“We are all shocked and saddened by the tragedy of Stephen Tyrone Jones being gunned down at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC,” stated Chris Wells, spokesperson for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. At the same time he warned that “the real story is not being told. This should not be painted as an isolated incident but seen within the context of the numerous acts of violence that happen everyday in our country. We are living in a ‘culture of violence’ that gets expressed in many ways, from the subtle to the horrific.”
“If we are truly determined to prevent these incidents from happening in the future,” Mr. Wells added, “we need to learn to address all forms of violence, not just physical but also racial, religious, economic, sexual and psychological violence.”
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was organized “to raise awareness about these themes,” according to Dennis Redmond, the US Coordinator for the March that will begin in New Zealand on October 2nd, the International Day of Nonviolence, crisscrossing the 7 continents and arriving in the Andes Mountains, Argentina, on January 2, 2010. “Millions of voices are being united through the thousands of initiatives already being organized including local marches, petitions, forums, a nonviolence curriculum in schools and concerts in 95 countries. ”
Mr. Redmond, outlined the March demands to dismantle nuclear weapons and end wars and all forms of violence. “It’s time we face our contradictions. At the same time individual acts of violence are denounced as in the case of James Von Brunn, the expenditure of $680 billion dollars a year for weapons and the military is justified as normal and necessary – that’s 45% of the world’s total.”
The World March is backed by hundreds of endorsements including Nobel Laureates, heads of state, mayors and artists, such as Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, President Michelle Bachelet and Penelope Cruz. The World March was launched by the international organization World Without Wars and the Humanist Movement. www.worldmarchusa.net
