Giving voice to those who refuse to fight
Quakers in Europe marked International Conscientious Objectors' Day last Friday with a new report giving voice to people who have refused to fight.
Meanwhile, Quakers joined the annual ceremony of remembrance at the Conscientious Objectors Stone in London which included speakers from ForcesWatch and Veterans for Peace.
The report from the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) brings together personal stories from people in eight countries who have refused military service, often at great personal cost.
Voices of Peace: Stories of Conscientious Objectors from Europe and Beyond was produced with War Resisters' International, Connection e.V., and Agir Pour La Paix.
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It is my body that you chain; my ideals you cannot take away from me
- Jean Van Lierde
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The report includes the stories of Roman and Alexander, two Russians who left their homeland following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“If you are already in the army, leave. Escape if you can. I urge you to avoid fighting against Ukrainians in any way you can," writes Alexander, who served in the Russian army.
“If you do, you risk becoming a criminal by following orders to commit crimes. My message is simple: leave the army."
Also featured is a 1951 speech by Belgian pacifist Jean Van Lierde, prosecuted by a military court for refusing conscription.
He told the court: "You have this power to continue dragging me into your prisons, amid incredible human distress, but it is my body that you chain; my ideals you cannot take away from me."
Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain said: "Quakers believe there is something of God in every person, which means we cannot support the taking of human life.
“These stories remind us that saying no to war takes extraordinary courage and that those who do so deserve to be heard and protected."
Quakers have opposed war and armed service on grounds of conscience since the 1600s and successfully campaigned for the right to conscientious objection to be recognised in British law in 1916.