Silvia Swinden

I met Lucy at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum that took place in Bonn from 25 to 27/6/12. She was introducing some of her nonviolence work in Palestine and I was struck by the similarities of concepts and language with my own humanist take and work on active nonviolence, which is exactly how she put it. I wanted to know more about her work.

“If you are feeling helpless help someone”. Words of wisdom from Burma’s icon of the struggle for Democracy. Long years under house arrest and some prison, but she refused offers to leave, as her detention was the best nonviolent strategy to produce change. Now everybody wants their picture taken with her but not much is said about her chosen methodology.

Are we in a pre-widespread war or pre-genocide(s) moment? Or both? In the 1930’s several nations – amongst them the USA and Germany – suffered economic collapse and with it some of the worst examples of racially motivated slaughters recorded in history. And then, WW2. There are lessons to be learned and urgent work to be done to stop history repeating itself.

When it becomes clear to everyone that the all-powerful economists have little to offer other than more cuts, more austerity measures, more insults (“go pay your taxes” or “you’re poor because you are lazy”), then people realise it’s up to them, and real human creativity takes over. That’s how a crisis becomes an opportunity.

Americans do it, Spaniards do it, Mexicans do it, Israelis do it, even liberal Canadians do it, let’s do it, let’s criminalise peaceful protest.
As many countries hurriedly pass new legislation – or simply apply “antiterrorist” laws – to forbid nonviolent action, this can only strengthen the resolve of the protesters to stick to it.

World Health Organisation releases groundbreaking report condemning ’conversion’ therapies. We reproduce here a Press Release from [IDAHO](http://www.dayagainsthomophobia.org/Media-Release-World-Health,1557) regarding today’s statment by the WHO on a form of violence against homosexuals based on unproven and harmful “therapeutic” interventions.

Nobody thought that the Police would *actually* allow en encampment opposite the Bank of England, symbol of just about everything that is wrong with the present economic system. But a few tents went up after marching from St Paul’s Cathedral rally and the placards expressed the most important thing: a new generation is busy thinking about how to create a better world.

More than 20,000 off-duty police officers took to the streets yesterday against the Government cuts. Both at the 2010 students’ demos against tuition fees and last year’s TUC marches against austerity measures Police were told: “your jobs are next on the line”. As many cities around the world prepare for more Occupy/Indignados actions, are we all in the same boat yet?

No other image embodies better the mood of the moment: Munch’s “The Scream” becomes another example of economic violence and the dehumanisation of this system’s values by selling for a record $119.9 million. Meanwhile, as the Spring/Occupy/Indignados movement prepares for a Global Spring to move from despair to action, we are given a clear choice to open the future.

Plans to install surface-to-air missiles on the rooftops of buildings within 2 miles of London’s Olympic Stadium with 10 troops to operate them have been met with anger and disbelief by the buildings’ dwellers. The city prepares for a £1 billion full blown police and military alert to respond to possible terrorist attacks. Some pensioners refusing to pay the London-wide levy