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Are You Antiwar?

Are You Antiwar?

Dear Friends, I’d be quick to tell you that I’m queer. HIV positive. Puerto Rican. But antiwar? This past February, yearning for a political home rooted in social justice, I found the War Resisters League. As an intern with WRL I branded the launch to WRL’s No Swat Zone campaign. I spoke at a press…

Shoe-Throwing Still Gets No Love In Iraq: An Interview with Dhurgham al-Zaidy

Shoe-Throwing Still Gets No Love In Iraq: An Interview with Dhurgham al-Zaidy

Shoe-Throwing Still Gets No Love In Iraq: An Interview with Dhurgham al-Zaidy by Ali Issa Reprint from Medium on 12.15.16     “I cannot leave the square. Whatever al-Abadi or anyone else says . . .” Dhurgham al-Zaidy, Friday, 5.27.16 This past Summer, Baghdad’s Tahrir square was once again filled with tear gas. Protesters escaping the toxic fumes have…

War in the Age of Trump?

War in the Age of Trump?

Dear Friends, Normally, WRL takes no stance on electoral politics. As we watched the field of candidates narrow to two enthusiastic friends of war-making and militarism over the past year, we are now just beginning to learn how the President-elect will go about unleashing the kind of violence that ruptures the lives of entire countries,…

Thanks to all who gave this #GivingTuesday!

Thanks to all who gave this #GivingTuesday!

Thanks to all who participated in #GivingTuesday, helping WRL to raise $4,455 for nonviolent resistance!   Just days after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, large nonprofit organizations saw an outpour of support. The ACLU reported just over $9 million in donations. Planned Parenthood received 200,000 separate contributions. The Trevor Project collected…

Open Letter to the U.N. Security Council on the Government of Iraq’s NGO Shelter Policy

Open Letter to the U.N. Security Council on the Government of Iraq’s NGO Shelter Policy

October 2016 U.N. Security Council United Nations, New York, U.S.A.   Open Letter to the U.N. Security Council on the Government of Iraq’s NGO Shelter Policy CC: UNAMI, OHCHR, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women, SGRG-SVC Office (Arabic Version) النسخة العربية (Kurdish Version) دانه يا كوردي Print friendly version (English) Your Excellencies, The undersigned nongovernmental organizations…

Bahrain Watch: “Stop the Shipment!”

Bahrain Watch: “Stop the Shipment!”

Bahrain Watch: Leaked Document Shows Massive New Tear Gas Shipment Planned for Bahrain Bahrain’s police forces have fired “canisters directly at protesters and conducting nighttime bombardments of residential areas. Since 2011, 39 deaths may be attributable to the misuse of tear gas by police. Now, a leaked document, apparently a tender from the Ministry of…

On the Ground in Turkey: Repression Gets Personal

On the Ground in Turkey: Repression Gets Personal

After the mass escalation of anti-government protest this past late May in Turkey, events there have fallen out of the headlines. But mobilization and repression continue. This past November 23rd for example, the Turkish police cracked-down hard on a teacher’s demonstration in Ankara called for by the progressive union Eğitim-Sen against the privatization of schools….

Facing Tear Gas Happy Hour in Austin!

Facing Tear Gas Happy Hour in Austin!

MonkeyWrench Books in Austin is hosting War Resisters League organizer Kimber Heinz‘s talk about the Facing Tear Gas’ campaign against Urban Shield. Facing Tear Gas works towards ending the militarization of police and the industry that profits from police repression. It connects the dots between US support for the criminalization of dissent globally to those…

STOMP (STop Oppressive Militarized Police) Coalition forms in Boston

STOMP (STop Oppressive Militarized Police) Coalition forms in Boston

A new coalition of groups against militarization forms in Boston and announces community event. From their facebook page: “STOMP, STop Oppressive Militarized Police, aims to bring together activists and communities struggling against the wars on drugs, immigrants, dissent, and terror to mobilize and build cross-movement dialogue about the militarization and federalization of our local police…

5/4: Bostonians Host Speak Out Against Militarized Police

MEDIA ADVISORY For immediate release: April 30, 2014 (Wednesday) Contact: Kimber Heinz, Facing Tear Gas campaign Cell: (919) 666-7535 kimber [at] warresisters.org http://facingteargas.org One year after the police lockdown of Watertown following the Marathon bombing, Bostonians who live and work in neighborhoods and communities facing SWAT raids and surveillance will testify at a “speak out”…

noSWATzone Condemns Albuquerque Police Repression

noSWATzone Condemns Albuquerque Police Repression

April 1st, 2014 – WRL’s noSWATzone campaign condemns in the strongest terms the Albuquerque Police Department’s heavily militarized response to protests against police brutality this past Sunday night, March 30th. We also share in the protestor’s shock over the APD’s March 16th shooting of James Boyd – the 23rd such killing by the APD since 2012 according to the Associated…

Solidarity With Occupied Ferguson

Solidarity With Occupied Ferguson

“No violence, just justice.” – Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown. August 13, 2014 War Resisters League condemns the ongoing militarized lockdown and attack against the community of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. We are saddened and outraged over the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson Police, this past Saturday, August 9th….

Press Release: In the Wake of Ferguson, Bay Area Groups Call for an End to Police Militarization

For Immediate Release Contacts: Ali Issa, War Resisters League, ali [at] warresisters.org Rachel Herzing, Critical Resistance, rachel [at] criticalresistance.org BAY AREA COMMUNITY GROUPS CALL ON OAKLAND TO STOP POLICE MILITARIZATION AND URBAN SHIELD AT THE MARRIOTT A new Bay Area coalition has formed to pressure the Marriott to stop an annual international SWAT training and…

Press Release: Bay Area Victory and Rally to Stop Urban Shield and Police Militarization

Press Release: Bay Area Victory and Rally to Stop Urban Shield and Police Militarization

For Immediate Release Contact: Ali Issa, War Resisters League, ali [at] warresisters.org, (718)310-9968 BAY AREA COALITION PUSHES URBAN SHIELD OUT OF OAKLAND FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT FIGHT AGAINST POLICE MILITARIZATION EXPO AND TRAINING CONTINUES Bay Area groups rally to call on Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to Stop Urban Shield and all police militarization after successfully organizing…

Press Release: Activists Lockdown Chicago Streets to Denounce Islamophobic & Hyper-Militarized SWAT Training

Press Release: Activists Lockdown Chicago Streets to Denounce Islamophobic & Hyper-Militarized SWAT Training

  #StopITOA Coalition disrupts business as usual in downtown Chicago on first day of Illinois Tactical Officers Association Conference More on the 2016 campaign here         *************************************************************************************************************   **** Press Release **** For Immediate Release   Press contacts: Debbie Southorn: 971.227.3829, dsouthor [at] gmail.com Tara Tabassi 917 971 2498 tara.tabassi [at] gmail.com…

Media Advisory: Community Groups Rally in Chicago to Denounce Islamophobic & Hyper-Militarized SWAT Training

Media Advisory: Community Groups Rally in Chicago to Denounce Islamophobic & Hyper-Militarized SWAT Training

**** Media Advisory ****   For Immediate Release   Press contact: Debbie Southorn: 971.227.3829, dsouthor [at] gmail.com ()     Community Groups Rally to Denounce Islamophobic & Hyper-Militarized SWAT Training   Coalition calls on Stonegate & Cook County DHS To End Relationship with Illinois Tactical Officers Association in Chicagoland.     WHAT: The #StopITOA coalition,…

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