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Please note: An August supplement to Number 171 is also available.
Free Gaza boat hijacked
There were two Irish people among the twenty-one on board the
Free Gaza Movement boat ‘Spirit of Humanity’ bringing humanitarian supplies
(medicine, toys and olive trees) to Gaza when the boat was boarded by Israeli
forces while still in international waters on 30th June. Those on board were
arrested (or kidnapped as it was still in international waters) and taken to
detention in Israel, and the boat commandeered. The Irish people on board were
Derek Graham from Co Mayo, the first mate, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Mairead Maguire. See http://www.freegaza.org and also http://www.indymedia.ie
Rossport rumbles; arrestees denied bail
The situation at Rossport continues to rumble on. On 29th
June seven Shell to Sea protestors were refused bail for minor public order
offences despite the fact none had previous convictions (two others were
allowed bail but have to stay out of Mayo); “five were arrested for a lock-on,
one for a climbing a tripod, and three others for walking across a road”. See www.indymedia.ie for details. Also if you
are interested in going as a human rights observer contact olavoice1@yahoo.co.uk
Hiroshima Day in Dublin
Irish CND plans to hold its annual Hiroshima Day
commemoration on Thursday 6th August at 1.00 p.m. at the memorial cherry tree
in Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Get in touch for more details - we would love to
hear from new supporters. We can be reached by email at irishcnd@gmail.com or by post at P.O. Box 6327, Dublin 6.
New Corrymeela Centre director
The newly appointed director of the Corrymeela Community’s
centre at Ballycastle is Paul Hutchinson, in succession to Ronnie Millar. Paul
is currently a Director of Imagined Spaces which specialises in community
relations work. He is a Senior Associate with Mediation NI, currently doing
work in the North West of England and has been an Authorised Officer of the
Parades Commission. He will be undertaking the post from around the start of
August. See http://www.corrymeela.org
On the campaign trail; Faslane, Rossport
INNATE's residential seminar at Kilcranny House, Coleraine,
this year will take place from teatime Friday 23rd October to teatime the
following day, Saturday 24th October. In this concentrated period we will look
at peace and civil society campaigning, considering in detail the experience,
strategy and tactics of Faslane 365 against the nuclear weapons based at
Faslane submarine base, north of Glasgow in Scotland, and the campaign on
Rossport/Shell to Sea in Co Mayo. What have been the achievements and
difficulties in both campaigns? How can we learn from these experiences for our
own work in campaigning on issues? There will be the opportunity to share on
work participants are engaged in, and various analytical and developmental
tools will be shared. Further details will appear in the September issue of
Nonviolent News and this information is to allow you get the date in your
diary. Price is likely to be £30 inclusive, £25 unwaged, and you can book now
in advance. Contact INNATE.
CAJ on Consultative Group on the Past
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), British
Irish Rights Watch, the Law School of Queens University Belfast, and the
Transitional Justice Institute University of Ulster, held a two-day seminar
reflecting on the report of the Consultative Group on the Past on Thursday 14th
and Friday 15th May 2009.The seminar was designed to allow for in-depth
discussion and reflection on the proposals of the CGP, and was attended by key
stakeholders from governments, political parties, victims groups, lawyers,
academics, human rights organisations and non-governmental actors. There were a
number of thematic panels examining human rights compliance, the powers that
would be needed to make the mechanisms work, and the socio-economic dimension
as well as panels reflecting perspectives from various sectors including
victims and survivors and political parties.
The NIO has launched a consultation on the Eames Bradley
proposals which concludes on 2nd October. Over the summer, we will be working
up our response to these proposals and would encourage others to take part in
it as well. The
details can be found here.
Subscriptions to CAJ are £20, including the monthly ‘Just
News’ newsletter. CAJ, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2BR, ph 028 – 9096
1122, website http://www.caj.org.uk
CGE/Centre for Global Education, Belfast
The Centre for Global Education is a development
non-governmental organisation that, for over 20 years, has provided education
services to local audiences designed to enhance awareness of international
development issues. The Centre’s remit remains that of enabling learners to
understand the key social, economic and political factors that shape their lives
both locally and internationally. It delivers global education that supports us
in making decisions and taking actions that will tackle poverty and inequality,
especially in poor countries. With more than one billion people living on less
than a dollar a day and more than twice that number deprived of basic
sanitation, the need for education and action on the issues underpinning these
statistics has never been greater. As the celebrated author Alice Walker
suggests, ‘activism is my rent for living on this planet’.
