Nonviolent Action Network

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Nonviolence International staff were asked the question, How does MLK, Jr. continue to influence your life?  Here are some of their answers.

“I was raised with Dr. King as a role-model. We have many people who are primarily conflict avoiders in our somewhat spoiled society. Dr. King refused to sweep white supremacism and racial segregration under the carpet. He was a fighter, a nonviolent fighter who tried to show his opponents that change would actually be beneficial to all. If the US political leaders had followed the values and policies of Dr. King (and the Congressional Black Caucus) since 1968, we would live in a more just and peaceful world. His dream lives in me.”

- Michael Beer

“As a Palestinian with my people divided over many countries, I feel that Dr. King’s success in promoting equality and justice for African Americans is inspirational. I hope my Palestinian colleagues in Israel and elsewhere will struggle with nonviolent means to end the second-class treatment of Palestinians. Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy was deeply grounded in his religious beliefs which focused on the inherit worth of all people and a refusal to make opponents enemies. I believe strongly in promoting a nonviolent philosophy of truth, dignity and courage. King’s Memphis allies carried around signs that read, “I am a man.” I Am A Palestinian.”

- Mubarak Awad

“On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Iranian activists are following his example, engaging in mass protests, boycotts, strikes and civil resistance to fight for freedom and justice because they do not seek peace that comes at the price of quiet repression. Dr. King is often cited as an authority on peace and reconciliation. But what I find impressive about him is not his willingness to take the safe option of going with the flow, but his relentless challenging of the status quo. He understood that without justice, equality and freedom, the promise of peace rang hollow. He did not see peace narrowly and solely as the lack of violence and war as many activists do today, but peace of the mind, heart and conscious that will only come with justice and equality–peace in every sense of the word. That’s the peace that inspires me, and that is why I follow the example of Dr. King.”

- Sam Sedaei

“I am part of a generation that learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. beginning in elementary school. My teachers introduced him as one of many heroes in American history, but it wasn’t until much later that I was really introduced to Dr. King. I learned he was not only a civil rights leader, but also a strong advocate of the use of nonviolent methods to address conflict and injustice. As we reflect on his life and service this year, I am struck by just how unique he was in our historical tradition, which tends to celebrate people who achieve change through one form of violence or another. Dr. King continues to inspire me to seek an end to injustice wherever it occurs with passion and conviction, but without violence. ”

- Matt Chandler

“The words and actions of Dr. King have inspired major decisions in my life.  When my uncle was taken as a political prisoner in 1976 by the military dictatorship in Uruguay, I learned at a young age that those who pursue active nonviolence can be targeted as enemies by the powers that be.  This was reconfirmed when learning about the life and witness of Dr. King who said in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech delivered on April 4, 1967, a year before he was assassinated, that the United States is ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.’  In early June 2009, President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras hosted leaders of the hemisphere under the theme ‘Culture of Nonviolence,’ where Dr. King’s spirit was very present.  Later that month, President Zelaya was ousted violently in a military coup, and he remains holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where I have learned about his commitment to the principles of nonviolence espoused by Dr. King.”

- Andres Thomas Conteris

We encourage you to add your answers as comments to this post.

Lynne Shivers, long time NV scholar and activist, shared the news that George Willoughby died today.

With great sadness, I report that George Willoughby died at 2:20 AM on Tuesday, January 5 at home. He complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing, then died.  Family members were with him.

He was Co-founder of many organizations and efforts including:
Peace Brigades International,
World Brigades,
Movement for  New Society,
Central Committee on Conscientious Objection.

He sailed on the Golden Rule that was the first direct action against nuclear weapons testing. He participated in first invasions of Nevada Nuclear test site. An incredible activist and leader with world-wide impact.

As a friend wrote, all is well, and all will be well, but right now it feels like there is a hole in the universe.

You can connect with the family at his house where his daughter Sally, lives: 340 Pine St., Deptford, NJ 08096.  Phone 856-227-5723.  Sally’s e-mail is <willowbee@juno.com>

Plans for the memorial meeting are being made.

Andres Conteris, Nonviolence International Director of the Americas Program, has outlined 10 additional ways the US government has supported the Honduras coup d’etat.  Despite vigorous nonviolent resistance, the coup appears to have largely succeeded at great cost to the Hondurans, the future of democracy in Latin America, and to perceptions of continued US patronizing policies.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/03-7

Al Giordano  of  Narconews has an article explaining how the resistance movements in Honduras and Iran are here to stay. And that media coverage often focuses on the elite leadership fight but does not substantially explain the power shifts and breaks at the street level.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/3701/iran-civil-resistance-breaks-through-censorship-again

On December 30th, 2009 Gus Dur died at the age of 69.  He was a key figure in Indonesian history serving as a transition president after the Suharto era.  He was an ardent admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and promoted values of nonviolence, tolerance, religious pluralism, and democracy.

