List of actions per countries:
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Philippines (1)
05 April 2014, PHILIPPINES-Manila
GDAMS with urban poor women & youth participants in the ‘Food and jobs, not (U.S.) military bases’ workshop in Manila, Philippines on 05 April 2014.
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USA (7)
12 April 2014, MAINE
April 12 protest at the “christening” of new stealth destroyer in Bath, Maine. https://youtu.be/5jGy_i3kS1A
12 April 2014, MASSACHUSETTS- Boston
Boston Tax Day Rally on April 12, 2014 in front of Bank of America on Boylston St.
12 April 2014, PENNSYLVANIA- Pittsburgh
Four of the youth from the American Friends Service Committee PA Program (AFSC) went to Washington DC to be part of the “If I Had a Trillion Dollars (IHTD)” film festival. Youth groups around the country submit three minute video’s on how they would spend the trillion dollars that have been spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Youth groups who submitted the winning videos had the opportunity to go to DC to be part of the festival, to lobby their legislators on their concerns and be part of the final action. Over the years four years of the IHTD festival over 800 videos have been submitted. This year 71 youth went to DC to be part of the festival.
The video the Pittsburgh youth submitted was called “The Trillion Dollar Tree” and focused on education, the environment and youth empowerment which were the issues they raised with Senator Casey and Toomey’s aides. Watch here : http://www.afsc.org/video/trillion-dollar-tree.
On the Monday before tax day they all congregated at Farragut Square and the youth laid out seven fighter jets they had made and decorated out of foam board. In the background were signs reading “Move the Money” and as everyone shouted for the money to be moved the youth rushed in and converted the fighter jets to buildings. The buildings represented the things they would spend the money on such as schools, garden, hospitals, etc.
14 April 2014, CALIFORNIA
East Bay marks Global Day of Action on Military Spending
The New Priorities Campaign in the East Bay in CA (Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, etc.)- in which USLAW participated – has organized the Global Day of Action on Military Spending for the last four years by distributing a brochure on excessive U.S. military spending at BART (rapid transit light rail) stations in both the East Bay and San Francisco.
NPC asked organizations to adopt a station. Each year the number of stations covered and number of brochures distributed increased. This year two dozen organizations distributed 15,000 pieces of literature (up from 10,000 in 2013) at 34 BART stations. The campaign held a press conference in front of the Oakland Federal Building in the late morning following the distribution.
Speakers at the press conference included Michael Eisenscher, USLAW National Coordinator, Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Reverend Daniel Buford, Reverend Deborah Lee speaking for Women for Genuine Security, Jackie Cabasso, Exec. Dir. of the Western States Legal Foundation and Coordinator of Mayors for Peace, Dr. Henry Clark from the West Contra Cost County Toxics Coalition, and Jonathan Gast, who presented a statement on behalf of Cong. Barbara Lee. Proclamations were received from mayors of Oakland, Richmond and the City Council of San Pablo. Sandra Schwartz of AFSC moderated. Carolyn Scarr introduced the Living Graveyard Vigil, which immediately followed the press conference.
Click on the images below to view the Bay Area GDAMS leaflets.
The statement read by Michael Eisenscher on behalf of USLAW : USLAW GDAMS 2014 Statement
View here for more pictures of the event.
15 April 2014, TEXAS- Austin
See below the initial pictures of Human Penny Poll organized by Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) in Austin.
Watch below the video where people take part in a human penny poll and express their views about military spending, responding to the question: “Where would you like your tax dollars to go?”
Tax Day Action 2014: Where Do You Want Your Tax Dollars To Go? from ZGraphix.
A total of 55 individuals participate in the poll, providing their opinion with 550 pennies. Here’s how the people of Austin want their tax dollars spent: Education – 208 (37.8%), Environment – 116 (21.1%), Housing/Transportation/Infrastructure – 113 (20.6%), Healthcare – 104 (18.9%), War – 9 (1.6%).15 April 2014, TEXAS- Dallas
On Tax Day, April 15, 2014, members of CODEPINK Greater Dallas greeted taxpayers as they delivered their mail to the United States Post Office in Frisco, Texas, passing out flyers with pie-charts explaining how their tax dollars are spent and providing the toll-free number to call Congress and voice their opinions.
