September 12, 2001

Peace And Environment Groups Express Sorrow

The organisations signed below wish to express their sincere sorrow for the enormous loss of life in the United States today. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims throughout the world as well as to the American people.

We condemn all acts of terrorism, whether state sanctioned or the actions of individuals or small groups, as indefensible.

Today¹s tragic events show us that our current strategies are not effective and do not promote peace. The US with the assistance of Australia has been attempting to construct artificial walls around its nation through schemes such as the National Missile Defence proposal. It is clear that no amount of military spending could have created a preventative solution to the attacks witnessed by the world today.

We call for a calm response in the face of this tragedy. The world needs to take a deep breath before taking rash and counterproductive steps in retaliation for these attacks. We call on the international community and the Australian people not to allow this atrocity to increase hatred, racial and religious intolerance. We encourage our leaders to view this as a moment for Australia to assist the US and the world in its search for peaceful solutions to conflicts.

We add our voices to those of colleagues around the world who recognise that true security can only be rooted in social and environmental justice.

Signed:

Friends of the Earth Australia
The Wilderness Society
Earth Worker
Action for Peace
Friends of Palestine
Canberra Program for Peace
Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia
Australian Peace Committee
Reverend Ray Richmond (Wayside Chapel, Uniting Church in Australia)
Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition
Coalition for International Cooperation and Disarmament CICD

For further information contact:

Bruce Thompson
Friends of the Earth Australia
Ph: 0417 318 368

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney
Ph: 02 9517 3903

Jacob Grech
Earth Worker
Ph: 0402 246 491