The Syracuse Peace Council often takes public positions on key issues by releasing an organizational position statement. Sometimes it is a call to action, sometimes to raise awareness, sometimes to contribute to the public debate. Click on statement titles below to view.
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SPC Protocol for Reporting and Responding to Incidents of Harassment
On July 29, 2021, SPC’s Steering Committee approved a Protocol for Reporting and Responding to Incidents of Harassment for our organization. The Peace Council does not tolerate harassment of any kind. This document defines harassment and empowers a Review Committee to hear complaints, and take action to repair the situation…
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Statement on Recent Accusations of Anti-Semitism
It has come to the attention of SPC’s Steering Committee that accusations of anti-semitism are being circulated about the Peace Council. To be perfectly clear: There are many forms of oppression designed to prevent solidarity among different groups as well as provide more power and wealth to other groups. Antisemitism is one of those forms.
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We Must End All U.S. Support for the Government of Saudi Arabia A Statement from the Syracuse Peace Council on the Anniversary of War in Yemen
On March 25, 2015, a Saudi-led coalition entered the Yemeni civil war. One year later, the fighting has killed more than 6,200 civilians and displaced millions, pushing the Arab world’s poorest country, Yemen, to the brink of famine. We ask all people of conscience to join us in calling on the Obama administration and the…
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Congress Must Reject the Presidents War Powers Request
By Vani Kannan and Barbara Humphrey On Feb. 11, President Obama sent Congress a proposed joint resolution to Authorize the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which would authorize and extend military action against ISIS for the next three years. The Syracuse Peace Council calls on Congress to say no to this new…
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Statement of Support from Members of the Syracuse Community for The General Body and Student Calls for Diversity and Transparency at Syracuse University
We are inspired by the student groups organizing on the Syracuse University campus for diversity and transparency (a summary of their grievances, taken from their website, is below). Their movement embodies principles of inclusivity, democratic participation in one’s community, care for others and direct action in support of the public…
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Not Another Preventable War!
Last month, we solemnly marked the 10 year anniversary of the preventable war with Iraq. Around the world, millions of people protested this war, a war based on lies and fabricated intelligence. An agonizing decade followed. Over 4,000 Americans and 100,000 Iraqis died. The effects of the war continue for…
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SPC Statement on US Military Aid to Israel
As the Israel-Palestine conflict escalates again this week and the world’s airwaves are flooded with images of grieving families holding their dead, we in the United States must once again ask ourselves: Are we a nation of peace or a nation of war? From the U.S. government’s actions this week,…
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No Military Intervention in Syria
By SPC Steering Committee Those of us inspired by the cry for democracy and human rights that has reverberated from Tunisia to Egypt to Syria are saddened and horrified to see that same movement being attacked wholesale by the Syrian state. At the Syracuse Peace Council, we are also disturbed…
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SPC Statement on the US Withdrawal from Iraq
By Ursula Rozum, SPC Staff SPC Statement on the US Withdrawal from Iraq Printed Monday, December 19 in the Syracuse Post-Standard The Syracuse Peace Council eagerly anticipates the return of U.S. service members from the war in Iraq. As an organization that opposed the Iraq War before it was launched,…
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SPC Statement on September 11th
By Carol Baum, SPC Staff Sunday, September 11, 2011 Revenge Will Not Heal Our GriefPrinted by the Syracuse Post-Standard on Sunday, September 11, 2011 After the Syracuse area peace and social justice community got over the initial shock of the events of 9/11/01, “Revenge Will Not Heal Our Grief” became…
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Syracuse Peace Council Response to the Arrest of Saddam Hussein
The Syracuse Peace Council is pleased to hear that Saddam Hussein has been detained. We hope his capture will help relieve the fear of his return to power, a fear which has hindered the Iraqi people from reconstructing their nation. For many Iraqis the ongoing US occupation is also a…
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THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER: NOW WHAT?
Okay. We can take a deep breath. Exhale. Close our eyes and even smile…for a few minutes. Many people worked long and hard to achieve this moment. While we applaud the end of the Bush dynasty, it’s clear that the US Empire lives on.
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The Surge to Nowhere
By Jessica Maxwell, Published in the Syracuse Post Standard The recent interview with General Petraeus (December 23) was typical of mainstream media coverage of the surge: superficial, shortsighted and soft. Discussions of tactical military gains dominate with little attention to the big picture—the one that counts. The only war the…
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Letter Calling for Closure of Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility
Congressman James T. WalshSenator Charles SchumerSenator Hillary ClintonFederal Bldg.Syracuse, New York 13261 Hand delivered Re: Guantanamo Bay Dear Congressman Walsh: We come to your office today to express our shame and outrage that the Bush Administration — with Congressional complicity — maintains its illegal and immoral prison at the US…
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Bombing People Creates More Terrorism – a Peace Council Statement on the Mid East
By Ed Kinane and Andy Mager on behalf of the Syracuse Peace Council The Syracuse Peace Council (SPC) is relieved that the international community has developed a ceasefire agreement for the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Unfortunately, the ceasefire was deliberately delayed by our government. In the process over 1200…
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Violence Begets Violence: a Peace Council Statement on the Mid East
By Ed Kinane and Andy Mager on behalf of the Syracuse Peace Council The Syracuse Peace Council (SPC) opposes all military attacks on civilians – including Israel’s air and ground war against Lebanon and Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel.We condemn the invasions of Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. We likewise condemn…
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The Myth of Iraqi Sovereignty
By Andy Mager George W. Bush continues to proclaim that Iraq will be a sovereign nation as of June 30, 2004. He hopes that continuous repetition of this false mantra will fool our nation into believing that democracy is emerging in Iraq. Unfortunately, most mainstream media parrot this lie, and…
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ANOTHER VIETNAM? Syracuse Peace Council Statement on Iraq
By Jessica Maxwell We have witnessed a horrifying escalation of violence in Iraq this past week. The violence raging in Iraq was not only predictable, but also unnecessary. As an organization committed to peace and social justice, we mourn for all those killed or injured and those who care about…
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SPC’s Statement on Nonviolence
The Syracuse Peace Council is committed to nonviolence as an operating principle for our organization and as a central element of our vision for the world we work to create. We embrace the active nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. to confront the many injustices facing our…
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Remembering Hiroshima—Ending the Nuclear Threat
By Andy Mager, Printed in the Syracuse Post-Standard August 6, 1945 is a date seared into the memory of the people of Japan and people of conscience throughout the world. This year marks the 57th anniversary of this first use of nuclear weapons on a civilian population. It is an…
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Youth Violence, Not Just a Kid Problem
By SPC Steering Committee Our city is again in the midst of a spate of youth violence. Shootings, stabbings and assaults are reported almost daily in the news. The Syracuse Peace Council wants to add its voice to those condemning these futile and destructive acts in our community. Others have…
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SPC Statement on Israel-Palestine
By Syracuse Peace Council Steering Committee: Carol Baum, Dik Cool, Karen J. Hall, Doug Igelsrud, Rae Kramer, Laura MacDonald, Andy Molloy, Beth Mosely, Linda Perla, Michelle Ten Eyck, Ann Tiffany Sunday, April 7, 2002 The Syracuse Peace Council calls for an immediate halt to the violence in the occupied Palestinian…