Cuban Missile crisis: 60th anniversary, Oct 16-29. Take action to 'Defuse Nuclear War'

Posted: 10th October 2022

1. Endorse Protect People and the Planet: Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World (if you have not already endorsed – see list of endorsers).
   During UN Disarmament Week (Oct 24-30), UNFOLD ZERO will send the appeal to all nuclear armed and allied states, and present it to the UN;
    
2. Undertake the ‘Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war’ social media action outside embassies of the nuclear armed states.
   If you are in New York on October 16, join the NoFirstUse Global-led social media actionoutside the UN Missions of Russia, United States and other nuclear-armed states;
    
3. For others in the USA: Join the Defuse Nuclear War month of action to commemorate the Cuban Missile crisis.
   Actions include lobbying congress members, ‘picket lines’ on Oct 14 and demonstrations/social media actions on October 16.

Thirteen Days docu-drama:
Recommended viewing on the Cuban Missile Crisis

Thirteen Days is a superb docu-drama – directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp – which takes you into the Kennedy Administration (primarily recreated National Security Council meetings) during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. See the trailer. Watch the full movie. 

Endorse: Protect people and the Planet 

Protect People and the Planet calls on our cities, parliaments and governments to:

1. Affirm that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and therefore the nuclear armed States should stand down their nuclear forces and affirm policies never to initiate a nuclear war (no-first-use policies);
2. Commit to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons, no later than 2045, the 100th anniversary of the United Nations;
3. Cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in the nuclear weapons industry, and redirect these investments and budgets to support the United Nations, COVID-19 management and recovery, drastic reductions in carbon emissions to protect the climate, and financing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The appeal is being coordinated by UNFOLD ZERO, who will sent it to the nuclear armed and allied states and present it to the United Nations during UN Disarmament Week (October 24-30). This when governments meet at the United Nations annually to discuss and adopt disarmament resolutions.

(Note: Protect People and the Planet has similar calls to Fulfil the NPT: From nuclear threats to human security, which NoFirstUse Global presented to the NPT Review Conference in August. However, Protect People and the Planet is directed to all cities, parliaments and governments, rather than just to states parties of the NPT). 
 Endorse: Protect People and the Planet

Social media action: Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war

During the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Oct 16-29) we invite you to:

• Download the sign ’Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war.’ Download as PDF. Download as JPG.
• Take a photo of yourself and/or a colleague holding the sign outside the embassies or consulates of nuclear-armed states;
• Post your photos on your social media with the hashtags #nofirstuseglobal and #DefuseNuclearWar.

Note: If you are in New York on October 16, we invite you to join the social media action being organized outside the UN Missions of the nine nuclear-armed countries, starting at the Permanent Mission of the United States and ending at the Permanent Mission of Russia. The action is being held in conjunction with the Defuse Nuclear War month of action to commemorate the Cuban Missile Crisis.Don’t even THINK about starting a nuclear war signs in front of the United States, Russian, British, Chinese and French embassies in Prague, Czech Republic.

Defuse Nuclear War – month of action 

Defuse Nuclear War, a coalition of over 50 organizations (mostly in the United States), is holding a month of action to prevent nuclear war in conjunction with the anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This includes picket lines outside the offices of US congress members on October 14 and social media actions and demonstrations on October 16.

Defuse Nuclear War calls for concrete measures to end the threat of nuclear war by the adoption of no-first-use policies, taking nuclear weapons off alert, eliminating Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMS), supporting legislative action to avert nuclear war and moving the nuclear weapons money (budgets and investments) to human need.

Initiatives that US Congress members could be encouraged to support/cosponsor:

• The ICBM (Invest in Cures Before Missiles) Act;
• Defense Spending Amendments to ‘Reduce Risk of Nuclear Armageddon’ announced by Senator Markey on October 7, 2022;
• No-First-Use Act introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Adam Smith;
• House Resolution 1185 on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls on the USA to adopt no-first-use policies, take nuclear weapons off alert and enter into negotiations for the global elimination of nuclear weapons. 

New York action, October 16: 2:00 – 3:30pm. Social media action outside the UN Missions of the nine nuclear-armed states, starting at the Permanent Mission of the United States and ending at the Permanent Mission of Russia. To join, contact [email protected].NoFirstUse Global is a network of organizations, academics, policy makers and civil society advocates working cooperatively for the adoption of no-first-use policies by nuclear-armed States, the support for such policies from nuclear allied countries, and the implementation of such policies to help achieve broader nuclear risk-reduction, non-proliferation and disarmament measures.Copyright © 2022 NoFirstUse Global, All rights reserved.
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