Pax Christi is very distressed at the decision to expand airstrikes in Syria. Many of our members lobbied their Members of Parliament right up to the last moment, urging them not to vote in support of airstrikes. We affirm Pax Christi International’s statement: “…it is so easy to use armed violence in revenge, to justify it as the best way to solve ongoing bloody conflicts, and to offer it to citizens as the only source of security; however, military operations distract us from core components of this terror…”
We will be monitoring the impact of the air strikes and will continue to work with our sister peace organisations to challenge the causes of war and the tools that fuel wars and make them more likely, such as the global arms trade and the increased use of drone warfare.
From Exec member Paul McGowan: Peace activists must not be downhearted…
We need to make sure that ALL elements of the Motion are given equal importance: the Vienna talks, support for refugees, post-conflict planning, sources of finance and weapons for IS AND the other militias, civilian casualties, no UK combat troops, three-monthly reports to Parliament. Imaginatively harnessed, these aspects could form a solid structure which holds the Government to account on a permanent basis, to ensure that the public is kept fully informed at all times.
- From war on terror to war on ISIS, article from SIPRI 18 December, 2015
- ISIS-first strategy, doomed to fail: PAX Netherlands Syria Alert, 4 December 2015
- Britain in Syria – a gift to ISIS Prof Paul Rogers, 3 December 2015
- NEW: No moral case for bombing Syria: Archbishop Barry Morgan: Wales 1 December 2015
- Video Bombing Syria to please our allies is a dangerous game: Rev Giles Fraser 2 December 2015
Here you can find prayer and action resources for this time.
Here a range of ‘other voices’, articles and comments following Paris attacks.