Here is a post that describes in some detail his belief and commitment to nonviolence.

World wide activism in support of the resistance to the Coup D’etat has been terrific. Demonstrations, hunger fasts, letters to editors, politicians, and much more.  Andres Thomas Conteris has been in Honduras since the coup and has served as a bridge between international and local resistance efforts.

People like Andres are key to stitching together a sustainable and powerful and coordinated movement.

Here is an audio link to his interview on KPFA on the 6 month anniversary of the Coup.

US President Obama’s visit Japan became something meaningful for those who are seeking a peaceful world in Japan. In his interview, he referred to his interest to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the future. In addition to his speech in Prague expressing his strong commitment on nuclear détente, this statement was accepted with a huge applause by Japanese people, because this is what no US President has ever done. Many Japanese appreciated his sincere efforts toward peace in the world.

War is a violation of humanity and social welfare. War is wrong because it produces a lot of grief and hatred, among not only present generations, but also future generations on all both sides. Many Japanese think what Japan did during World War II was wrong. Victims of the atomic bomb blasts understand the situation at that time, and many think it was inevitable. However, after decades of suffering, now they realize the reason why they have to survive, and their responsibility for peace promotion. They tried to hide themselves from society and conceal their identity as victims. Now, they begin to tell their stories to help people understand how tragic war is. They have even become brave enough to show their tears while recounting their experiences. They do not ask for an apology or issue blame for dropping the atomic bombs; instead, they wish for peace in the world so that there will be no more people like them.

The reality is cruel, and sometimes people make difficult decisions. What people can do and what they should do are different. To make a responsible decision, they have to know its consequences. Therefore, it is good for the US President who, is legitimized with enormous power, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to truly see the consequences of nuclear weapons. We cannot make his decision, but we can support him to make a good decision.

“Please rest peacefully; we shall never repeat the mistake.” These are the words engraved on the memorial for the atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. We should keep this oath for peace in our minds and reflect on our actions. With his unprecedented statements about the goal of nuclear disarmament, with US President Obama in office there may be a great opportunity to respond to those voices and bring peace into all war victims’ hearts.

US President Obama’s visit Japan became something meaningful for those who are seeking a peaceful world in Japan.  In his interview, he referred to his interest to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the future. In addition to his speech in Prague expressing his strong commitment on nuclear détente, this statement was accepted with a huge applause by Japanese people, because this is what no US President has ever done. Many Japanese appreciated his sincere efforts toward peace in the world.

War is a violation of humanity and social welfare. War is wrong because it produces a lot of grief and hatred, among not only present generations, but also future generations on all both sides. Many Japanese think what Japan did during World War II was wrong. Victims of the atomic bomb blasts understand the situation at that time, and many think it was inevitable. However, after decades of suffering, now they realize the reason why they have to survive, and their responsibility for peace promotion. They tried to hide themselves from society and conceal their identity as victims. Now, they begin to tell their stories to help people understand how tragic war is. They have even become brave enough to show their tears while recounting their experiences. They do not ask for an apology or issue blame for dropping the atomic bombs; instead, they wish for peace in the world so that there will be no more people like them.

The reality is cruel, and sometimes people make difficult decisions. What people can do and what they should do are different. To make a responsible decision, they have to know its consequences. Therefore, it is good for the US President who, is legitimized with enormous power, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to truly see the consequences of nuclear weapons. We cannot make his decision, but we can support him to make a good decision.

“Please rest peacefully; we shall never repeat the mistake.” These are the words engraved on the memorial for the atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. We should keep this oath for peace in our minds and reflect on our actions. With his unprecedented statements about the goal of nuclear disarmament, with US President Obama in office there may be a great opportunity to respond to those voices and bring peace into all war victims’ hearts.

On the morning of October 7, 2007, Nonviolence International and SOA Watch, two nonviolent grassroots organizations aiming to close the School of the Americas (SOA), worked together for vigil and lobbying to support the US Congressional bill HR 2576 to suspend and investigate the school of the Americas/WHINEC in morning. As a citizen from Japan, this was a very interesting experience because these kinds of activities are not so common in Japan.

