Tag Archives: Peace news

News, April 2025

Forthspring plan Belfast-based Institute for Nonviolence

Forthspring https://www.forthspring.org/, a cross-community centre at the Catholic-Protestant interface on the Springfield Road, Belfast, is transforming to an Institute for Nonviolence.  New Director, Dr Kate Laverty, is bringing to the fore her work with the Martin Luther King Institute for Nonviolence in the USA https://www.nonviolenceinstitute.org/ Her experience in promoting nonviolence principles in her youth work practice will serve as a springboard to launch the new methodology in Forthspring as it enters its 30th year later in 2025. For anyone interested in being part of this evolution, get in touch. Contact: Dr Kate Laverty, Director, 07746984833, director@forthspring.com     See also article by Kate Laverty in email and web editions of this issue.

Resistance continues to Triple Lock axe

The ‘Save Irish Neutrality, Save the Triple Lock’ campaign involving a wide variety of groups continues to work in opposition to Irish government plans to axe it. While a Social Democrat motion in the Dáil to hold a plebiscite/referendum on the issue was voted down through a government counter-motion, the government plans to move legislation through the committee stage so there is still time for citizen pressure to work. A comprehensive rebuttal of government arguments is made in various resources including the August 2024 document from the Transnational Institute https://www.tni.org/en/publication/saving-the-triple-lock

Mothers Against Genocide manhandled at Dáil

There were eleven arrests and three legal charges, plus some police cautions, on 30th March at the end of a Mothers Against Genocide all night Mothers’ Day vigil on Palestine outside the Dáil in Dublin. The group had already announced their intention to leave a couple of hours later. What some found particularly distasteful was that photos of dead Palestinian children were treated like dirt by by the Gardaí. See coverage at https://www.facebook.com/search/posts/?q=mothers%20against%20genocide and other media.

Missing Peace toolkit

The Glencree Centre for Peace & Reconciliation (Glencree), together with its consortium partners from five different countries in the Missing Peace project, have launched a new resource to help youth workers, educators and community practitioners engage young people in peacebuilding and reconciliation. The 68-page Missing Peace Project Toolkit, developed as part of the EU-funded Missing Peace project, provides 12 interactive activities designed to foster dialogue, critical thinking and conflict resolution skills. Further information and a link for downloading can be found at https://glencree.ie/homepage-highlight/missing-peace-toolkit/

Mairead Maguire in Gaza fast

Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire is undertaking a 40 day liquids only fast for Gaza and the world’s children suffering from the violence of hunger and war. “Refuse to hate, refuse to kill each other and demand instead dialogue and negotiation.  Today in Gaza, the policy of starvation of 2.5 million people, by Israeli policies, is continuing and it is killing the children,  we see it and it is breaking our hearts!!!”. https://www.peacepeople.com/nobel-peace-laureate-maguire-starts-40-day-fast-for-gaza-and-the-worlds-children-for-peace/

Frank Aiken lectures

There has been a change of date for the Frank Aiken Evening previously announced (e.g. in last issue) to take place on 27th March. This will now take place on Wednesday 2nd April. “The Legacy of Frank Aiken – The Role of Small Countries in Times of Danger and Uncertainty” – An Evening of Talks and Discussion hosted by Lex Innocentium, 21st Century  and  the Irish School of Ecumenics now takes place on Wednesday, 2nd of April 2025, at 7.00 p.m. in Room G16, Loyola Building, Trinity College Dublin Speakers include Dr. Stephen Kelly, Dr. Patrick Bresnihan, and Dr. John Maguire. Lex Innocentium, 21st Century website is at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/

Thales to open third NI site

With war in Ukraine and rearmament in many countries, business and profits are booming for the lagest arms company on the island of Ireland, Thales. They have announced new investment and the intention to set up a third site in Northern Ireland, recruiting 200 more workers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgl0z7gxpg2o See also Thales fact file in email and web editions of this issue.

Adi Roche on 14 years after Fukushima

Adi Roche, Voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI), in a statement issued for the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, said “It’s devastating to see that patterns laid down by Chernobyl are being mirrored now in Fukushima.  Any potential explosion or meltdown at any nuclear power plant, by accident or design, would cause irreversible damage to the environment and human life that will last for thousands of years. Though Fukushima happened because of a natural disaster, and Chernobyl was a man-made disaster, their long lasting impact are the same.  Now, recent attacks in Ukraine have shown us how little mankind have learned about the fragility of nuclear power and now innocent children are, once again, paying the highest price.” See https://www.chernobyl-international.com/fourteen-years-after-fukushima-the-unfolding-nuclear-nightmare-and-parallels-with-chernobyl/

lMeanwhile CCI reports that, not being the recipient of any state aid, they are unaffected by governmental aid cuts but that “However, in the communities where we work, the effects of these cuts are devastating and we anticipate that we will see a knock-on effect in the demand for our support over the coming months. “ https://www.chernobyl-international.com/

Good Relations Awards 2025

The Northern Ireland Good Relations Awards presentation event took place on 25th March at Shankill Shared Women’s Centre, Belfast. Here are the six award winners: CRC Exceptional Achievement Award – Kathy Wolff: Volunteer of the Year – Cooper McClure; Youth Award – Emma Baptista; Community Champion – Jonah Atos; Connecting Communities – Jubilee Community; Housing for All Portstewart Community Association. Full details are available on the CRC website at https://www.community-relations.org.uk/news-centre/good-relations-awards-2025-winners-announced

ICCL petition on facial recognition use by Gardaí

ICCL/Irish Council for Civil Liberties have a petition opposing the Minister for Justice giving the Gardaí permission to use facial recognition technology (FRT). They state “FRT has been shown to exhibit significant racial bias leading to wrongful arrests, surveillance and discrimination. Studies have shown that these technologies are less accurate in identifying people of colour. This can result in severe consequences for innocent people. This is not just a technical issue but a systematic injustice built into these technologies that reinforce racial inequality. Recent developments in Hungary have also highlighted the dangers that FRT holds for minorities, where attempts are being made to ban pride events. FRT has been proposed to track members of the LGBTI+ community who gather publicly, which will also disproportionately affect racial minorities within that community.” See https://www.iccl.ie/i-do-not-consent-to-frt/

CAJ human rights news

You can catch up with valuable insights on various human rights issues in Northern Ireland with the March issue of the CAJ/Committee on the Administration of Justice newsletter Just News which is available at https://caj.org.uk/publication_type/our-newsletter/ (where you can also subscribe for updates). Issues covered include the Irish government and legacy issues, extremism, the ongoing effort to get the NI Executive going on an antipoverty strategy, racism and Sperrins goldmining.

Voters in Republic want more climate action

A poll taken in January shows a clear majority of voters in the Republic, 55%, want the government to take more action on climate change than the last government, compared to only 21% who want less action. This includes 59% of Fianna Fail voters and 55% of Fine Gael voters. Interestingly there was little difference between urban and rural voters; three in every four rural voters want the same or more climate action, 72%, compared to 81% of those living in cities. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/new-poll-shows-fianna-fail-and-fine-gael-voters-want-more-cl/

Major German peace congress

A major online German-language peace congress takes place at Easter time. See https://friedenistmoeglich.de/ Entitled “Wie geht Frieden? “ (‘How does peace go?’) with a wide variety of speakers and activities…..as some of those involved speak in English (German subtitles added) those reading this but not speaking German may still view videos with interest. The Northern Ireland peace process, and history, feature along with a myriad of other situations.

Church and Peace call on justice and peacebuilding

Church and Peace, the European church peace network, has called for an orientation to justice and peacebuilding in the current environment. Their statement includes “The European Union’s aim is to promote peace, its values and the welfare of its peoples. For that reason it is irresponsible, according to the Board of Church and Peace, to declare a ‘pre-war situation’ and so legitimize massive armament, especially as this might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.” https://www.church-and-peace.org/en/2025/03/in-view-of-current-developments-church-and-peace-calls-for-clear-orientation-to-justice-and-peace/

Inclusion in the Northern Ireland peace process

An academic article “Inclusion in the Northern Ireland Peace Process: A ‘History of the Present’ “ by Catherine Turner (Professor of Law at Durham University) is available at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17502977.2024.2365512?needAccess=true appearing in the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding. This 21 page article has some useful insights on the peace process, the resultant consociational form of government, the role of civil society, and how narratives have narrowed.

News, March 2025

Government poised to end Triple Lock

With the Defence (Amendment) (No.2) Bill listed for the spring Dáil session, its purpose described as “To amend the Defence Acts to reform the existing provisions concerning the dispatch of members of the Defence Forces for service outside the State”, the Irish government, spearheaded (sic) by Micheál Martin, is set to remove one of the key features of Irish neutrality and its protection. Without the need for UN authorisation for sending more than 12 troops overseas, the government can commit the armed forces to engage in any actions or wars it sees fit. More info on Triple Lock at https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/triple-lock/ and see also https://people.ie/english1.html A number of groups are working together and have adopted the slogan “Save our Neutrality; Save the Triple Lock “; contact any of StoP, PANA, Transnational Institute, World Beyond War, Action Against War (Cork), Afri, Uplift, Lex Innocentium.

lNow, immediately, is the time for residents of the 26 counties to contact their TDs demanding that they stand by the Triple Lock. See also editorial in this issue.

lInternational peace organisations CODEPINK, International Peace Bureau (IPB), Transnational Institute (TNI), Veterans For Peace and World BEYOND War have written a collective letter to the Taoiseach asking for the retention of the Triple Lock.

Frank Aiken and the Irish contribution to international peace

This event, ‘Frank Aiken and the Irish Contribution to International Peace in Times of Risk and Uncertainty’ takes place in Loyola Building, Trinity College Dublin on Thursday, 27th March 2025, at 7.00 p.m. to 8.30/9.00 p.m. with speakers Prof Patrick Bresnihan, Maynooth, Prof John Maguire, Professor Emeritus, UCC and one other speaker. Chair: Carol Fox. Organised by Lex Innocentium, 21st Century and hosted by Irish School of Ecumenics. https://lexinnocentium21.ie and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560485884212

The Irish government and legacy investigations

Legacy issues North of the border have obviously had centre stage in recent years but there are also significant questions about how the Irish government handles matters within its jurisdiction. CAJ/Committee on the Administration of Justice and ICCL/Irish Council for Civil liberties have published the report on a seminar in September 2024 looking at how the Irish government should deal with legacy investigations. The 24 page report can be accessed at https://caj.org.uk/publications/reports/policing-for-peace-commitment-to-repeal-and-replace-the-northern-ireland-legacy-act/ and https://www.iccl.ie/news/human-rights-groups-victims-and-families-call-on-government-to-investigate-historic-human-rights-violations/ The report states that “Victims and survivors of outstanding violations from conflict-related violence in the South, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (1974) and the Sallins train robbery (1976), have not been provided with a formal and systematised approach to investigations and accountability.” It also says “Various UN treaty bodies have highlighted the lack of accountability and transparency for violations in Ireland, including concerns regarding the independence and effectiveness of GSOC to investigate instances of torture and ill-treatment…..The roundtable discussions revealed a general consensus on the need for a new legacy mechanism(s), or combination thereof, to investigate State and non-State actors in conflict and non-conflict related historical cases, to be established in consultation with survivors and families.” Conclusions include the lack of political will to proceed and the untapped potential of the inquest model. It calls on the Irish government to establish a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to investigate unresolved deaths and incidents of torture and ill-treatment, including (but not limited to) cases related to the Troubles.

