Our
work for peace is increasingly becoming a threat to warmaking
governments, if we are to judge by their repressive responses to it.
This year we've had a bank account shut down, staff arrested, homes
raided, devices seized, volunteers assaulted, and threats made against
us — and all for nonviolent educational and activist efforts to reduce
violence.
With
your help, we are not curtailing our efforts but expanding them. We are
handling the added expenses of security measures, hospital bills,
lawyers, new phones, etc., while increasing our work to stop weapons
shipments, close bases, divest from war, and educate people to a wiser
way.
Just weeks ago at 6am while she and her family were sleeping, World BEYOND War’s Canada Organizer, Rachel Small’s house was raided by nine police officers for peacefully protesting outside of a gathering of Canada’s weapons manufacturers and politicians. They cuffed and arrested Rachel, seized all of her electronic devices, including those of her children, and a criminal investigation is in full-swing.
On December 1st, our WBW chapter coordinator in Bogotá, Estefania Gómez, sustained multiple injuries and an epileptic seizure that left her unconscious as a result of the aggressive repression of ESMAD riot police raiding a peaceful demonstration at the Expodefensa arms fair. The police used stun grenades and tear gas, causing harm to participants and Estefania.
In Cameroon, where our Africa Organizer, Guy Feugap lives, the October 12 presidential election was announced amid an already tense atmosphere marked by clashes between the populations of several cities and the army. These events reflect a climate of war that is gradually spreading, threatening peace, stability, and human dignity in the country, already compromised by more than ten years of armed conflict in three out of the country's ten regions. Guy’s safety has been personally threatened and he and his family continue to live in fear that he is at risk of persecution for his outspoken non-violent activism.
It has been no secret that Belarusian human rights defender and WBW affiliate leader, Olga Karach, is one of Alexander Lukashenko’s personal enemies and among the most persecuted anti-war and human rights activists in the country. The Belarusian KGB labeled her a “dangerous terrorist” and her home in Belarus was recently raided and personal effects were confiscated.
And in Ukraine, WBW Board Member, Yuri Sheliazhenko had been previously placed on house arrest and faced persecution for his peace activism in Ukraine.
And it doesn’t end with the suppression of individual voices. As you may recall, earlier this year our former U.S. bank, First Citizens, said they were closing our bank accounts and the personal bank accounts of WBW Founder and ED, David Swanson’s family members all because David attended a legally permissible peace conference in Cuba. Having traveled legally to attend the conference was no justification of the bank’s decision to terminate our account - censoring our collective voice for peace.
Despite the injustice of these raids and acts of intimidation and repression, and the increased criminalization of protestors overall, our team remains unwavering in our resolve. And we fully support them. So do your donations.
Your support helps us plan and execute direct actions and support security and legal assistance in the face of raids and the destruction of personal property and selves. As these instances continue to escalate across the globe, so do the need and the expenses because the punishment for non-violent anti-war activism is in part, the process. And mitigating the damage of that process to our team is not cheap.
Will you make a tax deductible end of year donation today in support of these activists in the face of such dangerous and extreme persecution? WBW is a 501c3 organization in the U.S. and as such, any contribution will be tax deductible.
Other ways you can support WBW are through Just Food Hub where we receive a portion of the purchase prices when you select WBW as the beneficiary, or you can take advantage of the IRA charitable rollover: If you are 70½ years old or older, you can take advantage of a simple way to benefit World BEYOND War and receive tax benefits in return. You can give up to $108,000 from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as ours without having to pay income taxes on the money, and your IRA gift will count towards your required minimum distribution. This popular giving option is great if you don’t itemize your taxes. Please be in touch with me with questions related to this option!
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World BEYOND War
• 513 E Main St #1484 | Charlottesville, VA 22902 | USA
• PO Box 871 | Campbellford PO, ON, K0L 1L0 | Canada
• CC Unicentro Bógota, Local 2-222 | Postal Code (Apartado Postal): 358646 | Colombia
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