International Week of Action for Military-Free Education and Research
Militaries across the world gain access to young people through education systems.
It gives them an extraordinary chance to shape every generation's perception of military violence and lay the groundwork for future recruitment.
25 - 31 October sees the first international week of action for military-free education and research: a concerted effort of antimilitarist action across the world to raise awareness and challenge of the role the military have in education, and to give voice to alternatives.
Last year saw the first ever international day of action for military-free education and research, with groups in India, Germany, South Africa, the state of Spain, Chile, Congo, the USA and Israel taking action to call for an end to the military's role in education and research. We hope that expanding the initative to a week will allow for even more actions over more time and with more creativity!
If you want to get involved this year, you are welcome to arrange your own autonomous actions, using the name and the logo above (a version in Spanish and German will follow) - if you would like to make another version in your own language, email cmoy@wri-irg.org for a copy.
Those who took part in the day of action last year are working together to share ideas for a joint action concept for the week. When plans are finalised, we will post them here.
Activities
- 24th to 26th October: Congress in Hamburg: In Favour of Science and Culture of Peace
- 27th October: South Korea - Press conference + street action
- 29th October: Trier, Germany: Information stall at Trier University
- 29th October: Frankfurt am Main: Lecture and discussion - The battle for the home front (Der Kampf um die Heimatfront)
- 30th October: South Korea - Film screening of a Belgium movie Summer with Anton
- 31st October, Mainz, Germany: Rally for military-free education and research with live music
- 31st October: South Korea - An open forum on security education lead by the military
- 3 November (but also affiliated to the week of action): Scotland - Questioning the UK military's 'engagement' with young people in Scotland: a workshop with Forces Watch
- National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth will be extending the call to Save Civilian Public Education to encompass the week of action
- In Sweden there will be a public art-project where to 'recruit' for the peace movement instead of the military
- In Barcelona there will be symbolic street actions, and the Catalan group Desmilitaritzem l’Educació are twitter storming using #milifreeedu
- The Quaker United Nations Office will release a report, Education & the Military: A human rights & peace perspective, which questions the presence and influence of the military in primary and secondary education from a peace and human rights perspective.
- In Britain various Women in Black groups will be focusing their regular vigil on youth militarisation and education
- The international call to action 'War is not the answer: resist youth militarisation!' will be published by War Resisters' International and others
- In an unannounced action, Demilitarize McGil disrupted a conference held at McGil University conference on military space law
- disarm UWE published an article examining links between their university's engineering department and a military project
What you can do
- Sign a call to action: A call to action will be launched by War Resisters' International and others. If you are interested in signing up to this call to action, please email cmoy@wri-irg.org for a copy
- Organise your own nonviolent action as part of the week of action for military-free education and research! Tell us what you are planning. If the action is public, we will publicise it to spread the word. Visit this page for some action ideas.
- Not sure what to do? Get in touch and we can discuss action ideas with you, or put you in touch with others in your country who are already planning something.
Background info: http://www.antimili-youth.net/week-action-military-free-education-and-research-25-31-october-2014