At first, we got together in front of Capitol South Metro Station at 8 am. We held banners and handed out flyers and postcards introducing SOA Watch and insisting on importance of closing the SOA from a human rights perspective. We were targeting people coming out of the station for work on Capitol Hill. My mission was holding a banner with a nice and friendly smile. I saw some people make a glance at us, but most of them were too busy to stop. This was not difficult at all, but the challenge to me was distribution of handouts. I was shy doing this kind of thing; however, I had an idea of what to do because there are many people who give out flyers and advertising tissues to people on street to promote business in Japan. Fortunately, most of the handouts assigned to me were gone by the end of the vigil.

After the vigil, we moved to lobbying Congressional Representatives to cosponsor the bill HR 2567. This was my first experience visiting offices at the US Capitol, and I had no idea how to deal with politicians. I felt a big pressure on my shoulders, but I was thankful to another participant who stood by me and showed what to do. Moreover, unlike what I expected, the Congressional staffs were so nice and kind to me when I visited their offices. This released a lot of pressure. After visiting a few offices, I was comfortable walking around and passing out our materials to ask them to support HR 2567. I got the impression that US politicians were very open to common people, a much closer relationship between politics and people than in Japan because we cannot visit politicians’ offices as easily. I was impressed by the openness of US politics to common people. From this point, I thought civil society is more developed in US.

Developing civil society is not easy task and requires a long time. There are many conditions to fulfill first. Looking around the world, many countries do not have a strong civil society. Even developed countries like Japan do not have it like the US. Civil society development may call for struggles and pains before appearing in front of us, but this is the only way that people are empowered and become engaged citizens, rather than just bystanders in a crowd. Democracy is an unfamiliar concept for many people in the world, but as our institution enlarges, we are needed to understand the value and meaning of democracy to protect our lives. This trend is growing slowly but steadily. The important thing right now is to believe in the value of democracy and power of people for our bright future and those efforts will be worthwhile.

Here is an interview with Andres Thomas Conteris who directs the Nonviolence International Program on the Americas.

This is courtesy of Democracy Now!

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/22/report_from_honduras_ousted_president_manuel

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has made a dramatic return to his country nearly three months after the military coup that forced him into exile. On Monday, Zelaya reappeared in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Speaking from the embassy’s roof, Zelaya said he had arrived after a lengthy trip, traveling sometimes by foot to avoid detection.

PRESIDENT MANUEL ZELAYA: [translated] I had to travel for fifteen hours, sometimes walking, other times marching in different areas in the middle of the night, because I wanted to celebrate the country’s independence day with the Honduran people. Those who believe that governing was something easy have made a mistake. To govern is something serious. Governing requires talent, dedication and love for the people.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Zelaya wouldn’t provide specifics, but it’s unlikely he could have returned without help from elements of the Honduran military or intelligence services. That prospect could signify a further setback for the Honduran coup regime, which has relied on military support to defy internal unrest and global isolation.

The head of the coup regime, Roberto Micheletti, initially dismissed reports of Zelaya’s return as, quote, “media terrorism.” But as thousands of Zelaya supporters descended on the Brazilian embassy, Micheletti imposed a national curfew and took to the airwaves. Flanked by his cabinet and top military leaders, Micheletti called on Brazil to hand over Zelaya for arrest.

ROBERTO MICHELETTI: [translated] It is not clear why Mr. Zelaya has returned to Honduras at this time. Only he knows this. But I cannot reach another conclusion other than he is here to continue hampering the celebrations of our elections next November 29th, as he has done so far, as well as his followers, for a few weeks now.

I made a call to the government of Brazil so that they respect the judicial order against Mr. Zelaya and hand him over to the authorities of Honduras. The state of Honduras is committed to respecting the rights of Mr. Zelaya to the mentioned process. The eyes of the world are placed on Brazil and also on Honduras. Let’s not allow passions of a few stain the reputation and image of our people.

AMY GOODMAN: Zelaya’s supporters are reportedly planning to march on the palace later today. Here in the US, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged both sides to engage in dialogue.

HILLARY CLINTON: It’s imperative that dialogue begin, that there be a channel of communication between President Zelaya and the de facto regime in Honduras. And it’s also imperative that the return of President Zelaya does not lead to any conflict or violence, but instead that everyone act in a peaceful way to try to find some common ground. Once again, the Costa Ricans will be using their good offices to try to encourage that to occur.

AMY GOODMAN: Clinton was speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where she met with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. After the meeting, Arias said he’d be willing to travel to Honduras to resume his efforts at brokering a negotiated solution.

