Mairead Maguire urges young to ‘reject war’ on peace day

Suzanne McGonagle, Irish News, September 21st, 2024

NOBEL laureate Mairead Maguire has told of how she has been inspired by the “imagination, courage and resistance” of young people as she urged them to “reject militarism and war”. In a message to mark International Peace Day today, the Belfast-born activist said the youth of the world gives her “great hope for the future of humanity”.

Every year, the UN marks the International Day of Peace on September 21. First declared 43 years ago, it is regarded as a shared date for the world to “build a culture of culture of peace”. In a statement to mark the day, Ms Maguire, who in 1976 won the Nobel Peace Prize after co-founding the Peace People Movement, has issued a “call to youth”.

“I would like to thank the youth of the world for all they do to reject violence, militarism and war,” she said. “I have been inspired wherever I have travelled by the imagination, courage and resistance of so many young people. They give me great hope for the future of humanity.

“The young are wise, they know that, yet again in our world, we, the people, are being propagandized for war. Government leaders, and main stream media, are telling us we must have enemies (Russia, Iran, North Korea, China) and prepare for increased military budgets in spite of the fact growing number of countries have ‘food banks’ and ‘charity shops’ to try to ease the high cost of living and allow increasing numbers of families to ‘feed their children’ and the elderly to heat their homes.

“Young people are protesting such policies and are going to prison to say ‘no’ to killing other humans and destroying (or stealing) their resources and land.

“Government leaders are going one way to militarism and war and young people are going another, asking for a humane way of living together, respecting the environment and solving peacefully the huge problems, we all face.”

Ms Maguire added that people, particularly the youth, are “building an alternative to the cruelty of war”.

“’Be gentle’, ‘stay human’ appear on colourful placards in multiple peace movements from North Korea to North America, Beijing to Belfast, Tehran to Tokyo, Moscow to Palestine,” she said. “There is a new consciousness and this will not be ‘silenced’ or ‘intimidated’ by those playing power politics with our children’s’ lives and future.

“Young people know what it is to suffer.

“They know the cost of austerity cuts, pandemics, forever wars, and it all takes a toll on their mental health and sense of despair and hopelessness.

“We, ‘the elders’, owe it to them to join in their brave efforts to change the world, to make things better for all the children everywhere.

“Let us therefore join our youth as they work for disarmament and peace and refuse to hurt or kill other people and hurt or kill children.

“We could join them by demanding an immediate end to the Russian/ Ukraine war, an end to the Gaza genocide by Israel, and dialogue not death.”