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World without Wars and without Violence
World March for Peace and Nonviolence
Peace, force and joy.
The first world march for peace and nonviolence
Friends, the first World March was possible.
Itís not easy to synthesise what happened.
How do you describe the number of marches, interviews,
the almost one thousand events carried out, receptionsÖ?
During the time of the Spanish Civil war this building was a symbol
and it touched me personally because my grandfather was in here,
fighting against my father who was on the other side,
in the Republican zone.
Here you see the irrationality of wars
that families ñ members of the same family ñ have to confront
and because of this my grandfather died.
And weíve seen this irrationality in Hiroshima,
weíve seen it in Korea, weíve seen it in Germany,
weíve seen it in loads of places
where war has left consequences that last for years
and sometimes for centuries.
And this March has to do with the proposal and the idea
that in some moment wars will be eliminated.
And thatís why one of the important demands
is that States renounce war as a way to resolve conflicts.
So the testimony of so many thousands,
millions of people who have seen their lives and their families broken, has a great charge
and is very importantÖ And we think that wars must be eliminated
and disappear from the face of the earth.
We fell in love with a word.
The most beautiful word of all
The only one that describes something thatís not there: PEACE.
The March for Peace and Nonviolence
The journey will span across more than 100 countries,
6 continents, with the direct participation of millions of people
You too, fall in love with the most beautiful words in the world.
Start walking with us.
After many years
of working in pacifism and nonviolence
it became clear that it was necessary to carry out an action with a global character
that would try to transmit the need and the sentiments
of the majority of the people of the planet.
The Marchís route is based on initiatives.
In reality we started to connect with humanist friends
and friends from other associations of different countries
and it is through the togetherness that is produced when faced with the idea of doing this action
that a route was drawn up, where initially there were few countries.
This grew and in order for it to really have a universal character,
it had to touch the five continents.
In Wellington we begin the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.
We travelled to New Zealand, a marvellous country that is also a symbol
because it is the country that on a global ranking
"has the greatest commitment to peace; "
they have eliminated foreign military bases.
They have declared the country to be free of nuclear weapons.
And together with the network of parliamentarians, with Alyn Ware,
when they proposed to start in this square with Gandhiís statue,
it seemed to us that it fitted perfectly.
And already in the days beforehand, when we were with the Moriori on Rekohu,
in the Chatham Islands, where the day starts for the planet,
we could already perceive that the World March proposal
was going to have important backing.
Wellington marked the start. We were there on the 2nd of October,
Gandhiís birthday.
Not only there, but also in more than 300 cities around the world,
in togetherness and simultaneously, the World March set off.
After the kick off in Wellington and passing through Australia,
the Philippines is an important turning point,
because we start to see the first massive demonstrations of support for the March.
Of course there were, official receptions,
the giving of keys to the cityÖ everything that is institutional,
but what impressed us enormously
is to see 12,000 students in Lucena
making that living peace symbol, and to see them doing it
because what this World March seeks is to connect with young people.
World March for Peace and Nonviolence
Nuclear arsenals can destroy our planet many times over
For nuclear disarmament
We donít want more armies invading foreign territories
For the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons
Itís not possible that we think about resolving conflicts with war or with violence.
For the commitment of governments to renounce war
We prefer cooperation between countries to aggression between countries
For the signing of non-aggression treaties between countries
Well, with the World March what happens is that it started to get complicated.
When we made the first designs,
that even then felt enormous, there were 40 countries.
More countries started to join
in and started to ask that we also pass through Ö
that we also go toÖ
it started to fill up with other proposals,
or other routes besides that of the International Base Team.
And we can mention the Base Team that did the route through the Middle East
as it was very important to go through Palestine and through Israel.
Also the team that travelled through the Balkans,
the Galicia-Portugal route,
the South and East African route.
And then there were shorter routes, and several of them.
And already there at the start, in Wellington,
a group of young people arrived, almost all young girls, very enthusiastic,
who had spent 10 days walking for the start of the March.
There were also routes in France on foot. There were routes in AmericaÖ
So it was a combination of teams, some for more days, others for less, but with great enthusiasm,
that wanted to make a contribution to this World March.
