Peace Network News

Anonymous — October 1983

Edited by Mary Vrantsidis

Lakeshore Committee for Nuclear Disarmament is preparing to cavass the Lakeshore area. For information, call Taimi Davis at xxx-xxxx.
Many who attended the Acton Fall Fair in September were attracted to the Halton Hills Action for Nuclear Disarmament booth with its prominent sign Arms Are For Hugging. A special feature al the booth was a letter to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, expressing outrage at the shooting down of the Korean passenger jet and the deaths of innocent civilians. Many fairgoers added their signatures to the letter, which went on to urge the Soviet leaders to “make a clear demonstration of their desire for peace at the nuclear. arms control talks in Geneva.” In the past. the Soviets have professed their desire for world peace, the letter says, but “this action belies that avowal.” The HAND group was able to attract many people to their booth who had been wavering on disarmament with this letter and also rebutted the arguments of critics who say that peace activists are one-sided!
Dream a dream of peace, and it could become a film. Answer this: it is 1986 and the world is at peace. Outline the circumstances that have brought about this global transformation. Send your replies to Tony Bond, Box 8S, Station A, Toronto, Ontario. The best idea will be made into a script and then a film. He hopes, like in “The Hundredth Monkey,” if a ‘peace is possible’ scenario is planted in the minds of millions, the common vision will become reality.
Help walk the cruise away from Cold Lake. The Saskatoon Against the Cruise Group begins Oct 6th their 302 mile :March for the Future of our Children”. They’ll be carrying a life-size replica of the cruise. symbolically away from the proposed testing ground at Cold Lake, Alberta. They’ll walk from Grand Centre via Meadow Lake and North Battleford to Saskatoon, arriving Oct. 22 for the anti-cruise march that day. Help out anyway you can by sending pictures of your loved ones to festoon the cruise replica or offering lodging or moral support as they pass through your town. For more info, Contact SAC, Sutherland Sub P.O., Saskatoon, Sask., S7N 2H0, or phone 447-0455, 955-0000, Margarete Simpson.
Dimitrios Roussopoulos has been actively speaking out against nuclear armament since 19S9 when he founded the Combined Universities Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Active in the Montréal Coalition for Peace. he is a writer, editor and speaker. He will be in Ontario this month for a speaking engagement in Kingston, Oct. 19th. Contact Stan Iregal at (613) 547-5996 for the details.
There’s a call out in the Toronto area for any group wishing to sponsor Mr. Roussopoulos for a speaking date in the city. Contact Kathleen Keachea at (SI4) xxx-xxxx if you’re interested in hearing this informative man. He’s just completed two important books, The Coming of World War 111 as author, and Our Generation Against the Nuclear War as editor. Available through Black Rose Books, 3981 St. Laurent Blvd., Montréal, PQ, H3W 1Y5.
Government violence has plagued the Comiso, Italy Peace Camp all summer. Two blockades of the cruise missile base being built there have ended in broken bones and spilt blood for the peace camp demonstrators. 200 people worldwide arrived for the July 20-21 non-violent civil disobedience blockage. Seven Italian members of Parliament were among those beaten back by police. The violence escalated on the August 6-.9 weekend. 1200 demonstrators showed up. Police, without apparent provocation, attacked 400 of them, and followed them to the camp when they start a new attack. Over 100 people were injured. Many camp members left, demoralized.
Pray for Peace. Sunday, Oct. 16 .is National Prayer Service Day across the country. Organizers hope for a church in every community to hold a service. For more information, contact Glen Eagle at Box 419, Jarvis, Ont. or (SI9) S87-2551.
Edmonton women — it’s a Women’s Disarmament Campaign c/o Every Woman’s Place, 9926-112 Street, Edmonton. Alberta. Here’s a new Edmonton group dedicated to providing a forum for women to express their opposition to nuclear weapons and nuclear power and to provide a platform for appropriate collective action. For more info, contact Fiona McGregor xxx-xxxx or Joanne Lynes xxx-xxxx.
Concerned individuals and groups have banded together to form the Niagara Coalition for Disarmament. They work for peaceful means for world disarmament of both nuclear and conventional weapons. Political differences are recognized but the shared common concern for peace is paramount. Membership is open to all groups and individuals in the Golden Horseshoe area of Ontario. For more information, contact the Coalition at Box 2181, Niagara Falls, Ont.. L2E 6Z3 or phone (416) xxx-xxxx.
DEC Films in Toronto will have available for wide distribution a new award . winning film, Dark Circle, a 90 minute drama of the effects of the whole nuclear cycle on the lives of ordinary people in moving personal stories from across the globe. If you would like more information on sponsoring or buying or renting the film, contact DEC Films, 427 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Ont., M5S 1X7, xxx-xxxx.
Metro Toronto peace and disarmament groups are invited to join the Toronto Disarmament Network, a coalition of almost SO groups. The TDN was formed to execute united campaigns across Metro. Come to the TDN’s general meeting on Tuesday October 4. (See the Toronto area event calendar, page 4.)
Wanted: 50 people to drop dead on Tuesday, Oct. 18 as a protest against the testing of the cruise missile — Phillips Square at 12:00 noon. No rehearsal necessary-Pre-requisite: no fear of falling. For more info call Yellow Door, xxx-xxxx.
