SHUT DOWN NATO

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 April 1, 2012?

From May 20-21, 2012, the next NATO/G8 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 April 1st at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

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