World BEYOND War

(October 2, 2019) — A conference called ‘NoWar2019 Pathways to Peace’ is planned for October 5th and 6th at the South Court Hotel, starting at 9am on Saturday October 5th.

This will be followed by a rally near Shannon Airport on October 6th to demand an end to the airport’s use by the US military. 

The conference is the annual gathering of a global organization called World BEYOND War. The agenda and all details are online at http://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2019.

Participating in the conference will be activists and academics from around the world, including, among many others listed on the website: 

• Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead (Corrigan) Maguire, 
• MEP Clare Daly, 
• US Veterans For Peace facing prosecution for entering Shannon Airport, Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers,
• Chairperson and founder of Veterans For Peace Ireland, Ed Horgan,
• Presenter, producer, occasional director of RTÉ Global Affairs series “What in the World?” Peadar King. 
• Co-Founder of World BEYOND War, David Swanson

The conference will include panel discussions on such topics as nonviolent activism, Irish neutrality, sanctions and refugees, closing bases, and outlawing the arms trade, as well as participatory workshops on divestment from weapons, youth activism, art creation, and using music to build the movement.

For more information see http://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2019 of contact one of the following:

Barry Sweeney, World BEYOND War. barrysweeney11@gmail.com Tel: 087 7149462

David Swanson, World BEYOND War Executive Director david@worldbeyondwar.org +1 2023297847. 

Ed Horgan edwardhorgan45@gmail.com 085 8519623. 

World BEYOND War is a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace. We aim to create awareness of popular support for ending war and to further develop that support. We work to advance the idea of not just preventing any particular war but abolishing the entire institution. We strive to replace a culture of war with one of peace in which nonviolent means of conflict resolution take the place of bloodshed. 

Join World BEYOND War for Our 4th Annual Conference! 

We’ll be marking the 18th year of the endless war on Afghanistan, as well as the 150th birthday of Mohandas Gandhi.

This is the 1 time a year that World BEYOND War’s staff, membership, and allies meet up in 1 location. Over the course of 2 days, we’ll sharpen our skills for creative activism, nonviolent civil resistance, youth activism, divestment, base closure, and much more. See the full agenda and the list of 2019 speakers. Here’s the conference program.

What: #NoWar2019 Pathways to Peace Conference and Rally When: Saturday, October 5 from 9:00am-6:30pm & Sunday, October 6th from 9:00am-2:30pm, followed by 3:00pm-5:00pm rally and tour at Shannon Airport Where: Great National South Court Hotel, Raheen Roundabout, Raheen, Limerick, V94 E77X, Ireland. Google map.
Shannon Airport Address: M3XP+V4 Lismacleane, County Clare, Ireland. Google map.

We’re coming from locations far & wide, but we think it’s worth it to make the trek to Limerick to expose the U.S military presence there. The United States sends tens of thousands of troops through Shannon Airport on their way to wars, in direct violation of Irish neutrality and international law. At #NoWar2019, meet with Irish & international activists, organizers, and educators to learn about the impact of US militarism in Ireland – and how we can work together to stop the US war machine. That’s why we’re concluding the conference with a rally and tour at Shannon Airport.

Discounted hotel rooms, free camping, & travel reimbursements are available. Check out the Rides & Lodging Board for more info.

AGENDA: Saturday October 5

9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Welcome and hear from World BEYOND War organizers from around the world: Leah Bolger, Greta Zarro, Barry Sweeney, Liz Remmerswaal Hughes, Joseph Essertier, Tim Pluta, Heinrich Buecker, Al Mytty, Helen Peacock, et alia.
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

10:00 to 11:15 a.m. Nonviolence: The Foundation of Peace
Mairead Maguire, Brian Terrell, Vijay Mehta.
Moderator: Pat Elder.
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Irish Neutrality & the EU
Roger Cole, John Maguire, Clare Daly.
Moderator: Barry Sweeney
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

1:15 to 2:15 p.m. vegan lunch provided.
Suite 1/2/3

2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Human and Environmental Rights: Sanctions, Wars, and Refugees.
Foad Izadi, Pat Elder, Hakim Young.
Moderator: Liz Remmerswaal Hughes
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

4:00 to 5:15 p.m. Participatory Workshops and Discussions

1) Divestment 101
Greta Zarro, Aine O’Gorman.
Room: Thomond Suite
Grassroots-led war divestment campaigns are springing up all over the world, from students organizing to divest university endowments from weapons manufacturers and war profiteers, to municipalities and states coming together to divest public pension funds from the war machine. In this workshop, we’ll talk through the steps needed to start up a divest campaign in your community. Using examples from fossil fuel and weapons divestment campaigns, we’ll identify effective strategies & tactics for engaging community members and influencing decision-makers.