View here the pictures.
April 2014, Los Angeles, San Jose, INDIANA-Indianapolis, IOWA-Des Moines, MARYLAND-Bethesda, MICHIGAN-Royal Oak, MINNESOTA-Duluth, MISSOURI-Kansas City-Saint Louis-Clayton, NORTH CAROLINA-Burlington-Greensboro, NEW HAMPSHIRE- Portsmouth, NEW YORK- Buffalo, OHIO-Cincinnati- Cleveland, OREGON-Eugene, PENNSYLVANIA- Philadelphia, VIRGINIA- Richmond, WEST VIRGINIA- Charleston, WASHINGTON DC, WISCOUSIN-Superior
For details check full report.
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Australia (2)
13 April 2014, AUSTRALIA-Brisbane
View here the poster created by IPAN ( Independent and Peaceful Australia Network ) concerning the F-35.
Click here to view the F35 flyer handed out by Just peace Brisbane.
14 April 2014, AUSTRALIA- Adelaide
Handed out 900 leaflets at central mall in Adelaide.
Click here to read the GDAMS WILPF Australia statement.
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Middle East (1)
13 April 2014, Middle East
To raise awareness on The Global Day of Action on Military Spending, GDAMS, 2014 in the Arab region, a press release was circulated by Arab Human Security Network to different Arab media and e-groups highlighting the consequences of the unbelievable military spending including nuclear weapons on the people and earth now and in the future.
The statement entitled: stop madness in military spending, called civil societies and Media to play more active role in divesting the spending to promote peace, poverty alleviation, education and sustainable development.
Below are some links from the media in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and Austria (in Arabic):
Press report 1 | Press report 2 | Press report 3 | Press report 4 | Press report 5 | Press report 6
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Argentina (1)
14 April 2014, ARGENTINA
Read here the pamphlet that Serpaj Argentina issued for GDAMS that articulates their vision on militarization and what type of transformation is required to achieve real demilitarization.
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Belgium (1)
14 April 2014, BELGIUM-Flanders
Peace Action, Peace non-profit organization , Pax Christi Flanders , Intal , CNAPD and Agir pour la Paix join the action on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending.
The question of 6 billion: Buy new fighter or not?
The next government must decide whether the country will buy new combat aircraft or not. The current F-16s have between 2023 and 2028, after all, their maximum number of flight hours on the meter. Then they are taken out of circulation. It depends on the Defence Minister De Crem if they buy forty Joint Strike Fighters (F 35). That will cost a whopping 6 billion, a towering amount in a period of general savings and economic crisis.
The peace movements find purchasing expensive fighter irresponsible. It is an investment in warfare and military interventions worldwide. Military interventions in Afghanistan caused mainly disruption and destruction. Belgium would therefore be better to invest in constructive alternatives.
Where do we get 6 billion ?
They invited party spokespersons and passers-by to participate in ” the question of 6 billion ” : Belgium must buy new fighter, yes or no ? Defense itself does not have the necessary money so it must come from elsewhere. Participants could choose from the federal budget of 6 billion to : Justice , Interior, Social Security, Health, Environment , Pensions Development.
Discover their responses here; the video, photos and analysis : videoverslag, foto’s , analyse
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Canada (3)
14 April 2014, CANADA
Read here the GDAMS 2-page hand-out for Canada, distributed by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace.
The 6-page document explaining “Why Canada Needs to Demilitarize: Facts & Figures about the Defence Budget” with lots of graphs about spending was also produced. Read the illustrated document here.
14 April 2014, CANADA-Toronto
Watch below the video from a Toronto event for GDAMS 2014 published by Science for Peace, Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade and Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
16 April 2014, CANADA-Nova Scotia
What would you do with 1.7 trillion dollars?
