War Resisters' Stories: July

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Activists protesting at a military site in Mannheim, Germany, on the Bundeswehr Day
Issue number
58
July 2018

This month's War Resisters' Stories include updates from South Korea, where the right to conscientious objection is finally recognised; Germany and the UK, where activists have organised nationwide protests against the public military days in their countries; and Belgium, where activists took inspiring actions against the NATO Summit. You will also find stories on two new publications: a new booklet on the situation in Eritrea and a new report inquiring the links between Israeli state violence and the promotion of military equipment by Israeli arms companies.

New Publication: Eritrea - A Country Under the Sway of a Dictatorship

eritrea booklet cover

The organisers of the conference, Eritrea and the Ongoing Refugee Crisis, has published a new booklet: Eritrea: A Country Under the Sway of a Dictatorship. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the situation in the country, the situation of Eritrean refugees in Europe and elsewhere, as well as introducing their initiatives and activities.

South Korea: Constitutional Court recognises conscientious objection

A photo from activists' press release following the court decision

On 28th June, in a landmark decision, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ordered the government to introduce alternative service of a civilian nature for conscientious objectors.

Protests across Germany and the UK in response to public military days

Activists protesting at a military site in Mannheim, Germany, on the Bundeswehr Day

Activists in Germany and the UK organised actions during public military days in their countries.

Direct action against the NATO summit

Direct action against the NATO summit

In Belgium, WRI affiliates took repeated direct action against the NATO summit, held at the NATO headquarters on the 11th and 12th July. Agir Pour la Paix, Vredesactie, and groups from Spain targeted arms company HQs with a bloody die-in, joined marches carrying model missiles, and hung banners from bridges.

A new report on how the Israeli military tested new equipment on the Great March of Return

A Lab and A Showroom report cover page

A new report called “A Lab and A Showroom” exposes how the extreme violence used by the Israeli military against Palestinian protesters supports the sale of military equipment by Israeli arms companies.