Ceasefire Now: Harnessing Social Media & Conscious Investing for Peace

In the digital age, social media platforms and financial investments are transforming into powerful tools for driving change. This was a poignant theme in a recent meeting of peace advocates, where they discussed leveraging these platforms to promote peace and influence policy change.

Using LinkedIn for Peace Advocacy

Enzo, an active participant in the meeting, discussed his new LinkedIn page, <a href=’Ceasefire”>https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceasefire-now/’>Ceasefire Now. Created to avoid spam and blockage issues, the page aims to draw the attention of the White House and hopefully make posts viral. Enzo hopes that journalists will pick up on these posts, thus creating a wider reach for their cause.

Despite some setbacks like shadow banning and threats, Enzo emphasized the importance of diversifying their communication channels, considering LinkedIn is most vulnerable to blocking. The conversation showed the importance of resilience in the face of challenges to keep the cause alive.

Raising Awareness on Financial Investments

A significant part of the meeting focused on raising awareness about the implications of financial investments. Naheed and Adil shared that Ireland has acknowledged that they shouldn’t be buying US Treasuries, a significant step towards conscious investing.

They also discussed the ‘NoThankYou’ app, for Android users, which checks for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS). The team has been proactively reaching out to 36 countries, questioning why they are buying US treasuries. They’ve also embarked on a petition process to engage more people and are contacting pension funds for greater impact.

The team’s efforts seem to be bearing fruit, with SWAN responding positively and a bank reconsidering their financial allocations. However, Adil cautioned that this path is not without its challenges, as he has been threatened with legal action by a bank he used to work for. Nevertheless, their commitment to addressing the public and raising questions about financial investments remains unshakeable.

Publicly Calling Out ‘Dirty’ Investments

Naheed pointed out that many people are unaware that ordinary people are buying US treasuries. There is a growing demand for ‘cleaner’ investments, free from the taint of war stocks. To drive this awareness, they suggest publicly calling out banks like Scotia and Wealth Simple, which have investments on the BDS list.

Amine added that Citibank is one of the worst culprits from a BDS perspective. This part of the conversation highlighted the need for greater public scrutiny of financial institutions, to push them towards ethical investing.

Looking Ahead

The meeting concluded with an exciting announcement by Amal about a special guest for their next meeting – a documentary filmmaker. This suggests a move towards creating their own media to further amplify their message.

As the meeting concluded, it left a lingering sentiment of a group of determined individuals leveraging the power of social media and conscious investing to make a difference. Their journey is a testament to the potential of collective action in the digital age.

Call to Action

Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to be aware of where our money is going. Are we inadvertently supporting war through our investments? Let’s start asking these questions to our financial institutions and demand ‘cleaner’ investments. Let’s use our power to bring about change.

Freedom Advocacy Network

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