Bulletin


	Northern Friends Peace Bulletin


Issue 2: 11 December 2001

**Northern Friends Peace Board (NFPB), Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street, Bolton BL1 2AS** **Tel: 0845 458 3095 Email: nfpb@gn.apc.org Web: www.gn.apc.org/nfpb**
Dear Friends, We hope you find this bulletin helpful. We still do not have email addresses for all Meetings, but are very grateful for all those that have responded so promptly. Please pass onto us any comments about the bulletin and email contacts for meetings still receiving this through the letter box. Thank you. In peace, Philip Austin, NFPB Co-ordinator Quaker Quote *"We oppose war* . War is the ultimate rejection of God's creation. We have living experience of the transforming power of nonviolent response to evil. We support alternative actions that our government, with the international community, can take to respond to the attacks and to prevent further violence. We believe that the sources of the violence that hurts us all can be exposed and transformed through creative, courageous, and unexpected acts that restore justice, heal human relationships, and untangle the deep roots of this conflict." From Epistle of the General Committee of the Friends Committee on National Legislation November 11, 2001
UK peace movement Network for Peace The Crisis Response Group of this national networking body seems to have run out of steam for the time being, They are shortly to hold the last of their regular meetings and then a meeting to evaluate the group's work. Most of those involved have been from already stretched peace organisations, so the peace agenda is not being neglected even though this group may have completed it's initial task. Media Workers Against War (MWAW) This group has continued to maintain an excellent website with a good collection of up-to-date comment from journalists from different media. One of the most challenging recent pieces is the account by The Independent's Robert Fisk of his experiences of being brutally attacked by a group of Afghan refugees in Afghanistan. He writes: In spite suffering from serious head injuries, he writes: "The people who were assaulted were the Afghans, the scars inflicted by us – by B-52s, not by them. And I'll say it again. If I was an Afghan refugee in Kila Abdullah, I would have done just what they did. I would have attacked Robert Fisk. Or any other Westerner I could find. " This brings to mind the quote from the 1980s Quaker poster: "Let us take the risks of peace upon ourselves, not impose the risks of war upon others." Local Groups The many Stop the War groups around the country are continuing their vigils and other acts of public witness, although numbers have declined in some places. And many have pursued their concerns with local MPs; one group focussing on the prospects of future military action against Iraq and the need to address the problems of the Middle East as a whole, for example. John Nicholson, interviewed for a recent issue of Red Pepper, expressed a vision for the future of the Coalition: The appeal to a wider audience, whose anger and energy most frightens governments, is what the alliance of socialists, greens, peace campaigners and Muslim groups must build on. Campaigning is not only about stopping the war; it also means promoting peace; taking time to discuss, seeking a longer-term view, rather than just reacting to the next single issue that comes along. It is imperative that we are not tough on refugees, but on the causes that drive people to seek asylum -- poverty, famine, debt, starvation ... and war. Is this a challenge that Friends can help address in their local groups? New Christian Network On 21st November the Christian Coalition for Peace Now was launched. This is not a membership body, but seeks to be a platform for organisations and individual supporters. There will also be some joint activities, the first of which will be on the 14th December, coinciding with the Pope's call for a Day of Fasting for World Peace. They will be organising vigils against the war around the country. For more information contact Sam Perlo Ferlmann, CAAT Christian Network co-ordinator at: CAAT Christian Network The NFPB website continues to list events around the north: www.gn.apc.org/nfpb
Civil Liberties concerns Liberty, the UK civil liberties campaigning body has produced a briefing on the bill currently receiving a rough ride in the House of Lords, concluding: We believe that the UK already has some of the most draconian anti-terrorism measures anywhere in the Western World and further measures are likely to violate fundamental principles, be counter-productive in the long term and at the same time are unlikely to be effective. We would therefore urge caution before new laws are put in place. Any new proposals should be subject to proper consideration by Parliament and should not be rushed through. Since the Bill will shortly back before the Commons, now is the time to write to your MP if you have concerns about this. Friends in the USA, meanwhile, are facing even tougher measures, with scrutiny of religious groups now part of the FBI's brief. Friends Committee on National Legislation has produced an informative briefing to support Friends there in taking the issue up with their elected representatives.
Other issues Arms trade Early in November, the Council of the European Union took the decision to lift the embargo on arms exports to Afghanistan, which has been in place since 1996 (although the Taliban, whatever is left of them, are still included in the embargo). Given the still very volatile situation in the country, the consequences of this decision give considerable cause for concern. If our governments are genuinely concerned to support the development of a peaceful and democratic society there, they might be encouraged to see stopping the flow of yet more weapons into the country as a valuable tool. Why not raise this question with your MP? Peace and nonviolence In October a number of Nobel Peace Prize laureates have put their name to an appeal. The appeal reads, in part: *"Human Life Is Sacred - An Appeal to Restraint and a Call to Action in a Moment of Crisis* Terrorism threatens the very principles to which our societies aspire and which are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The best response to those who would undermine democracy and the rule of law is to reaffirm those very values and institutions. In conclusion, we call upon the governments and peoples of the world to take concrete steps in developing a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence. The response of the United States and its allies should not be driven by a blind desire for vengeance, but rather a renewed determination to work for a peaceful and just world. The single great evil that must be opposed is not one group of people or another, but rather the fear and hatred that continue to find root in human hearts. We, the undersigned, urge the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council to take immediate action on this request." This is an ongoing project to which we can all contribute in our own situations and in our own ways. And finally: Our stocks of envelope re-use labels are running low, so until we get some more printed - and maybe as an alternative - we are making available self-adhesive labels with the same wordings: (A) "We must relearn the ability to live together in harmony, in our fragile and endangered world" (B) "War, a journey without return: Let us choose another way" Sized 34x64mm these are available from the NFPB office at 50p for 42 labels, including postage.