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Photo By Jymi Bolden
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Nonviolent direct action works, even in the Middle
East, says Adam Shapiro.
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The Cincinnati peace movement gathered May 16 to celebrate its victories, honor its heroes and prepare for its next campaign. The U.S. conquest of Iraq is apparently complete, but the movement that rose to oppose the war shows no sign of going away.
If last week's "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" celebration is any indication, the opposition is stronger than before the war started. That could have serious implications for future U.S. military excursions and for President Bush's election bid.
"We're a recurring peace movement," said Sister Alice Gerdeman, director of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center. "We may not have prevented a war, but we made clear they cannot get by with violence without hearing from us."
Mark David, who hosted the banquet, also pointed to the peace movement's strength, with worldwide demonstrations months before the Bush Administration launched its attack on Iraq. The Internet has proven a useful political tool for mass organizing, David said.
"In the end, we were not able to stop the war, but something has arisen from the ashes," he said. "Now with one voice we can announce a day of defiance and people around the world will respond."
'We were successful'
For Adam Shapiro, one measure of victory is the use of tear gas and sound grenades by Israeli soldiers. A founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Shapiro was one of three featured speakers honored for putting themselves in harm's way to oppose war.
Born of Jewish parents in Brooklyn, Shapiro drew international attention last year when he accompanied an ambulance into Palestinian President Yassir Arafat's compound, which was under fire by Israeli troops.
Last year Israel deported Shapiro after he participated in a nonviolent direct action campaign. With 250 Palestinians, Shapiro and 40 other "internationals," as he calls ISM volunteers, defied an Israeli curfew.
"They decided they wanted to leave their homes," he says.
The fact that Israeli soldiers attacked the marchers with tear gas shows nonviolent resistance is effective, according to Shapiro.
"If we weren't there, they would have used live ammunition," he says. "So we were successful in our efforts."
Peggy Gish of Athens, Ohio, another of the featured speakers May 16, similarly spoke of the successes the peace movement can claim. For five months, including during the U.S. invasion, she served in Iraq with the Christian Peacemakers Team.
"I want to start by giving you thanks from the Iraqi people," Gish said. "They knew what was happening and they knew they were not forgotten. We felt we were just one piece of a larger worldwide movement."
Art Gish, her husband, was the third honoree. He was captured in a widely circulated photograph, standing in front of an Israeli tank in occupied Palestine.
He congratulated Cincinnati peace activists, more than 100 of whom attended "Blessed Are the Peacemakers."
"You're part of 37 million people around the world who took to the streets to protest this illegal and unnecessary war," Gish said.
Describing interactions between members of Christian Peacemakers and Israeli soldiers, Art Gish said nonviolent direct action works. He intervened several times to stop Israeli soldiers from beating Palestinian youths, he said.
"There are things soldiers will not do if somebody is watching," Gish said. "Repeatedly we have given orders to soldiers and they have obeyed us. Many times soldiers are acting with discretion and, when somebody suggests an alternate course of action, it makes a difference."
'Parks have become cemeteries'
Art Gish isn't uncritical of the way the Palestinian independence movement has operated.
"I would like to see masses of Palestinian youths sit in front of tanks rather than throw stones at them," he said.
Shapiro, too, hopes nonviolence becomes the primary tool in occupied Palestine.
"We think nonviolence is the best way for the Palestinians to achieve their goals and to use the resources they have at hand," he says. "The present violence that the Palestinians are using will have very detrimental effects on the future Palestinian community. The kind of violence being used will have lasting traumatic effects."
The ISM offers an alternative to suicide bombings, but the Israeli government hasn't appreciated the contribution of nonviolent activists.
"They're invading cities, but they accuse us of disturbing the peace," Shapiro says.
Shapiro is on a nationwide speaking tour, part of the ISM's Freedom Summer campaign. The group hopes to train hundreds of Americans to volunteer in Palestine, monitoring the Israeli occupation, supporting nonviolent resistance and reporting back to other Americans about what they see.
"We are always in need of donations," Shapiro says. "We think it's more important for people to come and see for themselves. This summer we hope to bring 1,000 internationals. Having people report back is definitely a way to change the way Americans view their role in the conflict."
The U.S. role in the Palestinian struggle is as important as civil rights abuses in Cincinnati and other urban centers, according to Shapiro.
"Whether we like it or not, we as American taxpayers are contributing heavily to the occupation system of oppression," he says. "For the Palestinians, it's not only about their situation but about global oppression. For African Americans and the history of the struggle for equal rights, the link is very real. While seeking independence, Palestinians do not have rights under the system they're living in. The issue of police brutality and racial profiling is part of the Palestinian struggle. I can walk up to a checkpoint and, because I have white skin, be treated differently."
The peace celebration wasn't without conflict. City Councilman David Crowley, who served in refugee relief in Bosnia, spoke of the horrors of war.
"I've seen the destruction of war firsthand," he said. "I've seen the playgrounds and parks that became cemeteries."
While praising the peace activists, Crowley inadvertently set himself up for criticism. Earlier this year Crowley proposed a resolution opposing war on Iraq, but withdrew it after concluding the measure wouldn't pass.
"I hope nobody expects me to say what city council is doing for peace, because we haven't done much," he said.
That was too much for a man in the audience, who heckled Crowley, yelling, "You bloody coward!" ©
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