This is what volunteers from the Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace asked people outside the Spring Garden Road Library in Halifax on GDAMS day.The local group is a branch of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace that works toward peace education. The event was organized to create public awareness about the fact that huge part of the national budget goes to military spending, and a small amount goes to social programs, education, environment and health. They set up a game with quarters, where people would put a quarter into jars labelled education, women and children, health, environment, arts and culture and military.Out of the 100 people who participated, more than half said they wished the money would be spent on education or the environment instead.
View here the pictures of the event.
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Chile (1)
14 April 2014, CHILE-Valparaiso
Check out the video comprising actions in Valparaiso Chile.
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Colombia (1)
14 April 2014, COLUMBIA-Bogota
Here are the pictures from the women’s action in Bogota.
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Czech Republic (1)
14 April 2014, CZECH REPUBLIC
The main organizer was the initiative No bases (Ne Základnám) that fought against the American missile base in the Czech Republic. It was supported by the platform of Alliance for Labour and Solidarity. The event took place in front of the Czech Foreign ministry and the speeches accented the military – industrial complex power and the foreign policy of the Czech Republic.
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Germany (1)
14 April 2014, GERMANY-Berlin
Press conference for GDAMS with Paul Walker with 4 camera teams, about 15 journalists.
IALANA organized a press conference on global arms spending with a focus on chemical weapons on April 14th in the context of GDAMS. They had invited to the conference, the winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize and chemical weapons expert Paul F. Walker, Member of Parliament of the party Die Linke Jan von Aken and Michael Kellner, federal secretary of the Greens, who were interviewed by media representatives. Read here the complete interview.
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Greece (1)
14 April 2014, GREECE-Athens
The World without Wars and Violence with the support of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection organised an action on the global day of action, in Athens to demand the decrease of military spending and the increase of social spending. They met in the center of Athens, in Monastiraki square at 20:00 and formed a peace sign holding lighted torches. They also distributed the leaflet, with information from GDAMS and SIPRI.
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Japan (1)
14 April 2014, JAPAN
Peaceboat
Read here the complete report of Peaceboat’s activities including pictures and videos.
Watch the video below for a special video message from Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) Michiko Hattori, travelling onboard Peace Boat.Hibakusha message for GDAMS from Peace Boat
View here the video produced of one of the activities, onboard Peace Boat.
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Korea (1)
14 April 2014, KOREA
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy(PSPD) reports on behalf of 28 peace organizations in Korea.
Read here the Joint Statement issued by Parliamentarians and civil society in South Korea on the Global Day of Action against Military Spending . 22 MPs and 28 NGOs endorsed this statement and had a joint press interview in front of Parliament.
In the afternoon on the same day, CSO activists went downtown to distribute 1000 leaflets and do picketing protest. More than 20 activists and volunteers joined this street campaign. Not only in Seoul but also in Daejeon (Middle Area) and Jeju Gangjeong(Island down south), NGOs had street campaign with one voice.
To see more pictures, Click here. View below the campaign web poster and the leaflet.
They also conducted various online actions including thunderclap and 1 person protest at the Online News Show. One of PSPD activists, SeungHwan Kim showed up at a live online news show. Please check out the video clip here.
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New Zealand (1)
14 April 2014, NEW ZEALAND-Aotearoa
Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Aotearoa New Zealand
Click here for the photos of ‘Dollars and sense’ forum on government spending priorities. Read the press release: Global military spending drops slightly, but not far enough
Click here to read this year’s Global Day of Action statement by the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane.
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Spain (3)
14 April 2014, SPAIN-Andalucia
RED ANTIMILITARISTA Y NOVIOLENTA DE ANDALUCÍA
ENTIDADES SOCIALES Y SINDICALES PROPONEN LA DESOBEDIENCIA CIVIL AL GASTO MILITAR DEL IRPF 2013 A TRAVÉS DE LA OBJECIÓN FISCAL
La Red Antimilitarista y Noviolenta de Andalucía (R.A.N.A.), con motivo de los actos internacionales del Gdams 2014 en los que participa (ver: http://www.gdams.org) propone a los contribuyentes de Andalucía que hagan la objeción fiscal a los gastos militares para que en estos momentos de dura crisis social y desempleo, de recortes sociales en sanidad y educación se desvíe la parte del presupuesto de lo militar a necesidades sociales.
