30 January 2023

Church and Peace, together with 15 other peace organisations, is calling for nonviolent and diverse protests for the weekend of 24-26 February 2023 to break the spiral of violence, for a ceasefire and peace negotiations, against Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and against the German government’s rearmament programme. The occasion is the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in violation of international law. There should be actions against the ongoing war in as many cities as possible.

The call is titled “Stop the killing in Ukraine – for a ceasefire and negotiations!” and can be found in German, Ukrainian, Russian and Italian on the campaign website www.stoppt-das-toeten.de . We strongly condemn Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine in violation of international law, which has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and millions of refugees since 24 February 2022,” the appeal reads.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We recognize their right to self-defense. We stand with those who want to break the logic of war, for example through civil resistance, non-violent action, desertion or conscientious objection. All people who want to escape war must find protection through humanitarian visas and asylum,” the appeal continues.

The alliance of civil society organisations calls for diplomatic initiatives on the part of the German government, the EU, the UN and the OSCE for a ceasefire and peace negotiations involving all relevant actors, as well as the withdrawal of the Russian military from Ukraine. Further escalation to the point of nuclear war must be prevented. Instead, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should finally be signed by the nuclear powers.

“War means death, violence, flight, rape and torture for those directly affected. It also means food shortages, hunger and poverty for those indirectly affected, especially in the Global South. An increase in arms spending, special military assets, threats and further escalation must not be answers to this,” the joint call states.

A list of planned protests, the full call and materials are available on the campaign website.

 

Press release of the alliance for the action weekend “Stop the killing in Ukraine – for ceasefire and negotiations!” of 30 January 2023

Links

Find the full call in English HERE

Links

Find the full call in English HERE

 

Activities of Church and Peace members marking one year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

HERE

Action Suggestions

Since February 24, 2022, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has led to hundreds of thousands of dead and injured and millions of refugees. Thousands and thousands of people are also at risk of falling victim to this war. The shadow of a nuclear war lies over the world.

Would you like to become active on the anniversary of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 Feburary 2023?
Here are a few ideas on how you can advocate for an end to the war and for peace negotiations. The campaign ideas serve as an impetus for your own activities and are of course welcome to be adapted.

With a decentralised weekend of action from February 24th to 26th, 2023 we demand: Stop the killing in Ukraine – for a ceasefire and negotiations!

The campaign invites organisations and individuals to join this call and implement one of the action ideas during the weekend.

Peace sign made from candles

On the anniversary, but also on the other days of the weekend, peace signs are to be lit from candles in various cities.

On this day, the sun sets at 6 p.m., so it gets dark early. Therefore, an action with lights or candles in the early evening is particularly suitable for this day, to commemorate the dead of the war and to send a signal for peace. Only a few supporters are needed for this. In the DFG-VK shop you can order suitable campaign sets with candles in different sizes. These sets contain all the important materials, such as candles, tape measure and lighter. The candles are placed in the shape of a PEACE sign. You are welcome to take a photo of it and post it on social media using the appropriate hashtag.

This action idea is particularly suitable for a vigil.

Rally or demonstration

Rallies or demonstrations are ideal for the action weekend, e.g. for Saturday, when there is a lot going on in inner cities. For such campaigns we offer banners, flyers and stickers in the shop. There are also posters on which you can enter the time and place to mobilise in advance for your event.

There will also be sample speeches by people from Ukraine and Russia to read at these events. We also invite you to take photos and send them to us.

Alternatively, information stands in inner cities with the materials from the shop are a good form of action to campaign for an end to the war.

Online lectures and discussions

In the run-up to the action weekend, at the Stop the Killing in Ukraine alliance will be offering a series of talks on issues related to the war in Ukraine. More info on that soon on the campaign website. Let us know if you are organising your own lectures on the weekend.