2) Youth Activism and Peace in Schools
Luke Addison, Vijay Mehta, Matej Moles.
Room 225
This interactive workshop will explore ways in which young people can be introduced to peace activism.  This open floor workshop will facilitate ideas on how to grow youth campaigns in your area and delve into ways to give youth a voice so that young people can actively participate in peace activism. The workshop will be educational as well as interactive, so that everyone will get to experience and discuss the life of a young peace activist.

3) Creating a Culture of Celebrating Peace
Liz Remmerswaal Hughes, David Swanson
Suite 1
Participants will examine the ways in which our cultures celebrate peace or war. We’ll brainstorm ideas for creating or reinvigorating peace holidays, heroes, actions, symbols, art, and public acknowledgments. How can peace and the courageous work of opposing war be made more present and influential in our daily lives? We will strategize around one or more ideas and report on our proposals to the full conference.

4) Activism to End the War on Afghanistan
Brian Terrell, Hakim Young
Suite 2/3
This skill building workshop will draw from experiences of Dr. Hakim and the Afghan Peace Volunteers regarding their efforts to foster critical thinking about crucial questions they face. One primary question asks why military strategies are still the accepted ‘norm’ in Afghanistan (and the world). Hakim will describe skills and actions the Afghan Peace Volunteers develop as they work to promote, in the long term, an end to war in Afghanistan.  Brian Terrell will discuss how individuals and non-governmental groups, primarily in the west, can make reparations to Afghan people for the suffering world governments have caused, by assisting efforts to heal the environment, reduce income inequalities and promote unarmed peacemaking.

5) Closing Bases to Protect the Environment
Pat Elder, Glenda Cimino, Jeannie Toschi Marazzani Visconti.
Room 330
US/NATO military bases and war-making have contaminated the land, water, and air around the world while poisoning millions. These installations routinely consume and waste massive amounts of fossil fuels, and recklessly discard staggering amounts of lethal and carcinogenic materials, some that will poison humanity for a thousand generations. Participants will be invited to share something about themselves and their interest/involvement in this issue. There will be an 8-minute film shown about the extent of military bases in Italy.

Participants may share what they know about the operation of such bases in their own countries and any efforts being made to publicise the dangers and close them down. Handouts will be provided about ways to research their government’s adherence to international protocols and expose contamination in their own backyards. What is the legal responsibility of the US military and their own government regarding environmental contamination? A template will be available which activists could use to draft letters to local, national, and EU officials demanding additional information, compliance with existing accords, and/or the development of more stringent national and/or local laws. Participants will brainstorm on strategies and tactics in this area — what has been effective and what has not.

6) Using Music to Build the Movement
Laura Hassler
Main Conference Room Suite 4/5/6
In this interactive, participatory workshop led by the Director of Musicians Without Borders, those taking part will learn skills to make use of music in their activism to end war. Musicians Without Borders’ working principles are: safety, inclusion, equality, creativity, and quality. In this ‘taster’ workshop, Laura Hassler will lead participants in participatory exercises exemplifying these principles and introduce various approaches within the training program.

5:30 to 6:30 Reports Back From Workshops
Moderator: Marc Eliot Stein
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

8:30 Film screening and discussion with the filmmaker: Palestinian Refugees in The Lebanon: No Direction Home, by Peadar King.
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

See list of speakers.

Sunday October 6

9:00 to 10:15 a.m. Demilitarising Security: Closing Bases, Outlawing the Arms Trade
Mairead Maguire, Dave Webb.
Moderator: David Swanson
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Activism to Abolish War
John Reuwer, Kristine Karch, Chris Nineham.
Moderator: Foad Izadi
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

12:00 to 1:15 p.m. Plans for Shannon and Ireland Today and in the Days to Come:
Barry Sweeney, Ed Horgan, Tarak Kauff, Kenneth Mayers, John Lannon.
Moderator: Leah Bolger
Main Conference Room (Suite 4/5/6)

1:15 to 2:15 p.m. vegan lunch provided.
Suite 1/2/3

2:15 p.m. buses and cars depart from hotel for rally at round-about at entrance to Shannon Airport. (We will provide buses. If you can drive your car and offer others rides, that’s much appreciated. There is ample parking.)

3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Rally and tour at Shannon Airport.

5:00 p.m. until late: Open-mic session & networking at peace camp (map).

8:00 p.m. Bus from peace camp back to hotel.