September 2025
John Lennon, whose birthday is October 9
Attention World Leaders: Prevent Nuclear War, End the Nuclear Arms Race and Abolish Nuclear Weapons!
World leaders, meeting at a UN High Level Meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26, were called to stand down nuclear forces, end the costly nuclear arms race and commit to achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons no later than 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations. The call was delivered in a Joint Appeal for Nuclear Abolition Day from over 500 civil society organizations representing peace, disarmament, human rights, environment, business, religious, youth, development and academic communities from around the world, endorsed by an additional 1000+ individuals. The Appeal, organized by NuclearAbolitionDay.org, was accompanied by a social media campaign, "Peace is in Our Hands." Watch the video statement by UN Messenger of Peace, Michael Douglas. Read more.
October 18 No Kings II: No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
Millions of U.S. residents are expected to take the streets again to show everyone across the globe that America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people. October 18th has been chosen for the 2nd No Kings Day. The message that the Day hopes to convey to make plain will be carried by local and state actions with full use of social media. The protests, which call for nonviolence, encourage people to build the broadest coalitions they can and engage social media to demand needed changes in public policy while making plain that in this country the people hold the authority, a power that will not be ceded to any individual. Click here to find events near you.
Nonviolent Direct Action Training Sundays, October 5th and 12th from 3-6 pm (Eastern)
We are living in a time that most of us never imagined. A time when the democratic state, flawed as it is, is coming apart. Those responsible are working to impose a new order rooted in white, male, Christian supremacy. To secure this dystopian order, state violence and the silencing of dissent is on the rise, threatening any opposition to the fascist regime. The Fellowship of Reconciliation invites you to join us for a 2-part gathering to discuss theoretical and practical applications of nonviolent direct action as the best way to respond to authoritarianism and the repressive use of state power. The gatherings are free to all friends and allies. Our amazing trainers are Lisa Fithian with the Alliance of Community Trainers (ACT) and Mary Link, NVDA Trainer Western MASS Team. Register here.
Global Day of Education to #CloseBases -- October 4, 2025
World BEYOND War and dozens of participating peace and justice organizations around the world are creating local, events on October 4th to educate our communities about the extent and variety of the damage done by military bases. Learn about the case against military bases and how to close them. Make October 4th a day of solidarity with others all over the world. Find an event near you or organize your own. There is an extensive toolkit available with videos, speakers and activities to help examine how bases negatively affect international relations, the natural environment, the rule of law, democratic hopes, societies, cultures, and public resources. LEARN MORE.
War, Climate Crisis and the Economy: Transition Security Project Launch -- Oct. 16, Online
As the climate crisis intensifies, the U.S. and UK are opening the fiscal floodgates for their militaries. In the U.S., the first ever trillion-dollar military budget funds a global police force while endless billions in military aid are handed to Israel for its genocidal assault on Gaza. At the same time, European states are expanding their militaries to meet an arbitrary spending target set by Washington. The Transition Security Project will investigate the U.S. and UK military industrial complexes, their political economy and the threats they pose to the climate transition. Jointly founded by Common Wealth and the Climate and Community Institute, the Transition Security Project will virtually launch its forthcoming work on October 16, at 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT. Learn about the speakers and register here.
Global Military Spending Shows Misalignment of Priorities, says UN Secretary General
Global military spending has been on the rise for more than 20 years, and in 2024, it surged across all five global regions in the world to reach a record high of USD 2.7 trillion. Yet, such growth has come at the cost of diverting financial resources away from sustainable development efforts, which the United Nations and its chief warn puts pressure on an "already strained financial context." UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on [September 9] that member states needed to prioritize diplomacy and multilateralism to protect global security and development. His new report, The Security We Need: Rebalancing Military Spending for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future, goes into detail on the conditions that have allowed for increased military spending in contrast to an overall reduction in global development financing. Read more.
