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Peace Activist Hits War Resister

4 November 1967
Sticker, Pax Christi (fragment)
Source: 
BG E14/966

The Dutch Union for War Resisters [Bond voor Dienstweigeraars, BVD], founded in July  1967, wanted to profile themselves during a march organized by the estimable peace movement Pax Christi.
On 4 November 1967, the War Resisters turned up armed with 4000 pamphlets that read “Thou shalt not Kill”. This manifestation did not go flawlessly. One of the unionists later declared 'that he was given a beating by a "Christian” who had just been to church and heard a sermon about "true peace". The "Christian" found this very contradictory to the War Resisters' opinions on peace. Besides all this, the police confiscated half of the pamphlets. The Unionists themselves considered their action ‘a reasonable success’. Yet there is no denying that the Union, during the first year of its existence,  could only express their ideals with much difficulty and very little public support.'

Quoted from: Coreline Boot, Het leger onder vuur. De Koninklijke Landmacht en haar critici 1945-1989 ( 2015) 92