Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Veterans for Peace – 2018-10-07 23:06:10
ACTION ALERT: Three Days of Action for Yemen in November
Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Veterans for Peace
A young survivor holds a fragment of the US-made missile that destroyed his schoolbag on August 9. (Photo: Ahmad Algohbary)
NEW YORK (October 6, 2018) — Join us for THREE DAYS OF ACTION November 6-8 NYC at the Saudi and US Missions to the UN, as we Raise Our Voices For Yemen!
The US-financed Saudi-led war is in its fourth year. The UN says:
* 60% of the population, 18 million people, are food insecure,
* 8.4 million people do not know how they will obtain their next meal,
* 56% of the population, 16 million people, do not have regular access to basic health care,
* 55% of the population, 16 million people, do not have regular access to safe water,
* 2.9 million children and women are acutely malnourished.
* “Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
— UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
Dire conditions in Yemen call for our urgent attention and action. Let’s encourage one another to take immediate action in the face of looming escalation of attacks in Yemen and consequent suffering caused by rising prices for food and fuel plus and other war related exacerbation of near-famine conditions.
While we seek immediate actions cross country, a number of people have planned for an action in early November — November 6, 7, and 8, across from and near the United Nations on First Avenue. We propose setting up 34 backpacks at the Isaiah Wall and handing out fliers while holding placards on November 6, beginning at 10:00 a.m. We realize this is election day, and our numbers might be small.
The demonstration could move to other Missions to the UN, e.g., the UAE Mission, the Yemen Mission, and the US Mission. It could also move to the Saudi Consulate on Second Avenue.
Details and “choreography” can be worked out, but we especially call on people to consider participating in a nonviolent direct action on November 8, most likely in mid-morning, again relying on the visual of blue backpacks to represent 34 children, on a school field trip, who were killed when a Lockheed Martin manufactured missile was fired by a Saudi warplane and directly hit their schoolbus.
We are sending this letter to organizations in the New York City and New Jersey area because we need your help:
Would you be willing to support this action by giving your organization’s name as a co-sponsor?
Can you help provide housing for out of town activists?
Would you be willing to help provide food (or a kitchen) for out of town activists, should it be needed?
Would members of your group be interested in participating in vigils, flyering, and possible walks between the various Missions?
Would members of your group be interested to participate in nonviolent direct action.
Voices for Creative Nonviolence can help coordinate responses to this email.
If answers to any or all of the above questions are yes, please write to info@vcnv.org 773-878-3815 and cc Jules Orkin julesorkin@yahoo.com 201-566-8403
We write with sincere respect for and appreciation of all that you do to build a better world.
Sincerely,
Kathy Kelly for Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Jules Orkin Veterans for Peace.