We must take care that human beings continue in history.
The experience in Izmir was a very important point
and very surprising for all of us
because the proposal of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence
produced a kind of agglutinating phenomenon
for groups that had difficulty to participate
although they had many issues in common.
Human Rights groups, leftist groups,
Kurdish groups, in search of peace,
seeking social recognitionÖ
There were many organisations: 40 or 50 associations.
It was the first time that these groups came to do something together.
I believe that the local authorities had an open attitude.
There was also a moment in
which a process of opening to Turkish society was taking place
"and also flexibility in the Kurdish positions; "
favouring peace, favouring dialogue.
So, what took place in Izmir was a phenomenon,
like a kind of clamour of different groups,
to want to express themselves, to want to live together,
"to tolerate each other, to dialogue; "
and the thing is that they needed something to bring them together, they needed a common factor,
the same common denominator,
and this was the World March for Peace and Nonviolence
that they all took as a flag.
Thousands of people went on to the streets with their ethnic and cultural differences.
So, there was a demonstration in the centre of Izmir
with a large police presence, enormous.
Fortunately there were no incidents.
It was totally peaceful and I believe that, as much for the participants
as for the organisers, it made it possible for the people to express themselves.
And it seemed interesting to me
that a phenomenon occurred
in the direction to which we aspire.
When we started the March,
the world was like many different parts that were stuck next to each other.
There were different cultures but very disunited, no?
There were people who dressed one way, people who pray in another way,
people who ate certain things, peopleÖ
and like the accent was placed on difference.
Suddenly, when you start to walk around the world, one country after anotherÖ
Suddenly itís like everything started to look more homogeneous
and now itís not like a world of parts stuck together, but rather itís all the same,
itís the same people you see.
Some pray to one God and others pray to another,
some wear skirts and others trousers,
some wear a turban and others not,
but you see the same look, you see the same desire to transform the world,
you see the same aspirations
and all of this seems to be what is important.
If a bloke prays to one God or prays to another, or if he eats one kind of food or another,
or if heís dressed one way or another,
all of this loses importance.
So for me personally,
it has completely changed my vision of the world,
because itís as if you can no longer feel alone.
From the Amazon the whisper reaches us
that feeds the son
that lives in the Chalbi.
And in Namibia
you can hear the troubled
and sleepy rumbles
of Nevado del Ruiz
While today the Pampa surrounds Berlin,
the Coliseum wakes up in New York
Chacareras drinking from a fado
soleares of a tango
and an isa of a son.
And a Kena with Scottish bagpipes
dances in the key of a djembe and a bongo.
Today, reggae is heavy with the spirit of soul,
singing the same song.
Perhaps by sweeping away borders
the lands will be brothers
under one sun
And in the profound encounter
"of every culture there is the solution;"
a greater respect.
Whatever the religion, whatever the cultural identity,
whatever the nationality, whatever the level of culture,
all human beings aspire to the same value of peace,
harmony, understanding.
Eskimos maintain the rites
of the Maya, Fulani, Ovambo and Wolof
And in the blood of the Inca cohabit
Bantu, Berber and Zulu ancestors.
Today DNA strives to forge us the same,
skeletons from the same crucible.
Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists
pray a litany to the same Bethlehem.
And Christians, Jews and Animists
baptise doctrines of the same faith.
Verse is law if it supports reason
and religion writes respect.
I think about my naked verse
leaving behind borders,
clothing the country.
With the hope that another new era arrives
Without conflict at last
Without conflict at last
Öthat can communicate and open the doors to reconciliation
and start a new history of peaceful coexistence
between Palestinians and Jews.
We saw a small school
and itís an experience that left us all emotional,
where Israeli and Palestinian children live together,
study together and discovered that ìshalomî and ìsalaamî,
that mean peace in the two languages, is possible.
They celebrate Israeli holidays, they celebrate Muslim holidays.
Whatís more, the teachers have lately
put intention into integrating families,
not only between the children which is easier,
they all play together and have fun and they all speak the different languages.
The more difficult part was to integrate the families
and now there are more than 200 families who speak the same language,
have the same codes, which is the code of peace.
