Pacifists back Stansted 15 as they await sentencing
Pacifists back Stansted 15 as they await sentencing
The Stansted 15 have been convicted of a supposedly terrorism-related offence for taking nonviolent direct action against brutal deportations.
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU), a British-based pacifist network, has issued the following statement in support of the Stansted 15, who are to be sentenced on Wednesday 6 February.
The Peace Pledge Union applauds the actions of the Stansted 15. We offer them solidarity and best wishes as they appeal against their conviction and await decisions about sentencing.
As a pacifist organisation, the Peace Pledge Union rejects both violence and passivity in favour of active nonviolence. The Stansted 15 have demonstrated that nonviolent direct action can be an effective way to promote justice.
As pacifists, we stand in solidarity with people nonviolently resisting the injustices of militarised borders and the denial of refugee rights. Such injustices are both a cause and a consequence of war. Many refugees are fleeing war zones.
Some of those whose deportations were prevented by the Stansted 15 have since been given leave to remain in the UK. This not only highlights the unfairness of their planned deportations. It also makes clear that the actions of the Stansted 15 have made a direct and positive difference to people’s lives.
We hope the Stansted 15 will inspire others to engage in nonviolent action for peace, human rights and internationalism.