A letter the press did not print
Dear Sir,
This week Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General
of the UN, called for a global ceasefire in light of the coronavirus,
saying: The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. The
threats we face as a planet, health pandemics and climate change
among them, demand a coordinated international response with no room
for continuing to waste resources on armed conflict.
We urge
our government to robustly support this call by discontinuing the
sale of arms during this crisis and calling on all involved in
current conflicts around the world to lay down their arms.
We
are encouraged by the prompt, creative response of British
manufacturers to the urgent need for new ventilators and the London
ExCel Centre which hosts the DSEI Arms Fair, being used instead for a
socially productive purpose as the Nightingale Hospital.
This
crisis is teaching the world much about the values of compassion and
fairness, and the ability of societies to care for the most
vulnerable as the basis of security. All our efforts now are rightly
focused on preserving life and we have been heartened by the huge
efforts made to this end, and by the strengthening of community bonds
across the nation. The coming weeks will be painful for society. We
will need time to grieve and to reflect. We hope that the bonds of
common humanity, coupled with the compassion and imagination being
deployed today can create a lasting legacy for future
generations.
Sue Claydon, Chair, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
John Cooper, Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Theresa Alessandro, Director, Pax Christi UK
Oliver Robertson, Head of Worship and Witness, Quaker Peace & Social Witness
Martin Tiller, Co-Chair, Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Andrew Jackson, Paul Maxwell-Rose, Co-Directors, Christian International Peace Service
Philip Austin, Coordinator, Northern Friends Peace Board
Andrew Fox, President, Community of Christ (British Isles)
Roger Stuart, acting Chair, Congregational Peace Fellowship
Lydia Funck, General Secretary, Church and Peace