Save the Date for the Global Day of Action to #CloseBases on February 23!

Dear Amal ,

Join us for a Global Day of Action to Close Military Bases on February 23! We call on individuals and organizations around the world to participate in this worldwide day of protest against military bases.

The thousands of military bases, both foreign and domestic, around the world are a critical piece of the war machine that must be dismantled. Closing bases is a necessary step to shift the global security paradigm towards a demilitarized approach that centers common security — no one is safe until all are safe.

Here are the top 5 reasons why we’re calling for a Global Day of Action to Close Bases:

1. Bases often perpetuate colonialism. From Panama to Guam to Puerto Rico to Okinawa to dozens of other locations across the world, militaries have taken valuable land from local populations, often pushing out Indigenous people in the process, without their consent and without reparations.
2. Bases cost an exorbitant amount of $$. The cost of U.S. foreign military bases alone is estimated at $80 billion a year.
3. Bases exacerbate environmental damage and the climate crisis. It is well documented at hundreds of sites around the world that military bases leach toxic so-called “forever chemicals” (PFAS/PFOS) into local water supplies, which has had devastating health consequences for nearby communities.
4. Bases can impact the local economy and community. Militaries have a notorious legacy of sexual violence, including kidnapping, rape, and murders of women and girls.
   
5. Bases heighten tensions and provoke war-making. Additionally, bases make locations into targets for attack.
   

Visit the website to learn more about why we’re calling for this worldwide day of action and check out our action planning resources to help you organize your event.

Plus, organizations are invited to endorse the day of action here.

Individuals and organizations around the world are invited to get creative in organizing actions in your community! Action types will vary based on the location of the military base in your area and who holds the power to shut the base down. Some ways to take action include:

• Rallies and vigils at military bases
• Demonstrations at decision-makers’ offices, such as at embassies and Parliament buildings, to advocate for policy change to prevent, close, and convert bases
• Flyering workers at the entrance gates as they drive in and out of the base
• Educational events such as teach-ins about the impacts of military bases in your area
• Celebratory events at base sites that have been prevented, closed, or converted
• And more!

Core Mobilization Organizers for the Global Day of Action include: International Peace Bureau, No to War – No to NATO Network, Pace e Bene, RootsAction, Veterans For Peace, War Industry Resisters Network, and World BEYOND War.

We hope you’ll join the Global Day of Action to #CloseBases on February 23 by organizing a local action near you.

In solidarity,

Greta Zarro
Organizing Director
World BEYOND War
greta@worldbeyondwar.org