Keep Space for Peace Week October 4 -- 11 2025: Opposing the "Golden Dome"
Each year the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space (GN) urges groups around the world to host events to bring the issue of space militarization to the public's attention. With Trump's recent declaration that he wants to build a "Golden Dome" umbrella over North America, this is indeed the time to resist this boondoggle scheme. Trump’s provocative plan would cost several trillion dollars and require even more cuts in social spending. If the system ever worked (very unlikely) it would be a key component of Pentagon nuclear first strike planning -- "the sword and the shield." Is space as a war-fighting domain the reality we want to build our future on? Instead of weapons in space for a Golden Dome we should be leading the effort to ban weapons and warfare in space. Read more. Download a Keep Space for Peace Week poster.
Tell Congress to Stop Funding the "Golden Dome"
The Trump administration's proposed multi-trillion-dollar "Golden Dome" strategic missile defense initiative would be technically infeasible, enormously expensive, and dangerously destabilizing. Moreover, it would undermine efforts to limit and reduce the offensive nuclear forces of Russia, China, and the United States, which President Trump himself says he wants. In response to these developments, the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction's Steering Committee issued a statement, urging Congress not to fund the Golden Dome because it is technically infeasible, it would be enormously expensive, and it will fuel a new nuclear arms race. Tell Congress to stop funding the Golden Dome. To learn more about the Physicists Coalition and get up to speed on current nuclear dangers watch a remarkable 6-minute video.
The Question of Genocide: UFPJ Israel-Palestine War Resources
This past month has brought a deepening global consensus that the government of Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. A UN independent commission concluded that their actions clearly met the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention, and also had "flagrantly disregarded" the orders of the International Court of Justice. The International Association of Genocide Scholars issued a statement reaching the same conclusion. Governments that have supported the Israeli assault on Gaza share responsibility. Two U.S. Senators issued a report documenting U.S. complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. In the United Kingdom, an independent tribunal took testimony on the UK government's actions supporting Israel's military and its failure to fulfill international obligations to prevent genocide (video recording here). Find more resources here.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Their City is Gone: Voices from Gaza
Amidst the endless bad-faith diplomatic maneuvering and the numbing statistics of ever-more thousands killed, it is too easy to lose touch with the reality of those beneath the bombing. Selma Dabbagh brings voices from writers in Gaza, telling us "We're dying here every day in many colours and shapes." A doctor who tries to keep his hospital open suffers drone attacks, interrogations, beating, and finally is jailed without charge. A mother and father, determined to stay in Gaza City, finally are forced to flee with their five children: "there were no longer any means of sustaining life …." In "A Map to a Place That No Longer Exists," Abdullah Hany Daher writes of how Gaza's physical devastation destroys far more, erasing shared memory and sense of place.
Image: Hussein Jaber, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, via Wikimedia Commons
"Uniting for Peace" Call to Action for the UN to Stop the Genocide NOW!
With the passing of the UN's deadline for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, civil society and peace organizations rallied at the UN on September 18th. Asserting that the General Assembly can bypass the Security Council veto by invoking "Uniting for Peace" Resolution 377 (1950) with a 2/3 vote, demonstrators called upon the UN to send a multinational protection force to deliver food and humanitarian aid to Gaza NOW! Roger Waters was the event's keynote speaker, which was covered by Al-Jazeera. The International Fellowship of Reconciliation co-sponsored the rally and supports the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect's vision under "Uniting for Peace"
Ukraine resources: Difficult Diplomacy Requires Actual Diplomats and Actual Desire for Peace
Trump's latest zig-zag, declaring that Ukraine can "WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form" has puzzled experts, providing the Russian government with an opportunity to reply that they see "no alternative" to continuing their war. The U.S. role in any peace negotiations rests mainly in the hands of real estate developer Steve Witkoff, whose ignorance of the region and its history appears exceeded only by his over-confidence. Commentators have proposed sensible peace settlements, but none would be easy, and the requisite will and competence appears lacking. So far the Trump team has violated the most basic principles of negotiation, and there is reason to believe that those who rule in Russia may think that they are better served by a long war than by an early peace. Find more Ukraine resources here.
