Ramstein Campaign: No Drone Wars!
Appeal
The US Air Force base at Ramstein, Germany, is a central pivot for preparing and executing wars of aggression violating international law. Most of the lethal missions of US combat drones, e.g. in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, and Africa, are conducted via Ramstein’s satellite relay station.
US drone pilotes from a multitude of military bases use Ramstein for operating killer drones in illegal war missions around the world. In Ramstein itself, about 650 personnel continuously analyze, update and pass on data from the surveillance of alleged targets.
With drones, the US government has extrajudicially killed almost 5,000 people in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia as well as more than 13,000 in the war in Afghanistan. US drones have killed countless victims in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. The large majority of the victims were innocents such as women, children, and old people. The orders to murder are transmitted from joysticks via Ramstein’s satellite relay station to the specific drones. Without Ramstein, the whole drone war would be obstructed decisively sine die.
At the same time, Ramstein was indispensable for logistically executing the brutal US/NATO war in Afghanistan and the US war of aggression in Iraq. The same is true for looming US interventionist wars, including at the borders of Russia.
The components of the US missile defense shield are stationed in different NATO states. One of its commando centers is incorporated into Ramstein’s AIRCOM, headquarters of all NATO air forces.
Extrajudicial executions of citizens of foreign countries on their own soil do not only violate the UN’s human rights charter and international law, but they also violate the German constitution if the crime emanates from German territory. We will not accept this any longer: neither the illegal goings-on of the US in Germany, nor their crimes against international law emanating from German territory, nor their support by the German government.
We thus demand of the German parliament and government:
- to ban the US from using Ramstein as the basis of their drone wars by law;
- to close down Ramstein’s satellite relay station;
- to renounce the purchase of combat drones for the Bundeswehr;
- to proscribe the acquisition of combat drones for military;
- to end the illegal spying of NSA, in cooperation with the German intelligence agency BND, for which Ramstein is a focal point.
Only individual commitment and determined action can put an end to the German government’s highly dangerous military politics and the US/NATO acts of war.
Hence we call for a demonstration and rally in front of Ramstein Air Base on September 26th, 2015, for a large public event in Kaiserslautern on September 25th, and for an evaluation and future-planning meeting on September 26th evening – as part of a long-term and extensive campaign.
First Signatories:
(Affiliation only serves purposes of information)
Roland Blach (DFG-VK Baden-Württemberg); Reiner Braun (IALANA); Monique Broquard (NaturFreunde Saarland); Dr. Diether Dehm (MP, Song writer, Treasurer European Left); Dr. Sabine Farrouh (IPPNW); Leonore Fuger (Mahnwache Berlin); Wolfgang Gehrcke (MP, DIE LINKE); Karin Gottlieb (Freidenkerverband Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland); Toni Groß (Friedensmahnwache Erfurt); Andreas Grünwald (Hamburger Forum für Völkerverständigung und weltweite Abrüstung); Klaus Hartmann (Deutscher Freidenker-Verband); Claudia Haydt (IMI); Klothilde Hinz (VVN/BdA Kreisvereinigung Bad Kreuznach); Inge Höger (MP, DIE LINKE); Willi Hoffmeister (Ostermarsch Rhein Ruhr); Andrej Hunko (MP, DIE LINKE); Matthias Jochheim (IPPNW); Peter Jüriens (Mahnwache Bochum, Friedenskreis Wanfried); Wolfgang Jung (LUFTPOST); Kristine Karch (No to War – No to NATO); Nico Kern (Piraten MdL NRW); Hans Georg Klee (OCCUPEACE München); Dr. Ansgar Klein (Aachener AG „Frieden jetzt!“); Helene Klein (Würselener Initiative für den Frieden); Anna Kowalke (Mahnwache Berlin); Bruno Kramm (Piratenpartei Berlin); Sabine Leidig (MP, DIE LINKE); Ekkehard Lentz (Bremer Friedensforum); Ulrich Lenz (Jenny Marx Gesellschaft für politische Bildung e.V. Rheinland-Pfalz) Manfred Lotze (IPPNW); Pascal Luig (NaturwissenschaftlerInnen-Initiative – Verantwortung für Frieden und Zukunftsfähigkeit);
Jürgen Lutterkordt (Bildung für Frieden e.V., RegenbogenTv, Friedenskreis Wanfried);
Prof. Dr. Mohssen Massarrat (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Attac); Prof. Dr. Maria Mies (international renowned aurthor, eco-feminist, peace activist); Dr. Amir Mortasawi (MD, author); Albrecht Müller (NachDenkSeiten); Michael Müller (NaturFreunde Deutschlands); Mike Nagler (Attac); Dr. Alexander Neu (MP, DIE LINKE); Prinz Chaos II (Song writer); Doris Pumphrey (antiwar-activist); George Pumphrey (antiwar-activist); Christiane Reymann (author); Bernd Rixinger (Chair DIE LINKE); Prof. Dr. Werner Ruf (Political Scientist, Peace Researcher); Rainer Rupp (Author); Dr. Sabine Schiffer (Institut für Medienverantwortung); Torsten Schleip (DFG-VK Landesverband Ost); Pedram Shahyar (Speaker Mahnwache); Fee Strieffler (Ramsteiner Appell); Tanja Tede (Heidelberg zieht in den Frieden);
Hannelore Tölke (Speaker DFG-VK NRW); Bernhard Trautvetter (GEW, Peace Activist); Alexander Ulrich (MP, DIE LINKE); Kathrin Vogler (MP, DIE LINKE); Peter Wahl (Scientific Council Attac); Renate Wanie (Staff Werkstatt für Gewaltfreie Aktion); Gunda Weidmüller (AGORA Hamburg); Jens Wernicke (NachDenkSeiten); Lucas Wirl (NaturwissenschaftlerInnen-Initiative – Verantwortung für Frieden und Zukunftsfähigkeit)
The appeal Stop Ramstein Campaign: No Drone Wars! Never again war from German soil may be signed online (in German) at: www.ramstein-kampagne.eu
Contact:
Action Office Ramstein-Campaign
Marienstraße 19/20 Telefon: 030 20 65 48 57
10117 Berlin Fax: 030 31 99 66 89
Download the appeal as 20150730_Appeal-Ramstein_english.pdf