An urgent alert from the US Section of the
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
WILPF US Urges Its Members to Take Actions Regarding the Situation Along Ukraine’s Borders

This Saturday, help WILPF demonstrate the breadth of opposition to NATO militarism and a senseless war over Ukraine. See important Ukraine background information below.

No War With Russia Over Ukraine! Join in the online national rally, on Saturday, February 5: 9 am PST / 10 am MST / 11 am CST / noon EST

Register for this virtual event here.

Prepare now to have photos of your local “visibility actions” shared at the rally!

Gather with other WILPF members and take to the streets before February 5. Hold visibility actions by holding signs and banners in well-trafficked areas such as major intersections or highway overpasses. Help raise awareness and urge the President to prevent a war with Russia. Make your own signs: “No war over Ukraine”, “Stop the NATO expansion”, etc. Send details of your planned WILPF demo to info@popularresistance.org and they will list it there.

Take photos of your action and send them (mentioning the location and WILPF sponsorship) as jpegs to info@popularresistance.org for display at the rally. Also send them, with who-what-when-where information, to our social media coordinator nfortuno.abeleda@gmail.com and to michael@teamgood.org for our website. Post them on https://www.facebook.com/groups/wilpfsmart/

Visit https://popularresistance.org/nowarwithrussia and scroll down to the bottom to see a list of planned outdoor events this week; join one near you.
Taking action is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

One petition to sign
The United Nations Security Council met on January 31 about this Ukraine issue, but no resolution was reached. Diplomatic processes must be used to back away from armed conflict. Visit this link to look for and sign the petition to President Biden and UN Secretary General António Guterres, urging them to continue to work on diplomatic solutions.

Two phone calls to make regarding H.R.6470: Stop the arms shipments!
Call Speaker Pelosi's Office (202) 225-4965 and say: Do not bring H.R. 6470 to the floor. We must stop, not increase, the arms shipments to Ukraine. This is a dangerous bill that threatens to plunge us into another war by further weaponising Eastern Europe.

Phone your Congressional Representative and say: I ask you to NOT sign on to Congressman Meek's dangerous legislation H.R. 6470 to further embroil the U.S. militarily, but to introduce legislation supporting a moratorium on NATO expansion.


Three or more letters to write
Easily write to your two senators and congressional rep by going to this website and filling out their form. Or you can copy their letter, revise it into your own words, and send it via your political representatives’ own websites (it’s time to bookmark those on your computer!)

Here is a fine opening line: I insist, as your constituent, that you must do everything in your power to prevent war in Ukraine. Write a similar letter to the President here:

We also ask you to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Here is an opening paragraph: We residents of town name must call out the warmongers in Congress, if the Ukraine crisis escalates into a full armed conflict between Russia and the U.S. we could see nuclear missiles raining down on OUR town! We must urge our political representatives to advance peace through diplomacy. The corporations who provide military materials to the U.S. government spend millions of dollars every year lobbying our congressional reps so they will authorize more money for buying the corporations’ weapons. We must counter that pernicious cycle with our loud voices.
Background Information: Some Reasons for This Situation
We, in WILPF US, are appalled by the current situation and crisis developing in Ukraine. Both the USA and Russia are posturing to confront each other with no regard for the welfare of the people of Ukraine. WILPF has been working for peace and justice since our founding in 1915, when we met with representatives of the “belligerent” nations who were, at that time, waging World War I on battlefields in Europe.

Governments and the press claim philosophical and political differences between Ukraine and Russia are driving this conflict. However, the underlying causes are yet another egregious example of the evils of patriarchy and militarism. This time the Ukrainian people are caught between the interests of two waning superpowers. We recognize that the people of the Ukraine, like the people of Cuba and Haiti in our own hemisphere, are ill served by the militarism and competing – but mutually reinforcing – white supremacy of Russia and the USA.

The actions and counteractions by Russia, the USA, and some European countries, have been prime examples of the war system that puts profit and power ahead of people. WILPF advocates for system change, for growing a peace culture and for an economic system that mitigates climate change.

Lost in media discussions of this conflict are the underlying issues around fossil fuel distribution and fledgling democratic movements in Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine.

We must de-escalate the situation now. Thousands of nuclear weapons are primed for use by both the USA and Russia. These nuclear weapons could annihilate much of life on Earth.

An official WILPF US statement, for release to the press, is forthcoming.

To see that WILPF US is in agreement with our sister WILPF sections,
please read this statement issued by our European sections. They recognize that genuine security can be built only on a long-term positive and common vision for peace, equality, and justice, put into practice.:

Thank you from your DISARM/End Wars Committee for taking action on the Ukraine situation.

Contact disarmchair@wilpfus.org with any questions.
Your support helps us reach farther and be more effective. Consider a donation to WILPF today to demonstrate your solidarity with our work.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom/US Section
Friends House | PO Box 13075 | Des Moines, IA 50310 | 617-266-0999 | www.wilpfus.org


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