Voices in the Wilderness and Justice Not Vengeance are initiating the “Counter Terror: Build Justice” campaign to challenge nonviolently the ongoing occupation of Iraq and the so-called “war on terror”. We invite you to join us in this campaign by 1) endorsing the following statement; and 2) organizing an action during the Month of Action, March 19 to April 19, 2005. To endorse the action or for more information, send an email to the campaign at luo at vitw.org

• View endorsements from US organizations.
• View endorsements from UK organizations.
• View Individual Endorsements.
• Read the campaign’s Background Paper

‘Counter Terror: Build Justice’

In the face of global terrorism, we believe that our community, our nation, and our world, must choose the path of peace, human rights, and justice. We believe that what is presented to us as ‘the war on terrorism’ is a campaign of violence and repression that actually generates more anti-Western terrorism.

We believe that the world needs a different agenda in order to end the terrorism of the weak and halt the terrorism of the powerful. We reject the logic of war and invasion, the erosion of basic rights, and the demonisation of Muslims and Arab communities.

We appreciate the need for the emergency services to prepare for a devastating attack against our country. However, we believe that our society should also be preparing to prevent any devastating attacks on other countries. The US-led invasion of Iraq was an illegal, immoral and counter-productive assault which has devastated the ordinary people of Iraq. As ordinary citizens, we commit ourselves to nonviolent preparations to prevent another such devastating attack from taking place.

It is impossible to win a ‘war on terror’. We believe that the scale of anti-Western terrorism will only be reduced by resolving the legitimate grievances which terrorism springs from. We believe that peace will only come through justice. In particular, we believe that anti-Western terrorism will not abate until the Palestinian people enjoy peace and security, free from Israeli oppression. We commit ourselves to discovering, publicising and demanding the resolution of the root causes of international terrorism.

At the global level, we believe that peace and justice can only come through freedom and sustainable development which empowers the majority and eliminates mass poverty. We believe that the global justice movement, which has opposed the extension of unfair trade and investment rules which would have harmed the majority of people in the world, is an anti-terrorist movement, dealing with one of the major causes of terrorism. We commit ourselves to nonviolently resisting corporate globalization, which harms the interests of the world’s poor.

We are deeply concerned at the spread and further development of weapons of mass destruction, and we appreciate the need for international action to deal with this threat. However, we also believe that the same rules should apply to all countries. We believe that every country in the world, including Britain and the United States, should be forced to destroy their nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. We believe that every country in the world should be required to submit to ongoing intrusive inspections of its nuclear, chemical, and biological industries to prevent the development of such weapons in the future. As ordinary citizens, we commit ourselves to nonviolent preparations to prevent weapons of mass destruction being developed, deployed or used by our Government.

In the event of a major terrorist attack against our country, we commit ourselves to supporting victims and their relatives, defending the rights of those threatened by a vengeful backlash - particularly Muslims and Arab people in our communities, and nonviolently resisting any military response by our government.

We support ‘Counter Terror: Build Justice 2005: an international month of peace action’. We wish to cooperate with concerned citizens around our nation, across the Atlantic, and around the world, in promoting peace and justice, and preventing further escalation in the so-called ‘war on terror’.

We commit ourselves to participating in, or organising, at least one ‘Counter Terror: Build Justice’ event during the month of 19 March - 15 April 2005. (The invasion of Iraq took place on 19 March 2003; the US air strike on Libya on 15 April 1986)

Some groups may focus on preventing US-led military action. Others may protest against the threatened use of US and British nuclear weapons, and the militarization of space. Still other groups may focus on action to deal with injustice, oppression and poverty, the root causes of the terrorism of the weak.

Together we will demand an end to unilateral, pre-emptive and preventive war and intervention, which is the terrorism of the powerful.

Together we will mobilize to demand disarmament, trade justice, and adherence to the principles of international law.

To endorse the action or for more information, send an email to the campaign at luo at vitw.org

Please include your Name, Organisation, Address, and Phone Number/Email