War Resisters League condemned in the strongest terms Symposium on Islamic Terrorism held on August 24th and 25th in San Diego, hosted by the California Association of Tactical Officers (CATO). The epitome of a growing culture of fear increasingly relied on by policing, this symposium featured infamous anti-Islam conspiracy theorist Ryan Mauro as their top presenter.
The War Resisters League stands with Afghans United for Justice as they condemn the Kunduz hospital bombing as a war crime, and call for an independent investigation into the U.S. airstrikes on this Afghanistan hospital.
On this MLK day, let us recall Dr. Martin Luther King's deepest legacy. He understood that denouncing the violent extremism of young, angry men in the ghettos could not be done without hypocrisy unless one also condemned the far greater violence of the U.S. war machine in Vietnam. When governments decide political problems can be solved through violence, it is no surprise their citizens reach the same conclusion.
The War Resisters League was founded in the aftermath of a horrendous European war by those who resisted conscription and their supporters. They united around a powerful affirmation: war is a crime against humanity. Over the course of almost 100 years since that time, our commitment to this principle has been tested by many political struggles and military conflicts in different parts of the globe, yet we have continued to affirm our founding principles. Today, the eyes of the world are again fixed on war in Europe because of Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine, and we are challenged again to articulate what it means for people in the United States to resist war.
In response to this morning's news, the War Resisters' International
Executive Committee has released the following statement.
As War Resisters' International, we are extremely concerned about the war in Ukraine. War is a crime against humanity!
We call on Russia to immediately cease all attacks and withdraw its troops from the borders with Ukraine.
We call on the people of Luhansk/Lugansk and Donetsk/Donetsk to make it clear to the Russian government that they want to determine their own destiny, not at the price of war.