Roots of Resistance changes name
Group renames as Quaker Roots after approach from US-based group who share name
The Roots of Resistance (RoR) group that mobilised hundreds of Friends to protest against last year’s Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair has changed its name to Quaker Roots. The group said it made its decision after ‘a long period of discernment’ and ‘primarily in response to a request from another group, based in the USA, who were already using the name’.
Peter Doubtfire, a Quaker Roots core group member, told the Friend that the RoR name came to the attention of a US-based group of the same name which explores African herbalist traditions ‘as an act of resistance to colonialism and racism’.
He said: ‘They got in touch via Facebook to ask us to change the name – beyond simple confusion about the two groups, there was a risk that we appeared to be claiming to be “the” roots of resistance.
‘We recognise that this plays into a narrative that marginalises people of colour in the history of activism. Our intention for the name is to remind ourselves to be grounded by our spiritual roots in our activism – to draw on our Quaker Roots. We hope the new name expresses that more clearly, and the subtitle “resisting the arms trade” explains the focus of our activism.’
Quaker Roots is now organising a number of online events to prepare for next year’s DSEI arms fair on 14 to 17 September 2021. It said it will be working with the Stop the Arms Fair coalition to organise ‘another radical, nonviolent, creative intervention’.
The coronavirus has severely impacted arms fairs across the world in 2020, according to the War Resisters International (WRI) group, with some of the largest events, such as Eurosatory in Paris and the Farnborough air show, now cancelled.
WRI hosted a webinar on conscientious objection and asylum with contributions by campaigners from Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) following International Conscientious Objectors’ Day in May. The webinar can be viewed on the WRI website.
