[JNV] 100,000 Rings, A Reminder

[JNV]

100,000 Rings

A) Introduction
B) Short Description Of The Project
C) Draft Press Release

A) Introduction

Dear friends

We are writing to remind you of an important project which we hope you will be able to 

participate in at the end of this month.

It is nearly a year on from the Lancet Report, which estimated that 100,000 people had died 

since the beginning of the war in Iraq.  We would like to invite you to hold a ceremony in your 

area to mark the anniversary of the publication of the Lancet Report (29 October).

Many thanks,

Maya Evans
Milan Rai
JNV

B) Short Description Of The Project

Voices for Creative Nonviolence (US) and Justice Not Vengeance (UK) call for bell ringing 

ceremonies to grieve and protest the deaths of Iraqis in the US/UK war and occupation.

On October 24th – 27th, to mark the anniversary of the release of the Lancet Study on 29 

October 2004, we will act out our grief, our anger, and our solidarity by gathering in a public 

place for a simple and solemn "Bell Ringing" ceremony. 

We will ring a bell every minute, 1,000 times, each solitary ring symbolizing the death of an 

Iraqi person as a result of the war and occupation. 

We call upon other communities to organize similar bell ringing ceremonies on these days. 

One hundred communities ringing a bell 1,000 times would equal 100,000 rings. The format of 

the ceremony is open to meet the needs of individual communities.  At intervals during the bell 

ringing, we will read the names of Iraqis who are known to have died in the violence.

100 Rings

The format of the ceremony is open to meet the needs of individual communities. It has already 

been noted that the ceremony as it stands is rather taxing, especially for smaller peace groups.  

It has been suggested that instead groups can choose to ring a bell only 100 times

During the bell-ringing, whether 1000 or 100 rings, groups are invited to read out a hundred 

names of Iraqis who have died since the invasion. Two websites which list names of Iraqi 

civilians killed in the war are Iraqi Civilian War Casualties and Iraq Body Count: 100 Names of 

Civilians Killed. 

For a detailed plan of the action see: <http://iraqmortality.org/practical-guide>.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss ways of participating which are less demanding.

For more information contact Justice not Vengeance 0845 458 9571, info(AT)j-n-v.org or visit 

<www.iraqmortality.org>.


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C) Draft Press Release

Press Release 

[Your contact details]

Bells ring for Iraq dead
-  Press Release -

(Name of Group) are holding a bell ringing ceremony on (Between these dates October 24th – 

27th) at (Central Location in your area) as part of an international peace action, to mark the 

anniversary of the release of the Lancet Study on 29 October 2004 which estimated 100,000 

people had died since the beginning of the war in Iraq. 

We will ring a bell every minute, 1,000 times, [option of 100 rings is available] each solitary ring 

symbolizing the death of an Iraqi person as a result of the war and occupation. At intervals 

during the bell ringing, we will read the names of Iraqis who are known to have died in the 

violence.

[Insert quote from a group representative here. Material following is from the JNV/Voices 

press release. Please feel free to choose a couple of sentences from here to use in your press 

release.]

'As people opposed to the US/UK war and occupation of Iraq, we act to end the silence about 

the suffering and death in Iraq and to publicly unlock the grief that it has caused in our 

communities.'

'We are appalled by Blair and Bush's disregard for the welfare of American and British citizens 

sent to fight in Iraq. We are appalled by the silence surrounding the suffering and death of the 

Iraqi people, caught on a battlefield without borders in the crossfire of a war they didn't start 

or invite.'

For more information please contact (your details) or visit <www.iraqmortality.org>.

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Notes for Journalists

1) This ceremony is in response to a call from 'Voices for Creative Nonviolence' (US) and 

'Justice Not Vengeance' (UK) - see <www.iraqmortality.org>. The organisers are hoping for 

one hundred communities to each ring a bell 1,000 times, amounting to 100,000 rings. 

2) In April 2004, 52 former senior British diplomats wrote that 'it is a disgrace that the 

coalition forces themselves appear to have no estimate' of Iraqi deaths due to the invasion and 

occupation [1]. In contrast, lives lost by US and 'coalition' soldiers are carefully recorded and 

mourned. Please see <http://www.countthecasualties.org.uk/>.

For more information contact (Local Contact) or visit <www.iraqmortality.org>.