PRESIDENT OSCAR ARIAS: I think this is the best—the best opportunity, the best time, now that Zelaya is back in his country, for the two parties to sign the San José accord. It’s all we have on the table. There is no B plan. And when we wrote this San José accord, it was after listening to everybody. We took suggestions from each of the parties.

I would be willing to go, but if both sides—if both parties ask me to—to go to Tegucigalpa, I certainly would be more than pleased to go and see what I can do.

AMY GOODMAN: The Nobel Peace laureate, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

We now go directly to the Brazilian embassy, inside, in Tegucigalpa to Andres Conteris, who works with us at Democracy Now! and on the Program on the Americas director for Nonviolence International.

We welcome you to Democracy Now!, Andres. What’s happening right now?

ANDRES CONTERIS: Amy, good to talk with you.

About forty minutes ago, there was a very violent removal by the military and police of over 500 protesters who were outside the embassy dancing and rejoicing and celebrating all night. I was able to see them in their incredible, incredible spirit of jubilation as they expressed that since the news arrived that President Zelaya was returning to the country. Then, about forty minutes ago, there was a massive, massive tear gas attack and a violent removal of all of the over 500 people in front of the embassy.

I’m inside the embassy with about 150 people who are inside. There was no direct attack against the embassy itself, but the tear gas did enter, and it affected every single one of us inside the embassy. I’m now in the room where the President slept, and I’m with the First Lady nearby. Everyone, everyone was affected by this tear gas attack. But fortunately, there are no permanent injuries. We’re not aware of any injuries, but I’m sure there were many of those who were protesting and celebrating outside the embassy.

AMY GOODMAN: Andres, can you tell us how did President Zelaya return to Honduras?

ANDRES CONTERIS: Reports are, Amy—and he was asked directly, and he answered in a very general way, but the reports are that he flew from Nicaragua to El Salvador and then reached the border there at a place called El Amatillo and there entered into the trunk of a car and crossed about fifty—I’m sorry, about twenty police barricades and was never detected. He drove straight to—his driver took him straight to the Brazilian embassy.

Initial reports were that the President was in Honduras and that he was at the United Nations headquarters. So the initial rally of celebration went there to the United Nations. There were thousands and thousands of people there rejoicing. And then the word came that he was at the Brazilian embassy. And then we transferred that celebration here.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And Andres, why did the Brazilians take him in, have him have refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa?

ANDRES CONTERIS: It’s very clear that Brazil has been a very strong advocate of President Zelaya during this entire crisis. And because of the power and the symbolism of the strength of South America and Brazil being the strongest and largest of those countries, it’s clear that I think President Zelaya decided that this was the place that it was best to come to. And when he arrived, they of course opened the doors. The Brazilian authorities report that they did not know ahead of time that he was coming here, but he was welcomed when he came. And his family was reunited here in the embassy for the first time after eighty-six days of being separated.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And the President—the head of the coup regime, Roberto Micheletti, has continued his call for Zelaya’s arrest. What does President Zelaya say right now about that?

ANDRES CONTERIS: President Zelaya speaks very positively, in a very reconciling mode. He does not even take seriously what coup regime leader Micheletti is saying. Micheletti is saying that there’s a jail space waiting for President Zelaya. However, President Zelaya is really focusing on the way to truly resolve this crisis by seeking mediation.

Today, it’s hopefully expected that Mr. Insulza, the head of the OAS, will arrive. However, they have closed the airports, and it’s not certain if they will allow the plane to land with Mr. Insulza from the OAS.

AMY GOODMAN: Andres Conteris is speaking to us from inside the embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Brazilian embassy. Roberto Micheletti says that he wants Brazil to hand over the ousted president. Andres, is there a response from Zelaya on that request?

ANDRES CONTERIS: In terms of that request, no, there was no direct response. It’s really treating this coup regime as a nonentity, so much as possible, and not recognizing their authority. Many who were in the streets heard about the curfew that was imposed at 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon and held—and was enforced all night, and they did not respond to it, because they believe that President Zelaya is the one president, and he is the only one who can give an order for a curfew. And so, they continued to celebrate in the streets.

A new book for ages 10 years to adult. It looks terrific.  It appears to have a diversity of heroes on grounds of gender, geography, and culture. It also has a few collective movement/heroic stories.

The material does have an over emphasis on US stories.

This has a good balance of focus on nonviolence as a value system/way of life versus nonviolent action as a powerful/utilitarian tool for meeting ones needs.