Click here to read the complete report.
14 April 2014, SPAIN-Barcelona
Read here the article on Global Day of Action that was published in El Pais newspaper.
14 April 2014, SPAIN-Las Palmas
ACCIÓN EN LA BASE NAVAL DE LAS PALMAS
Activists pave international waters of the Army to report military spending and infrastructure, pointing that “War starts here: let’s stop it here!”
The Alternativa Antimilitarista MOC led 40 international activists enter the waters near the Las Palmas Navy Base to denounce military expenditure and infrastructure. The nonviolent direct action placed the “yellow dotted lines” in the water to symbolize the “cut” to military spending.
Click here to read the press release.
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UK (6)
14 April 2014, UK- London
Pax Christi International
Pax Christi – Global Day of Military Action in London
Pax Christi joined with other peace and environment groups today in Central London to symbolically redistribute the £38 billion military budget to government departments with greater needs. Today, the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) it was announced that world military expenditure totals $1.75 trillion – UK military expenditure is £38 billion. The UK has the 6th largest militry budget in the world.
The action in London, where speakers included Bruce Kent of Pax Christi, Kate Hudson of CND, John Hilary of War on Want and Stuart Parkinson of Scientists for Global Responsibility (via video link) was created to hand over cheques for a share of that £38 billion military budget to overseas development, health, environment and climate change and international cooperation, to respective ministries.
Letters were also presented inviting each Minsters of State to meet with the NGOS to see how together a case could be made for reallocation of military spending towards projects investing in human needs and sustainable development, both nationally and internationally.
Pat Gaffney of Pax Christi urged those taking part to work all year around to make links between issues of conflict, poverty and the destruction of the environment. These are the real security threats that our world faces. Investing resources and research in these areas rather than in military models of security will make the world a more just and safer world for all. Similar actions took place in Oxford, Coventry, Leeds, Bristol and other cities and in Latin America, Asia, Africa, North America and throughout Europe.
14 April 2014, UK-CND Bradford, CND Leeds
Bradford Action Leeds Action
14 April 2014, UK-Conventry
Paul McGowan reports on GDAMS vigil/event in Coventry
Pax Christi and Stop the War Campaigners against the use of Council Tax money to invest in arms companies such as Lockheed Martin attempted to present a lunchtime letter of protest to the firm’s offices in Coventry University’s Technology Park. We were prevented from entering the site by security guards who had been posted there since 7am, in anticipation of any such activity. Eventually, it was agreed that the security guards would deliver the letter, which calls on Lockheed Martin to explain whether they continue to be involved in the manufacture of cluster bombs. Later in the day, campaigners distributed leaflets in the city centre, explaining the Council’s complicity in the funding of arms companies out of Council Tax money. Postcards illustrating alternatives to military spending, a petition to scarp Trident, and a People’s Budget to allow citizens to declare their own spending priorities were used to publicise the Global Day Against Military Spending. No member of the public thought that money should be spent on renewing Trident. Arms companies involved in the Trident programme include Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, all of whom have links to Coventry (the ‘City of Peace and Reconciliation’, as it likes to be known), and receive public funding through investments of Council Tax money in the West Midlands Pension Fund.
14 April 2014, UK-Huddersfield
The Huddersfield action (using part of the pink scarf) was organized by Wool against Weapons group with 10 persons taking part. They met in the center of the town at St George’s Square by the statue of former Huddersfield resident and Prime Minister, Harold Wilson and made him the focal point of the action. ‘A Welfare not Warfare’ banner was hung from his neck along and then the pink peace scarf was wrapped round his neck and the people. Photos were taken which were tweeted and also published in the local paper, the Huddersfield Examiner.
