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Nie Wieder - Never Again Ever! www.neveragainever.org www.theglassishalffull.co.uk

neveragaineverever@gmail.com

‘Never Again Ever!’ is a campaign led by grandchildren of those affected by the Holocaust and allies, to reflect on how we can

stop genocide from happening to anyone ever again - in the run up to and on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in 2015.

“A part of the Holocaust has yet to be fully acknowledged, memorialised, compensated and closure through acceptance of the survivors. Since 1945 Roma/Gypsy/Travellers have been persistently and increasingly persecuted, evicted, deported, their homes torched or bull-dozed, and murdered Gypsies not considered important enough by police to find the perpetrators. Are we going to allow the persecution and injustices suffered by Gypsies to continue until the massacres begin? This question, and many more, are being brought to light on this important anniversary to create real change. This is why I wholeheartedly support 'Never Again Ever!'” Ruth Barnett, Holocaust survivor and ‘Never Again Ever!’ activist. Who we are 'Never Again – Ever!' is one of two central programmes within ‘The Glass Is Half Full’ organisation. Founded in 2012, The Glass Is Half Full’s purpose is to build a world of peace, collaboration and justice through media, protest, performance-based rituals and education. The Glass Is Half Full is a not-for-profit unincorporated association. What led us to want to do this work? And why are we passionate about it? 'Never Again – Ever!' was began as group discussion amongst grandchildren of the Nazi holocaust in the Summer of 2013 to discuss the meaning of the United Nations’ statement 'Never Again for Anyone'. This began to open up space for further dialogue and networking about ancestral trauma, breaking the cycle of victim and perpetrator, and seeking connections between inherited Holocaust memory and struggles for social justice. Though the group is diverse - we are wholly affected by the same marginalisation - the issues of inherited war-trauma and oppression due to our identities is personal to us all. We are grateful to be working with In Place Of War for their support in developing the programme. The campaign will raise dialogue, understanding, and drive a movement to raise alarm bells and confront structures in society that are still vulnerable to fascist mentalities.

Aim We believe that ‘memorialisation without action is part of the problem’. We confront our governments existing social welfare, immigration and weapons policy that is in contradiction to the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights created in response to the Nazi Holocaust. 1) We confront existing structures that let the Holocaust happen.

2) We expose the continued vulnerability of modern institutions to genocide.

3) We transform our societies in order to substantively prevent events like the Holocaust, and the rise of fascism, from happening again.

4) We confront the fact that corporate power and severe budget cuts are leading to a surge of violent racism all over the world.

5) We believe creative activism is the way to heal from inherited trauma.

How does it fit in with the rest of the organisation’s work? The Glass Is Half Full are proud to spearhead this campaign as it enables a wide range of people to sharpen their analysis on the root cause of structural injustice in previous and present society. This will be carried out through the ‘sharpening of the saw’, which involves deeply understanding intellectual arguments, emotional reactions and possible actions we can take to bring clarity for communities to create change. Why is this work particularly needed at this time? 'Never Again – Ever!' is needed for several reasons. 2015 will mark the 70

th anniversary of the end of the holocaust, and this decennial anniversary is probably the final decennial in which survivors will be able to share their experiences first-hand. Right-wing extremism still poses a threat today, legally, publicly and politically as we witness an upsurge in European fascist movements. The specific issues we are most concerned with are mass armament, corporate dominance, violations of international law, and immigration policies. These problems all occur either in direct violation of the United Nations International Human Rights Regulations, or in world leaders simply not taking international legal norms seriously. We find this unacceptable, considering that international law emerged from the experience of 20th century authoritarianism and totalitarianism with the express purpose of ensuring that fascism never gained strength again. There are many obvious problems of saying ‘Never Again’ without understanding its meaning for the marginalised today. Currently the UK is the 7th richest but most unequal country in the industrialised world with the highest levels of child poverty. We are incessantly told that 'we are all in this together' yet the gap between the rich and poor is wider now than in the times of Dickens and we have

the highest rates of 'social isolationism' in Europe. In Nazi Germany, people who were sick, disabled, or belonged to a foreign race were deprived of their human rights and shipped off to concentration camps like Auschwitz, if they weren’t “euthanized” at home under the Aktion T4 programme. Here, people who are sick or disabled are subjected to a humiliating test intended to deprive them of the financial support they need to survive, and to implant the suggestion that it would be better all around if they simply took their own lives. It is due to the policies of Cameron’s government that the United Nations has launched an investigation into “grave or systemic violations” of the rights of disabled people.