CCI on Chernobyl drone attack and 3 years of war

When Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was again attacked in February, Adi Roche, voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI), issued a statement which included “I appeal, on behalf of all humanity and as a first-step towards peace negotiations, that the deadly and toxic Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, with its thousands of tons and gallons of highly radioactive material, no longer be targeted, or used as an area of shelling, bombardment, and ground fighting under the Hague Convention. My worst nightmare in this conflict is that the tragedy of the Chernobyl disaster could be re-released on the world. I fear that this area…. could once again, have deadly radioactive contamination released which would spread everywhere, like a great and uncontrollable monster.” A further statement from Adi Roche came on 24th February for the third anniversary of the war; “The war in Ukraine and this recent attack on Chernobyl has highlighted the dire need to formally recognise ‘Ecocide’—the deliberate destruction of the environment—as a crime under the International Criminal Court (ICC)…….Ecocide is not collateral damage; it is a targeted and systematic weapon of war. The radioactive contamination unleashed by military activity in Chernobyl has already affected thousands, with rising levels of long-lived radionuclides detected on civilians, particularly children, in heavily populated areas. This environmental devastation will have consequences for generations, further underscoring the urgency of holding perpetrators accountable…..We urge the Irish Government to support Ukraine’s initiative in advocating for the recognition of ecocide as a war crime under the Hague Convention…..” https://www.chernobyl-international.com/

Central Bank of Ireland and Israeli war bonds

The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) is acts as the regulator of Israel bonds in Europe, taking over that role from the UK after Brexit. These fund the Israeli Treasury and are now marketed as ‘war bonds’. World Beyond War Ireland states “By providing this gateway into Europe for Israel bonds, the CBI is making itself complicit in funding genocide and apartheid. Under EU law (Regulation 2017/18, Article 32), CBI has the power — and the responsibility — to refuse to validate Israel bonds on the grounds that the ICJ has found that Israel is plausibly committing genocide” (though a ceasefire began on 19th January). https://tinyurl.com/mvnkste7

lThe international report for World Beyond War/WBW for 2024 can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y558zdth

Terminal illness: LNG storage for Ireland?

Friends of the Earth/FOE are campaigning against a liquefied natural gas/LNG terminal for Ireland – LNG has been shown to be worse than coal burning for its carbon footprint by the time it is shipped here. FOE are organising email letters to the Taoiseach and Minister for Climate; they point out that the government plan to go ahead with an LNG terminal has not been backed up with analysis and it may be cosying up to President Trump. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/act/make-sure-government-says-no-to-climate-wrecking-lng/

Race hate crimes in North hit high in summer 2024

Amnesty International has expressed concern at the level of racist hate crime in Northern Ireland, as new figures published show attacks hit an all-time high during summer 2024; these are in a report by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which tracked recorded hate crimes and incidents for the twelve months to the end of December 2024. The report reveals that there were 1,777 racist incidents and 1,150 racist crimes recorded by the police during 2024. There were 454 more race incidents and 292 more race crimes recorded in 2024 than the previous year. Six of the eight highest monthly levels of race incidents since records began in 2004 were recorded between May and October 2024. Amnesty International Northern Ireland director Patrick Corrigan stated ““Tackling racism and hate crime in Northern Ireland will require not just a more consistent response from the police but unambiguous political leadership and effective strategies from the Executive, something which has hitherto been lacking.” See https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/northern-ireland-latest-police-figures-show-race-hate-crimes-hit-all-time-high which has a link to the report.

Introduction to Eco Congregation Ireland

Eco Congregation Ireland/ECI produces a valuable monthly round up of religious/church involvement in green issues in all parts of Ireland and you can subscribe to receive it on their website. https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/ They also have a new flyer introducing ECI. https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2025/02/23/eci-flyer-available/ and the possibilities for local churches to go green.

ICC summer school at Irish Centre for Human Rights

2025 is the 25th year that the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway has run a summer school on the International Criminal Court; this year it runs from 9th – 13 June. Participants follow a series of lectures given by leading academics, as well as by legal professionals, including those working at the International Criminal Court. The participation fee is €475 and further info is at https://universityofgalwayichr.clr.events/event/137231:summer-school-on-the-international-criminal-court-2025 The website also gives details of upcoming talks.

Uncertainty at Spirit AeroSystems, Belfast

What the implications are for jobs and involvement in military related production, including dual use, remains uncertain as Spirit AeroSystems (formerly Bombardier), Belfast’s largest private sector employer, faces the possibility of being broken up with Airbus purchasing the part of it producing its A220 aircraft wings while Boeing has been negotiating a takeover of Spirit AeroSystems. Wordsearch for further information.

Síolta Chroí programme

Tis the season to start growing again and the current programme at Síolta Chroí, Carrickmacross, Monaghan, includes a workshop on food growing with Joanne Butler on Saturday 24th March along with much else, e.g. a workshop on syntropic agriculture on 8th March. See https://sioltachroi.ie/

INNATE change of address

INNATE’s postal address is changing, with immediate effect, to 24 Broughton Park, Belfast BT6 0BD (from the previous long term address of 16 Ravensdene Park). Other contact details including the ‘landline’ (actually VOIP) phone number +44 28 90647106, web addresses and the email address innate@ntlworld.com will remain unchanged.

News, February 2025

Corrymeela 60

Corrymeela, the only existing peace and reconciliation group to predate the Troubles, is approaching 60 years at work. While the group that became the eponymous Corrymeela identified the site they wanted to purchase outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim, a former Holiday Fellowship venue, at the start of 1965, it was the summer of that year that they took possession and it only became an incorporated charity in December 1966. There will be Corrymeela Sunday events at Coventry (15th-16th March) coming up to St Patrick’s Day and then in the period 22nd – 31st August this year anniversary ‘open’ events will be held at the Corrymeela Centre that they hope will allow the generations who have been a part of the Corrymeela story to reunite and learn with people interested in carrying that story forward. 

Also look for more information to come around a planned trip to Taizé in early autumn; events in Dublin at the end of October 2025; a service in the Croí on 30 October to mark the anniversary of the centre’s 1965 dedication; a special anniversary concert in Belfast Cathedral on 22 November 2025; a service in Exeter Cathedral on 23 November; and a conference on Reconciliation for Easter 2026. Other events and ongoing programmes will also take place. Up to date information is available at www.corrymeela.org

Féile Bríde: Justice and Solidarity

Afri’s Féile Bríde takes place on Saturday 8th February at Solas Bhríde, Tully Road, Kildare with the title “Brigid’s Light: Illuminating paths of justice and solidarity”. Speakers are Niamh Ní Briain on Brigid’s call to action today: Defying militarism and protecting the Triple Lock, James Hennessy on Solar lights and the work of Development Pamoja, Catherine Cleary on Pocket Forests and Raghad Abu Shammala on Solidarity is key; musicians are Emer Lynam, Dee Armstrong, Lughaidh Armstrong, Gráinne Horan, Kate Moore and the Resistance Choir. The programme runs from 10.15 am registration and finishes after the final programme item at 4.20pm. Full price for the day, including lunch, tea and coffee is €35, concessions €25 (further donations to costs welcome). Bookings via https://www.afri.ie/category/feile-bride-2025/ or to Afri at 8 Cabra Road, Dublin D07 T1W2.

Sperrins gold diggers inquiry halted

The public inquiry into gold mining by USA-owned Dalradian in the Sperrins near Greencastle, Co Tyrone, was abruptly halted after two days in mid-January. Opponents of the mining were there in strength but Dalradian have been working on site since 2009 and first submitted plans to mine in 2017. Their commitment, under pressure, not to use cyanide there may hold but does not cover other toxic and environmental effects, or the possible use of cyanide elsewhere. The inquiry was halted over the failure of the Department for Infrastructure in the North to give the required notice across the border but may resume in late March. The NI Executive makes the final decision on mining. https://www.facebook.com/search/posts/?q=save%20our%20sperrins

Another miraculous appearance by St Brigid

In a stupendous and recurring miracle, around her feast day every year St Brigid puts in an appearance at the Department of Foreign Affairs at St Stephen’s Green, calling on the Irish government to act for peace (in accord with St Brigid herself), and, currently, to protect the Triple Lock which requires UN approval for Irish troops deployment overseas. https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/ and https://youtu.be/hl4LHqSVU4o?si=4J4YiOaFBm7cpJRn

ICCL on new government programme

ICCL/Irish Council for Civil Liberties has looked at both negatives and positives in the Programme for Government with the former including the retention of the Special Criminal Court and the extension of police powers, and the latter comprehensively reviewing the criminal justice system, modernising the Coroner Service, and tackling the use of recommender algorithms. www.iccl.ie

Transformative approaches to housing

Housing is a critical issue in wellbeing. Housing ourselves in the wellbeing economy is an in person and online event on Friday 14th February taking place at WeCreate Centre, Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Co. Tipperary, E53 VP86 and online from 10am – 5pm. It aims to explore transformative approaches to housing that prioritise sustainability, inclusivity, and community resilience and is hosted by Cloughjordan Co-Housing in collaboration with the Irish Hub of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance which Feasta co-ordinates. Details at https://cloughjordancohousing.coop/making-neighbourhoods/housing-ourselves-2025/ and Feasta is at https://www.feasta.org/

Glencree on 50 years after Feakle talks

It is 50 years since Protestant church leaders bravely met the IRA in secret talks at Feakle, Co Clare, setting a pattern for dialogue which eventually paid dividends. Glencree marked this anniversary with an event in December. https://glencree.ie/events/feakle-1974/

