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Thu
03
Mar

Young and Desperate? I want you to fight my wars!

“Don’t join the Army.”

“Don’t do what? Don’t leave here? Don’t learn new skills?”

These are the words from the new recruitment advert from the British Army to recruit new members to its ranks. It depicts a conversation between two young people as they discuss their future prospects.

These conversations are not fictional or uncommon in Cameron’s Britain. I myself have talked friends out of joining the armed forces. With unemployment rife despite some improvements, many young people, especially those in working class communities like mine, have an uncertain future.

And with an uncertain future and minimal opportunities for young people comes poverty and desperation. Any prospect of leaving ‘here’ can seem appealing. It is these feelings that the MOD has often preyed on and sought to exploit.

Wed
24
Feb

Practical guide to video activism

By Taya Govreen-Segal*

Last week I wrote on the practicality of video activism for activists (see the first part of this two-part article series here). Now that you know why one should do video activism, I collected here 10 practical tips for video activism that I learned through my work in Israel Social TV, accompanied by examples. These are not rules set in stone, so if any of the things written here are a set back, you are welcome to disregard them.

*The examples are from a variety of fields of activism, mainly from Palestine-Israel, but all have English subtitles.

Mon
22
Feb

Conscientious objector speaks of youth militarisation in Thailand

Conscientious objector in Thailand Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal recently did an interview for Green Left Weekly.

In it he talked about youth militarisation in Thailand: 'Schools want students to obey like soldiers,” he said. “They want us to get a fear of the military. So when coups happen, there is little resistance and most are OK with it...Military rule has dominated Thai society, not only now but also for a long time,” Netiwit's declaration read. “They controlled text books to promote nationalism and respect of the army. We know they want to make Thailand a military state.'

Wed
17
Feb

Interview with Peace Action Wellington

By Semih Sapmaz

Activists from Peace Action Wellington (PAW) organised two days of nonviolent direct actions against the annual Weapons Conference held in New Zealand (NZ) last November. Following their peaceful protests, 27 activists - 26 of whom keep fighting charges - were arrested and taken to court. On 18 February they are standing trial again, defending their right to peaceful demonstration for peace and justice.

Sending our solidarity messages to the activists in Wellington, we reached Valerie Morse from PAW and asked her about their campaign Stop the Weapons Conference as well as many other questions on militarism and the antimilitarist movement in New Zealand.

To begin with, can you tell us about Peace Action Wellington: when it was formed and what was the motivations behind forming it?

Tue
16
Feb

German Armed Forces Recruiting Minors on the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers

 
Last week the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces), had a stall at a school's job fair in Bad Saulgau, Germany. The event took place on 12 February 2016, the very same day which marks the anniversary of the signing of a protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that forbids the use of children in conflict, and is being commemorated as Red Hand Day, or the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers.
 
Tue
16
Feb

FARC announced they will no longer recruit under 18s

ElPais.com.co

On Wednesday the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or FARC) announced that they will no longer recruit under 18s into their ranks.

“In order to move as quickly as possible towards the end of the armed conflict, today we are announcing to the country our decision to put an end to incorporating under 18s into FARC”, remarked the rebel group in a communication read by the negotiator for the guerrilla group, Victoria Sandino, in Havana, Cuba.

Read more (in Spanish)

News article in English from Colombia Reports.

Mon
15
Feb

Video as a Tool for Activism

By Taya Govreen-Segal*

Have you ever invested yourself in an action? Planned, organized, coordinated, and then did the action, only to discover that hardly anyone heard of it? In this two-part article I will propose a possible solution for this problem: video activism.

Video activism is a way of expanding activism beyond the streets and into virtual spaces. In the first part I will try and explain why I find video a useful tool for activism, and in the second part, I will give a few more practical tips for creating your own videos.

Disclaimer: My knowledge and understanding of both activism and video are based on my experience in Israel-Palestine. Different cultural and legal situations in other places may make some of this not relevant in other regions.

Fri
12
Feb

The Violence Behind The Words 'Be a Man'

Be a human

By Katherine Marrone - Alternet

Thu
11
Feb

Warwick Students shut down a BAE Systems recruitment event

BAE Systems, a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company, tried to hold a recruitment event at the University of Warwick at the end of November, but students were not happy that their university was playing host to such an unethical company. After less than half an hour of protest, with a banner and chanting, the recruiters from BAE Systems packed up and the event was called off.

Students, including from Warwick for Free Education and Fossil Free Warwick, announced that they would disrupt the event. They spoke about the immoral and corrupt business dealings of the company. The protesters believe that arms companies should not have a relationship with the University of Warwick and should not be allowed to buy the right to recruit on their campus.

BAE representatives pack up their equipment after it is made clear that no students are going to listen to their presentation.

Fri
05
Feb

Why Is My Kindergartner Being Groomed for the Military at School?

Military recruitment efforts, whether societal or sponsored directly by the US military, reach children as young as preschool, priming them to think of war and soldiering as cool and exciting, without any discussion of the trauma and death they bring. (Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)

By Sarah Grey, Truthout

When he got home from Iraq, Hart Viges began sorting through his boyhood toys, looking for some he could pass on to his new baby nephew. He found a stash of G.I. Joes - his old favorites - and the memories came flooding back.

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