As we’ve perviously reported, and as has been reported in media
outlets around the world, a talented artist in Melbourne, Australia, has
been in the news for painting a mural of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers
hugging — and then for taking it down because people were offended. The
artist, Peter ‘CTO’ Seaton, is raising funds for our organization,
World BEYOND War, including by selling these NFTs.
We have been in touch with Seaton and thanked him, and gained his
permission (and high resolution images) to rent billboards with the
image, to sell yard signs with the image, to ask muralists to reproduce
it, and generally to spread it around (with credit to Peter ‘CTO’ Seaton).
We are also looking into ways to project this image onto buildings — ideas are welcome. We're already in touch with people who should be able to light it up on the side of the United Nations headquarters.
So please share this on Facebook, and this on Twitter, and generally use these images:
Square PDF.
Square PNG: 4933 pixels, 800 pixels.
Horizontal PNG: 6600 pixels, 800 pixels.
Please buy and distribute these yard signs:
And please donate here to put up billboards (we’re going to try for Brussels, Moscow, and Washington) that might look like this:
It seems, in fact, like we will soon have this on a mobile billboard in Washington, D.C. But to get it up other places will require both getting past the billboard company censors (who have never been offended by fighter jet ads, but have often refused to take money for messages of peace), and having enough funds to pay for them. Please donate what you can.
Our interest is not in offending anyone. We believe that even in the
depths of misery, despair, anger, and revenge, people are sometimes
capable of imagining a better way. We’re aware that soldiers try to kill
their enemies, not hug them. We’re aware that each side believes that
all the evil is commited by the other side. We’re aware that each side
typically believes total triumph is eternally imminent. But we believe
that wars must end with the making of peace and that the sooner this is
done the better. We believe that reconciliation is something to aspire
to, and that it is tragic to find ourselves in a world in which even
picturing it is deemed — not just unliklely, but — somehow offensive.
News reports:
SBS News: “‘Utterly offensive’: Australia’s Ukrainian community furious over mural of Russian soldier embrace”
The Guardian: “Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia calls for removal of ‘offensive’ mural of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers”
Sydney Morning Herald: “Artist to paint over ‘utterly offensive’ Melbourne mural after Ukrainian community anger”
The Independent: “Australian artist takes down mural of hugging Ukraine and Russia soldiers after huge backlash”
Sky News: “Melbourne mural of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers hugging painted over after backlash”
Newsweek: “Artist Defends ‘Offensive’ Mural of Ukrainian and Russian Troops Hugging”
The Telegraph: “Other wars: Editorial on Peter Seaton’s anti-war mural & its repercussion”
Daily Mail: “Artist is slammed over ‘utterly offensive’ mural of a Ukrainian soldier hugging a Russian in Melbourne – but he insists he’s done nothing wrong”
BBC: “Australian artist removes Ukraine and Russia mural after backlash”
9 News: “Melbourne mural criticised as ‘utterly offensive’ to Ukrainians”
RT: “Aussie artist pressured to paint over peace mural”
Der Spiegel: “Australischer Künstler übermalt eigenes Wandbild – nach Protesten”
News: “Melbourne mural showing Ukrainian, Russian soldiers hugging ‘utterly offensive’”
Sydney Morning Herald: “Melbourne artist removes mural depicting Russian and Ukrainian soldiers’ hug”
Yahoo: “Australian artist removes mural depicting Russian and Ukrainian soldiers hugging”
Evening Standard: “Australian artist removes mural depicting Russian and Ukrainian soldiers hugging”
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
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