I support peaceful disarmament of Swedish arms exports

Swedish arms exports are unethical and profoundly destructive. The situation has grown so severe that parlimentary work for change can be combined with civil disobedience. I who endorse this appeal support peaceful civil disarmament actions as part of the efforts to stop Swedish arms exports.

Apart from shattering the lives of millions of people by causing death and refugee catastrophes, Swedish arms exports also undermine years of efforts to devolop international rule of law, where ethics and rational argument would replace the principle that “might is right”.

The arms exports which are permitted by the Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products, and endorsed by parliamentarians, are in breach of numerous points in the parliamentary guidelines[1] for Swedish arms exports. They are against the will of the Swedish people[2]. And they are also in violation of Sweden’s, the EU’s and the UN’s stated goals on security, democracy, conflict resolution and human rights[3].

“Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander,” historian Yehuda Bauer wrote. Suffering in the world is not created so much by the immediate perpetrators as by all of us, who allow injustice to continue without intervening. When a situation is unsustainable, when violent crime is underway, the principle of lawful excuse exists. It says third parties have the right to physically intervene to prevent threats to life and health.

Sweden’s arms exports are so destructive and immoral that I the undersigned consider it justified, through peaceful civil disobedience, to disarm Swedish armaments[4] designated for export.

NAME, OCCUPATION/IDENTITY, PLACE, DATE