Dear Friends,

CODEPINK Co-Founder Jodie Evans with Elizabeth and Chris Campbell at the CODEPINK book signing on June 26, 2005.

The city is dazed and shocked.  But she is also trying to 'dust herself down' and get on with 'business as usual'.  Some of our news outlets are talking blithely (and to some of us nauseatingly) about the 'Blitz spirit' - saying that London has dealt with violent attacks before, and so can deal with them again. 

But why should she have to?

To many of us these horrific events have served as a reminder, as if any were needed, that violence just breeds more violence.  This must stop now.

We in the peace and social justice movement see the immediate task ahead of us as twofold:  Firstly, we must express our gut-felt solidarity with the victims of this appalling violence.  Secondly, we must renew and re-state our commitment to real security and real justice.  

Our hearts go out to all those who've suffered as a result of these London bombings - to the people who've been killed or injured, and to their families and friends. 

But we must also continue to demonstrate solidarity with all others who've suffered and who continue to suffer in the course of the so-called "war on terror", whether in the United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Spain, or elsewhere in the world.  We believe that what is presented to us as 'the war on terror' is actually a campaign of violence and repression that only generates more anti-Western hatred.
 
We must show solidarity too with all those who are now threatened with a vengeful backlash, whether at home or abroad. We must support our Muslim and Arab brothers and sisters who may now face abuse in the wake of these outrageous attacks on London.  And we must resist and condemn all attempts to hold Islam itself responsible for these or for any other acts of terrorism.

Above all, we must resist any calls by our government for military retaliation against other countries.  We know that any military action would only further undermine our security and not strengthen it.

Let us all, here and now, take this opportunity to re-commit ourselves to the path of peace, human rights and justice for all.

Friends, we live in dark times.  The light of our understanding and our compassion is needed now more than ever.  And the darker it gets, the more brightly we must shine.

As the great Martin Luther King said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  And remember also that he said this: "Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Believe it.

In peace and gratitude,

Elizabeth Campbell (on behalf of CODEPINK London)