October 2nd is the International Day of Nonviolence (declared by the UN General Assembly). The date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, the inspiration for peace, justice and freedom movements all over the world. It is with Gandhi that modern nonviolence was born. The Mahatma is the prophet of nonviolent politics, a collective instrument of liberation, an alternative method of struggle to war.
We invite everyone to “Take Peace into our own hands” on Sunday, October 1st.
In Europe, Ukraine, Russia and all over the world, people want peace while governments demand more and more weapons and human resources for war.
We demand the right to health, education, work and a liveable planet, but governments are dragging us into all-out war.
The only chance to avoid the worst lies in the awakening of human beings and the ability of people to organise themselves.
Let us take the future into our own hands: Sunday, October 1st let us gather in Europe and all over the world for a day dedicated to peace and active nonviolence.
Let’s turn off the TV and all social media, let’s silence the war propaganda and the manipulated information. Instead, let’s engage in direct communication with the people around us and organise peace activities: a meeting, a demonstration, a flash mob, a peace flag on the balcony or in the car, a meditation or a prayer according to our religion or atheism, and any other activity aimed at peace.
Everyone will do it with their own ideas, beliefs and slogans, but all together we will turn off the television and social networks. Thus we will converge on the same day with all the richness and strength of diversity. It will be a great experiment in decentralised, international self-organisation.
Only we can make a difference: we, the invisible, the voiceless. No institution or personality will do it for us. And if anyone has great social influence, they will have to use it to amplify the voices of those who urgently need a future for themselves and their loved ones.
We will continue with nonviolent forms of protest until those who today have the power to decide listen to the voices of the majority of the population who simply demand peace and a dignified life.
Our future depends on the decisions we make today.