Statement of Nonviolence for Witness Against War 2008

Starting July 12, 2008

Statement of Nonviolence

Voices for Creative Nonviolence is committed to nonviolence and nonviolent action. All participants are expected to share the same commitment to nonviolence and nonviolent action. VCNV is adopting the following principles for this particular action.

1. Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward all whom we encounter in our actions.
2. We will use no violence—verbal, physical, or otherwise—toward any person or property.
3. We will not destroy, damage or otherwise harm property.
4. We will carry no weapons.
5. We agree not to consume alcohol or use illicit drugs while participating in the walk.
6. We will not retaliate if physically challenged or injured.
7. We will seek dialogue with those who may disagree with us and maintain a spirit of openness, friendliness and respect towards all with whom we engage.
8. There will be zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment based upon gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical appearance, ability, creed or political perspective. Harassment is defined as epithets, derogatory statements and slurs based on any of these qualities. We will respect everyone’s right to express their identity.
9. We will honor one another’s desire for personal space. There will be zero tolerance for any unwanted touching, sexual advances, or sexual assault.
10. Anyone feeling that they are experiencing discrimination, harassment or assault is asked to bring the issue as soon as possible to a member of the working group.

Dr. Martin Luther King enunciated the power of nonviolence, summarizing its essential components as:

• Nonviolence is resistance to evil and oppression. It is a human (and humane) way to struggle for justice.
• Nonviolence does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his/her friendship and understanding.
• The nonviolent method is an attack on the forces of evil rather than against persons doing the evil. It seeks to defeat the evil and not the persons doing the evil and injustice.
• Nonviolence means willingness to accept suffering without retaliation.
• The nonviolent resister avoids both external physical and internal spiritual violence - not only refusing to shoot or strike, but also to hate, an opponent. The ethic of real love is at the center of nonviolence.
• The nonviolent resister has a deep faith in the future, and believes that the forces in the universe are ultimately on the side of justice. To quote Dr. King, the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.