{"id":29637,"date":"2019-09-30T19:13:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T19:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/?p=29637"},"modified":"2025-12-06T16:08:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T16:08:47","slug":"october-2-international-day-the-power-of-nonviolence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/october-2-international-day-the-power-of-nonviolence\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2, International Day: The Power of Nonviolence!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cNonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time\u201d<\/strong><\/em>.<\/strong><\/p> (Martin Luther King Jr., December 10, 1964) <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This quote from\nNobel Peace prize\u2019s acceptance speech shows Martin Luther King\u2019s commitment to\nnonviolence. His standpoint is related to Gandhi\u2019s ideas and principles upon\nwhich he achieved social change for advancing civil rights and to struggle\nagainst racial inequality. The Gandhian principles of nonviolence continue to\ninfluence contemporary protests to overcome conflicts, inequality, injustice,\nclimate change and more. Humanium aim for sustainable peace and child rights\nwhich include also nonviolence workshops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to remind of the importance of nonviolence and to disseminate its message, including through education and public awareness, the UN General Assembly voted to establish 2 October, date of Gandhi\u2019s birthday, as the International Day of Nonviolence (General Assembly, 2007). Humanium is committed to celebrate this day and to recall the power of nonviolence through human rights and beyond. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
New Delhi, India – October 10th, 2016: statues depicting the nonviolent \u201cSalt March\u201d movement in 1930, featuring Mahatma Gandhi leading his followers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nonviolence a historic power to\ndefend civil rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nonviolence is a concept, which has its roots within religions such as Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and could be defined as a philosophical and strategy way of actions and ideas to achieve social or\/and political change with the rejects of violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary\nhistory has shown how much nonviolence is a powerful tool to accomplish\nchanges, for instance the nonviolence resistance movements against British\nimperial rule in India<\/a> (as the \u201c Salt March \u201c from 12 March\n1930), headed in particular by spiritual and political leader Mohandas\nKaramchand Gandhi (commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi) which led to the\nindependence of the country; but also the struggle against racial inequality\nand advocacy for civil and economic rights such as Martin Luther King\u2019s ideas\nand political stances (as the \u201cMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom\u201d on\nAugust 28th<\/sup>, 1963).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These leaders of\nnonviolent movements, influenced several protests and revolution afterwards\nsuch as the \u201cflower power\u201d slogan late 1960s, used in opposition movements to\nthe Vietnam<\/a>\nWar;  the \u201cPeople power revolution\u201d in\nthe Philippines<\/a>\non February 1986 ; the \u201cVelvet Revolution\u201d in former Czechoslovakia, and more\nrecently the Arab Spring on 2011. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is clear that\nnonviolence allowed great changes in the past and these are still in minds even\nnow, to encourage people facing oppression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
HONG KONG, OCT 24: Umbrella Revolution in Admiralty on 24 October 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The celebration of nonviolence, an important support for oppressed people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\ninternational day of nonviolence is essential to recall what oppressed people\nin the past achieved, but it is also a solid support for oppressed people,\nnowadays, whose still defend their rights and freedoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we can see in\nHong Kong, the massive protest movement in 2014, named the \u201cUmbrella Movement\u201c\nwas based on nonviolence principles to act against law enforcement violence,\nespecially to defend themselves with umbrellas against the police\u2019s use of\npepper spray. These umbrellas became a symbol on protests still occurring in\nHong Kong, as the use of hardhats today. The use of symbols and protest\nmeetings, are part of the \u201c198 methods of nonviolent action\u201d, researched and\ncatalogued by Gene Sharp (an American political scientist) in his book.\n(“The Politics of Nonviolent Action”, 1973).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, nonviolence principles are the focal point of most of contemporary protests. Through human rights advocacy and local actions, Humanium is acting every day to ensure child rights are being respected. Also, people of the world are becoming the source of changes through the power of nonviolence, such as passive resistance, pacifism speech and meetings, and civil disobedience. Nonviolence has never been more important than today for us all and is of increasing importance with all the changes we are part of and see daily that come, with climate change, the exhaustion of natural resources and migrant flows that naturally follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anecdote: The Salt March: an example of nonviolent civil disobedience led by Gandhi
<\/strong>
In colonial India, from 12 March 1930, Gandhi started a long walk (240 miles) to Indian Ocean coast, joined by Indians along the way, in order to make salt by evaporation near the coast. At that time, an imperial British law imposed a salt tax for all Indians consumers, even the poorest, and prohibited them to produce salt. As the numbers of Indians, joining the march, increased, and after the arrest of Gandhi, and then his release, the British rulers were forced to come to the discussion table. This event had influence through the world (it inspired Martin Luther King Jr.) and gave strength and hope for the Indian independence movement. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Written by Eddy Malouli<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gene Sharp. (1973). “The Politics of Nonviolent Action”.<\/em> Retrieved from\naeinstein.org on the 12th<\/sup> \nseptember 2019:\nhttps:\/\/www.aeinstein.org\/nonviolentaction\/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Assembly, U. (2007, June 15). UN declares 2 October, Gandhi\u2019s birthday, as\nInternational Day of Non-Violence<\/em>. Retrieved from UN News on the 12th<\/sup>\nseptember 2019 :\nhttps:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2007\/06\/222502-un-declares-2-october-gandhis-birthday-international-day-non-violence<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Luther King Jr.\n(December 10, 1964). Acceptance Speech,\non the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo<\/em>. Retrieved\nfrom Nobel Prize.org on the 12th<\/sup> september 2019 :\nhttps:\/\/www.nobelprize.org\/prizes\/peace\/1964\/king\/26142-martin-luther-king-jr-acceptance-speech-1964\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time\u201d. (Martin Luther King Jr., December 10, 1964) This quote from Nobel Peace prize\u2019s acceptance speech shows Martin Luther King\u2019s commitment to nonviolence. His standpoint is related to Gandhi\u2019s ideas and principles upon which he achieved social change for advancing civil rights […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":29640,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,6,8,14,144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-childrens-rights","category-education","category-empowerment","category-peace","category-violence"],"yoast_head":"\nOctober 2, International Day: The Power of Nonviolence! - Humanium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In order to remind the importance of nonviolence and to disseminate its message, including through education and public awareness, the UN General Assembly voted to establish 2 October, date of Gandhi\u2019s birthday, as the International Day of Nonviolence (General Assembly, 2007). 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