The International Peace Bureau awards the Séan MacBride Peace Prize every year to a person, or organisation, or movement in recognition of its outstanding work for peace, disarmament, human rights.
This year the IPB Board has chosen the following three winners of the prize:
All Okinawa Council Against Henoko New Base
Noam Chomsky
Jeremy Corbyn
All Okinawa Council Against Henoko New Base – for its unflagging commitment to win the closure of the Futemna Marine Air Base, which is widely seen as one of the world’s most dangerous military bases, and for its unremitting nonviolent opposition to the construction of a massive new air, land and sea base in Henoko. The Council has assembled all Okinawan forces – grassroots, political, and intellectual – opposed to these bases, building on decades of democratic and nonviolent struggle for peace and opposing the social, environmental, political violations that accompany foreign military bases, never giving up. Engaging in a wide variety of actions. The Council’s steadfastness and exceptional range of nonviolent actions, the broad popular support it enjoys, and the spirit and dedication that characterize this exceptional anti-bases movement make it a model for peace and justice struggles and deserving of support and solidarity.
Noam Chomsky – for his tireless commitment to peace, his strong critiques to U.S. foreign policy, and his anti-imperialism. Professor Chomsky has been properly described as “a genuine people’s hero, an inspiration for struggles all over the world for that basic decency known as freedom”, as “one of the greatest and most radical public thinkers of our time”, “one of the most significant challengers of unjust power and delusions”, and as a ‘guru’ for the world’s anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movement. In recent years, in addition to his continuing contributions to the fields of linguistics, philosophy and cognitive science, his critiques have focused on the U.S. post-9-11 “War on Terror” which has provided cover for a continuation of U.S. imperial policies, and the imperative of addressing the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and climate change.
Jeremy Corbyn – for his sustained and powerful political work for disarmament and peace. As an active member, vice-chair and now vice-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the UK he has for many years worked to further the political message of nuclear disarmament. As the past chair of the Stop the War Campaign in the UK he has worked for peace and alternatives to war. As a member of parliament in the UK he has, for 34 years continually taken that work for justice, peace and disarmament to the political arena both in and outside of Parliament. He has ceaselessly stood by the principles, which he has held for so long, to ensure true security and well-being for all – for his constituents, for the citizens of the UK and for the people of the world. Now, as leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition he continues to carry his personal principles into his political life – stating openly that he could not press the nuclear button and arguing strongly for a re-orientation of priorities – to cut military spending and spend instead on health, welfare and education.
The prize ceremony will be held on Friday, 24th November in Barcelona. Please note that there will be a press conference on the same day at 11am.