WEBINAR RECORDING: What in the World is Happening with Ukraine?
Massachusetts Peace Action and the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security co-sponsored a webinar with George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft on September 17. Beebe served over two decades as an intelligence analyst and policy advisor, including as director of the CIA's Russia analysis. He examines developments leading to the present situation in Ukraine and the issues that need to be resolved: Ukraine's legitimate security concerns and need to protect its territorial integrity versus Kyiv's repression of Russian speaking Ukrainians, and dismissal of Russia's core security interests. In the midst of this analysis George Beebe critiques Trump's policies and goals, finally turning to means to resolve these underlying causes in a way that leads to a diplomatic resolution of the war. WATCH HERE.
On the International Day of Peace, California Peace Coalition Honors Mayors for Peace
On Sept. 21, the UN International Day of Peace, the Peace Coalition of Monterey County honored the Monterey County mayors who are members of Mayors for Peace. Mayors for Peace North American Coordinator Jackie Cabasso was the guest speaker, with Mayor Tyller Williamson of Monterey, Mayor Bruce Delgado of Marina, and Mayor Mary Ann Carbone of Sand City in attendance. Ms. Cabasso reported on the recent Mayors for Peace General Conference in Nagasaki, highlighting Mayors for Peace's commitment to growing a culture of peace. Mayor Williamson talked about the need to link global nuclear weapons issues with local concerns. Mayor Delgado linked his concern for the environment with the need to abolish nuclear weapons, and Mayor Carbone, the first Native American mayor of Sand City, stressed the importance of education and art for children. Check out the updated Mayors for Peace Action Toolkit.
In Times of Political and Policy Violence, We Must Stand Against All Forms of Violence
Reflecting on the murder of Charlie Kirk, Bishop William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove wrote: "Just two months after she had buried her husband in April of 1968, Coretta Scott King traveled to Washington, D.C. to address the largest gathering of the original Poor People's Campaign... Mrs. King was hurting, but she found a way... to connect her pain with the suffering of millions of Americans—even poor white Americans who'd been fed the lie that her husband was a communist trying to destroy the nation. Yes, her family had been assaulted by a political assassination... But in her prophetic empathy, Coretta King was able to see how that violence connected her to others who were suffering from policy violence. 'I must remind you that starving a child is violence,' she told the crowd... 'Contempt for poverty is violence'." Read more.
The Killing of Charles James Kirk: Violent Speech Leads to Violence
"There are so many words and cliches condemning the killing of Charles James Kirk, and none of the refrains are unique... 'there is no room in American politics for political violence.' Are people blind to the realities that have been swirling all around us?" asks Rev. Graylan Hagler, senior advisor with UFPJ member FOR-USA. "The language has been violent. The discord has been great. There has been a consistent invitation to dine at the table of heated racist discussion posing as legitimate political speech... I am sorry for the death and killing of Charlie Kirk... If we are going to be truthful in this moment, the hate that Kirk put out came back on him, and the violent political language that continues to fly in this country will continue to manifest itself in ways where we will continually be praying for victims and their families." Read more.
Moral Mondays: From 2013 to today
Moral Mondays began in 2013 to protest issues of unfair treatment, discrimination, and adverse effects of legislation on North Carolina citizens. By 2014 Moral Mondays expanded across the country. The leaders sought to restore "morality" in the public sphere. Moral Mondays engage in civil disobedience—people entering the state legislature building to be peacefully arrested with their messages, "This is not a moment but a Movement," along with "We are not an organization but an Organism." Moral Mondays, which highlight impacted people, people of faith, and moral leaders, were held weekly through 2016 when North Carolina saw changes in those elected to state offices. This summer, Moral Mondays resumed nationally, including recent actions in September at U.S. Senate offices. Learn more and sign up.
Image: sunfishtommy, CC BY-SA 3.0
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