An Anzac Day Peace Picnic with the theme of ‘Never
Again’ will be held at Pukeahu National War Memorial on
Friday 25 April from 12:30pm-2pm. This is a family-friendly
peace event operating under the tikanga of mana whenua, Te
Kotahitanga o Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o te
Ika.
“’Never again’ means no genocide,” said
Valerie Morse, member of Peace Action
Wellington.
“‘Never again’ is a
phrase or slogan which is associated with the lessons of the
Holocaust and other genocides. The slogan was used by
liberated prisoners at Buchenwald concentration camp to
denounce fascism.”
“We are coming
together to stand against war, against fascism and to demand
that we meet the aspirations of our ancestors who survived
World War 1 and World War 2 for global peace and freedom,”
said Valerie Morse, member of Peace Action
Wellington.
“Anzac Day is portrayed as a day where
the country can reflect on the horrors of war, the costs in
human lives and commit collectively to never again allowing
genocidal mass murder. We have to ask, is that really
happening?” said Morse.
“In 2025 the Western world
is actively funding a campaign of complete annihilation
against Palestinians. Two million men, women and children
are daily being shot, bombed from above, burned alive,
bulldozed with tanks and held hostage inside a giant
concentration camp called Gaza. This is paid for and
provided by the US. Meanwhile, across the West fascism and
far right political parties are gaining power with campaigns
of hatred, exclusion, war, austerity and visions of
armageddon.”
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“The NZ government has failed to
provide any humanitarian path for Palestinian refugees
fleeing the bloodbath. It has been silent about Israel’s
crimes. What’s worse is the government is now aiming to
spend billions on new weapons of war and committing to
fighting alongside the fascist USA in its endless wars. The
new Defence Capability Plan clearly aligns NZ to the US and
the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. This is incredibly
dangerous for the peace and security of Aotearoa NZ and the
wider Pacific,” said Morse.
The Anzac Day event is
organised by Peace Action Wellington, Pōneke Anti-Fascist
Coalition, VUW Socialists, Justice for Palestine, Students
for Justice in Palestine, Falastin Tea Collective and
Alternative Jewish
Voices.
