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About us
Who we are
The Peace Pledge Union is a pacifist network promoting nonviolent resistance to war and militarism. Through our campaigning and education work, we have been promoting pacifism since 1934, in solidarity with other peace activists around the world.
Our current projects include:
> We work on peacebuilding and nonviolence, providing educational resources on issues such as conflict resolution and the causes of war. We maintain an extensive archive on conscientious objection and make much of this information available online.
> We call for remembrance for all victims of war of all nationalities, with remembrance linked to a commitment to peace and a rejection of militarism. These values are exemplified by the white poppies that we distribute ever year.
> We challenge everyday militarism: the introduction of Armed Forces Day, the rise in military visits to schools, the veneration of the armed forces, and other practicies that normalise war and weaponry.
> We speak up in the media and in public about military spending and recruitment, calling for the UK’s military budget - the seventh largest in the world - to be spent instead on tackling the causes of war.
> As the British section of War Resisters’ International, we work alongside pacifists and other peace activists around the world, united against war and militarism wherever they appear.
> We support our members in the promotion of peace, ranging from nonviolent direct action to campaigns in workplaces, universities and local communities.
We work at times in alliance with other peace and human rights campaigns. For example, we co-founded the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in 1974 and the No Pride in War campaign in 2016. We support local peace groups around the UK who are promoting active nonviolence and challenging militarism in their own areas.
We have four paid staff. Staff work alongside an elected Council and a number of volunteers who make an invaluable contribution to the PPU’s work. Our members are scattered around Britain and recent years have seen a welcome increase in new members.
We face big tasks for a small team but this is an exciting time to be part of the PPU, as white poppy sales increase, membership rises and people around the UK challenge militarism in their own communities. The war machine is powerful. Our resistance can be powerful too.