CRIS/Community Relations in Schools at 40

Belfast-based Community Relations in Schools is marking 40 years work with schoolchildren in building understanding and friendship. They will be celebrating with a gala fundraising dinner on Saturday 15th March from 6pm to late at Titanic Centre Belfast, tickets £75. More details and about CRIS’s work at https://www.crisni.org/40-years-of-cris

WRI on Israel-Hamas ceasefire

A statement from the Executive of War Resisters’ International (WRI) on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire can be found at https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2025/wri-exec-statement-israel-hamas-ceasefire

Oisín Coghlan moving on from FOE

Oisín Coghlan who has been at the helm of Irish Friends of the Earth for 20 years has decided it is time to move on but with many achievements under his/their belt. https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/announcement-oisin-coghlan-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-friends-of/

WBW course on Unarmed Civilian Defense

Among others, World Beyond War (WBW) has a 6 week online course (time recommendation 3 – 6 hours per week) on Unarmed civilian defense instead of war beginning on 12th May, course fee $100, concession as little as $25. It has a focus on the role unarmed civilian defense can play in resisting military force, invasion, occupation, dictatorship, and warfare. See https://tinyurl.com/84j96z3p for details. The WBW website is at https://worldbeyondwar.org/

Diasporas and peacebuilding

The January 2025 issue of Peace in Progress from the International Catalan Institute for Peace looks at the role of diasporas in peacebulding. https://www.icip.cat/perlapau/en/magazine/42-2/

Global Day of Action to #CloseBases, 23 February

World Beyond War, backed by many other organisations, is organising a global day of action to close military bases since they are “a critical piece of the war machine that must be dismantled. https://worldbeyondwar.org/closebases/

Organic Centre Rossinver

The Organic Centre in the heart of rural Rossinver, Leitrim looks forward to 2025 with the hope of brighter days ahead. As an educational charity, it specialises in promoting all things organic, sustainable living and biodiversity. The Organic Centre was founded in 1995 by local organic growers, and farmers. Developed on a 19-acre green field site at the foot of limestone hills beside Lough Melvin, it became a pioneering organisation, at the forefront of organic growing, and action for climate change. In the beginning there were 6 weekend courses which took place in 1997. Now, the centre looks forward to almost 40 courses ranging from growing to recycling workshops, stone wall building, cheese making, pizza oven building and more.

The calendar year now hosts a multitude of free seasonal events, including one to mark Brigid’s Day, Apple Day, Samhain, a Green Christmas fair, a large range of activities in Biodiversity Week in May and Heritage Week in August, to name but a few.  And coming soon is Potato Day, a free family friendly event, on Sunday 2th March from 12-4pm, with demonstrations, tours, and an onsite craft and food market. Regarding training for growers, the centre also hosts a now adapted, part time, funded course in organic horticulture, an opportunity to learn and be part of a movement, as policy makers nationally and internationally start to recognise the importance of organic agriculture for planet and health. The MSLETB Level 5 in Organic Horticulture closes for applications on Feb 10th https://www.theorganiccentre.ie/Learn/now%20part%20time%20horticultural-course

You can organise a tour of the centre as an away day with your work, school or family – just ring 0719854338.  You can go for a walk on the new Fowley’s Falls trail that links up with the Organic Centre, and end at the Grass Roof Cafe for tea and coffee. Check out the Organic Centre’s website and social media channels for more information on courses, events, and the onsite and online shop. https://www.theorganiccentre.ie/

Death of Ken Mayers

We regret to record the death of US peace activist Ken Mayers. Edward Horgan writes: “Ken Mayers, peace activist, member of Veterans For Peace US, and VFP Ireland Chapter, passed away at his home in Santa Fe New Mexico on 27th January. Many of you will have met Ken while he was virtually imprisoned in Ireland for almost 9 months after the peace action that he and Tarak Kauff undertook at Shannon airport on St Patrick’s Day in 2019. Ken was an inspiration to peace activists in Ireland, in the USA and worldwide, and in addition to his activism in Ireland he also attended and helped to organise peaceful protests in the US, Palestine, Korea, Japan and elsewhere. I have no doubt that Ken in Resting in Peace and the world is a better place because of his life’s work.” For photos of Ken Mayers in action, see e.g. https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/48187813206/in/album-72157616378924274 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/48863510693/in/album-72157616378924274

Principles and practices of peace education

The Open University has a free introductory short course (12 hours study) produced in collaboration with Quakers in Britain on how peace might be built in everyday classroom practice. It introduces layers of peace education for children and young people, including inner-peace and wellbeing; interpersonal peace through positive relationships and constructive approaches to conflict; and critical thinking about the world beyond the classroom. See https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/principles-and-practices-peace-education/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab for details.

News, December 2024

Troubles victims: CAJ report on reform of ICRIR

With the change in government in Britain, what is Labour going to do concerning the infamous Northern Ireland Legacy Act which it promised to repeal, and the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) established by it? Since coming to power Labour have announced they will keep the ICRIR (which already has an enormous number of staff) but with some changes, including ensuring its independence; this detailed 98 page report examines what substantive root and branch reform of the ICRIR might look like and whether it would be sufficient to gain public confidence and ensure ECHR compatibility. The report includes comparison with the Stormont House Agreement proposed HIU/Historical Investigations Unit and it is extremely valuable and detailed commentary.

https://caj.org.uk/publications/reports/what-could-substantive-root-and-branch-reform-of-the-icrir-look-like-and-would-it-be-enough/

PANA: Deliberate confusion in FF, FG election manifestos

In a press release in November well before the election, PANA/Peace And Neutrality Alliance, pointed to pieces in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael manifestos which are “very vague and confusing”. Fianna Fáil in its manifesto says it will “‘continue to protect and promote Ireland’s military neutrality including sensible reform of the ‘Triple Lock’ legislation.’  PANA goes on to say “Abandoning the Triple Lock signifies a serious diminution of our commitment to the UN system, to UN peace-keeping efforts, and to multilateralism. This was borne out in the government’s March 2023 decision to withdraw approximately 130 defence personnel from the Golan Heights to ‘ensure that the Defence Forces have the capacity to fulfil their commitment to the EU Battlegroup 2024/2025’. “ Regarding Fine Gael, PANA goes on to say “Fine Gael appears more open in their support for this emerging EU military structure, through EU Battlegroups, and the PESCO agreement. …. the Fine Gael General Election 2024 Manifesto states, ‘we will enhance cooperation between our Defence Forces and international partners, including the United Nations, European Union, and NATO’. “ PANA website is at www.pana.ie    

Building bridges, bridging gaps – Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

A new 14-page PDF pamphlet from INNATE chronicles the journey of Belfast woman Laura Coulter through a wide variety of peacebuilding activities in the Northern Ireland context, and in one case abroad, in Nepal. In this pamphlet Laura Coulter looks at how she became involved in the first place and the very different contexts she has worked in – before and during the ‘peace process’ in the North. It is on the INNATE website under Pamphlets, click on ‘Much more’ on the menu bar, or download directly at https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Laura-Coulter-Building-Bridges-Final-24.12.pdf

Gaza, Palestine, Ireland

Afri have published a short but very powerful pamphlet ‘Palestine, Gaza and Ireland: a Shared History of Colonial Persecution’. The booklet contains the texts from the 2024 Afri Doolough Famine Walk leaders Faten Sourani and Donal O’Kelly, and a talk given by Iain Atack at Afri’s Féile na Beatha in Carlow. The publication is available on the Afri website in their publications section at https://www.afri.ie/publications/education-publications/

Afri also runs a solar lights campaign for Africa, see https://www.afri.ie/donate/

l A reflection by Centre for Global Education (CGE) director Stephen McCloskey after a year of the war in Gaza appears in Z at https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/a-year-of-israels-genocide-in-gaza-a-reflection/ The CGE website is at https://www.centreforglobaleducation.com/

Election asks, party analysis from ICCL, FOE

While the general election in the Republic is over, ICCL/Irish Council for Civil Liberties’ election asks or manifesto https://www.iccl.ie/2024/iccl-2024-ge-manifesto/ and analysis of the political parties’ policies/manifestos https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/general-election-manifestos-iccls-human-rights-analysis/ make for very informative reading.

lMeanwhile Friends of the Earth’s analysis of party positions is at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/five-party-leaders-pledge-faster-and-fairer-climate-action-i/ but as FOE director Oisín Coghlan concludes there, “After the election it will be the negotiations on a Programme from Government that will actually determine the direction of Irish climate action.”

Corrymeela: Belfast office, appeal

While the Belfast office of Corrymeela acts primarily as work space for Belfast based staff, this is now at the Skainos Centre, 239 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1AF (Ballycastle remains the primary centre). You can see and support Corrymeela’s ‘Shine a light for peace’ appeal at https://www.corrymeela.org/donate/shine-a-light-for-peace with full info on Corrymeela’s work at https://www.corrymeela.org/

Glencree 50, call for new directors

The Glencree Centre for Reconciliation has been marking the 50th anniversary of its founding. This has included a dialogue on ‘Between Memory and Legacy, Navigating The Dark Past of Irish History’ with a recording available at https://glencree.ie/events/glencree50-event-the-glencree-dialogue-series/ This reference also includes links to reports of an event which took place marking Glencree founder and prominent member Una O’Higgins O’Malley and to a reunion weekend which was held for former volunteers.

