The War Resisters League affirms that all war is a crime against humanity.  We are determined not to support any kind of war, international or civil, and to strive nonviolently for the removal of all causes of war, including racism, sexism and all forms of exploitation.

War Resisters League Commends Kings Bay Plowshares

WRL thanks and honors the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, three of whom (Carmen Trotta, Martha Hennessy, and Clare Grady) were sentenced last week for their bold Trident disarmament action at the Kings Bay nuclear submarine base in south Georgia. Several of the Kings Bay Plowshares are WRL members and have participated in WRL organized nonviolent actions. All are war tax resisters. 

50 years to the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 2018, over two and a half years ago, the seven cut a lock and entered the base where nuclear-armed US submarines are home-ported, in a plowshares action which included pouring blood, posting an indictment which charged the US government for crimes against peace, posting crime scene tape and hanging banners, one of which said, "The Ultimate Logic of Trident is Omnicide", and damaging Trident D5 monuments. Plowshares actions seek to enact the prophecy in the Biblical book of Isaiah that nations will beat swords into plowshares and study war no more.

Our next commander in chief is not Donald Trump

As Leftist and progressive organizers going into this election cycle, we knew our best chances to continue making gains against oppression would not be under a Trump administration. This is why many, like LUCHA in Arizona, PA Stands Up, New Florida Majority, and Working Families Party, worked to get out the vote for the Biden campaign and invest long hours in Nonviolent Direct Action and de-escalation training in the event of a stolen election.

The AP has just called it for the Biden campaign, and we join in commending organizers for holding the line against fascist authoritarianism and creating conditions that hold more possibility for making antiwar gains. We remain on alert for any kind of Trumpist backlash on the streets or elsewhere, and will be amplifying resources in the event of any escalations.

Call for Submissions | Reimagining Safety → Problematizing Policing and Envisioning Alternatives

It’s undeniable: the violent police crackdowns against Black Lives Matter protests throughout the United States in summer 2020 have decreased public support for police and increased criticism of their role in American society. Images and video of heavily armed and armored police tear gassing, pepper spraying, and assaulting demonstrators have vividly called into question the police’s role as “protectors.” These police responses to the sustained calls for racial and economic justice, underscored their role in enforcing the existing oppressive structures of white supremacy and capitalism. Given that policing in the American context has its roots in slave patrols and anti-labor repression, what might alternatives to policing look like? 

Submission: Leftists and anti-authoritarians have an obligation to vote out Trump

October 30th, 2020

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month we shared with you our Editorial Committee's letter on 2020 Elections and Antiwar politics. We're pleased to share this piece in response from Joey Ayoub, a Lebanese academic based in Zurich who writes extensively on anti-authoritarian struggles worldwide. He writes: Biden is problematic, but he can be pushed to the left if we intensify our struggles for justice and equality.

We made serious mistakes. An apology to action participants.

Dear friends, organizational partners, allies, and community members:

We’re here to share with our broader community some insight to what WRL has been focusing on internally, and to apologize to our community members and comrades who have been harmed after participating in a WRL action.

For background, we recently held an action in Trump country. Security, safety, coordination, and tactical aspects of the action were planned poorly, and it put people in harm’s way. Risk assessment was miscalculated, particularly for BIPOC folks. Participants were followed, harassed, threatened, and physically attacked by white supremacists.

After action leadership debriefed with the participants, it was clear that we did not adequately prepare our people - who collectively risked so much in every role - for the danger of doing a direct action in a rural white community.