Of course, itís not always going to be that easy,
but this is already a very interesting model.
Children. They have motivated me a lot, the children.
I asked each one of them what the word peace means for them
and the replies are surprising
" because for some itís that there are no more hostages; "
"for others, that they can eat once a day; that they have shoes; "
"that my mother has medicine;"
or, what elseÖ, that I can go to play and not to work,
"surprising; or that they have water, for example."
To work in nonviolence with children,
this is a chapter that matters to me,
because the children are the future of tomorrow.
We are small, we are playful,
we are happy singing these songs.
Give me a tin can full of peace,
Iím a child who wants to have fun!
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace.
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace.
The axe of war, we are going to bury,
letís exchange anger for a little bit of love.
Let no one go hungry in this big world.
Letís make this life a dance and fun!
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace.
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace.
The tin can of love, the tin can of dreams,
the tin can of friendship, the tin can of kisses.
The tin can of love, the tin can of dreams,
the tin can of friendship, the tin can of kisses.
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace.
Hello, we are the children of this planet
who have come to pesterÖ for peace, for peace, for peace.
And we are sure that one day we will celebrate
the elimination of this border, the one behind us.
When we designed the World March
we wanted to pass through the symbolic places
where there had been conflicts in history.
Obviously, the Korean War marked
an entire stage of relations between East and West,
and the confrontation between blocs.
It was important to be in Korea,
that still has this conflict
with more than 12 million people divided,
who still cannot coexist today,
even though more than 50 years have gone by.
The fact that the World March was given authorisation to enter in the free zone,
the demilitarised zone, was a symbol
that in addition was quickly taken up
by the press, the media.
And here we gave a sign and we said that soon
we would be at the Berlin Wall
and that we hoped that this border that today is impassable
also disappears, just as the Berlin Wall fell.
Hopefully as soon as possible,
so that the Korean people can go back to a reconciled
and peaceful coexistence.
That in a country like Argentina, with a surface area of 2,780,000 square kilometres,
there have been no working trains for at least 20 years,
seems really absurd to me
and itís counterproductive for the whole of society.
When I found out about the proposal for a train to reach Punta de Vacas
carrying Argentineans participating in the World March,
I think the happiness I felt was shared by a lot of people.
In fact, when I saw the pictures of the people celebrating alongside the railway tracks
and shouting for the trains to return to the railways of Argentina,
I truly realised its importance for the whole system,
not only economic but also social.
More than 10,000 families were left on the streets
when Argentine Railways was privatised
by Menem more than 16 years ago
with the support of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Really, I believe that the 30th of December
when this train arrived from Retiro to Mendoza,
carrying people to Punta de Vacas
to celebrate the end of this first World March,
I believe that it was a very important historical moment that had to be seen,
that itís possible for trains to come back.
In fact, today they are considering the possibility
that this train returns to service this Retiro-Mendoza route, once a month
with the aim of making it once a week,
until it can be done on a daily basis.
And this is because of this great initiative in which World without Wars,
the Humanist Movement and FUDESA participated
and also with the support of the Department of Rail Transport.
The people were euphoric to see the train on the tracks,
and I personally, from here, felt very happy to see the pictures,
because it re-establishes what was stolen from us, what was taken away.
Experience the honey moon of your dreams
and enjoy the magic of a cruise.
Blue Cruisers have the latest features
and take you to the most exotic destinations:
the Persian Gulf, Iran, North KoreaÖ
Enjoy an unforgettable holiday with the leading name in cruises.
Anyone free at the shopping mall? (Ö)
348, Iím on the High Street. (Ö)
Go ahead 348, 200 Castle Street, name of Mr Burgess (Ö)
Roger 348, on my way.
There has to be something good in human beings,
has to be something good.
There has to be something good in human beings,
All morning I wondered how human beings
can be so bad, so rude,
so stupid, so insensitive.
Always tripping over the same stone,
always cheating, always so violent,
so unable to calmly deal with things.
I'm going to eat a bit and see what happens,
a bit of an ear, a middle finger.
There has to be something good in human beings,
has to be something good.
There has to be something good in human beings,
There has to be something good in human beings,
has to be something good.
