The Padua Group

I.F.O.R. (M.I.R.) - What is that?

International Fellowship of Reconciliation (Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione) is a groups’ federation whose members work for peace and justice. They join the struggle of men and women who are victims of social iniquity and of political and military aggression all around the world. In this effort they refuse to plan and get involved in any way in military conflicts. They want furthermore to develop nonviolent struggle methods aimed to unearth the truth and to treat the enemy with respect.

A Definition of Nonviolence

The active nonviolence let people avoid the ones who are using violence as a way to rule. Whoever is using nonviolence can affirm his/her independence and the dignity of the human being; he/she can decide about his/her future. It is a way to fight against the injustice and to proclaim the truth. Nonviolence involves the planning of a realistic schedule to build a more equal society.

A Brief History

I.F.O.R. is a Nongovernmental Organisation recognized by the United Nations under a consultant status.

It was created in the Netherlands in 1919 and since then it has been spreading in about sixty countries.

So far six I.F.O.R. members have received the Nobel Peace Prize: Jane Addams (USA, 1931), Emily Greene Balch (USA, 1946), Albert Luthuli (South Africa, 1960), Martin Luther King (USA, 1964), Mairead Corrigan (Northern Ireland, 1976), Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Argentina, 1980).

International secretariat:

IFOR International Secretariat
Postbus 1528
3500 BM Utrecht
The Netherlands
Web site: http://www.ifor.org/

I.F.O.R. (M.I.R.) starts his activity in Italy in 1952...

...and it has been working in Padua since 1978. The local group, involved in activities on national basis, has always tried to focus his attention on actual local matters.

The group:

• supported the conscientious objection to the military service signing a deal with the Department of Defence to employ conscientious objectors in his activities;
• organized the first local rallies against the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Europe and to protest against the Gulf War;
• supported the campaign against the use of nuclear power for civilian and military uses;
• got involved in the struggle to transform military areas inside the town in public parks;
• supported, together with other organisations, the campaign to denuclearize the city.

The M.I.R. (I.F.O.R.) Commitment in Padua

The Padua group

• organised and ruled training courses to conscientious objectors performing their civilian service; edits books to educate people on the use of nonviolence and to study in a deeper way all his aspects;
• was involved in making accessible to everybody informations about the conscientious objection to the military service. It was even possible to perform a qualified civilian service within the group;
• carries on the research and the experimentation regarding new defence strategies (Civilian Defence) which in a future could gradually take the place of the current national military defence system;
• spreads the use of nonviolent methods to solve personal, institutional and political conflicts;
• supports the research for a new development model that could stop the energetic wastes and the foolish resources destruction. In this project it helps alternative economic realities as the Ethic Bank;
• supports the activities to help the Third World encouraging the diffusion of food or craft products coming directly from grassroots organisations in the Developing Countries;
• works in the churches supporting the common effort to promote the evangelic nonviolence and the ecumenism;
• collaborated in the national campaign for a nonviolent solution to the Kosovo political situation.

The Awareness Action

The Padua group organizes trainings, lectures and public discussion in city districts, in schools and in parishes. His members have been interviewed in radio programs and have their comments often published on local newspapers.

In the M.I.R. oiffices is available to the public a library specialised on peace, disarmament, nonviolence and conscientious objection.

The M.I.R. office is located c/o Centro Servizi Volontariato (CSV) in via Gradenigo 10, 35131 Padova, Italy.

E-mail: [mirsezpd@libero.it]

Web site: [http://www.mirpadova.org]

Italian secretariat:

E-mail: [segreteria@miritalia.org]

Web site:[http://www.miritalia.org]