Resisting Fighter Jets at Home and Abroad With Activists from Canada, Israel, Wisconsin & Vermont

As part of the No New Fighter Jet Coalition,  Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Science for Peace, and World Beyond War Canada have organized a webinar with peace activists from Canada, Israel, Wisconsin and Vermont about how they are resisting the procurement, use and basing of fighter jets. 

The webinar will take place on July 7th from 12:00pm to 1:30pm Eastern Standard Time. 

To REGISTER  to attend the webinar, please click this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvf-iorjsjE9YJBMKH6UhWhMY2aMhv37Ll

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please retweet and share widely within your social media networks about our upcoming webinar.  https://twitter.com/VOWPeace/status/1410404176295862272 

Please bring a sign saying ” No New Fighter Jets” or “No F35s”! We’ll take a picture after!

Join our important discussion with peace activists from Canada, Israel, Wisconsin and Vermont about how they are resisting the procurement, use and basing of fighter jets. We will hear fromPitasanna Shanmugathas & Rachel Small from the No New Fighter Jets Coalition who are trying to stop Canada from buying 88 new fighter jets at a life-cycle cost of $76.8 billion. Yonatan Shapira, a former Israeli Air Force pilot turned peace activist, will speak about the destruction caused by Israel’s F-35 Joint Strike fighter jets in Gaza and the futility of fighter jets for defence. From Vermont, former Colonel Rosanne Greco, a retired US Air Force intelligence officer, and John Reuwer, a member of World BEYOND War’s Board of Directors, will share their struggle to stop the placement of F-35s in Burlington. Vicki Berenson, an organizer with Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin, will talk about the campaign to stop the siting of F-35s at Truax Air National Guard base in Madison.

This event is being held to stop the Canadian government from buying a new fleet of costly-carbon intensive combat aircraft, find out more about the #NoNewFighterJets campaign here: www.nofighterjets.ca

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: 

Yonatan Shapira, a musician and a singer, was a rescue helicopter pilot and captain in the Israeli Air Force. In 2003 he was the initiator of the pilots’ letter signed by 27 pilots who refused to take part in the attack on Palestinians. He is a member of Boycott from within (Israelis supporting the BDS movement) and was a crew member on four flotillas attempting to break the Gaza blockade. A dialogue facilitator for groups in conflict Yonatan has MA degree in peace and conflict studies from EPU, Austria. He works as a helicopter pilot for utility companies in the US and Scandinavia, has one daughter and lives in Oslo.  

Rosanne Greco joined the United States Air Force, served on active duty for close to 30 years, and retired as a Colonel.  Colonel Greco was an Intelligence officer specializing in strategic nuclear weapons, arms control negotiations, and strategic planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After retiring in 2003, she worked for a defense contractor on continuity of operations plans and cyber security issues.  Three years after moving to Vermont with her husband and dog, she was elected to the South Burlington, Vermont City Council, and then elected Chair of the Council.  After her term was over, she led a grassroots coalition opposing the basing of the F-35 fighter-bomber at the Vermont Air National Guard Station located at the Burlington, Vermont commercial airport. Currently, she is an outspoken activist for environmental preservation and climate crisis matters.  

John Reuwer has been involved with resistance to the basing of the F-35 jet in Burlington, Vermont since 2011, including roles in writing, speaking, and activism. Now a retired emergency physician, he has been studying, practicing, and teaching alternatives to violence for over 35 years, including 6 years as adjunct professor of conflict resolution at St. Michael’s College in Vermont where he taught courses in nonviolent communication and nonviolent action. He serves on the Board of Directors of World Beyond War and the Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons for Physicians for Social Responsibility. Currently he is chair of the Divest Vermont from the War Machine Coalition.  

Vicki Berenson is one of several organizers for Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin, opposing the siting of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jets at Truax Air National Guard base in Madison, Wisconsin. She has contributed to anti-violence and social justice work for many years with a variety of organizations as a volunteer or staff, and currently serves on the board of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice. Vicki has worked with food and housing cooperatives and nonprofits – including Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice – doing bookkeeping, outreach, training, and technology support. She identifies as a Quaker and enjoys making pottery, reading, gardening, bicycling and innumerable other activities she doesn’t have time for. 

Pitasanna Shanmugathas is a peace campaign intern for the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, working on initiatives to pressure the Canadian government to terminate its plans to purchase costly new fighter jets and end its dangerously militaristic agenda. From September to December 2020, Pitasanna was also an intern for Science for Peace, working on initiatives to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. Pitasanna recently completed his graduate studies and received his master’s degree in global affairs at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.