Mennonites & Brethren in Christ to lament drone warfare

Public witness planned in Harrisburg, Pa.

July 22, 2015 | Web First
1040 for Peace
Lancaster, Pa.
<p>A drone (Courtesy of 1040 for Peace)</p>

Participants in Mennonite World Conference Assembly, a global gathering of Mennonites and other related Anabaptist groups in Harrisburg, Pa., will be invited to assemble for prayer, lament and witness focusing on the terror inflicted by weaponized drones on the people of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The prayers and laments will take place in the rotunda of the Pennsylvania Capitol building at noon on Friday, July 24, 2015.

The global Mennonite-Anabaptist gathering, now happening at the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex, through July 26, has attracted over 7,000 people from 56 countries, including large contingents from nations in South Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.

The protest event, which is open to all who oppose weaponized drones, will call attention to the folly of using a weapon of terror to oppose terrorism. Organizers consider drone strikes to be acts of terrorism that increase hostility and lead to broader violence. They point to the negative effects of drone strikes:

  • Drone strikes result in the killing of innocent people; one research study confirmed that in an effort to kill 41 identified “terrorists,” weaponized drones killed 1,147 unidentified individuals;
  • By their constant surveillance and imminent threat, drones massively disrupt family life, work, education, community rituals and civil society activities.
  • Weaponized drones radicalize targeted communities, driving many more men and women into violent opposition to the nation responsible for the attacks.
  • Deployment of drones across international borders is a violation of the United Nations Charter and erodes the rule of law.
  • Drone attacks normalize lethal violence as a primary instrument of foreign policy; the usual deterrents to violence—deaths, injuries, the economic cost of war—are avoided because drones are inexpensive to deploy and do not place one’s own personnel in harm’s way.

Currently the U.S. military plans to establish drone kill command centers at many locations across the United States, strong evidence of a plan to expand the use of weaponized drones in the future.  One kill command center is being developed at the Pennsylvania Air National Guard Station in Horsham in Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia.  It is expected to become operational later this year.

The July 24 event in the Capitol rotunda is organized by 1040forpeace.org, a community of conscience opposed to perpetual war and the militarization of U.S. foreign policy.

See more coverage of the MWC assembly.

A drone (Courtesy of 1040 for Peace)

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