Glencree is seeking to add three new Trustees to its Board of Directors to continue leading on the work of the Board in line with its strategic plan; these are voluntary posts and they are particularly looking for people with experience in peacebuilding, marketing and communications, fundraising, and IT. The closing date is 15th December and details are at https://glencree.ie/featured/call-for-board-director/

Chernobyl Children International – address change, appeal

Chernobyl Children International’s address has changed….they have moved just three doors away from their previous home. Their postal address is now 4 The Stables, Alfred Street, Cork T23 VPX2 but other details remain the same. Meanwhile you can support their Christmas appeal at https://www.chernobyl-international.com/donate/

Mitchell Institute annual review

The comprehensive 2023-2024 annual review from the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast can be found at https://mailchi.mp/qub/annual-review-2023-2024?e=0cc0f657e5

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

This campaign continues until 10th December (Human Rights Day) and has already been marked in different locations in Ireland. See e.g. https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/16-days-of-activism and https://www.who.int/campaigns/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/2024

Muck map of the North

Friends of the Earth in the UK and others have produced a ‘muck map’ concerning intensive and factory farming waste, including coverage of Northern Ireland and how rivers and loughs are affected https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/muck-map-how-much-factory-farm-waste-does-your-area-produce NI firm Moy Park (whose ultimate owner is Brazilian) appears among the worst offenders. Most of the North appears as high on the production scale, and Lough Neagh is one of the worst affected areas. FOE-NI is at https://friendsoftheearth.uk/northern-ireland and https://www.facebook.com/foenorthernireland/

Church and Peace: Resisting war today

Reports and material from Church and Peace, a peace church network, on their European conference in October, “Resisting War Today – Preparing Collective Nonviolent Alternatives” can be found on their website at
https://www.church-and-peace.org/en/european-conference-2024/

Cultivating Solidarity and Hope in a Fractured World

The Social Change Initiative (SCI) has a webinar on this topic with with Eric Ward and Deepa Iyer, leading social justice activists from the United States, taking place on Wednesday, 4th December at 4:00 pm Irish Time with the platform being Zoom. Book at https://tinyurl.com/2k3xsevk The SCI website is at https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/

Death of Derick Wilson

We regret to record the death of Derick Wilson, a major figure for many many years in the peace and reconciliation scene in the North, a mentor to many, and also a major figure in both youth work training and initiatives on conflict. Among his many inolvements he was Corrymeela Centre Director from 1978 to 1985 and co–founder of the Understanding Conflict Trust. The Corrymeela page about him is at https://www.corrymeela.org/news/248/derick-wilson-19472024 with links to a couple of tributes given at his memorial service. There is a photo of him at Corrymeela in 2015 at https://tinyurl.com/52cm6b8p

AI-NI annual lecture, on genocide in Palestine

Francesca Albanese will give Amnesty Northern Ireland’s annual lecture on the topic of Israeli genocide in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; online on Tuesday 3 December (6pm). Free registration is available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/genocide-as-colonial-erasure-tickets-1086907111429

News, November 2024

Triple Lock and the election

With a general election happening in the Republic, there are many issues on which citizens will try to get commitments from prospective politicians. One such is the Triple Lock which the outgoing government, and in particular Micheál Martin, have been trying to ditch but which is a guarantee that Ireland will not get mixed up in wars fought by NATO or, forthcoming, the EU. See the StoP website at https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/

Nonviolence and empowerment, nonviolence and democracy

Iranian-Canadian political philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo will be visiting Northern Ireland in late November and providing programme for different organisations, including INNATE. Ramin Jahanbegloo has written many books including a number on Gandhi and on nonviolence (a word search will show up bio details and YouTube interviews).

On Thursday 28th November at 3pm he will speak on ‘Nonviolence and empowerment’ at a meeting in Belfast, venue to be finalised, sponsored by Conflict Textiles, the Hume O’Neill Chair in Peace (Ulster University), and INNATE. Bookings to https://tinyurl.com/raminnonviolence and the INNATE website will have the venue as soon as it is finalised. The same evening, at 7.30pm on 28th November he will contribute to an online webinar on ‘Nonviolence and democracy building’; this is open to anyone interested, anywhere, and bookings should come to the INNATE email address, innate@ntlworld.com with the subject heading ‘Ramin Jahanbegloo webinar’. PDF flyers with more info sent out with email edition of Nonviolent News and are on the website.

Corrymeela

The Corrymeela website at https://www.corrymeela.org/ has a full listing of upcoming open events as well as full information on programmes (sectarianism, public theology, nurturing hope, marginalisation, legacies of conflict). On Saturday 30th* November  from 1 – 4 pm there is a Christmas open day with Santa, refreshments, crafts, story time, movies, and stalls. [Please note this is a change from Corrymeela’s previous notice of it happening the following day, 1st December. Admission free] The next Dialogue for Peaceful Change (DpC) training is from 24th – 28th March; this is a four–day immersive experience designed to provide participants with practical tools for managing and transforming conflict. Details on the website at https://www.corrymeela.org/events/255/dialogue-for-peaceful-change-training

Sign up to Lex Innocentium 21st Century

Lex Innocentium 21st Century, a modern take on Adomnán’s 697 CE ‘Law of the Innocents’, is now taking online signatures at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ and there is full information there. Lex Innocentium, 21st Century states itself to be “a bottom-up, soft-power, moral people’s law that declares that War is a Crime against Humanity, War is a Crime against the Earth, War is a Crime against the Future”. As well as a general video of the day, the talks and messages from the launch are available, see under ‘About us’ on the website.

CAJ: Hiring communications officer, report on policing of protest

CAJ, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, is hiring a communications officer to co-ordinate communications, promotional and PR activity for CAJ, including related stakeholder engagement, CAJ’s online presence, publications, events and other products; they will join the current team of seven. Deadline is 8th November. https://caj.org.uk/latest/caj-is-recruiting-2/ Meanwhile a short report on the CAJ and ICCL joint conference last March on “The Policing of Protest: A Shifting Landscape?” is available via https://caj.org.uk/publications/reports/the-policing-of-protest-a-shifting-landscape/ This concludes that “there is much work to be done to ensure that the PSNI and An Garda Síochána fully protect, respect and fulfil the right to protest on an equal basis for all protesters. Perceptions of uneven and biased responses to protest are strong and undermine public trust and public confidence in both services.”

SCI: Changing perspectives in the North, and dealing with that

SCI/the Social Change Initiative has worked with a range of community leaders to delve into data emerging from the World Values Survey in Northern Ireland and a new 20 page report is available which draws on the lessons learned from the experience of supporting communities to use data to think about values and to unpack why people hold particular views. Using the WVS data, five segments of NI society were identified – disaffected pessimists, anti-establishment urbanities, comfortable progressives, moderate traditionalists and confident individualists (obviously this way beyond the usual and traditional NI designations). The report is available at https://issuu.com/sci_belfast/docs/sci_lessons_learned and may help thinking about how to move issues forward in the North. It states, for example, that “Although Northern Ireland remains a deeply divided society…there has in fact been considerable attitudinal, political and demographic change in the last 25 years. This shift is not always apparent in the public narrative, which often fails to reflect the plurality of perspectives and identities that exist…”

Cork: Strong support for closure of Collins Aerospace

30th October saw another strong demonstration at Collins Aerospace in Cork demanding its closure; it was organised by Action Against War, Cork Neutrality League and the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Collins Aerospace is a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon, one of the world’s largest armaments manfacturers. Among other military entanglements Collins Aerospace has a role in the development of a new NATO helicopter. Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/

Hate crime law passes Dáil

After various controversies and impasses, the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Bill 2022 passed all stages in the Oireachtas, meaning that it can now be signed into law; it will provide for increased prison sentences for certain crimes, where proven to be motivated by hatred, or where hatred is demonstrated. Hate speech elements were not included in the final legislation. Various groups have campaigned for hate crime laws for years. The Hate Crime Coalition previously stated “much more needs to be done in support of it, including enhanced training for criminal justice actors, improved reporting, better monitoring and data collection, enhanced victim supports, and public awareness campaigns on the legislation and the specific nature and impact of hate crime. Ultimately, we should all be working towards preventing hate crime from happening in the first place, including through education and awareness raising.” [Quote source; ICCL www.iccl.ie press release for Coalition Against Hate Crime]

Harland & Wolff: Green energy not battle ships?

A proposal has been made about iconic Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff which went into administration in September. The Common Wealth think tank in Britain has proposed an arms length company be set up by the British government to buy the shipyard and re-orient towards offshore wind energy production. This proposal is part of Common Wealth’s “A Lucas Plan for the Twenty First Century” https://www.common-wealth.org/publications/a-lucas-plan-for-the-twenty-first-century-from-asset-manager-arsenal-to-green-industrial-strategy and see also https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/18/uk-should-repurpose-belfast-shipyard-to-make-green-infrastructure?CMP=share_btn_url

Quaker hub in Belfast

Frederick Street Friends Meeting House (FMH) in central Belfast is positioned in an emerging vibrant part of Belfast with Ulster University’s new main campus right beside. It is undergoing a major development including Quaker Service moving to be based there and the intention to make it a Quaker hub; there is a fundraising appeal for this, see https://quakers-in-ireland.ie/2024/10/10/appeal-for-frederick-street-quaker-hub/ for more information and contacts. See also Billy King item in email and web editions.

FOE: Climate justice day of action

Friends of the Earth Ireland has a Climate Justice Day of Action on Tuesday 12th November where they invite people to get out into their communities and talk to neighbours, friends, family or indeed local politicians about the most pressing climate justice issues of the day. See https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/events/climate-justice-day-of-action/

Housmans Diary 2025

The end is nigh, of 2024 at least, and time for those who use a paper diary to consider what they want. For the peace activist, Housmans Peace Diary with its World Peace Directory is an obvious choice – handy if you find yourself in Armenia or Australia to only cover a couple of the ‘A’s, or you want contacts there. It has a week to a view, quotations, and dates for celebration or protest and in the directory over 1,400 peace, environmental and human rights groups around the world. UK£9.95 plus postage, discount on 10 or more in UK postal area. Order at https://housmans.com/peace-diary/

l A more extensive version of the World Peace Directory in the Diary is available online at http://www.housmans.info/wpd/ It is worth reading the background information on the site home page to get the best use out of it.

CCI: Continuing developments in its Chernobyl work

Chernobyl Children International (CCI) continually strives to improve the services it provides in Chernobyl affected regions, e.g. their Hospice and Community Care team partnered with their Nursing team for a specialised training, where they expanded their knowledge in therapeutic massage and physical therapy. A 5-minute video on Chernobyl and the work of CCI is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0MUmRcrDaY See also the CCI website at https://www.chernobyl-international.com/

News, October 2024

Lex Innocentium 21st Century launched in Birr and Lorrha

There was a successful launch on International Day of Peace of this new people’s or popular law on war, based on the original 697 CE law enacted in Birr at a synod instigated by Adomnán, abbot of Iona. The website is at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ with full information on the project, background and history – the new law includes protection for the earth. A message of support and greetings from Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire given at the launch can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2-Nwc6ZL3g and a video of the launch will be available in due course. Photos of the event can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72177720320507627 A handout used in his talk by Rob Fairmichael on ‘Resources on Irish peace history’ is available at https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Lex-Peace-history-Resource-list-24.09.pdf and included with paper and email editions of this issue of Nonviolent News. Anyone, anywhere, will be able to sign up to support the law very soon on the website.

