Chichester Friends hear BYM peace talk
‘Oliver Robertson frankly admitted that there are no easy answers to the moral dilemmas presented by the present war in Ukraine.'
Chichester Quakers gathered to hear Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), talk about the difficult issues raised by war in Ukraine for those committed to peace.
Some fifty people attended the event at Friends Meeting House, Priory Road, Chichester on 11 November.
It was followed up two days later by the laying of a white poppy wreath at the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
Bill McMellon told the Friend: ‘Oliver Robertson frankly admitted that there are no easy answers to the moral dilemmas presented by the present war in Ukraine.
‘He described that war as a war of aggression, caused by choices made by the Russian leader. Nonetheless, the Quakers are committed to peace and have been known for that commitment since the seventeenth century. He quoted Advices & queries: “We are called to live in ‘the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars’” – while saying that an honest look at a peaceful approach must look at its limitations, which implied recognising the position of those forced to deal with aggression as it occurs.’
Bill McMellon said that Oliver Robertson also made the case for non-violent resistance to aggression, referring to Why Civil Resistance Works by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J Stephan. ‘Here it is demonstrated by examining historical examples that non-violent resistance to oppressive states leads in the long run to more sustainable democracies.’
He added: ‘Oliver dealt with what might be needed for longer-term peacebuilding as well as the militaristic culture which underlies our response to the present crisis and therefore aggravates it. He considered the problems of a pacifist stance. How can we stand by as terrible things happen? He discussed the problems of a military response which causes harms as surely as an aggressor causes them.’
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