We, a community of experts and third sector representatives, are launching a social campaign to counter Russian historical revisionism and militarism, culminating in this year’s 9th of May military parade.
Campaign updates can be found at #StopPutinsParade and #NeverAgain.
As part of this campaign, we have created this appeal:
We call upon heads of state and government to decline invitations to attend the 9th of May military parade in Moscow.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the bloodiest military conflict in human history: World War II. In the civilized world, this is an occasion to recall the causes and consequences of that terrible war and to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.
The Russian Federation exploits this date to justify aggressive policies against other independent countries, past and present. The 9th of May parade in Moscow celebrates Russian militarism, expansionism and revanchism.
An event which should honor the memory of the dead instead honors Russian weaponry that continues to kill. The weapons on display are the very ones that have killed and continue to kill the defenders of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, countries whose territories are occupied and annexed by Russian troops. They are the weapons that defend the Assad regime in Syria, and that bring death to Syrian civilians.
Participation in these activities by the leaders of the civilized world legitimates Russian aggression, and encourages the Russian leadership to continue gross and systematic violations of the sovereignty of other states and the human rights of their citizens.
The global consensus after the end of World War II, reflected in the United Nations Charter and other treaties, was to treat invasion, annexation and military aggression in general as a violation of internation law. To attend the military parade in Moscow is to forget and neglect the lessons of history and to encourage militarism in the future.
Please support our appeal by signing it!