MII conference for Belfast, 18th – 19th October

The annual conference of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) takes place in Belfast from 18th – 19th October, the first time north of the border, with the title ‘Broadening our perspective on mediation’. It includes a session on ‘The role of mediators in conflict zones’ with input from Cathy Ashton, Nita Yawanarajah, and Pat Hynes. There is a varied programme, details of which are at https://www.themii.ie/mii-annual-conference-2024-broadening-our-perspective-on-mediation-2/ This item appeared in the email and web editions of NN 322

l Sue Cogan has been appointed as CEO of MII as of the start of September, see https://www.themii.ie/appointment-of-new-ceo-of-the-mediators-institute-of-ireland-sue-cogan/

Resources on racism from SCI and others

It can be difficult to know where to start work in opposing racist violence and extremism and striving for an inclusive society. But there are many useful resources available to help understanding and action in dealing with these issues. See the website of the Social Change Initiative/SCI in the North at https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/extremism Hope not Hate in the UK is at https://hopenothate.org.uk/ and the Hope and Courage Collective in the Republic at https://hopeandcourage.ie/ The Irish Network Against racism (INAR) is at https://inar.ie/

White poppies to remember all victims of war

In the season of remembrance there is the opportunity to wear a white poppy to remember all victims of war, including both civilians and soldiers, but also challenge war and militarism. The PPU/Peace Pledge Union in Britain sells white poppies as well as posters, postcards, stickers and educational resources. You can get 5 poppies for £5, postage extra, and a discount for larger numbers. Go to www.ppu.org.uk and click on ‘Shop’ and there is more information about white poppies and their origin on the website.

StoP Triple Lock betrayal video

A short (under 2 minutes) video enactment about the Triple Lock on deployment of Irish soldiers overseas can be seen at https://youtu.be/HohfeP6VnnI?si=ZJ3rSIqgnyg84loW

and https://www.facebook.com/share/v/otYiMVLdvsj4S2HY/?mibextid=WC7FNe The StoP/Swords to Ploughshares website is at https://swordstoploughsharesireland.org/

George Mitchell Institute events at QUB, Belfast

There are a number of open events coming up with topics including armed groups, transition and dealing with the past; inside the world of armed conflict mediation; Irish neutrality; resistance to ecoviolence in the Amazon; authoritarianism’s challenge to democracy as the norm, etc. Go to https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/ for further info and to register.

Strategy on violence against women for North

Mid-September saw the launch of a new strategy for through to 2031, broadly welcomed in the sector, for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls with a focus on the areas of prevention, protection and provision, the justice system, and working together on the issue. The statistics are horrifying including 33,000 recorded (so-called) ‘domestic’ abuse incidents in Northern Ireland in 2023. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn878054dxqo and for the full strategy go to https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/topics/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls which includes some other research materials. A week later a Domestic and Sexual Abuse strategy for Northern Ireland was launched which is not solely focused on women and will also attempt to tackle violence against men, children and young people, and intimate partner violence within the LGBTQ+ community. See https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/domestic-and-sexual-abuse-strategy-and-performance-framework-2024-2031

Catholic Institute for Nonviolence launched

Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative has launched a Catholic Institute for Nonviolence with the aim of making nonviolence research, resources and experience, more accessible to Catholic Church leaders, communities and institutions to deepen Catholic understanding of and commitment to the practice of Gospel nonviolence. To this end it will operate mainly as a virtual institute but with a small presence in Rome. Areas it will concentrate on are Gospel nonviolence, nonviolent practices and strategic power, and contextual experiences of nonviolence. More information at https://paxchristi.net/catholic-institute-for-nonviolence/

QCEA on EU Parliament after elections

Around Europe, the journal of the Quaker Council on European Affairs, has a useful one page (!) summary of where things stand with balance and policies in the EU Parliament, along with other material including on climate, at https://www.qcea.org/around-europe-398-out-now/

Friends of the Earth report card on Irish government commitments

Friends of the Earth has issued its annual report card on Irish government environmental and climate commitments; this is based on independent expert assessments. The conclusion was that The commitments in the Programme for Government were not enough to achieve a truly sustainable society or meet our national and international climate targets and “While we are relieved that Ireland has turned a corner away from our “climate laggard” origins, this is just the start of a long and important journey for Irish society, and momentum will have to accelerate over successive governments to make Ireland a genuinely sustainable economy”. For the fascinating detail see https://friendsoftheearth.cmail20.com/t/t-l-sxblt-jrktjjkhkl-m/ and it includes recommendations for the next Programme for Government (with an election imminent).

Human rights in Northern Ireland after Windsor Framework

Article 2 of the Windsor framework stated that the UK government would ensure that “no diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity” would come about for Northern Ireland due to Brexit. But, as always, the devil is in the detail and SCI/Social Change Initiative, Human Rights Centre at Queen’s University and the Donia Human Rights Centre at the University of Michigan have issued another report on current issues in relation to the matter; “Human Rights and Equality in Northern Ireland: Article 2 of the Windsor Framework Reaches the Courts: What’s at Stake?”, specifically looking at the Dillon judgement in the NI Court of Appeal (which was made, subsequent to this report, on 20th September, word search for details). The report is available at https://www.socialchangeinitiative.com/articles Meanwhile The Irish Centre for European Law, the Social Change Initiative and the Human Rights Centre at Queen’s are also organising a ticketed seminar to discuss the judgment on 24th October; https://www.icel.ie/event/windsor-framework-article-2-where-are-we-now-after-the-court-of-appeals-decision-in-the-dillon-legacy-act-case/

NonViolent Communication courses at Cloughjordan

There is an introductory course on (Marshall Rosenberg) NonViolent Communication (NVC) at Cloughjordan Ecovillage (Co Tipperary) on 9th – 10th November, and a “Deepening and Integrating NVC” course on 12th – 13th October. Programme run by Mel White and Aaron Bailey. Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/742242571316147 and https://www.facebook.com/events/8189655397765406

Speech by Olga Karach of Our House, Belarus

A moving and informative speech by Belarusian human rights defender and nonviolent activist Olga Karach, given in Berlin in September, can be found on the Our House website at https://news.house/63025 (with lots more info on the same website, mostly in English).

Primer on militarism and the climate crisis

A new publication from WRI/War Resisters’ International is ‘A short primer on militarism and the climate crisis’, 54 pages, A5, available at https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2024/new-resource-short-primer-militarism-and-climate-crisis “…..ours is a time of global war and global warming. Most often, however, we do not consider these processes connected. The truth is, they very much are. But how so?” – this short publication tries to look at the links, give some stories of impact, resistance and alternatives, and make suggestions for possible actions.

World Beyond War conference video

Video of their conference “Resisting the USA’s military empire” is at https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2024/

Amnesty backs call for investigation into 2001 journalist murder

Amnesty International has backed calls for a new investigation into the 2001 murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan who was shot dead by paramilitaries in Lurgan. No one has been convicted of his murder. Northern Ireland Amnesty International director Patrick Corrigan has said “This failure has created an environment of impunity for those who continue to threaten journalists in Northern Ireland today. It is notable that, in 2024, threats of serious violence continue to be directed at journalists from the very same sort of armed groups which killed Martin O’Hagan. We support calls from the National Union of Journalists for a fresh investigation into the killing. Press freedom must be resolutely defended.” https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Northern-Ireland

l Meanwhile an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) will examine a complaint by the two journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey who asked it to find out whether police from Northern Ireland and Durham used intrusive surveillance powers against them. It is scheduled to take place from 1st to 4th October at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) in London. Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty stated “This is a crucial case for press freedom in the UK” since it will test legal safeguards for all UK journalists against unwarranted surveillance and right to protect sources.

News, September 2024

Triple Lock: Government locked in negative thinking

The Irish government is making its move in September to abolish the Triple Lock (Government, Dáil, and UN) on the deployment of Irish soldiers overseas. Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that the draft legislation will be ready by “the first week of September”, when it will be considered by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. This is a critical move in further watering down Irish neutrality and preparing the Republic to participate in EU and NATO led military actions.

Peace groups, in a statement coordinated by Afri, have expressed alarm https://www.afri.ie/category/triplelock/it concludes “We call on the government to respect voter wishes and to prevent any erosion of neutrality through the dismantling of the Triple Lock, and to ensure that these widely held concerns are made present in the Joint Committee’s and further deliberations.” The above link has a list of TDs and their emails for making representations to them – which Afri has urged people to do. A further piece there describes a bit of the background – “The Seville Declaration on the Nice Treaty in 2002 spelt out the ‘Triple Lock’, requiring UN authorisation along with Government and Dáil approval if our troops are deployed overseas. This assurance was repeated in 2009 to get the Lisbon Treaty approved, but the promised ‘Lisbon Protocol’ of 2013 merely redescribed that Treaty, without even mentioning the Triple Lock. The present Government’s Programme reaffirmed the Triple Lock, its key resting in the People’s hands; now they propose to unpick the UN lever without reference back to us.”

An excellent recent detailed article on the Triple Lock by Niamh Ní Bhriain is available at https://www.tni.org/en/publication/saving-the-triple-lock and this carefully demolishes government arguments for abandoning it.

A logo produced for Afri which can be freely used in defence of the Triple Lock is available via https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53941857477/in/dateposted/

The PANA/Peace And Neutrality Alliance’s pamphlet on the Triple Lock is available at their website www.pana.ie

The government-run Consultative Forum on International Security Policy of June 2023 is generally seen as attempting to provide a fig leaf for the change but it is disputed that it even did that. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72177720309217408/with/53008092883 and for a report by StoP on it see https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/2023/10/18/stop-report-on-consultative-forum-on-international-security/

Lex Innocentium 21st Century: Launch in Birr and Lorrha

21st September, International Day of Peace, sees the launch of Lex Innocentium 21st Century, a modern take on the 697 CE ‘Law of the Innocents’ adopted by a church synod in Birr, Co Offaly. The new Law of the Innocents includes protection for the earth as well as human beings and is written in secular mode. The conference part of the programme will take place in Birr on the morning of 21st September and the actual signing takes place in the afternoon in Redwood Castle, Lorrha, Co Tipperary, where in the early 17th century Micheál Ó Cléirigh, co-writer of the Annals of the Four Masters, travelled to find out more about Adomnán and the Law of the Innocents.

The law includes the statement that it is a “people’s law, a moral law, a law of principle, that can be used by individuals and groups to highlight failures of governments around the world to save humanity from the scourge of war; to call governments and international leaders to account for those failures; and to challenge all those who have a vested interest in the instigation, justification and normalization of war.

