Statements
Veterans For Peace
Veterans For Peace calls for the immediate
withdrawal of the Minnesota National Guard. We are appalled to see
military weapons, vehicles and equipment once again deployed in U.S.
cities to control community members who are reacting to a long history
of state-sanctioned violence. When an already embattled community is
subjected to militarized intimidation, by design, their environment
becomes a war zone. We call on all those who are serving with the
National Guard to refuse to serve violent and racist interests.
Veterans For Peace denounces the ongoing instances
of police violence against Black bodies and people of color, this time
resulting in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We
also stand in opposition to the State of Minnesota's and the
Minneapolis police force's militarized response to the right to protest.
 Learning nothing
from the now seemingly endless examples of ineffective attempts to
silence protests with militarized violence -- from Ferguson to
Baltimore to New Orleans to Standing Rock -- political figures continue
to call on more military to quell the powerful resistance seen from the
people in Minneapolis who demand justice. We continue to see the
escalation of threats of violence from those in power -- from Trump's
tweets threatening to shoot protestors to the governor's decision to
send in the National Guard.
As Veterans For Peace, we know that increased
militarization in our communities will never bring peace. We know that
peace is only achieved with a strong commitment to justice. As veterans
who served in various wars, we know there is a connection between
increasing racist violence in the United States and the massive
indiscriminate killing of hundreds of thousands of people in other
lands. Growing racism against black, brown and Muslim people in the
United States is a reflection of the racism that justifies killing
non-white people abroad. The U.S. military deliberately uses racism to
motivate young men and women to kill.
As veterans, we know what it's like to be called
to a "duty" that goes against our conscience. We urge all current
National Guard members to lay down their weapons and refuse to fight
against their neighbours and fellow community members. We urge you all
to be fully informed as you make profound choices with possibly serious
consequences. We urge any troops facing possible deployment to
Minneapolis or already there to contact the National Lawyers Guild
Military Law Task Force at (619) 463-2369 and/or
help@militarylawhelp.com for referral to a civilian attorney to discuss
your options.
Our nation's consistent option for militarization
and the use of deadly force when it is not needed -- at home and abroad
-- is exactly why we find ourselves in this situation. It makes no
sense to think more violence and trauma heaped upon the Minneapolis
community will quell the unrest. The Governor has moved beyond using a
militarized police force to using the military. He is relying on
intimidation and fear to end this. The only thing that will quiet this
storm is justice.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 20 - June 6, 2020
Article Link:
Statements: Veterans For Peace
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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