NATO: “The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World Today”
- April 4 1949 – US Commanded NATO Military Alliance is founded
- April 4 1967 – Dr. Martin Luther King condemns U.S. military aggression in Vietnam
- April 4 1968 – Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King
April 4 is a key date to recall Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous condemnation of the U.S. as “The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World.”
This April 4th, IAP will ask:
- WHAT is the real function of NATO?
- WHY does NATO keep expanding?
- WHY is NATO the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today?
A Workers Assembly Against NATO raises the historic role of NATO as a U.S. weapon to push back the gains of the working class and impose Wall Street rule. Hear workers around the world define what is at stake in this war, including:
- Leonid Ilderkin: Ukrainian communist in exile, member of coordination council of the Union of Political Refugees and Political Prisoners of Ukraine.
- Kristen Richardson Jordan: Harlem City Council member attacked by media for denouncing NATO’s criminal role in Ukraine
- Ashaki Binta: Black Workers for Justice in North Carolina, labor activist and union organizer.
- Milos Raickovich: Serbian musician / composer and CUNY lecturer, who saw his country destroyed by 78 days of NATO bombing in 1999.
- Joe Piette: Retired US Postal Worker and Vietnam veteran
- Larry Holmes: First Secretary of Workers World Party
IAP will also be joined by one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Swaziland, the opposition to the only absolute monarchy in Africa. With Sara Flounders & Teddie Kelly of the International Action Center.
Jennifer Atlee – worked in Central America since 1984 in the areas of human rights, trauma and recovery and U.S. policy with Witness for Peace, the Guatemalan Church in Exile, and Nicaraguan Ministry of Social Welfare, AFSC (Quakers), and the Quixote Center. She is the Coordinator of the Nicaragua – United States Friendship Office of the Americas and helped to develop the Honduras Accompaniment Project. She is the author of Red Thread; A Spiritual Journal of Accompaniment, Trauma and Healing, which chronicles her experiences in the war zones of Nicaragua during the U.S. sponsored contra war.
Tom Loudon – worked in Central America for over thirty in the areas of human rights, sustainable development and international policy. He worked with Witness for Peace, the Bloque Inter-Comunitario, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC-Quakers), the Quixote Center, the Alliance For Responsible Trade and served on the Commission of Truth in Honduras following the 2009 coup. Tom has recently retired from the Migrant Workers program for the state of Michigan. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Nicaragua – United States Friendship Office.
Join the ROCLA mailing list to receive Zoom meeting details to join the presentation on April 6, 2022 at 7:00PM!
People – especially of Buffalo and WNY – will have the opportunity to hear from International and Foreign Policy expert, Joseph Gerson, and Ukrainian American Yuri Hreshchyshyn, to get a better understanding of the conflict in the Ukraine, as well as how we’ve gotten to this point. They’ll also discuss the existential dangers, current needs, a path forward, and how people can help. With host Vicki Ross, WNYPC Community Coordinator.
- Joseph Gerson is President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, Vice-President of the International Peace Bureau, Co-chair of the Committee for a Sane U.S.-China Policy, and Co-Convener of the international Peace and Planet Network. He has participated in Track II discussions about possible diplomatic solutions to prevent and then end the Ukraine War, has briefed Congressional staff, written articles and given numerous talks and interviews. He’s a writer, an educator, and a consultant; and works at local, national, and international levels for peaceful and just alternatives to U.S. foreign and military policies.
- Yuri Hreshchshyn is a first generation Ukrainian American, the oldest of five. He’s in communication with his extended family in Western Ukraine, and working locally to help with fundraising and humanitarian aide to the Ukraine.