Speakers in Birr in the morning include; James Houlihan on the history of Adomnán; Rob Fairmichael on Irish peace history; Ed Horgan on the human cost of war; Eamon Rafter on the financial cost of the military-industrial complex; Sylvia Thompson (Tralee) on the cost to the environment and the future. At Lorrha, the new law will be read by John Maquire. Participation is free, donations welcome, and full details of the new 21st century law, the launch, the background, and booking for the day, can be found at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ Following the launch, people everywhere, anywhere in the world, will be invited to sign the new law – visit the website to do so later.

Aldergrove: Part of the Western war machine

Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove is very much part of the western military infrastructure. Ed Horgan reports that on 29th August there were at least 7 US military aircraft landing at Aldergrove airport outside Belfast, including 6 Hercules C130’s, all coming from Dyes air force base near Abilene in Texas and flying on to Ramstein US air base in Germany and at least four of these heading on from there to the Middle East. There was also a C 17 Globemaster coming from Norfolk naval air station Virginia which later flew on to Rzeszow airport in south East Poland near the border with Ukraine which is the main NATO supply airport for weapons and munitions to Ukraine. Ed Horgan vocalised peace movement concern that Aldergrove Airport is being used increasingly by the US military in support of unjustified wars and genocide. See e.g. https://www.facebook.com/veteransforpeace.org.ie

Shannon: A summer of vigils, continued resistance

Every weekend in July and August saw all-day anti-war vigils at Shannon Airport, https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53854341990/in/dateposted/ and it is hoped to continue this on Sundays in September – including at 2pm on Sunday 8th September when there is a national demo there with the theme ‘Stop Arming Israel – No weapons or military flights to Israel through Shannon!’ https://www.shannonwatch.org/content/stop-arming-israel-national-mobilisation-shannon-airport

Action Against War, Cork

A new campaign group has been established in Cork, initially under the auspices of the Cork Neutrality League. Action Against War (AAW) will campaign against Ireland’s and the EU’s increasing militarism and in defence of neutrality. AAW aims to to build a united front against militarism and war involving campaign groups (including Palestine-solidarity groups, anti-racism groups, tenants’ groups), trade unions, left political parties, student groups and other progressive associations and individuals. Along with Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign they organised a protest on 8th August at Collins Aerospace (a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon). https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53919710025/in/dateposted/ Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/ This is a shorter version of an item in the August news supplement.

l It has since been revealed that Collins Aerospace has a role in the development of a new NATO helicopter. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/08/15/irish-company-involved-in-concept-study-for-new-nato-helicopter/

MII conference for Belfast, 18th – 19th October

The annual conference of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) takes place in Belfast from 18th – 19th October, the first time north of the border, with the title ‘Broadening our perspective on mediation’. It includes a session on ‘The role of mediators in conflict zones’ with input from Cathy Ashton, Nita Yawanarajah, and Pat Hynes. There is a varied programme, details of which are at https://www.themii.ie/mii-annual-conference-2024-broadening-our-perspective-on-mediation-2/

World Beyond War: Award to TCD SU, Resisting US military empire

World Beyond War (WBW) has given the 2024 Youth War Abolisher Award to Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. In May, 2024, Trinity College agreed to fully divest from Israeli companies over a period; this followed a tent encampment protest on campus that was part of a movement at campuses in several countries. For this and news of the other awards see https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolisher-awards-of-2024-announced-presentation-scheduled/ The WBW annual international conference takes place, including remotely, from 20th – 22nd September on the theme “Resisting the USA’s military empire”, see https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2024/

Jeremy Corbyn at Galway commemoration of Hiroshima

Video of Jeremy Corbyn speaking on 3rd August at the GAAW/Galway Alliance Against War commemoration of the Hiroshima bombing can be found at https://www.facebook.com/100003639263343/videos/900703115224421/

Good Relations Week in the North, 16th – 22nd September

Good Relations Week in Northern Ireland is used as a showcase for the work done by may different projects. The theme this year is “OpportUNITY” and for full info see https://goodrelationsweek.com/

Nuclear ‘Russian roulette’ in Ukraine

Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has again warned of the enormous dangers posed by threats to nuclear plants in Ukraine following a drone strike and fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on 12th August. Adi Roche of CCI has repeatedly spoken of the danger of Zaporizhzhia becoming another Chernobyl and that “The inferno at Zaporizhzhia reflects a worrying trend emanating from this war, where nuclear facilities have been weaponised and brought into the increasingly volatile and unpredictable combat zones, signifying to the world that the nature of modern warfare has changed forever, and brings with it a sense of foreboding for wars of the future.” Since the beginning of the war and the invasion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in February 2022, CCI have been advocating for all nuclear facilities be deemed a ‘No War Zone’ and for world leaders to invoke the Hague Convention which defines any attack on a nuclear facility to be a ‘war crime’. https://www.chernobyl-international.com/

Feasta ‘Rethinking Growth’ videos

Videos of the sessions at the ‘Rethinking Growth – Towards a wellbeing economy for Ireland’ conference in late June are available at https://rethinking-growth.ie/ and the main Feasta website is at https://www.feasta.org/

Season of Creation – Worldwide….including Kerry

This is the worldwide Christian ‘Season of Creation’ which runs from 1st September to 4th October; lots of resources can be found in and via Eco Congregation Ireland at https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2024/07/31/resources-for-season-of-creation-2024/ One example event, organised by the Diocese of Kerry, is a webinar at 7.30pm on 12th September with Dr. Niamh Brennan sharing on ‘To hope and act with Creation’, see https://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/2024/08/season-of-creation-webinar-to-hope-and-act-with-creation/ for info and booking.

Action for Peace and Climate Justice

The first global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice, coordinated by the Arms, Militarism and Climate Justice Working Group, will take place from 21 -28 September, 2024. This initiative aims to connect peace and climate justice movements, raise awareness of the links between militarism and climate breakdown, and foster collective action for a sustainable world. This year’s theme, “Divest from War – Invest in Climate Justice,” promotes redirecting military spending to climate action. See https://climatemilitarism.org/weekofaction/ Source: QCEA https://www.qcea.org/

August 2024 News supplement to Nonviolent News 321

ICND: Annual commemoration of Hiroshima, Dublin,                6th August

Irish CND/Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will mark the 79th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, which took place on 6th August 1945, holding the customary annual commemoration in Merrion Square in Dublin.

The ceremony will take place at the memorial cherry tree in Merrion Square Park, at 1.10 p.m. on Tuesday 6th August. There will be short speeches by Deputy Lord Mayor Donna Cooney, Japanese ambassador Mr Norio Maruyama, and Irish CND vice-president Adi Roche (CEO of Chernobyl Children International). There will also be contributions of music and poetry, and a wreath of flowers will be laid at the tree at the close of the commemoration.

An estimated 80,000 people were directly killed by the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, with casualties reaching 140,000 within a year. Approximately 14,000 nuclear weapons remain in the world today, more than enough to destroy life on earth as we know it many times over.

Irish CND goes on to say: “Sadly, the dark shadow of the possibility of nuclear war looms more grimly than perhaps ever before. Russian nuclear weapons are now stationed in Belarus. Plans to resume the stationing of US nuclear weapons in the UK have been widely reported. Spending on nuclear weapons reached more than $90 billion last year, a shocking new high. Nuclear weapons states are all engaged in modernising their arsenals and delivery systems. We’ve heard bellicose rhetoric about the potential use of nuclear weapons from government representatives in Israel and Russia, and from Republican lawmakers in the United States. It would only take a moment of madness to plunge the world into an irreversible nuclear war.

“We must meet darkness with positive hope and determination. Wherever you are, even if you are not in a position to join us in person this year, please do join us in spirit to stand in solidarity with the victims of these horrific weapons of mass destruction, and to affirm our determination to work for their elimination, the only way to ensure that the ghastly events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will not be repeated.”

http://irishcnd.blogspot.ie/

Hiroshima commemoration, Galway, 3rd August

The annual Hiroshima event organised by GAAW/Galway Alliance Against War will be on Saturday 3rd August at 2pm at Spanish Arch, Galway; the speaker will be Jeremy Corbyn MP. GAAW continues to be active in a variety of areas including Shannon antiwar solidarity, work to get trade unions to oppose US military use of Shannon, working to defend the Triple Lock, and demanding the freedom of the city be removed from Hilary Clinton for her opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza. You can get put on their mailing list to be kept up to date: galwayallianceagainstwar@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/312442090965

At 6pm, also on 3rd August, there will be a book launch of “Poetry for the many: An Anthology” with Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCloskey in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway.

And PANA pinpoints part of the problem

A press release from PANA/Peace And Neutrality Alliance includes the following – “According to Roger Cole of PANA, “the NATO military alliance will not accept an emerging multipolar world, our foreign policy is based on hypocritical “double standards” on international law and on global conflicts, that has become the main driving force for a New Cold War Arms Race.”

The United States announced plans to install long-range Cruise missiles in Germany following an agreement reached at the recent NATO summit in Washington. Russian President Putin responded: “If the US implements such plans, we will consider ourselves free from the previously imposed unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range strike weapons.”

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) latest report “Surge: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending 2023” exposes the massive increase in global nuclear weapons spending. In 2023, nine nuclear armed countries spent $91.4 billion on nuclear weapons.

In 2023, military spending by NATO EU countries amounted to €215 billion, so you might expect that our Irish government representatives are out there trying to calm conflicts around the world, advocating peace, diplomacy and an end to this arms race. According to Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, newly promoted Fine Gael Minister of State with responsibility for EU Affairs and Defence. ‘We spend about €1.2bn (or 0.23pc of GDP) on defence. NATO members have a target of spending 2pc of GDP, or almost 10 times as much…I believe €3bn is a target we now need to be working steadily toward.’

PANA asks you to support those regular protests organised by Shannonwatch/IPSC at Shannon Airport for the month of August and the Annual Irish CND Hiroshima Commemoration that will be held next Tuesday 6th August in Merrion Square, Dublin.” https://www.pana.ie/

Shannon Warport vigils continue, big demo 8th September

Anti-war vigils are taking place all day every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in July and August at Shannon Airport with the theme “US military out of Shannon – No complicity with war crimes”. kinvarasolidarity@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554239395818 but for seeing the timetable and slots to volunteer contact Barry Sweeney barrysweeney11@gmail.com Meanwhile IPSC/Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign is organising a major national protest at Shannon on Sunday 8th September to coincide with the regular monthly Shannonwatch peace vigil which normally takes place at 2pm. See also http://www.shannonwatch.org/

Action Against War, Cork, and Collins Aerospace protest

A new campaign group has been established in Cork, initially under the auspices of the Cork Neutrality League. Action Against War (AAW) will campaign against Ireland’s and the EU’s increasing militarism and in defence of neutrality. The group is opposed to colonialism and imperialism, and supports liberation struggles in Palestine, Myanmar, the Sahrawi Republic (Western Sahara) and others.