Recherchées: Une cinquantaine de personnes pour tomber mort. autant que des gens pour passer les tracts, mardi le 18 Oct. A midi-autour de Carre Phillips. Pour plus de renseignments, telephonez xxx-xxxx.
12 charges of the July 1st Canada Day arrests were dismissed on the grounds that the OPP has no authority to restrict our right to demonstrate and legal remedies are being sought by the 12 defendants for the interference with their constitutional rights and the 20 hours spent in jail. Suspended judgement was called for Oct. 4 for the 14 arrested on June 30 at 9:00 a.m., courtroom 21. Brian Burch and Diane Sivard are facing trial on Dec. 10 for assault and trespass for attempting to chain themselves to the flagpole on Canada Day. Please support them with your presence. Contact Brian Burch at xxx-xxxx or 767-3S67.
Oscar-winning director Peter Watkins is showing his I965 documentary The War Game which was banned by the BBC for being too realistic. Watkins is on a tour across Canada, looking for help from filmmakers, and to raise money for his forthcoming project, The Nuclear War Film, which will document the lives or families in different countries before, during, and after World War Ill. For information on time and place, phone Tony Bond at (416) xxx-xxxx.
Federal Court justice Alex Cattenach held on Sept. 15 that Operation Dismantle’s cause of action was justifiable and ordered the federal government to file a defense. The federal government appealed that decision and the court date for that decision has been set for October 11. Regardless of the outcome or that appeal, the decision reached by the Federal Court of Appeal will go to the Supreme Court or Canada. All groups and individuals are invited to send supporting letters to Operation Dismantle, which also requires lots of financial support. Money will be re turned to the donors once we have successfully prevented the testing of the cruise missile in Canada, and the government has to pay court costs.
Starting Oct. 2, the CBC will be premiering the National Film Board’s WAR series. Every Sunday night at 9:00 until Nov. 13, CBC- TV will be showing another of the seven one-hour films.
The series was written and conceived by military historian and journalist Gwynne Dyer. The films examine the nature, evolution and consequences of modern warfare.
The entire WAR series will be available in 16 mm film and video formats from all NFB offices, beginning Jan., 1984. Meanwhile, catch it on the tube.
The hot autumn begins in West Germany as its peace movement gears up for the biggest anti-cruise demonstrations yet. The action week begins October 15-22. Here’s a timetable:
- Sat. Oct. 15- decentralised rallies and actions in all communities.
- Sun. Oct. 16- Christian and religious groups
- Mon. Oct. 17- Women
- Tues. Oct. 18- Anti-militarism and international solidarity
- Wed. Oct. 19- Workers, farmers, factories, social institutions
- Thurs. Oct. 20- Schools, universities
- Fri. Oct. 21- all levels of government and political parties
- Sat. Oct. 22- PEOPLE’S GATHERING FOR PEACE. Actions planned in Bonn, Hamburg, Stuttgart/Neu Ulm, West Berlin and around the world.
Pause for Peace. The monthly 2 minute event is to demonstrate in support of banning cruise testing and getting Canada into a leadership role for world disarmament. For more information. contact John Moelaert, Box 439, Kelowna B.C.. VIY 7PI. phone (604) xxx-xxxx.
Oct. 14-16. Saskatchewan “Arts and Social Change” will be the topic of a weekend hosted by the Prairie Christian Training Centre. Workshops in music, drama and the media offered as tools for social change. Contact the Centre at Box 159, Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan S0C 1G0, (306) 332-S691.
Make sure your group is listed in the latest Canadian Peace Listing. The Peace Listing includes more than 500 peace, disarmament and development organisations, arranged by province, from local to international levels. A second edition is being prepared for Spring 1984. If you know of any new or unlisted group, please send its name and address, phone number and contact person’s name to: A Canadian Peace Listing, Greater Victoria Disarmament, 2420 Douglas St., Suite 4, Victoria, B.C.. V8T 4L7.
The women of Canada let Parliament Hill know in no uncertain terms what they think about disarmament and survival. This year, NAC’s annual lobby or the three federal parties was the strongest ever and the survival issue put the parties in the hot seat. The National Action Committee on the Status of Women. representing over 3 million women across the country, adopted a new resolution calling all its members to make the suffocation of the arms race a priority issue for action. It asked for our refusal to test the cruise. to make Canada a nuclear free zone and remove all nuclear weapons on our soil. to cut the military budget by half and to get out of NATO.
The Edmonton city council defeated a disarmament referendum motion by 7-6 in September, an outcome directly influenced by the Korean airline disaster. Edmonton peace activists are considering forcing a vote by plebiscite.
Reprints are available of a special editorial section published in the Summer 83 edition of SOURCES, the directory of contacts for newsmedia personnel. It includes articles on journalism in the atomic age, the ethics of civil defense, the psychology or the arms race, plus an analysis of press coverage of the USSR.
The Halifax submarine watch is continuing. Three submarines carrying missiles have entered the Harbour this year, plus 6 other nuclear-powered attack subs without missiles. The committee missed the approach of one nuclear-missile bearing sub. the Kamehameha, which arrived on Sept. 6th.

The Peace Calendar

Canadian Disarmament Information Service, 1983-1984

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