United for Peace and Justice

United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is a coalition of more than 800 mainly U.S.-based organizations opposed to what they describe as "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building." The organization was founded by Leslie Cagan in October 2002, during the build-up to the U.S.'s 2003 invasion of Iraq. It organized marches in the spring of 2003 protesting the planned invasion. It continued its opposition thereafter. For example, it organized a large march in Manhattan going past Madison Square Garden on August 29, 2004, the day before the beginning of the 2004 Republican National Convention, to show disagreements with President George W. Bush.

"Unity statement"

UFPJ's rather lengthy "Unity Statement" [1], "adopted as a work in progress" at the June 2003 UFPJ National Strategy Conference, begins by asserting their opposition to the "pre-emptive wars of aggression waged by the Bush administration" and the "drive to expand U.S. control over other nations and strip us of our rights at home under the cover of fighting terrorism and spreading democracy." It then echoes the rhetoric of Not in Our Name (founded six months earlier and itself a member of UFPJ) stating, "we say NO to [the U.S.'s] use of war and racism to concentrate power in the hands of the few, at home and abroad."

It goes on to call for "a broad mass movement for peace and justice" and, in particular, for "peaceful resolution of disputes amongst states; respect for national sovereignty, international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the defense and extension of basic democratic freedoms to all; social and economic justice; and the use of public spending to meet human and environmental needs."

UFPJ explicitly positions itself as not being a single-issue organization: "We envision as a movement-building coalition that coordinates and supports the work of existing groups and builds linkages and solidarity where none exist. We will link the wars abroad with the assaults at home, and U.S. militarism to the corporate economic interests it serves."

The statement lays out the intent of following these principles internally to UFPJ itself: "We will pay special attention in all aspects of our work to the inclusion and leadership of constituencies bearing the brunt of the war’s impact at home, such as people of color, youth, women, and workers. We will be pro-active in addressing internal power dynamics within our movement..." Further, the group pledges itself to non-violence.

The statement continues with a critique of U.S. government conduct, above all, with respect to the justification, preparation, and execution of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation, including criticism of the media and the Democratic Party for "refus[ing] to challenge them." It argues that, "the war on Iraq was the leading edge of a relentless drive for U.S. empire... [e]xploiting the tragedy of September 11, 2001..." for that purpose and to "impose right-wing policies at home under the cover of fighting terrorism."

The critique is then broadened to much of U.S. foreign policy, nuclear weapons policy, racial profiling, detention of immigrants, and other abuses in domestic law enforcement, singling out the USA PATRIOT Act and the proposed "even more draconian" PATRIOT Act II. It also assails the damage that a war budget and "tax cuts for the wealthy" have done to domestic programs such as Medicaid and even veterans' benefits, then states, "Military recruiters are aggressively targeting low-income students, predominantly people of color, who, because they are denied access to good schools and decent jobs, have few alternatives to poverty or incarceration other than joining the military."

"No Stolen Elections" campaign

In September of 2004, UFPJ joined with other organizations to launch the "No Stolen Elections" campaign. Participants were invited to join in signing a pledge that began, "I remember the stolen presidential election of 2000 and I am willing to take action in 2004 if the election is stolen again." The campaign stated that it would prepare for widespread protest and civil disobedience in the event of significant fraud in the 2004 election.

Member groups

As of August 2004, prominent member groups [2] include:

• American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
• Antiwar.com
• Catholic Worker Movement
• Center for Constitutional Rights
• Code Pink
• Communist Party USA (CPUSA)
• Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
• Global Exchange
• Greenpeace
• Institute for Policy Studies
• International Socialist Organization (ISO)
• International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
• Military Families Speak Out (MFSO)
• MoveOn
• Not in Our Name (NION)
• National Council of Churches
• National Lawyers Guild
• National Organization for Women (NOW)
• Pacifica Foundation
• Peace Action
• Quixote Center
• Rainbow/Push Coalition
• Rainforest Action Network
• Refuse+Resist
• Ruckus Society
• School of the Americas Watch (SOAW)
• Tikkun Community
• TransAfrica Forum
• TrueMajority
• Veterans For Peace
• War Resisters League
• Working Assets
• Z Magazine and ZNET

The coalition also includes numerous local organizations, denominational religious organizations, trade-union groups, and several U.S.-state Green parties. There are some non-U.S. member groups, including several from Nigeria.

External links

• Official UFPJ website
• "No Stolen Elections" campaign website