The most obvious problem of saying “Never Again” right now is the far-right populist upsurge in British politics and the European Parliament. The European fringe of what Boris Johnson described as “bizarre or downright potty” have flooded the chamber, and although they still cannot disrupt business by themselves, they may leverage their victories towards future power. This is the starkest challenge to the legacy of “Never Again.” It seems clear that white supremacy has structural roots that need to be confronted, and substituted for a more positive consciousness, and that this is not being done currently given the rise of the National Front in France and UKIP in Britain. These are just two examples which have led the campaign and build a movement to highlight that although the Nazi Holocaust may be over the infrastructure and mentalities that enable it to happen still exist. We must act fast – before the integrity of the Human Rights Act is further endangered. Is the work new, or a development, expansion or continuation of existing work? ‘Never Again Ever!’ was developed as a new programme which helps to coordinate and strengthen long-standing human rights campaigning movements to utilize this important historical milestone. Soon world leaders will be celebrating seven decades since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, leading to the end of WWII. While the mainstream Holocaust commemorations grow year on year as the dust from the camps continue to settle and people begin to speak their souls - the need for a different more critical approach is very much alive. During the seventieth anniversary, not a day will pass without a mention of the Holocaust in the press. But will these discussions lead to stopping genocides of today? Can memorialisation with the absence of true dialogue and action ever bring harmony to our world? How does it relate to other work that is being done in the field? We are working in conjunction with a wide range of human rights grassroots groups and Holocaust memorial groups across the world. Our approach is unique, as we aim to anchor Holocaust memory in modern political action so as to overcome inherited trauma both spiritually and through tangible policy change. It is our belief that the Holocaust should be a time when we celebrate activism and the ability to create change, in order to build 'Never Again – Ever!' rather than get lost in memorials where we chant the phrase emptily. We also wish to challenge the consumer mass culture of Holocaust memory by building an alternative framework of activism at the heart of it.

’Never Again Ever!’ methodologies for social change The essence of the methodology is providing the marginalised groups we are working with – with key tools for critical questioning, investigative research and action-research skills to expose the root cause of the inequality in their communities. Throughout the programme we will be connecting these different marginalized groups (marginalized through racial, gender-based, sexuality, religious, (dis)ability etc) so that they can share the tools of their critical inquiries and build a common understanding of the root causes of their oppression. Popular education, theatre of the oppressed, listening surveys, transformative education and critical inquiry skills (influenced by a variety of radical transformative educational methodologies with Freire, Knowles, Fanon, Biko as key influential thinkers) the groups would then be able to map out the socio-economics of their common oppressions. Through the triple-pronged approach of investigative inquiry, theatre –based activism, and video-documentation this would ultimately lead to a series of political interventions whereby the group take their findings to the researched political targets of their oppression in their communities – whether they are politicians, corporations or institutions who are preventing their ability to be truly free. Never Again Ever! Action Plan Three key strategic production teams for Never Again Ever! - (1) The video documentation team interviewing 12 1st generation survivors about how their experience has influenced their social justice activism - to be released 1 a month (2) The actions team - From Spring 2015 throughout the whole of the year, we aim to empower 500 people in the UK in order to challenge war and injustice. By creating a series of creative activism programmes to empower people to take action, and equip them with all the logistical skills required to think and act critically. The 70th anniversary is the last significant milestone that will have Holocaust survivors still alive to share their stories – and such we are building a team of 1stst generation survivors in the process – to help train and inspire the new generation in lived war stories as well as anti-war resistance. (3) The Holocaust Survivors Cabaret Team - A holocaust remembrance event like no other, the Holocaust Survivors Cabaret seeks to go beyond somber memorialisation and scrutinise the conditions that permitted the holocaust that still exist in the world today. Step underground and participate in a cabaret-style celebration of the lives of holocaust survivors and the political activism their experiences inspired. A wide range of marginalised communities will be brought together with others who suffer or have suffered oppression due to race, creed, religion, political activism, citizenship status, or gender and sexual identities, in order to explore the ways in which different experiences of oppression take root in the social and psychological conditions that underpinned Nazism. It will also recognise that whilst Jews were indeed primary targets of persecution and violence, the holocaust also involved the victimisation of many other minorities, vulnerable populations and political dissidents whose stories are too often ignored or left untold. The centre-piece of the event will be a ‘handing over’ ceremony from holocaust survivors to the rest of the participants and audience; a powerful and symbolic passing on of the memories and the commitment to social

justice activism that they inspire. This feature is not just to propel people into becoming more active, but also to leave survivors with a feeling that their suffering, their resilience, and their energies will be remembered, retold and a source of inspired action after they pass away. What are we hoping to achieve?

• 100 people from key marginalised groups (people affected by racial profiling, LGBTI, Roma-sinti, people with disabilities, migrants) learning from each other’s experiences, making connections and gaining an understanding of shared oppression.

• 100 people from key marginalised groups (people affected by racial profiling, LGBTI, Roma-sinti, people with disabilities, migrants) will participate in Cabaret performances; increasing their understanding of the shared oppressions they face, engaging positively with their experiences and becoming leaders in their communities.

• 200 people from key marginalised groups (people affected by racial profiling, LGBTI, Roma-sinti, people with disabilities, migrants) increasing their understanding of how this fits into a wider system of oppression which is linked to the oppression of others

• 150 people will participate in a collaborative planning process which will develop strategies for action and resistance against oppression featured in the Cabaret.

• 100 new connections between activists and organisers representing key marginalised groups will be made as a result of the Cabaret, resulting in new partnerships, events and actions which challenge the key issues raised in the play

• 50 people from key marginalised groups (people affected by racial profiling, LGBTI, Roma-sinti, people with disabilities, migrants) involved in the creation of a series of street protest creative interventions against the ride of the far-right parties.

• 15 young people from key marginalised groups (people affected by racial profiling, LGBTI, Roma-sinti, people with disabilities, migrants) involved in the development and production of the 'Holocaust survivor activism' film series.

To find out more visit: www.inplaceofwar.net/neveragainever www.neveragainever.org www.theglassishalffull.co.uk