14 April 2014, UK-Oxford
Anne Dodd reports on Global Day of Military Action in Oxford
A small group of Pax Christi members and the Fellowship of Reconciliation were, together, a visually colourful presence on Bonn Square, Oxford on Monday, 14th April. A big home-made banner clearly showed passersby the reason we were there; some took up the invitation to take part in the survey we did with the Budget Game. Using buttons and jars, people were invited to reallocate some or all of the £40 billion annual UK Defence Budget. Education and Healthcare proved the most popular choices for “reallocated” military funding. A children`s see-saw, with an army helmet on one end and a medical cap on the other was part of the effort to “shift priorities” in the thinking on Global and National spending. The “shifting priorities” postcards, produced by Pax Christi, were used to distribute to passersby. It was good to know that the Oxford event was one of many, nationally and globally. Shifting priorities will be a long haul but the Global Day of Action on Military Spending is a valuable opportunity in this.
They also handed out hundreds of leaflet’s, postcards and flyers, and had lots of good conversations with a broad range of people. It felt clear that people wanted to engage in the issue, and interestingly, some people were worried about the recent crisis in Russia, and felt that Trident was keeping the UK safe by acting as a deterrent; it was a strong reminder that that the narrative of nuclear deterrence is still strong.
14 April 2014, UK-Reading
On Monday 14th April, as part of GDAMS – the Global Day of Action on Military Spending – Action AWE ran a ‘People’s Budget’ game, asking members of the public how they would move the money being wasted on Trident, and handed out leaflets. People were very much split on whether education, the NHS, jobs in green energy or housing were their top priorities – but crucially, no one who played the game wanted to see £100 billion wasted on Trident!
Events like this proved really useful for getting the word out about Aldermaston and Burghfield, too; most people were against replacing Trident, but very few connected this up with the billions being spent every year at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, even though it is just a few miles down the road.
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Venezuela (1)
14 April 2014, VENEZUELA
View here the statement broadcast by regional Antimilitarista Network in Latin America on Global Day of Action, and a related video here.
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Kenya (1)
15 April 2015, Kenya
Bunge la Mwawanchi organized various events in the context of GDAMS. A report detailing the Kenyan military expenditures was discussed. A march, tree-planting and candle-lighting activities were also held.
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Italy (1)
25 April 2014, ITALY-Verona
A Press Release was launched in Italy on GDAMS day titled ‘GDAMS: in Italy the Global Day of Action will take place on 25 April at the Arena for Peace and Disarmament’ by Italian Disarmament Network (RID). Read here the press release.
This event was a huge success with around 13000 people participating in it. Maurizio Simoncelli from “Archivio Disarmo” (research Institute part of their network) gave a speech about military spending during the event, marking the fact that building Peace must necessarily pass through Disarmament.View here more pictures of the event ‘Arena di pace e disarmo’.
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Azerbaijan (1)
April 2014, AZERBAIJAN
Click on the links below to view the press reports about Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Azerbaijan media.
Press report 1 | Press report 2 | Press report 3 | Press report 4 | Press report 5 | Press report 6 | Press report 7
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India (1)
April 2014, INDIA- Kerala
A workshop on GDAMS has been conducted in Thekkady, Kerala. The workshop was inaugurated by member of Dist.Panchayat, Idukki,Kerala. 10 press reporters and 15 politicians and 10 peace activists participated in this programme. A resolution on cutting of military spending in India has been passed by participants. The resolution will be sent to Govt of India in due course.
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Switzerland (1)
April 2014, SWITZERLAND-Geneva
The International Peace Bureau (IPB) seminar on “Military expenditure and its relationship to the purposes of the United Nations” with Jarmo Sareva, Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Director, Office for Disarmament Affairs, Geneva Branch, Michael Møller, Acting Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Acting Director-General UN Office at Geneva, Helen Wilandh, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) , Colin Archer, Secretary-General, IPB, and Coordinator, Global Day of Action on Military Spending and Prof. Alfred de Zayas, UN Human Rights Council Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order.
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France (1)
Mai 2014, FRANCE
L’Union pacifiste de France (UPF), the French section of the International War Resisters featured GDAMS in its online newsletter Union Pacifiste May 2014 (French). UPF advocates for a France without an army and a demilitarised society. It is against all forms of war, arms production and trading.
