NATO - Game over: International Direct Action Camp @ NATO HQ, Brussels, 30 March - 2 April 2012

NATO, the world's biggest war machine, has evolved from a defensive to an aggressive alliance.

NATO adds fuel to the fire. Under the pretext of 'Responsibility to Protect', NATO attacked Libya to force a profitable regime change. This intervention escalated the conflict and caused thousands of casualties. The arms industry applauds. NATO's intervention in Afghanistan leaves the country in tatters and on the brink of a civil war, thousands have been killed. After a long-drawn-out war, the alliance reduces troop levels but plans for continued military presence, although military leaders admit that they have reached no tangible results so far.

While hopes are high for nuclear disarmament, NATO still deploys nuclear weapons in five European countries, jeopardizing disarmament processes and encouraging other countries to arm themselves. In times of austerity and drastic cuts to social spending, NATO members invest millions in missile defense and military power against imaginary threats.

A select club of 28 countries intervening worldwide to protect their own interests, in the possession of nuclear weapons and ready to use them first, form a threat to world peace.

Why an action day on 1 April 2012?

From 20 till 21 May 2012, the next NATO Summit will be held in Chicago. High on the agenda will be NATO's role as an instrument for military interventions all over the world, and the outcome of the Deterrence and Defence Posture Review (DDPR) currently being conducted within the alliance, defining the role of NATO's nuclear weapons.

A unified European action is needed well in advance, with a clear message to our European governments:

• NATO's tactical nuclear weapons in Europe are anachronistic, useless, illegal according to International Humanitarian Law, and counterproductive to the non-proliferation process.
• Military threats and interventions aggravate conflicts rather than resolve them.

Therefore, Vredesactie and Action pour la Paix will organise a non-violent direct action day on 1 April at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Our approach:

Humanitarian interventions are supposed to put an end to violent conflicts endangering the lives of civilians.
NATO chooses military interventions, which block peaceful solutions and result in a hopeless chain reaction of ever more violence and victims.
We have the Responsibility to Protect civilians from NATO's military interventions.
Therefore we will execute a genuine humanitarian intervention benefiting people everywhere – by stopping NATO.

Programme

Friday, 30 March
Arrival, installation of and welcome to international participants

Saturday, 31 March
Non-Violent Direct Action Trainings

Sunday, 1 April

• Briefings for all participants in both actions of civil disobedience and other actions
• Non-violent direct action day: humanitarian intervention to stop war preparations at NATO headquarters in Brussels
• action of civil disobedience
• symbolic actions outside the NATO zone

Monday, 2 April
De-briefing, evaluation, meeting(s)

Registration

Attention: all participants in the action day of 1 April, both participants in actions of civil disobedience and others, are expected to join in the preparatory trainings on Saturday 31 March and in the briefings preceding the actions on Sunday 1 April. Others present at the spot will not be considered participants in the actions organized by Vredesactie / Action Pour La Paix. Therefore you should arrive in Brussels on Friday 31 March in the evening.

We provide a limited number of sleeping places on floors free of charge, from Friday night till Monday. Showers will be available there. We're also looking for sleeping places at people's homes. If you want more comfort or privacy, you can book a bed in Brussels. The youth hostel 'Auberge des trois fontaines' (beds from € 18 / night, breakfast not included) is within walking distance of the centre where the trainings will take place. Other youth hostels can be found on www.hostels.com/brussels/belgium. Do remember that using public transport will add to the cost of your room (€ 2 single fare).

Healthy, tasty and cheap meals will be served in the same center where the trainings will take place, for all those buying a ticket some hours before each meal.

Please let us know if you are coming by filling the form, to help us prepare a well organised international meeting. If you want us to provide accommodation for you, your registration should reach us before 16 March 2012.