The groups says: “We will campaign to keep Ireland neutral – a neutrality rooted in anti-colonialism. We defend a neutrality where Ireland sides with anti-colonial struggles – for instance, with the struggle in Palestine – and against colonisers and imperialists. That’s how neutrality was defined more than a hundred years ago when the Irish Neutrality League was set up by James Connolly and fellow revolutionaries. That’s what neutrality means to us today.”

AAW aims to to build a united front against militarism and war involving campaign groups (including Palestine-solidarity groups, anti-racism groups, tenants’ groups), trade unions, left political parties, student groups and other progressive associations and individuals.

Campaign activity in Cork will include protests at Collins Aerospace (a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon), at the Tyndall National Institute (a “deep-tech research centre”), and at other military-oriented (including dual-use exporters) companies and institutions. Shannon Airport and government parties will also be a focus for protests. AAW will support the national protest at Shannon Airport on 8th September.

On Wednesday 7th August from 3 – 5pm, AAW and the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign will hold a joint protest at Collins Aerospace, Lower Glanmire Road, Cork.

Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/

War planes in Irish skies

The Irish state has failed to block at the High Court an action by independent Senator Gerard Craughwell concerning a secret deal allowing the British Royal Air Force/RAF to intercept aircraft inside Irish airspace. Senator Craughwell has claimed any such deal is illegal and unconstitutional. See https://www.thejournal.ie/state-loses-high-court-action-to-block-senator-gerard-craughwell-case-over-secret-raf-air-policing-deal-6430367-Jul2024/

A Borda border poll, Belfast

Having proposed various constitutional arrangements, participants, for the first time ever, will cast their decision-making preferences in a multi-option border poll; they will vote at www.debordavote.com on their mobile phones on a (short) list of about six of these options, and, a few nanoseconds later, the result will emerge. 11-12 o’clock, Saturday 3rd August as an event in Féile an Phobail, at St Mary’s University College, Falls Road, Belfast. Chair – Eilish Rooney; Notes – Tommy Sands; Words – Peter Emerson. https://feilebelfast.com/events/should-majority-voting-a-cause-of-the-troubles-be-part-of-the-solution/?occurrence=2024-08-03 and see also http://www.deborda.org/

Good Relations Week deadline

Good Relations Week in Northern Ireland runs from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd September with the opportunity to showcase work done and learn about others’ approaches; the theme is ‘OpportUNiTY’. The deadline for the inclusion of events is Friday 6th September. See https://goodrelationsweek.com/

Síolta Chroí: Introduction to ecosystem restoration

An introduction to ecosystem restoration course takes place at Síolta Chroí ecosystem restoration demonstration site in Carrickmacross, Monaghan, on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of August (10:00am – 4:00 pm). The course is subsidised by a European project funded by Leargas and so it is only €50 for the two days. Participants will explore how they and their community can begin to be part of the movement of people that are working to restore local and global ecosystems. https://sioltachroi.ie/product/an-introduction-ecosystem-restoration-for-community-groups/

News, July 2024

Stair na Síochána in Éirinn

This 300 page book, in Irish, by Risteárd Mac Annraoi on the history of peace in Ireland is an important addition to thinking about peace and the story of peace in Ireland. It is published by Coiscéim at €20. It is available at some Irish language booksellers (e.g. An Siopa Leabhar in Harcourt Street, Dublin) and by post (search online). It is reviewed by Máire Úna Ní Bheaglaoich in the email and web editions of this issue of Nonviolent News.

New Afri Coordinator

The incoming coordinator of Afri is Katie Martin, taking up appointment at the start of September; Joe Murray, Afri coordinator for the past thirty years is retiring at that point. Katie Martin is a Global Citizenship Education practitioner who has worked with Development Perspectives since 2018 and has been Coordinator of the post-primary projects (the SDG Challenge Schools and Water Wise Explorers). She has a BA in International Relations and an MA in International Peacebuilding, Security and Development Practice, and is a member of Comhlámh Justice for Palestine, a former Board Member of AfrI, and an activist. Meanwhile Joe Murray was surprised with a farewell party he knew nothing about, at the Teachers’ Club in Dublin on 6th June…a hundred people gathered to pay tribute to him and the work Afri engages in without him knowing anything about it beforehand! Afri website www.afri.ie For a photo of Katie and Joe at the farewell party for Joe, see https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53826121818/in/dateposted/

lAfri Doolough Famine Walk video

A 12 minute video on this year’s Afri Doolough Famine Walk, including extracts from powerful talks by Faten Sourani and Donal O’Kelly on Palestine, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2iCG99vN_E with the text of those talks available on the Afri website at www.afri.ie

Conflict Textiles; Threads of Empowerment

A new Conflict Textiles exhibition, Threads of Empowerment, with nearly thirty arpilleras on violence and conflict, human rights violations, poverty, oppression and environmental issues, is on display in the Ulster Muesum, Belfast, until January 2025. It is arguably the most powerful presentation of arpilleras in Ireland to date. Other contemporary displays of arpilleras/textiles are in The Troubles and Beyond exhibition also at Ulster Museum; at McClay Library, QUB; UU Coleraine campus and Belfast campus; Linenhall Library, Belfast; Tower Museum, Derry; the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny; and Ballymoney Museum. Full details at https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/ and click on ‘Events’.

Shannon vigils, July and August

Suggested by Kinvara Palestine group, in the summer months there will be an increased number of anti-war vigils at Shannon with vigils proposed every weekend with the theme “US military out of Shannon – No complicity with war crimes”. kinvarasolidarity@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554239395818 but for seeing the timetable and slots to volunteer contact Barry Sweeney barrysweeney11@gmail.com

GAAW: Galway Alliance Against War – Hiroshima and more

GAAW’s annual Hiroshima event will be on Saturday 3rd August at 2pm in Eyre Square, Galway; the speaker will be Jeremy Corbyn. GAAW continues to be active in a variety of areas including Shannon antiwar solidarity, work to get trade unions to oppose US military use of Shannon, working to defend the Triple Lock, and demanding the freedom of the city be removed from Hilary Clinton for her opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza. You can get put on their mailing list to be kept up to date: galwayallianceagainstwar@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/312442090965

Caverns are not great gas

Campaigners against giant gas caverns in Larne Lough won a victory in the NI Court of Appeal in mid June when there was a ruling that the matter should have gone to the whole Northern Ireland Executive. Campaigners, including No Gas Caverns, Friends of the Earth NI, and the PILS Project, celebrated the overturning of a previous decision by the (ir)responsible minister to allow these giant caverns to be made locking the North into fossil fuels and with great environmental risks. Word search for further info and see https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/no-gas-caverns-under-larne-lough

Tools for Solidarity: 40

From 3rd to 7th July, Tools for Solidarity is celebrating four decades of work. The big celebration event will be on Friday 5th July at the Dockers’ Club, 57 Pilot Street, Belfast with the Hoakers and others, plus Tim McGarry and Terri Hooley; 7.30pm for 8pm, suggested donation £10/£7 unwaged. There is an open day workshop at their Sunnyside (up!) Street headquarters, Belfast from 11am – 5pm, also on 5th July, and the following day, 6th July, a treasure hunt beginning at Belfast City Hall at 12 noon. Tools For Solidarity is a not-for-profit organisation in Belfast which is fully run by international, local and supported volunteers; the main focus is to support artisans in the poorest parts of the world and mostly in the countries of Africa. Lots more info at https://www.toolsforsolidarity.com/

Mairead Maguire on Gaza

For links to talks by Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire on Gaza, and a written A plea for peace by a mother, see News items at http://www.peacepeople.com/

ICCL campaigns for Special Criminal Court abolition

ICCL, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, continues to campaign for the abolition of the jury-less Special Criminal Court, 52 years after it was introduced as an ‘emergency’ measure. Two different review groups have been established by the government to examine the Offences Against the State Acts and the Special Criminal Court, with reports in 2002 and 2023 but, to date, none of their recommendations have been implemented. ICCL continues to call for the Special Criminal Court to be abolished and the jury system to be reformed to protect jurors with proportionate measures ensuring human rights are not interfered with. https://www.iccl.ie/police-justice-reform/state-of-emergency-52-years-of-the-special-criminal-court/

CGE: Reimagining Development podcasts

The Centre for Global Education (CGE) in Belfast https://www.centreforglobaleducation.com/ has a new series of podcasts which aim to discuss new ways of thinking about and practising global education and international development. Go to https://open.spotify.com/show/0I9MX9YXBsq6Ldon9jyIQp

Amnesty International on ‘shocking’ PSNI surveillance report

Amnesty International’s Patrick Corrigan has said that ‘The police appear to have forgotten that journalism is not a crime’ following the publication of a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) report on their use of surveillance on journalists and lawyers. This showed 323 applications for journalists’ phone data including 10 attempts to identify confidential sources and 500 applications for lawyers’ phone data raising questions on compromised lawyer-client confidentiality in the reporting period 2011-2024. AI has also expressed concern about a 21% increase in the use of various forms of force by PSNI in the year to April 2024. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Northern-Ireland

Political advocacy and communications with Rochtain/ICCL

Rochtain is taking expressions of interest in its training to build advocacy capacity and understanding of the political system with smaller community and grassroots organisations around the Republic. It has already provided three rounds of online training to over 150 organisations plus 1-to-1 sessions. Training is provided free. There is a survey on needs at https://www.surveyhero.com/c/gbmfunuy and you can enquire directly to ronan.kennedy@iccl.ie

Eco-Congregation small grants scheme

Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) has a new small grants scheme for churches and congregations for small scale practical projects which are either already running or will begin before the end of 2024. The church or congregation must have already registered with ECI (a very simple process) and begun their Eco-Congregation journey. The closing date for applications is 31st July. https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/ You can also sign up there to receive the regular ECI newsletter.

