The fourth speaking event of the Kitchener-Waterloo Peoples' Summit (KWPS) is highlighted by a presentation by author and agent of social change Peter Gelderloos and focuses in the topic of Gelderloos’ book, How Non-Violence Protects the State.

The talk was entitled Nonviolence, the War on Terror and Revolution: the role played first by nonviolence and now by the War on Terror to pacify social conflicts, and how people can recover the power to fight back. This June 4, 2010 presentation at the KW Community Centre for Social Justice, looks at how the practice of nonviolence and civic mentality prevalent in the antiglobalization and antiwar movements helped pacify social struggles and paved the way for the intensification of the domestic War on Terror.  Also explored are how terrorism is replacing violence as a political category used by the state and media to delegitimize social struggles; and how we need to confront the domestic War on Terror in order to overcome the social isolation it imposes and legitimize direct attacks against the system to broader circles of people.

The KW Peoples' Summit is running from May 3 to June 16, 2010 and features panel discussions, workshops, authors, music, movies, and poetry themed around the upcoming G8 and G20 summits and convergences which are taking place in Huntsville and Toronto from June 18 to 27.  Working with veteran community organizers, faith, youth, and cultural leaders, academics and students, the KWPS aims to present a well rounded understanding of the impacts caused through the policies formed, and the ideologies advanced, at the undemocratic G8 and G20 leaders summits.  The KWPS hopes to mobilize citizens in and around Waterloo region in the quest for social justice. 

For more info about the KWPS, check out http://www.2010resistance.ca

You can find AW@L on the Web at http://www.peaceculture.org and on the Rabble.ca podcast Network.

THE KW Peoples' Summit is endorsed or supported by the KW Anti-Torture Coalition, AW@L, KWCCSJ, WPIRG, LSPIRG, and the Peak Magazine in Guelph.