Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? (2 Sam 2:26)
Resisting War Today – Preparing Collective Nonviolent Alternatives
Wethen, 4 November 2024 – “What does nonviolence mean for us as Christians in the midst of the wars and conflict escalation that challenge us today?” asked Antje Heider-Rottwilm, chair of Church and Peace, at the start of the European conference of C&P in Brussels from 24 to 27 October 2024. “In view of the brutality of military violence and the misery of the people affected by violence we can only approach the topic with humility. We do that by listening to people suffering under violence and those attempting to resist it. We do that by turning to God with lamentation and pleading for an end to violence and yearning for peace.”
“Pray for us people in the region of the Great Lakes. For over 30 years, armed conflicts have cost the lives of over 15 million people, and 7 million displaced persons live in the eastern Congo alone. And campaign so that you in Europe stop exploiting our countries as suppliers of raw materials,” urged a participant from Rwanda now living in France as a political refugee.
Meeting to explore the subject “Resisting War Today – Preparing Collective Nonviolent Alternatives” were over 120 people from 16 European and 5 African countries. “For the first time I felt heard and supported as an eastern European; this was a safe space for me, “ noted a participant from Lithuania.
In a public event, human rights activist Olga Karach reported on resistance in her home country Belarus and the diaspora, particularly through support for conscientious objectors. François Marchand from Nonviolent Peaceforce gave impressive examples of civil nonviolent intervention, and the prevention and transformation of violence.
“Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? (2 Sam 2:26)” was the biblical theme of the conference. Ana Raffai from Croatia made clear in her Bible study that the sword stands for military violence. “The essential characteristic of war is that it devours people. The sword itself (not just brutal terror or an unjust war of aggression) devours people. The state defence ideologies hide this truth, they are silent about the people-eating but do not refute it. The biblical text tells us: in the midst of the normality of battle the realisation can dawn that fighting is people-eating. The awareness of the bitter end can be awakened in the midst of war. (…) We can understand the innocent victims of war as our obligation to break the spiral of violence of which they have been victims by resisting the demonisation of the enemy. It is difficult to convey the message that war enemies can one day become peace friends.”
Partner organisations from Brussels reported on their nonviolent perspectives and projects in view of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, e.g. Tracey Martin from the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) on the topic of conscientious objection. Marek Mišák from the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) warned that the EU getting tangled up in a logic of war instead of preparing for peace, which was clear from the focus on competitiveness and security /defence in the ‘mission letters’ of the commissioners-designate. Torsten Moritz from the Churches‘ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) underlined the fact that it had been possible to receive Ukrainian refugees, while pointing to the limited readiness or even resistance towards refugees from other countries. A lack of social infrastructure (e.g. shortage of public housing) leads to envious debates about refugees. It was important, he said, to prepare appropriately for the consequences of future conflicts.
Jan de Volder from the Sant’Egidio Community reported on its groups in Ukraine. “They have offered incredibly nonviolent resistance to the dynamic of war although their building was bombed. They continued their peace schools with many internally displaced persons; they help people living in the streets.” He underlined that being nonviolent also means readiness for martyrdom. Katerina Pekridou from the Conference of European Churches named the important contribution that Church and Peace had made to establishing the programme “Pathways to Peace”. One project is the conference with churches in Ukraine in December on the meaning of ‘just peace’ and what the churches can contribute to de-escalation – at home and abroad.
The workshops gave an opportunity to hear Roman Sigov from Ukraine share experiences and challenges in nonviolent civil defence, the many courageous actions in the occupied parts of the country, the role of the media, culture, and the work of remembrance including documenting human rights violations. Natalia Morozova from Memorial France and Bérangère Savelieffe from Pax Christi France reported on resistance in Russia: likewise on imaginative, bold ‘mini-strategies’ to protest against the war, prison sentences even for blue-and-yellow painted finger nails, courageous human rights activists and lawyers who support detained Russians and Ukrainians, and fleeing as the only way to escape conscription – a route blocked by European countries.
Marie-Noëlle Koyara, former defence minister of Central African Republic stated that from the European angle Africa is only important as a supplier of raw materials. The armies in the different countries protect the exploitative structures and mechanisms. The African scenario of Rethinking Security is, she said, working on adapting to cultural and religious alliances and traditions, e.g. with the aim of transforming the armies into “armies for development”.
Other workshops dealt with conscientious objection, stopping arms production and weapons exports, and community building as strategies of nonviolent resistance.2
In his sermon during the closing service, Josef Freise from Germany took up the vision of the prophet Micah, which Jesus refers to when telling Peter to lay down his sword. He showed how, in the 20th century, this vision of nonviolence had brought together people of different cultures and religions into dialogue, recalling nonviolent movements worldwide. These included the action in the courtyard of Luther’s house in Wittenberg during the night of 24 September 1983, in which blacksmith literally forged a sword into a ploughshare. In view of the pressure from the government of the German Democratic Republic, this was a deed calling for trust in God and steadfastness, and which contributed to the peaceful revolution.
The annual general meeting preceding the conference saw the re-election of the following Board members: Antje Heider-Rottwilm (Protestant) as chair and Elisabeth Freise (Roman Catholic) as treasurer, both from Germany, for one further year, Maria Biedrawa (Roman Catholic) from France as deputy chair, Salomé Richir-Haldemann (Mennonite) from Switzerland and Étienne Chomé (Roman Catholic) from Belgium.
Newly elected members are Martin Tiller (Baptist) from the United Kingdom, Anja Vollendorf (Protestant) and Mike Zipser (Quaker), both from Germany. Farewelled from the Board with heartfelt thanks were: Kees Nieuwerth (Quaker) from the Netherlands, deputy chair of Church and Peace since 2018 and a longstanding member, Ruben Secen (Baptist) from Croatia, a Board member from 2021, and Tony Weekes (Quaker) from the UK, on the Board from 2022.
Press Contact:
Antje Heider-Rottwilm, Chair of Church and Peace, +49 172 5162 799