The Centre’s revised membership scheme includes major
discounts on CGE education services including the bi-annual journal, global
issues seminars, annual conference and the new Development Reader. Membership
also allows you to borrow resources from the extensive library of books and
teaching packs on development issues. There’s a large range of periodicals on
which you can have a look at in the library and copy articles. Individuals or
organisations engaged in education or awareness raising on development issues
will find the new membership scheme a real support to their work. To take out
membership, please contact the Information Officer at 028 - 90 241879 or email
to info@centreforglobaleducation.com The website is at http://www.centreforglobaleducation.com
Irish human rights under spotlight
A new book from Amnesty International, “60 years, 30
perspectives: Ireland and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, edited by Donncha O’Connell, looks closely at the reality of human rights in Ireland. Contributors include Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Emily O’Reilly, Niall Crowley,
Justin Kilcullen and Fr Peter McVerry, and there is a photo essay by Derek
Speirs. AI Director Colm O’Gorman said “This book forces us to examine whether
we really have a free press in Ireland, why despite the lessons of the past are
children and people living in poverty still voiceless in Irish society, and
what do we mean by Irish identity. Ultimately it asks why successive Irish
Governments have signed up to various human rights treaties and then failed to
deliver those rights for people living in Ireland?” Published by New Island it is available at €20 in shops or directly from Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.ie/60years
Amnesty International Irish Section, First Floor, Ballast
House, 18-21 Westmoreland Street
Dublin 2, ph 01 - 863 8300, e-mail info@amnesty.ie
Pax Christi International resource on UN advocacy
Pax Christi International recently published a booklet on “Avenues
for Advocacy in the United Nations Human Rights Council”. This packet details
the different mechanisms available to NGOs wishing to do advocacy work in the
U.N. Human Rights Council that replaced the U.N. Human Rights Commission in
2006. While this information is accessible through U.N. websites, the packet
brings the material together concisely and in a single document, offering human
rights advocates a place to easily compare the many forums available for their
work. The packet is available in English
as a PDF here.
Rendering unto Bush the things that are Shannon’s
At the end of June Amnesty International launched its
‘Breaking the Chain’ comprehensive report looking at renditions in Ireland. It has called on the Government to admit that Shannon Airport was used as a
launching pad for rendition operations by the CIA and act to ensure this can
never happen again. Said AI director Colm O’Gorman; “The Irish Government
does not know what is going through Ireland’s airports on secret CIA flights.
CIA planes illegally claimed to be civilian aircraft while travelling through
our airspace and using Shannon Airport and the Irish Government cannot be
bothered to investigate. Our Government does not know because it chooses not to
know.” See the AI website at http://www.amnesty.ie or go directly to http://bit.ly/5uIxC
MØST cats prefer MNI
The MØST project is a European and international learning
and networking project of Mediation Northern Ireland (MNI) aimed at addressing
issues of segregation, sectarianism and racism through the creation and
development of international linkages; the exploration of good practice in
service delivery by key institutions; and the up skilling of local mediation
practitioners to work in an international context and on a cross-cultural
basis. The project will include a training programme which will up skill
existing mediation practitioners from Northern Ireland and the Border region to
work in an international context and on a cross-cultural basis. If you would
like to express your interest in receiving information please visit the MNI9+8
website http://www.mediationnorthernireland.org Incidentally, the MNI website has recently been revamped and will carry more
news and updates in future.
CCPI and Tour de Munster – volunteers needed
Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) has been
chosen as the beneficiary of the Tour de Munster 2009 Cycle and the event is
expected to raise over €100,000 for CCPI’s ‘Heart Appeal’, the child cardiac
surgery programme that continues to save the lives of children born with the
heart defect, ‘Chernobyl Heart’. Each cardiac operation costs €1,000 and is
truly life-saving. It starts in Cork on Thursday 13th August and finishes back
in Cork on Sunday 16th August. CCPI needs volunteers to help in different
locations the different days including Cork, Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry.
Contact Miriam Forde at CCPI, ph 021-4312999 or mobile 087 -2853907, or e-mail mforde@chernobyl-ireland.com See
also http://www.chernobyl-international.com
New ICR report on parades
The Institute for Conflict Research (ICR) has a new report
out on parades, co-published with the Belfast Interface Project – “Local
accommodation – Effective practice in responding to disputes over parades” written
by Neil Jarman, Mary-Kathryn Rallings and John Bell, 72 pages, A4, ISBN
978-0-9552259-6-3. It includes chapters on responses, key participants, the
Parades Commission and local mediators, seeking accommodation, reducing tension,
policing of contentious parades. It will be on the ICR website, and paper
copies are also available. Institute for Conflict Research, North City Business
Centre, 2 Duncairn Gardens, Belfast BT15 2GG, ph 028 9074 2682, e-mail info@conflictresearch.org.uk and
web http://www.conflictresearch.org.uk Belfast Interface Project is at Third Floor, 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1
1FF, ph 028 9024 2828, e-mail: info@belfastinterfaceproject.org and web http://www.belfastinterfaceproject.org
Green New Deal proposal for Northern Ireland
Business, trades unions, farmers, voluntary organisations
and environmentalists have united around a common platform - a ground-breaking
coalition called on government to take a joined up approach to recession,
increasing unemployment, rising energy prices and climate change. The Green New
Deal group published their vision in late June of how an ambitious investment
programme to cut consumption of fossil fuels can create thousands of new jobs,
help secure energy supply and build a competitive low-carbon economy; a vast
systematic reconstruction programme envisaged in the plan would create around
24,000 new jobs. Members of the group behind the plan are Bryson Charitable
Group, Chamber of Commerce, CBI, Energy Savings Trust, Friends of the Earth, Institute of Directors, ICTU, NICVA, NI Environment Link, NI Federation of Housing
Associations NI Manufacturing, Sustainable Development Commission, Translink
and Ulster Farmers Union. Contact; Friends of the Earth, 7 Donegall Street Place,
Belfast BT1 2FN, ph 028 9089 7591 and web http://www.foe.co.uk/ni or go direct here
to download the PDF on the proposals.
