireland, the EU, the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund of the co-responsibility of lenders in the
creation of unjust debts
-The establishment of debt audits in the Global
South
-The establishment of an international taskforce
on tackling historic, illegitimate debts
-Recognition of the climate debt owed to
countries of the Global south and the need for green based support (not loans)
to Southern countries to cope with climate change.
Petition forms are available from DDCI.
Meanwhile DDCI’s work is at risk due to
cuts in the Irish aid budget, and it is facing a loss of up to 60% of its
income. It is therefore having a major fundraising drive to try to secure its
future. Donations can be sent to the office. Debt and Development Coalition Ireland, Unit F5, Spade Enterprise Centre, North King Street, Dublin 7. Tel: 01 6174835, e-mail campaign@debtireland.org and website http://www.debtireland.org
Nonviolent Livelihood Struggle &
Global Militarism: Links & Strategies
War Resisters' International (WRI) is
cooperating with Indian partner organisations – Gujarat Sarvodaya Mandal,
Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya, Gujarat Vidyapith – for an international conference
investigating the links between local nonviolent livelihood struggles and
global militarism, including war profiteering. It will take place in Ahmedabad, India, January 22nd - 25th 2010. This participatory conference will bring
together campaigners from all over the world to analyse the role of states and
multinational corporations in depriving local communities of their sources of
livelihood, and learning from the experience of nonviolent resistance at
various levels. Please contact the WRI office at info@wri-irg.org if you want more
information on the conference. War Resisters' International, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, Tel: 020-7278 4040, web http://wri-irg.org
Climate Camp Ireland
300 people took part in nine days of
workshops, during the Climate Camp in Co Offaly, 15th to 22nd August, and there
was very considerable media coverage, e.g. over 30 radio interviews. Two
turf/peat burning stations were closed down for a period by direct action. For
details see http://www.climatecamp.ie
Meanwhile the next Climate Camp All-Ireland
Gathering will take place 26th -27th September in Dublin (see newsletters on
the website for further details).
Transcend Peace University courses
You are invited to join TPU courses offered
in Semester 2/2009 comprising 22 online courses, including the leading course
on Peaceful Conflict Transformation and a variety of others on peace,
nonviolence, conflict etc. Courses begin on 21st September and applications are
received until 14th September; courses run for 12 weeks and fees are €400 in
OECD countries (otherwise €200). For more information and for registrations,
please visit the website: http://www.transcend.org/tpu or write to university@transcend.pro or phone +43 3355 20726 or +43 664 875 2693.
INNATE networking group meets next on 16th
September at 7pm in Corrymeela House, 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast. All welcome.
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