There has to be something good in human beings,
They canít be so bad,
there must be something to take advantage of,
even if itís only a piece of their last bone.
On the 6th of August, in Hiroshima,
with the Mayor of Wellington, Bob Harvey,
we were given a torch with a flame from Hiroshima,
symbolising the flame for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
At the start of the March in Wellington
four torches were lit that were crafted in New Zealand.
Two of them we carried on the World March,
travelling through all the countries.
And in Berlin, with Mairead Corrigan, the Nobel Laureate,
on the steps of Berlin City Hall,
we lit the torch again
when the meeting of Nobel Prize Winners took place,
in a summit to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall.
We also took it to Punta de Vacas
and here we handed it to the Mayors for Peace organisation
so that they take it back to Hiroshima.
And this year, when the Non-proliferation Treaty conference starts,
taking place at the United Nations at the beginning of May,
we will go with our torch and the others
to carry this flame to give a sign
and transmit this feeling there is around the world
so that finally nuclear weapons are eliminated.
A March is crossing the world.
With the clear intention of creating awareness
of the dangerous global situation in which we are living,
which is marked by, an increased probability of nuclear conflict,
by the arms race,
and by violent territorial military occupations.
This proposed social mobilization
is galvanized by the Humanist Movement and its organizations.
The most urgent task is to create awareness of Peace and disarmament.
But it is also necessary to awaken a consciousness of Active Nonviolence,
which allows us to reject not only physical violence,
but all forms of economic, racial, psychological, and gender violence.
Of course, we hope that this new sensibility
can take root in and inspire social structures,
opening a path to the future Universal Human Nation.
The true strength of this impulse
is born in the simple act of one who, out of conscience,
joins a dignified cause and shares it with others.
The principle moral for a non-violent world is
ìTreat others as you want to be treated.î
The story that affected me most
was a surprise meeting with the formerÖ, a former leader of M19,
the Colombian M19 group,
who once took my father hostage
for 2 months in Bogota in 1984.
Rafael de la Rubia asked me if Iíd like to meet this person.
This demanded a lot of courage from me.
So we were able to talk.
I asked him what it was like to be
face to face with the daughter of his groupís former hostage.
And so in that moment,
something really magic fell into place,
because Antonio Navarro truly,
truly managed to speak from the heart,
and we met on that level to understand each other
and in that instant there was no former guerrilla
or daughter of an Ambassador. There were no executioners or victims.
We saw each other completely equal,
in suffering and joy.
And that has moved me profoundly because he said sorry
and something has truly been liberated within me,
not only for me, but for my family
and probably for many, many, many, many, people
because I received hundreds of messages after this reconciliation
from the whole world from people
who have been profoundly touched by this making amends,
because I think that somehow there is a part of all of us that is held hostage,
and through this work that the two of us
have done we have been able to open a door inside each one of us.
Well, weíve sent out an important signal on a worldwide level.
To join peace with nonviolence and really advance
so that nonviolence takes root in the hearts of human beings.
"Itís an aim that we have surely achieved; "
I think that we have touched millions of people in the March events.
Itís been a way to demonstrate that itís possible to work together,
people from different cultures, different ages, for a common objective.
I believe that itís like when the fields start to yield crops.
The soil has to be prepared,
then seeds are sewn and then thereís harvesting.
I believe that itís the moment,
that the moment has arrived for individuals for whole peoples,
to rise up their voices together.
Until now there has been a lot of fragmentation,
many parallel worlds, this journey that went around the world
has been the first thread to connect so many realities.
The World March is the first global manifestation,
the first planetary manifestation, for the first time in history.
Because sometimes the difficulty to change the world, the difficulty to do something,
is because we arenít capable of imagining it.
You can do everything that you can imagine,
but if you canít imagine it, you wonít be able to do it.
I believe that the world is changing its images of the future.
And I feel that the World March has been putting
very real and very concrete images in peopleís heads.
Universal human nation.
Each one of us in this moment
is an ambassador of this great planetary nation.
With the March we have the great opportunity to really start it.
The March has ended, but the process of humanisation is beginning.
The March itself has finished,
but the time for actions to start to make it real is now.