Thanks but no thanks

Today, I took part in a demonstration at the Carillon where 100 U.S. Marines laid a wreath to honour the soldiers killed in the last 10 years of the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The reason we were demonstrating was not to dishonour the sacrifices our grandparents made in the World Wars but to reject an obvious push for closer military ties between New Zealand and the U.S.

I am yet to be convinced of the benefits of war. It breeds death, despair and destruction and little else. I especially don’t believe in supporting other people’s war for the benefits of creating closer diplomatic ties. We might as well directly trade blood for money.

We were a group of about 20 including members of the Concerned Citizens Collective and Adrian Leason, an activist most well known for puncturing the dome that covered the Waihopai spy base. We wanted to say ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ on behalf of the New Zealand people. “Our presence is to remind them that while we love our grandfathers and respect their contribution to WWII, we oppose much of what the US military has done since. We will not have our grandfather’s sacrifices used to justify more recent wars or to bolster future invasions”, said Murdoch Stephens of Concerned Citizens.

Looking back at my photos from the event, I was struck by the different ways that war can be perceived.