Yearly archives: 2017

This past 14 March, 19 activists organized a nonviolent action at the doors of IFEMA (International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement) in Madrid to protest against the weapons fair of HOMSEC 2017 (International Trade Fair for Security Technology), an event that gathered arms merchants and agents, public and private, who benefit from the business of war; private military security enterprises and video surveillance enterprises like Navantia or ISDEF (International Defense and Homeland Security), among others.

In its communication with IFEMA, the platform of Desarma Madrid (Disarm Madrid) demanded the cancellation of the event and called for the use of the public spaces to promote a culture of peace and not as showcases for war and violence.
During the action, several banners were unfurled at the door displaying the motto “Disarm Madrid” while six persons – the number of this edition of the fair – sprayed themselves with red paint to represent the blood shed by victims of wars. Another more numerous group carried posters with the names of some of the countries where those weapons are being used – Syria, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, and Iraq, among others. The police intervened and arrested 19 people.

Months later, the Government Delegation issued fines totaling 11,419 €. It is ironic that the Organic Law for the Protection of Citizen Security (popularly known as the “gag law”) is used to criminalize those who in a nonviolent manner denounce the barbarity of war, and that the Spanish legislation that establishes that authorization for exporting arms should be denied if they can be used to disturb the peace, stability or security in any global or regional area (Ley 53/2007) is forgotten.

♀ We refuse to accept that public spaces be used to accommodate events that foment the culture of war.

♀ We reject repressive models of security centered on military threats to the territorial and political integrity of the States.

♀ We believe in a model of human security that defends the right to a life free of violence, poverty and fear.

♀ We want an integral model of human security that includes other security aspects such as economic, food and environmental.

If to denounce that the government of Spain does not respect its obligations with regard to human rights, is to disobey…

to denounce that the warlords enrich themselves at the cost of the suffering of millions of people throughout the world, is to disobey the law…

then,

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Published news about the 14 March action (in Spanish):
“El Salto” repport
“La Marea” report
Video of the action

Women in Black of Madrid are very worried and disturbed by the current situation in Cataluña and in the rest of Spain.

We are also perplexed that all the other problems that plague our societies have disappeared from the media and the concerns of the governments as if they no longer existed.

Both governments say they speak in the name of the people when in reality they speak in the interests of their own party. And between the two of them, they have succeeded in causing us to consider ourselves enemies of one another.

Intimidation, fear and violence, the same tactics they use to confront the conflict through force, is pure militarization of conscience.

As Women in Black we do not want them to divide us, to separate us as if we were enemies, and to make use of force: Not in our name nor with our money!

As Women in Black we want:

♀ To resolve conflicts in another way: to listen to each other, taking care with the manner in which things are said and done, avoid adding more fuel to the fire.

♀ Extend bridges between people and communities, put oneself in the shoes of the other person, know their priorities and try to understand them, meet as women without borders.

♀ Work collaboratively to achieve social progress and progress for women.

♀ Ask the governments to really work for the people rather than divide us more than they have already done.

♀ We call out against the launch of exceptional measures and impositions by both of the parties, and appeal for dialog and democratic, participatory negotiation.

Women in Black, based on our feminist, anti-militarist and nonviolence platform, express our conviction that alternatives must be sought to learn how to preclude conflicts resulting in more violence, rather seeking greater equity and justice for the civil society.

It is not enough to be against violence and war. One must analyze the causes that produce wars in order to avoid them.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Women in Black are very concerned to see how the war in Syria has become entrenched. Following the repression of the dictator Al Assad against the civil population, which rose up non-violently against the corruption of his government in the spring of 2011, there occurred an increase in violence, encouraged by the intervention of external actors who, instead of seeking a peaceful solution, provoked a civil war that included many participants and with international dimensions.

In previous communiqués, we have reported that the supposed guardians of democracy might arise as saviors of this country supporting the insurgents militarily, when in reality they only aspired to defend their interests in the area. We also denounced the macabre business of arms sales by various countries, Spain among them, with the approval of their respective governments, despite knowing that these weapons are used against the civil population.

With the pretext of the struggle against terrorism, the international community continues to permit the destruction of Syria and further entrenchment of the conflict. Recently, an additional country, Israel, joined in the destruction of Syria giving as their reason to attack the Hezbollah militia present on the border.

The European Union disregards those who oppose this war, the thousands of refugees, mostly defectors who leave with their families in order to save their lives and flee from the armed conflict. The supply of arms to the various warring actors continues but the quota for admission of refugees in the various countries is restricted. And they neither do anything to protect the civil population trapped between the military forces confronting one another.

The people suffer the consequences of a conflict that has little to do with them. On the contrary, the war serves the interests of the contending countries and the great world powers which care nothing about the destruction of a country as long as they obtain certain advantages derived from their presence in an area that is so strategic geopolitically.

Women in Black request:

♀ A negotiated solution in Syria now and one which will include all the civilian voices involved.

♀ That access to arms be denounced and impeded to adversaries.

♀ That the countries that permit the sale of arms, Spain included, be denounced.

♀ That the civil population be protected from military aggression, hunger, poverty and forced emigration, etc.

♀ That there be no impunity, rather that those responsible be held accountable in courts of justice for their crimes against the people.

♀ That the national heritage be protected and rebuilt.

♀ That the government of Spain fulfill its commitments to welcome Syrian refugees, a commitment with which it has systematically failed to comply.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain