“Whatever a soldier believes when they begin their military service, there is no way to behave ethically in the occupied territories. It’s a system in which Palestinians are always treated as inferior, always viewed as the enemy, whoever they are. “Every day the job is to inflict collective punishment. We were told explicitly that we…
By Richard Czaplinski “I’m for peace, but not your kind of peace.” So said a man as he came up close to me while I led the Vermont Veterans For Peace (VFP) “Budget Banner” down State Street during the July 3, 2018, Montpelier Parade. My mind went somewhat blank, not even thinking of responding. As…
I was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon 12 years after my parents were forced to flee the Upper Galilee in historical Palestine. They lost their home, land, livelihood, and my mother lost her father to a bullet fired by a Jewish terrorist organization called the Haganah. I write “terrorist” organization because that…
Note: This piece is being published as part of a regular series to bring under-reported Palestinian voices to Vermonters. Razan Ashraf Abdul Qadir al-Najjar, 21 was killed on June 1 by Israeli sniper fire as she ran in her white uniform with a red cross clearly identifying her as a medic, to treat a protester…
The Peace & Justice Center, and affiliated groups are proud to announce the second Vermont Peace Conference: Building a World Beyond War, on Saturday May 12 from 9:30 – 4:30 pm at the Old North End Community Center on 20 Allen St., Burlington. Our keynote speaker is Beata Tsosie-Peña from the Tewa tribe near the…
It is not too late to stop the F35s from coming to Vermont. Other communities have made stopped a planned basing this late in the process. A strong response at the polls will get the Air Forces attention. Burlington was not their chosen location and it is our belief that they will listen to the…
Through a series of interviews, university speeches, and lifelong activist work, the book Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis gives valuable insight into the power, influence, and interconnectivity of collective freedom movements from all around the world. Davis addresses key issues that arise through worldwide movements that are deeply connected but may seem…
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The PJC agreed to co-sponsor a presentation by Ken O’Keefe based on our knowledge of him as a staunch anti-war and human rights activist. We did not expect him to speak as he did. His assault on Jewish people, his extreme profanity, and his overall negativity are not things we support. I apologize…
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel began an urgent dialogue with Ben & Jerry’s in 2011 over its franchise in Israel, which shares its name and social mission, and manufactures ice cream inside Israel. But that ice cream, we discovered, is sold not only in Israel, but in illegal, Jewish-only settlements in the occupied Palestinian…
In 1946 The School of the Americas (currently known as Western Hemisphere Institute for Security and Cooperation began training Latin American soldiers in “counterinsurgency operations” out of Fort Benning Georgia. Upon returning to their home countries, many of these soldiers used the training the received at SOA to support or lead brutal military dicatorships in Latin…
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 03-0281472.
Sign up for our bi-weekly email newsletter for PJC events and actions, store promotions, community events and more.
Copyright © 2024 Peace & Justice Center · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Website by Blue Hills Digital