What the Bible says about the Stranger
This is subtitled “Biblical perspectives on racism,
migration, asylum and cross-community issues” and written by Kieran
O’Mahony OSA. In its eighty or so pages it takes readers and users (it’s a
study guide) through the development of Hebrew and Christian thinking, and it
includes questions for discussion, prayers, and a guide to dramatising Bible
passages and exercises for further exploration, and resources mainly in the
Republic. It is potentially very useful for considering a Christian response to
such issues and also challenging ‘Christians’ who take a more exclusive
approach. It is available online as a PDF on the Inter-Church website at http://www.irish.churches.org and
printed copies can be ordered for £5 including postage in Northern Ireland or €5 in the Republic. [Statement of interest; the Editor of Nonviolent
News was involved in the production of this and wrote the dramatisation and
exercises section.]
Peace News Summer Camp 23-27 July
Those who fancy spreading their peace wings a little bit
might like to consider our British big sister Peace News’ summer camp gathering
on a farm in Oxfordshire in July including very varied training, discussion and
debate. Entrance costs £15 - £50 depending on income and the cost per day of
food and refreshments is £8. Accommodation is tent only so bring yer camping
gear (or book B&B nearby). See www.peacenewscamp.info for fuller information or to book phone 020 7278 3344.
Waging nonviolence
USA-based journalists and activists have launched a new
website, called Waging Nonviolence at http://wagingnonviolence.org that provides news, analysis, and original reporting on the use of nonviolence
by ordinary people around the world in their struggle for justice.
Tara
Fourteen protesters against the motorway development at the Hill
of Tara have had their cases dismissed in Trim District Court. The protesters’
defence in court was that they had a lawful excuse to stop the road building
which was illegal under EU directives. The judge questioned the Gardai as to
whether they’d asked the protesters if they believed they had a lawful reason,
and Gardai admitted they had failed to. After the Gardai and Siac/Ferrovial
security gave contradictory evidence, it seems the judge decided to drop the
cases, and avoid any unnecessary scrutiny into the illegality of the road.
There is still a protest camp – the Vigil Camp - and direct action at the site,
despite the fact that a lot of the destruction has happened, and the road could
be finished some time next year. A decade-long campaign has been waged to stop
this road and the desecration of land near the ancient monument, with protest
camps and direct action since the summer of 2007. The Vigil Camp are still
inviting all to come to the site and take part. For Vigil Camp see www.tarapixie.net and info about the
protests see www.savetara.com [from www.schnews.org.uk No.678]
Forty day fast for the Truth of Gospel Nonviolence
This forty day fast period, associated with the Center for
Christian Nonviolence in the USA and Fr Charlie McCarthy, is taking place from
1st July to 9th August. “This fast is a call to the Christian Churches, to
Christian Church leaders, and to individual Christians to repent and turn to
the Christ and learn what’s God will is and how to live it, learn from Him who
unambiguously teaches by word and deed the Way of nonviolent love of friends
and enemies as the Way of God and the Way of authentic discipleship.” See http://centerforchristiannonviolence.org
Women Peacemakers Program; Opportunities for men
IFOR’s Women Peacemakers Program is currently accepting
applications for the upcoming Training of Trainers (ToT) “Overcoming
Violence: Exploring Masculinities, Violence, and Peace”. Specific
objectives of the ToT are: To train male trainers on gender-sensitive active
non-violence (ANV); To explore the concept of masculinities in relation to
issues of violence and peace; To establish community-based teams who can
multiply gained skills and knowledge; To create a pool of male gender-sensitive
ANV trainers. Participants must have previous exposure to gender training
and/or non-violence training, and ideally are active in the capacity of trainer
within an NGO setting or peace group. There will be a 10-day training in the Netherlands starting at the end of November. For more information visit http://www.ifor.org/WPP Closing date for
applications is 15th July.
Deadline for September issue; 31st August. There will be no
August issue though we may do a news supplement at the start of August if justified
so please still send in any news items even if they’d be dated by September.
INNATE networking group meets next on 20th August – contact
us for details.
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