A Force More Powerful 8 examples of the use of non-violence as a tactic to secure peace - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

A Force More Powerful

8 examples of the use of non-violence as a tactic to secure peace and justiceSlide2

“Successful” Violent Action to Secure Justice?

American Revolution (1777) (independence)

The Civil War (1861-1865) (end of slavery)

Mexican Revolution (overthrow of

Porfiriato

)

World War II (1939-1945) (end of fascism – Hitler)

Bombing of Hiroshima / Nagasaki (1945) (end of Japanese aggression)

War in Afghanistan (2011) (Assassination of Osama Bin Laden)Slide3

Example #1:

Rosenstrasse

Women in Berlin

The injustice

: On Jan. 27

th

, 1943, Jewish husbands of non-Jewish wives in Berlin were rounded up for deportation to Auschwitz.The nonviolent action taken: The wives and others began to protest at the Rosenstrasse Community Center. Within a few days as many as 6,000 protestors demanded the return of the Jewish men.The outcome: Over the next week, the protestors convinced the Nazis to release the husbands. A total of 1,800 men were saved from possible death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, many who were already there were returned to Berlin.Slide4

Example #2: Danish resistance to the Nazis

The injustice

: Nazi occupation of Denmark from 1940-1945 (censorship, curfews, political and social freedoms removed, violence, Jewish deportation).

The nonviolent action taken

: General strikes were used throughout the war (“go-home-early,” “two-minute-stoppages”). Warnings were sent to the Jewish communities before alleged “roundups” and Jews hid in non-Jewish homes. Sabotage of Nazi infrastructure occurred daily.

The outcome

: Eventually fishing vessels transported nearly 8,000 Jewish men, women and children to safety in Sweden. The use of these nonviolent tactics secured the lives of the Jewish population and the sovereignty of the Danish national government.Slide5

Example #3: Freedom Riders in the U.S. South

The injustice

: In the American South, blacks and whites were not allowed to sit wherever they would like to on interstate busses.

The nonviolent action taken

: Starting in May of 1961, groups of whites and blacks began to ride busses into the South in violation of these Jim Crow laws. The riders faced mob violence in several cities and over 300 individuals were arrested and placed in jail for disorderly conduct.

The outcome

: By September 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) began to enforce earlier rulings and busses, bus depot waiting rooms, restrooms, and lunch counters began serving all, regardless of race.Slide6

Example #4: Grape Worker’s Strike - California

The injustice

: Farm workers suffered through poor working conditions and poor wages (average income was $1,400 annually or 38 cents / hour).

The nonviolent action taken

: Mass farm worker strike and picket. Boycott of grapes and wine (eventually became nationwide). Noncooperation with the grape industry (longshoremen in Oakland). Marches on Sacramento (the California state capital). Chavez’ hunger strike.

The outcome

: By 1970, 17 million Americans and Canadians participated in the boycott. Every major grape farmer signed a contract with the UFWA to increase wages and provide benefits for workers.Slide7

Example #5:

Solidarity

in Poland

The injustice

: During the 1970s, workers throughout Poland went on strike for better pay and working conditions. In the Soviet bloc countries only the government supported unions were allowed. When an anti-communist union called Solidarity found support , the communist government violently cracked down on Solidarity as well as implementing martial law throughout the country. Strike leaders were randomly arrested.

The nonviolent action taken

: Solidarity found the support of nearly 10 million workers and general strikes were imposed.The outcome: The Soviet-backed Polish government finally allowed for free labor unions. By 1989, the Solidarity movement had secured political freedoms and a multi-party government for Poland.Slide8

Example #6: Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace

The injustice

: A civil war had raged in Liberia for years. Rebel and government troops recruited boys as child soldiers and roamed from village to village raping and pillaging each community. Thousands lived in IDP camps.

The nonviolent action taken

: Women, wearing white, a color that represents peace, began meeting at the local market to protest for peace by praying, dancing, singing and holding signs. The next week the 3,000 women gathered vowed to go on a sex strike – denying their partners intimacy until the civil war came to an end.

The outcome

: The protests forced both sides to come to peace talks and worked out the terms of peace. The women had effectively protested for the end of the country’s civil war.Slide9

Example

#7:

Guatemalan

protest

Monsanto Law

The injustice: In 2014 Monsanto, a multinational seed and chemical company, along with U.S. politicians, forced Guatemala to pass a law that prohibited farmers from planting their own seed. Farmers who did, or were caught growing the Monsanto (GMO) seed without permission could face up to 4 years in jail and up to a $1,300 fine.The nonviolent action taken: Indigenous communities created “seed banks” to store and archive corn. Community leaders organized educational events that thousands attended to learn about Monsanto and their history. In Sept. of 2014, 30,000 indigenous community members gathered to shut down the Inter-American highway going towards Guatemala City, which stopped traffic for 9 hours.The outcome: On Sept. 4th, the Guatemalan Congress repealed the “Monsanto Law.”Slide10

Example

#7: “

Suchitoto

13"

prisoners

in El Salvador

The injustice: The Salvadorian government announced a plan to sell water rights to private companies. In a country where 40% of the population doesn’t have access to clean water this was a huge injustice. The people began protesting the sale and 14 were arrested as political prisoners. They were held on charges that would have put them in prison for 6 years.The nonviolent action taken: Daily public protests and multi-day marches. The outcome: The prisoners were released, but the charges were kept. Thousands of protests again took to the streets and march 3 days to the nation’s capital in protest. Due to the overwhelming public protests, the attorney general of El Salvador dropped all charges.Slide11

Example #8: “Arab Spring” – Middle East/North Africa

The injustice

: Regimes existed in several Arab countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Martial

law, censorship, limited personal and political freedoms existed, as well as political prisoners who disagreed with the regimes, and the torture and murder of tens of thousands of opponents.

The nonviolent action taken

: Each took slightly different form, however, mass protests (hundreds of thousands of protestors) with the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook was used to circumnavigate the secret police of each nation and gain support for the movement.The outcome: Rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have all stepped down, while several other nations have had successful demonstrations for improved freedoms.