FOE Cuppa for Climate

Friends of the Earth Ireland is continuing its Cuppa for Climate campaign as a way of helping bring people together to talk about the climate crisis in an informal yet constructive way that leads to an invitation to explore positive actions together. It can be used as a fundraiser and/or as a way to mobilise people locally. More info at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/cuppa-for-climate/signup and see also their Act Local project https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/act-local/

Bremen Peace Prize

Church and Peace has welcomed the award of the the Bremen Peace Prize, from the Schwelle Foundation, to its board member Maria Biedrawa for her work in various African countries including the Central African Republic: Connection e.V. was awarded the group peace prize simultaneously for its work protecting conscientious objectors. https://dieschwelle.de/en/home https://www.church-and-peace.org/en/

World Beyond War resources

While some of the material is US-centric, World Beyond War has a large variety of useful resources on its website including many podcasts, go to https://worldbeyondwar.org/resources/ and you can select what kind of material you are interested in.

Síolta Chroí courses

Courses at Síolta Chroí over the summer include An introduction to Ecosystem Renewal for community groups on 10th and 11th August, and a one day taster on Syntropic Agriculture (respecting the principles of life) on 13th July, both in Carrickmacross, Monaghan. More info at https://sioltachroi.ie/

News, May 2024

Lex Innocentium/Law of the Innocents, 21st Century

A new project is being launched called Lex Innocentium, 21st Century. It is inspired, in the first instance, by the original Lex Innocentium, The Law of the Innocents, decreed by an Irish Monk, Adomnán, ninth Abbot of Iona, in the year 697 AD at the Synod of Birr, Co. Offaly. Lex Innocentium declared it a crime to kill or harm in war women and non-combatants (those too young to engage in war). Given the very unsettled times in which we live, and given the extremely harmful and destructive nature of the weapons existing today, the project believes it is time to write a new Lex Innocentium – one for the 21st Century. This new law will include The Earth and the Future as Innocents in war; it will be a bottom-up, soft-power, people’s law – a law for and of people all over the world who are opposed to war and who care for the future of humanity and the Earth. It will also be a legacy document for future generations.

It is proposed asking those who attend the launch of the new law to sign as official signatories of the law and others will be invited to commit and subscribe to the law on the website. The organisers say “In this way, we hope to develop a roll of subscribers who can act as a collective voice for the protection of the innocent, including the Earth and the Future, from the scourge of war.” It is planned to launch on Saturday 21st of September at Birr in the morning and then Redwood Castle, Lorrha, Co Tipperary later (this has a 17th century Annals of the Four Masters link to Adomnán’s Law). It is hoped to launch the website shortly. Contact sean27english@gmail.com Watch this space for more info.

Afri Doolough Famine Walk: Remembrance and Solidarity – for Gaza

Afri’s annual Doolough valley famine walk, commemorating a real Gorta Mór famine walk in 1849 in which many people died on the way to and from Delphi Lodge, takes place on Saturday 18th May. This year the Famine Walk is dedicated to highlighting and standing against genocide in Palestine. Walk leaders are; Faten Sourani, from Gaza, who is a lawyer and advocate for human rights and social justice; Donal O’Kelly who is a writer, performer and activist; and music will be by Irish-Palestinian artist Roisín El Cherif. Registration takes place from 11 am – 12 noon on 18th May at the parish hall in the centre of Louisburgh, Co Mayo, followed by an opening ceremony; buses will then take participants to the starting point at Delphi Lodge (no parking there). A brief ceremony will be held in Delphi Lodge before the 17 km walk back to Louisburgh (pick up by shuttle car if it gets too much). Registration fee is €25, unwaged €15, children free, including the bus; sponsorship is welcome with money going to cover costs and support Afri’s work. Details at https://www.afri.ie/category/famine-walk-2024/ and film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF-je_JYhPc

UN Chernobyl Disaster: Warning of further disaster

26th April is ‘United Nations Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day’. Adi Roche, voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI), has warned that the full-extent of the Chernobyl disaster has not yet been realised, and that worse is on the horizon if the war in Ukraine escalates further. Since the beginning of the war and the invasion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in February 2022, CCI have been advocating for all nuclear facilities be deemed a ‘No War Zone’ and for World Leaders to invoke the Hague Convention which defines any attack on a nuclear facility to be a ‘war crime’.

However, with the weaponising of nuclear power at Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, the country falls further and further away from the confines of safety; “The accident at Chernobyl happened as a result of faults in the technology and human error. However, if a nuclear accident happens at Zaporizhzhia, it could very well be intentional. We cannot overstate the current critical situation and nuclear threat in Ukraine. We must do everything in our power to prevent Zaporizhzhia from becoming the next ‘Chernobyl’. We neglect Ukraine at our peril”, Roche cautioned. See https://www.chernobyl-international.com/ and https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53676683472/in/dateposted/

Rethinking Growth conference, 25th-26th June, at TCD, Dublin

This event, organised by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Ireland Hub https://weall.org/hub/ireland (which includes Feasta) builds on the Beyond Growth Conference, a cross-party initiative of 20 Members of the European Parliament which took place in Brussels in May 2023. It aims to bring together politicians from across the political spectrum from North and South, policymakers, practitioners, thought leaders and civil society from all around the island to reimagine the concept and role of economic growth, to explore current challenges being faced in both jurisdictions, and to build better foundations for a wellbeing economy for the island of Ireland. See https://rethinking-growth.ie/

Bitter Legacy: State impunity in the Northern Ireland conflict

A new 200-page report with this title has been issued by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. Following the introduction of the British Government’s Legacy Bill, at the request of the CAJ/Committee on the Administration of Justice https://caj.org.uk/ and the Pat Finucane Centre https://www.patfinucanecentre.org/ an International Expert Panel was convened by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights and this is its report. The report focuses on three thematic areas: state killings and impunity, collusion and impunity, and torture and impunity.

Key findings of the report include the revelation that the British government not only engaged in collusion but also blocked proper police investigations into conflict-related killings to protect implicated security force members and agents. The report also highlights the impact of the Legacy Act, and the panel calls for its repeal, warning it will damage Britain’s worldwide reputation. The report documents much wider evidence of security force torture and ill-treatment than previously reported and dismisses state claims that only rogue security force personnel were involved in collusion. It also found that the Irish Government failed to carry out effective investigations, damaging victims’ right to justice. It includes the steps needed for justice and accountability to be achieved (with recommendations for the British and Irish governments); the full report is very comprehensive. It can be downloaded via https://www.jus.uio.no/smr/english/about/id/news/2024/report-reveals-state-impunity-in-northern-ireland-.html or via the CAJ website,

FOE 50:

Friends of the Earth in Ireland celebrated working for 50 years with a special Education Day in Dublin. You can find out about its varied projects and work, including the option of signing up for international solidarity actions, and a training weekend for youth and community workers on 17th May, at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/

Glencree 50, new board members

The members of the new Glencree board are profiled briefly on their website at www.glencree.ie along with news and information on projects. Meanwhile Glencree marks 50 years of existence this year, having been founded in 1974.

Rates: relief for arms producers but not for end recipients….

In a Northern Ireland desperate for funding to avoid further drastic cuts, it is incredible that rates relief is given to arms manufacturers and also those on the BDS list for involvement with Israel. A question from Gerry Carroll MLA revealed that while Thales was not on the list because of how the question was answered, Spirit Aerosystems, Caterpillar and Teva NI were included.

500 at April monthly Shannon Warport demo

There was a large attendance at the 2nd Sunday of the month demo (2 pm) at Shannon Airport on 14th April. A statement made there by Shannonwatch included that “The continuing misuse of Shannon airport by aircraft associated with the US military since 7th October 2023, makes the Irish State and the Irish government complicit in the war crimes and the probable genocide by Israel against the Palestinian people, because the US has been very actively supporting Israel with weapons, munitions, and political support.” Fuller info at www.shannonwatch.org and see also https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53688113690/in/photostream/

Aldergrove, Belfast Int’l Airport, joins Shannon in monthly vigil

There is now a monthly vigil at Aldergrove/Belfast International Airport at the same time as that at Shannon; 2pm on the second Sunday of the month with the next one being 12th May. Meet at the first roundabout coming from Belfast. It is opposing the role of military flights (US, UK, NATO – and these do come through the civilian part of Aldergrove) in their role in supporting genocide in Gaza. Belfast International and Aldergrove military airport share an adjoining runway which is being used as a landing site and de-facto military base for the U.S. military and NATO allies. See https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vsid-Z8Kz2_OwqjPdxJEXE56zy1vVGAs6Sne6Mw5g-0/edit and contact cairdepalestinebf@gmail.com

Good Relations awards, Good Relations Week in the North

The Good Relations awards, coordinated by the Community Relations Council, for 2024 were announced in March; the Exceptional Achievement Award (peace building) went to Elizabeth (Betty) Carlisle and Recognition Awards for Harry Maher and Joe McKeown; Good Relations Volunteer of the Year Award went to Yvonne Heaney with Recognition Awards to Helen Dunn and James Reynolds; Good Relations Community Champion Award went to David Patterson; Good Relations Youth Award (Under 25) winner was Crosslink Volunteer Team Youth Initiative; Good Relations Connecting Communities Project of the Year winner was Waterside Shared Village. https://www.community-relations.org.uk

lMeanwhile Good Relations Week 2024, with the title ‘OpportUNITY’, coordinated by the Community Relations Council, will run from Monday 16th September to Sunday 22nd September with an anticipated programme of over 200 cross community and multi-cultural events across the region. https://goodrelationsweek.com/

Corrymeela podcast

There is a new series of Corrymeela podcasts with Pádraig Ó Tuama in conversation recently with, among others, John Paul Lederach, Jan Carson, Dong Jin Kim, and Rev Dr Rachel Mann (and lots more previously). See https://www.publictheologyireland.com/podcast and www.corrymeela.org for more general news and information about Corrymeela’s work.

Police reform in a changing Ireland: ICCL and CAJ conference

Police Reform in a Changing Ireland: Next Steps After the Commission on the Future of Policing’ is a conference run by ICCL/Irish Council for Civil Liberties in partnership with CAJ/Committee on the Administration of Justice; it takes place on Thursday 16th May at Renehan Hall, Maynooth University. It will take a past, present and future view of human rights-based policing on the island of Ireland, more than five years on from the publication of the final report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI). There is a range of relevant speakers. https://www.iccl.ie/police-justice-reform/iccl-caj-annual-policing-conference-2024-police-reform-in-a-changing-ireland-next-steps-after-the-commission-on-the-future-of-policing/

Videos: Afri, de Borda

lA short film about the Feile na Beatha/Festival of Living in Carlow, organised by Afri and SETU, is available on the Afri YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PJmyybMytU&t=3s See also www.afri.ie

lAn 11 minute film with Peter Emerson speaking about voting mechanisms, put together for a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences hybrid conference is available at https://vimeo.com/919681575 See also www.deborda.org