Our initiative was founded in Kaiserslautern at the beginning of 2016. Many in our group have been active in the peace movement for a long time, but some have only been active for a short time - and we are happy to welcome any additional comrades-in-arms.our central goal is to achieve comprehensive disarmament in our region, in Germany and worldwide. The old slogan from the 1970s: Armaments kill every day - has unfortunately become very topical again. The hoped-for reduction in global arms expenditure following the end of the Cold War in 1991 has unfortunately not materialized. On the contrary - and the funds'wasted' on a new arms build-up are more than ever lacking for a just and humane policy, whether at home or worldwide.
Specifically, we want to educate citizens locally about the significance of military bases throughout Germany. We are focusing in particular on the US airbase Ramstein near Kaiserslautern. This Ramstein airbase is not only home to the relay station necessary for the US's murderous global drone war, but also the command center for the US missile defense shield and for the coordination of the US army's war actions that violate international law.
A further point in addition to the clarification of these military facts is the conversion that we believe is necessary. The biblical motto 'swords into plowshares' is a very good illustration of what our goal is: weapons and military facilities should be converted into civilian goods and civilian infrastructure, which are very helpful for life in general and for the development of our region in particular.
We firmly distance ourselves from the imperial power politics of the USA and NATO - but of course also from the militarization of Germany and the EU military power that is currently being built up. We demand a peace and security concept that includes Russia, so that the construction of the common European house can finally begin.
The next events where you can get to know the Palatinate Initiative "Disarm yourselves!" are: the Easter March on April 20, 2019 in Kaiserslautern, the lecture "Military and Environment" on May 24, 2019, the lecture "New Nuclear Threat" on June 13 and the action week "Stop Ramstein Airbase" from June 23 to June 30, 2019. Further information - events, dates, links - can be found on our homepage.
by Helmut Schmidt